To: Jonas Zebila
From: Abi Zebila
Subject: Update
Thursday 2 July 2015
Jonas, my brother,
They’ve just left – Clemency and her mother have been for a visit and it went well. I didn’t want to say anything until it’d actually happened – I half expected her to cancel at the last second, but she didn’t. Like I say, I think it went well.
She sent me a message almost straight away saying:
‘Thank you for arranging today. I feel so lucky to have you in my life. Clemency x’
So that’s something? She didn’t run away, although when everyone started crying I wouldn’t have blamed her. Yes, dear brother, you read that right, everyone started crying. Proper, full-on sobbing – even Daddy, even Ivor. It was a mess. If I was her, standing there watching a bunch of virtual strangers crying because I’d walked into a room, I would have run for it. Ironic, huh, that the one time I’d have expected her to hit the road, she stood there and took it.
She brought her adoptive mother with her. Clemency calls her ‘Mum’. She’s white, by the way. So was her adoptive father. It never occurred to me that either of them would be, let alone both of them. Her mum, I suppose I need to call her, is so nice, she brought a photo album. It was so strange, seeing all those pictures of Clemency growing up and looking exactly like me. She seemed happy in the photos – she was always smiling.
Gran asked Clem (I don’t think she’ll mind if I call her that) to help her to her room. She was gone for ages, and when Clem came back she definitely had the look of someone who’d been Gran’d. I don’t know what Gran said or did, but Clemency had that expression on her face that everyone has after spending time with Gran. I hope Gran didn’t put her off.
Everyone’s being really quiet now, it’s only Lily-Rose who’s talking at all and she wants to keep going through the photos. Mummy is clearing up and looking off into the distance like she’s reliving her life again or something, and Daddy has looked through the photos several times with Lily-Rose. Ivor’s gone out to wherever Ivor goes. He seems embarrassed that he cried, too, and also, I don’t know, angry isn’t the right word. He seems put out, maybe scared about what Clemency will mean for him and his position in the family. I really can’t think what else it would be.
Brother, it’s at times like this that I miss you. You were noticeably absent today. You would have loved Clemency, she would have loved you. Aren’t you just tempted to break the silence to find out about her? Not even a little?
Love you. Miss you.
Your sister,
Abi
xxxxxxx