inside.
‘Your daughter’s beautiful,’ she said. ‘Her eyes are gorgeous.’
I smiled, aware that any compliment on Matilda’s eyes would also apply to Chris’s. ‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘She’s crazy, actually,’ said Josh. ‘And incredibly loud and nosey.’
Lydia smiled. ‘Bet you love her really.’
‘Course I do,’ he said. ‘She’s my sister.’
His words hung in the air for a moment. Lydia took a sip of coffee.
‘Thanks for Josh’s present,’ I said.
‘That’s OK, he’s already thanked me.’
‘He gave it to her when she worked for Mercury Records, in London,’ said Josh. ‘She got to hang out with him for a bit. How awesome is that?’
‘Fantastic,’ I said.
‘I knew I’d give it to him one day, you see,’ Lydia explained. ‘I was just waiting for the time to be right.’
I nodded. Avoiding the temptation to ask why the time was right now.
‘So have you moved back to the area?’ I asked.
‘Yeah. Only last week. I’m renting a little flat in Hebden, nothing special. It’s good to be back, though. This valley’s still the place I consider to be home.’
I nodded. Did my best to smile. Any thoughts of this being a fleeting reappearance had just disappeared. I realised I didn’t even know where she was from originally. Her accent was definitely a northern one but it had a London drawl mixed in which made it hard to pin down.
‘So you actually used to live at our house?’ asked Josh.
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘For about four years. Which is your bedroom now? Still the wonky one at the back?’
‘Yeah,’ he replied.
‘I always liked that room,’ she said. ‘Such a beautiful view too.’
‘Must have been weird,’ said Josh. ‘Seeing the house again after so long.’
‘It was. It felt like I was in some kind of time warp where a place has stayed exactly the same but all the people have moved on and changed.’
She glanced at me as she finished the sentence. Maybeshe hadn’t figured on a new woman being there. Maybe she thought Chris would have been a single parent all these years. Living there alone with Josh. She clearly hadn’t expected to see another child there.
I wanted to ask her so much. To try to get answers to all the questions which were hammering away inside my head. I didn’t feel I could, though. Not in front of Josh.
‘So how did you meet Chris?’ Lydia asked me.
I stared at her. I hadn’t been expecting anything quite so direct. But then I hadn’t stopped to think that she would have questions too. That she would want to fill in all the gaps of the people she had left behind.
‘Through Josh, really. Chris used to bring him to the library where I worked.’
‘She did these really cool kids’ events,’ said Josh. ‘Like a
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
day where we got to make Violet Beauregarde paper chains and eat Willy Wonka chocolates that she made.’
I found myself blushing unexpectedly. Warmed by Josh’s memories and my own memories of meeting Chris for the first time.
‘So you’re a librarian,’ said Lydia.
She didn’t say it patronisingly. It was just how the word always came out.
‘Not any more,’ I said. ‘I’m a counsellor now.’
‘Right. What made you switch to that?’
I was unnerved by her questions. I’d only just met the woman, and I certainly wasn’t about to go into details about my parents’ marriage.
‘Just something I’d always fancied doing,’ I said.
‘And is your dad still a photographer?’ she asked Josh, as if sensing that she’d get more information from him.
‘Yeah. He’s got a studio in town. Does portraits and that.’
‘Oh, so he’s given up the newspapers, then?’
For the first time that afternoon I felt riled on Chris’s behalf. ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Deadlines and a baby didn’t really mix.’
She nodded. Maybe she squirmed a bit. Or perhaps it was my imagination.
‘So what about you?’ I asked, deciding not to let her ask all the questions. ‘Are you
‘Your daughter’s beautiful,’ she said. ‘Her eyes are gorgeous.’
I smiled, aware that any compliment on Matilda’s eyes would also apply to Chris’s. ‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘She’s crazy, actually,’ said Josh. ‘And incredibly loud and nosey.’
Lydia smiled. ‘Bet you love her really.’
‘Course I do,’ he said. ‘She’s my sister.’
His words hung in the air for a moment. Lydia took a sip of coffee.
‘Thanks for Josh’s present,’ I said.
‘That’s OK, he’s already thanked me.’
‘He gave it to her when she worked for Mercury Records, in London,’ said Josh. ‘She got to hang out with him for a bit. How awesome is that?’
‘Fantastic,’ I said.
‘I knew I’d give it to him one day, you see,’ Lydia explained. ‘I was just waiting for the time to be right.’
I nodded. Avoiding the temptation to ask why the time was right now.
‘So have you moved back to the area?’ I asked.
‘Yeah. Only last week. I’m renting a little flat in Hebden, nothing special. It’s good to be back, though. This valley’s still the place I consider to be home.’
I nodded. Did my best to smile. Any thoughts of this being a fleeting reappearance had just disappeared. I realised I didn’t even know where she was from originally. Her accent was definitely a northern one but it had a London drawl mixed in which made it hard to pin down.
‘So you actually used to live at our house?’ asked Josh.
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘For about four years. Which is your bedroom now? Still the wonky one at the back?’
‘Yeah,’ he replied.
‘I always liked that room,’ she said. ‘Such a beautiful view too.’
‘Must have been weird,’ said Josh. ‘Seeing the house again after so long.’
‘It was. It felt like I was in some kind of time warp where a place has stayed exactly the same but all the people have moved on and changed.’
She glanced at me as she finished the sentence. Maybeshe hadn’t figured on a new woman being there. Maybe she thought Chris would have been a single parent all these years. Living there alone with Josh. She clearly hadn’t expected to see another child there.
I wanted to ask her so much. To try to get answers to all the questions which were hammering away inside my head. I didn’t feel I could, though. Not in front of Josh.
‘So how did you meet Chris?’ Lydia asked me.
I stared at her. I hadn’t been expecting anything quite so direct. But then I hadn’t stopped to think that she would have questions too. That she would want to fill in all the gaps of the people she had left behind.
‘Through Josh, really. Chris used to bring him to the library where I worked.’
‘She did these really cool kids’ events,’ said Josh. ‘Like a
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
day where we got to make Violet Beauregarde paper chains and eat Willy Wonka chocolates that she made.’
I found myself blushing unexpectedly. Warmed by Josh’s memories and my own memories of meeting Chris for the first time.
‘So you’re a librarian,’ said Lydia.
She didn’t say it patronisingly. It was just how the word always came out.
‘Not any more,’ I said. ‘I’m a counsellor now.’
‘Right. What made you switch to that?’
I was unnerved by her questions. I’d only just met the woman, and I certainly wasn’t about to go into details about my parents’ marriage.
‘Just something I’d always fancied doing,’ I said.
‘And is your dad still a photographer?’ she asked Josh, as if sensing that she’d get more information from him.
‘Yeah. He’s got a studio in town. Does portraits and that.’
‘Oh, so he’s given up the newspapers, then?’
For the first time that afternoon I felt riled on Chris’s behalf. ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Deadlines and a baby didn’t really mix.’
She nodded. Maybe she squirmed a bit. Or perhaps it was my imagination.
‘So what about you?’ I asked, deciding not to let her ask all the questions. ‘Are you
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