Page 27 of The Sun Sister
‘Oh Electra, we must find it,’ she’d said, her expressive eyes full of sympathy as she’d knelt down to let rip on my lingerie drawers.
‘Hey, I’m not saying I want to read it even if I do find it, but it would be good to know it’s there.’
‘Of course it would. They were his last words to you and I am sure they were words he wanted you to read. Do not worry, Electra, we will find it.’
But after searching through every drawer, closet, coat pocket and scrap of paper in the apartment, even Mariam’s positivity had waned.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ I said one sunny April morning as she emptied my bedside drawers for the umpteenth time. ‘Maybe I wasn’t meant to read it. Now, I’m gonna fix myself a lunchtime drink. Want one?’
As always, Mariam refused and said she wanted water. We sat down and ran through the day’s emails, which mostly consisted of invitations to the opening of a new fashion store, or a film premiere or a charity ball. I remembered the days when I’d been so excited about receiving these – but now I understood they didn’t wantmeat all, just column inches for themselves.
‘Oh, I almost forgot.’ Mariam delved into her satchel. ‘Susie passed on a letter that was sent to the agency.’
‘That’s your job to deal with,’ I said irritably. ‘They’re normally begging letters, or a request for a donation, or someone pretending to be my long-lost brother.’
‘I know that, Electra, and usually Iwoulddeal with it, but Susie and I think you should read this.’ She passed the envelope to me and I saw it was addressed care of the agency in an elegant hand. I eyed Mariam across the coffee table.
‘Why? What does it say?’
‘I just think you should read it, that’s all,’ she repeated.
‘Okay,’ I sighed, and I slid the letter out of the envelope. ‘It’s not anything bad, is it? Like the IRS writing me personally?’
‘No, Electra, it isn’t, I promise.’
‘Okay.’ I unfolded the paper and saw a Brooklyn address at the top. Then I began to read.
My dear Miss D’Aplièse – or may I call you Electra?
My name is Stella Jackson and I am your biological grandmother...
‘Jesus!’ I balled the letter in my fist and threw it at Mariam playfully. ‘Do you know how many of these kinds of letters from “lost relatives” I get? Susie normally puts them in the trash. What did this one want?’
‘From the letter, nothing, other than to meet you.’
‘Okay, so what is so unusual about it that you gave it to me?’
‘There’s something else in the envelope, Electra.’ Mariam indicated where I had discarded it on the coffee table. ‘I really think you should take a look.’
Just to shut her up, I picked up the envelope again and looked inside. There was a small photograph lodged in one corner. I drew it out and saw it was black and white, yellowing slightly at the edges. It was of a very beautiful black woman holding a baby and smiling at the camera.
‘Well?’
I looked at Mariam.
‘Well, what?’
‘Can’t you see the resemblance?’
‘To who?’
‘You, of course! Susie noticed it immediately and so did I.’
I looked again.
‘Yeah, so she’s black and okay, she’s definitely a beauty, but,’ I shrugged, ‘I’m sure there are thousands of women who look like her – and me.’
‘As you know well, Electra, there are veryfewwomen who look like you. The shape of her face, the set of her eyes and the cheekbones. Seriously, she could be you. Or what I mean is...you could be her.’
