Page 62 of It Always Snows on Mistletoe Square
Bloomsbury,London
23 December 2018
The next morning is a Sunday, and Ben is waiting for his emergency plumber to arrive at his house. He’s actually waiting in the warmth of Estelle’s sitting room doing some work in front of the fire, but the plumber has agreed to call him when he arrives in Mistletoe Square.
So after I’ve taken Alvie for a morning walk and the plumber still hasn’t called, Ben suggests I take a wander into town myself.
‘As much as I enjoy your company, Elle, there’s no point us both waiting in, is there?’ Ben says. ‘You go out and find some festive cheer for both of us. It’s two days until Christmas, I’m sure there’s plenty to be had. Either that or you can have a laugh at all the husbands and boyfriends doing their last-minute Christmas shopping!’
‘I’d rather wait for you.’ I perch next to him on the arm of the chair. The thought of going on my own out into a world filled with Christmas spirit really doesn’t have the same appeal as going with Ben by my side. ‘It’s much more fun when it’s the two of us.’ I put my arm around his shoulders, leaning in for a hug, but Ben swiftly pulls me down onto his lap. ‘Hey!’ I pretend to protest.
‘I am deeply flattered you think that,’ he says, looking down at me. ‘Usually people hate spending time with me at Christmas.’
‘Bit of a Scrooge, are you?’ I ask, grinning.
Ben grimaces. ‘Sadly, I was. Until I met you, that is.’
‘Funny, I feel exactly the same!’.’
I reach up and pull Ben’s face towards me, but it doesn’t take a lot of effort as Ben is already moving in my direction.
When our lips finally part, he looks at me with an odd expression. ‘What I’m going to say now might sound a bit weird. But hear me out.’
‘Okay … ’
‘You know you read these stories of people finding they have long-lost siblings and they know straight away because there’s a connection between them?’
‘Yes?’ I reply hesitantly, wondering where he’s going with this.
‘Because I felt this instant connection with you, and you told me you felt the same, I hoped we weren’t going to find out something weird like that. Because the way I feel about you, Elle, really isn’t something you want to feel for a long-lost sister, I can tell you.’
I can’t help but laugh. ‘Sorry, but that’s really funny. I mean, you’re right, we do have this incredibly powerful connection for two people that have just met. But because we have the same date of birth, if your original worry was proved to be correct, that wouldn’t make us siblings, we’d have to be long-lost twins!’
‘Crikey,’ Ben says, pulling a face. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. That’s even worse!’
‘You needn’t worry. There’s no way I ever had a twin brother I was separated from at birth. My parents had so many other children they were always involved with that an extra one wouldn’t have been any bother to them.’
‘Really, how come?’
‘It’s just the way they were. You’d never know they had their own child; they were always busy doing good here there and everywhere for other people. I kind of got forgotten about a lot of the time.’
‘I’m sure that’s not true.’
I shrug. ‘I guess you had to be there.’
‘What do you mean they were always doing good?’
‘Back when I was small, my parents worked, and volunteered for a lot of charities. I don’t just mean occasionally, it was all the time both in this country and overseas. It was their lives. Especially my mother – I’d even go so far as to say she was obsessed by doing good by everyone.’
‘That’s admirable, surely?’ Ben asks, looking surprised.
‘Yes, of course it is. But not at the expense of your own child.’
‘Perhaps you only remember it like that. I’m sure your parents loved you and cared for you the best they could. We all remember things a little differently than they actually happened when we were children.’
I stare at Ben. Then very carefully I remove myself from his lap. ‘Funny, that’s what everyone says,’ I reply, deliberately not looking at him while I smooth down my jumper where it has twisted and risen up. ‘I thought for some reason you might be different. I thought you in particular might understand, given your own situation.’
‘Because I was adopted, you mean?’
