Page 10 of A Wish For Wilma
Sam pulled Jinnie into a hug and planted a kiss on her head. They continued to stare at the growing lamp collection, both silent as they contemplated what it meant. Sam knewexactlywhat it meant, but saying it out loud meant facing a reality he wasn’t ready for.
‘You weren’t here when I woke up this morning. Did something happen?’ Jinnie’s voice wobbled and Sam held her tighter. ‘You didn’t say a word for nearly three hours after you got back, and you looked as if you’d seen a ghost.’
Well, yes: being an almighty Djinn with responsibility for a baby genie would freak anybody out.Sam concentrated on his breathing. Attending ante-natal classes with Jinnie was proving useful in other ways. He wanted to be hands-on at the birth, to support her during the whole painful process. His ex-wife Lucy hadn’t been keen, but Jinnie said it took two to make a baby and two to bring it into the world.
‘I learned things.’ Sam took a deep breath. ‘Things I still don’t fully understand. I was in Arabia, or somewhere else exotic, and a strange old man lured me into his home—’
‘Arabia?’ Jinnie let out a squeal. ‘Sam, I thought you’d gone for a long walk, not to a foreign land!’ Jinnie gazed at Sam in disbelief. ‘Geography’s never been my thing, but I thought that was a made-up place. Where genies live — duh — with camels and sand and gold and spices.’
‘It does exist, although it’s not really called that nowadays,’ said Sam. ‘I went back in time, hundreds of years, to where it all began for Dhassim and Aaliyah.’ Reluctantly, he filled Jinnie in on Wilma’s discovery of their lamps, but couldn’t bring himself to elaborate further.
‘Well, they appear to have conjured up another lamp, which doesn’t fill me with joy.’ Jinnie reached out and tentatively touched the small lamp. ‘You don’t think that—’ She dropped her gaze to her belly. ‘Could they have produced a mini-genie?’
Nail hit firmly on the head, Sam thought. Although how they’d managed such a feat while incarcerated in metal was anyone’s guess.
‘Do you think we should rub it?’ Jinnie tugged the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her right hand. ‘If it’s a little one, it seems sad not to.’
‘I’m more inclined to let sleeping genies lie, even if they’re of the baby variety,’ said Sam. ‘Besides, if itisthe offspring of Dhassim and Aaliyah, we might have to unleash them too. Perish the thought.’
Jinnie pulled a sad face. ‘I kind of miss them, you know. Life was exciting when they were around.’
‘And now it’s deadly dull?’ Sam mock-frowned and eased Jinnie’s sleeve back up her arm. ‘I’m looking forward to being a family of three. The thought of those two acting as babysitters—’
Jinnie chuckled and planted a kiss on Sam’s cheek. ‘Maybe they’ll need some practice if it turns out they’ve cooked up a teeny genie. Listen, I’m starving. How about you make us some of your epic Welsh rarebit? We can puzzle over the extra lamp later.’
* * *
Settledin the kitchen with molten cheese oozing over slices of toasted wholegrain bread, Sam and Jinnie ate companionably. Jinnie switched on the radio and they joined in with a general knowledge quiz. Sam beat Jinnie by two points and teased her mercilessly for not knowing the capital of Switzerland.
‘Well, I always thought it was Geneva. Or maybe Zurich,’ she huffed.
A WhatsApp message pinged on Jinnie’s phone. She scoffed her final piece of toast and read it. ‘Oh, help. Gran wants to come over and bring her new man. Not that’s she’ssaidhe’s her new man, but she gets all girly and giggly when she talks about him.’
‘That’s nice, right?’ said Sam. ‘You know I think the world of Wilma. If someone brings a little sparkle into her life, that must be a good thing.’
Jinnie nodded as she fired off a reply. ‘I don’t disagree, but any man would have his work cut out with my gran.’
‘Maybe they’re just good friends,’ Sam said as he gathered up the empty plates and switched on the kettle.
‘Or friends with benefits.’ Jinnie grimaced and Sam laughed. ‘I think we can safely say that Wilma’s a grown-up and therefore more than able to look after herself. When are they coming over?’
On cue, another message popped up. ‘They’ll be here in an hour. Why don’t you swing by Jo’s and pick up some cakes and scones? Gran likes a spot of afternoon tea. No idea what Gus is into.’
‘Apart from Wilma.’ Sam winked and earned another appalled look from Jinnie. ‘OK, OK, I’m off. We’ve plenty of wine and beer if there’s a need for something stronger.’
Left alone, Jinnie made herself a strong cuppa and wandered back into the hallway. The cupboard remained unlocked. All three lamps were still there, not that she’d expected them to disappear. Jinnie blew on her tea and took a sip. Still too hot. She placed the mug on the shelf and carefully lifted the tiny lamp. Wherehadit come from? It lacked the lustre of its parents, for want of a better description.
Before she could change her mind, Jinnie carried the lamp into the living room. ‘Who are you?’ she whispered, trailing a finger along its surface. ‘Are you lonely in there?’
Jinnie tapped the lamp. Nothing happened. Not that she wanted something to happen. For a junior genie to materialise and possibly induce early labour…
A noise in the hallway disturbed her reverie. Sam, back already? No: the sound brought to mind tin cans clattering together, like at a wedding when people tied empty cans to the married couple’s car.
Jinnie shoved the lamp behind a cushion and dashed into the hallway. The sound stopped abruptly. She looked inside the cupboard, but nothing had changed. Except… The two lamps seemed closer together than before.
‘Honey, I’m home!’ Sam strode through the front door, a paper bag of goodies swinging from his hand. He halted when he saw Jinnie peering into the cupboard. ‘Everything all right?’
Jinnie closed the cupboard door, retrieved her cooling cup of tea, then leaned against the door with an air of nonchalance. ‘Couldn’t be better, now you’re back and we have carbs and calories. You didn’t take long — wasn’t Jo busy?’
