Another Day in Winter

by Shari Low

  Before she could answer, her phone beeped with an incoming text.

  Hourly update? You’re late. Josie currently suiting up in SWAT gear.

  ‘Sorry, I need to answer this,’ she said. ‘It’s my friends. I was supposed to text them every hour to let them know I was safe.’

  ‘They sound like good friends,’ he said, and she could tell he was happy she had them.

  ‘They’re wonderful,’ she admitted, then went back to deliberating her reply. If she told the truth, there would be a huge drama. Val would be on the phone in seconds looking for explanations and reassurances that she was okay. How could she explain any of this when she didn’t actually understand it herself? She sent up a silent prayer for forgiveness as she typed a blatant lie.

  All fine. Will text again in an hour. Tell Josie to stand down. Xx

  Chrissie slipped her phone back into her bag. She had no idea where to start, and she wanted to speak to him properly, so that they both understood everything that had happened, so that there could be – for good or bad – no more confusion. She shook off what he’d told her about splitting with his girlfriend. This wasn’t the time for those conversations yet. There were way too many other things to deal with.

  ‘So how is Rosemary?’

  Tom sighed. ‘Truth?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Still exactly the same. So is my dad. Both self-centred, shallow cretins who wouldn’t do anything for anyone unless there was something in it for themselves. I’m pretty sure they only came back to see what they could get when Grandad dies.’

  He went on to explain how they’d had little contact over the years, how he’d only contacted them to tell them about George, how unbearable they’d been since they arrived. There was so much to say that it seemed like only a moment later, she glanced out of the window and realised they were pulling into George’s street.

  ‘Do you want to come in?’ Tom asked. ‘I just need to grab a few things.’

  Chrissie hesitated, then a sudden feeling of wanting a connection to the past, to that teenage life, controlled her decision.

  ‘Sure,’ she said, opening the door.

  They’d only got as far as the gate, when they heard another car door open.

  ‘Excuse me,’ shouted a voice.

  They both turned round and Chrissie saw that it came from a woman who had jumped out of a taxi. Opening the door had illuminated the inside of the car, and she could also see a driver and two other women.

  A mane of red curls ran towards them. ‘Sorry. I know this is weird. But by any chance, do you know if George Butler still lives here?’

  Twenty-eight

  Tom

  ‘Yes, he’s my grandfather,’ Tom answered, surprised. He was fairly sure he had never met this woman before and he had no idea why she would be looking for his grandad at 9.30 on a Friday night. Besides, all he wanted to do was get in, get out, and get to the hospital so he could finally spend time alone with Chrissie. He still couldn’t believe he’d found her. The last hour had been the best and most surreal of his life.

  ‘Yassssss!’ she yelped, as she punched the air. At that, two other women, one about the same age as the first, the other maybe in her seventies, got out of the car and walked swiftly towards them.

  ‘Okay, so this is going to be a bit of a surprise and I know you’ll probably think we’re scammers after your grandad’s worldly goods,’ the red-haired woman went on, ‘but I’m Lulu. This is Shauna,’ she added, pointing to the woman who’d arrived beside her, ‘who is the granddaughter of your grandfather’s sister, Annie. Jesus, I feel like Davina McCall, reuniting families here,’ she quipped. ‘And this is Flora McGinty. Who used to be called Flora Butler. Your grandfather’s other sister.’

  Tom stared, trying to process what was going on. This couldn’t be happening. Not tonight. Not now. Not ever. Heart racing, he searched his memory for a reference point. He was aware George grew up with two sisters but he knew absolutely nothing about them. His grandad would only ever say that there was a family rift many years ago, before Tom was even born.

  His gaze went to the older woman, who was speaking to him now as she held out her hand. ‘I’m sorry. I know this must be a shock, but it’s lovely to meet you.’

  Tom shook it with trembling hands, adrenalin once again in control.

  ‘Definitely a shock,’ he said, staring at her face. At first glance, with only the illumination of the streetlights, there was no immediate resemblance there, but when she spoke, he saw it. She had the same piercing blue eyes, same height and bearing as George. This woman could absolutely be his sister.

  The other younger woman held out her hand. He hadn’t caught her name so he was thankful she repeated it. ‘I’m Shauna,’ she said.

  ‘Tom,’ he replied. ‘And sorry, I didn’t introduce Chrissie,’ he said. His stomach flipped. He was introducing Chrissie. His Chrissie. He’d found her. It was almost impossible to think of anything but that, but he could hear his grandad’s voice telling him he was being bloody rude. ‘I’m so sorry, please, come in. I was just stopping by to…’ He let his voice drift off as another crushing wave of agony came crashing in. He was going to have to tell this poor woman that George was in hospital. ‘I’m afraid my grandfather isn’t here, but please come in.’

  He walked up the path, the four women following behind him, and never had he felt the loss of George more. How badly he wanted him to be here for this. His sister. And Chrissie. He would give anything to see George’s face as he opened that door and saw them all. But of course, that wouldn’t happen.

  He showed them straight into the kitchen and invited them to sit. Despite being in a dress and heels, Chrissie sat in the little window seat that had been his gran’s favourite spot, while the three strangers sat at the table, leaving one empty chair for him.

  ‘I brought my grandmother’s birth certificate, and Flora brought hers, just in case you wanted to check we weren’t fraudsters or anything like that,’ Shauna said.

  ‘That’s okay,’ Tom answered, already sure they were telling the truth. In the kitchen light he could see even more of a resemblance between Flora and George.

  Chrissie was obviously thinking the same thing. ‘Mrs McGinty, there’s a definite likeness between you and your brother,’ she said, making Flora beam.

  ‘People always said that about us.’

  Tom interjected, ‘I can definitely see it too. Can I ask how you found him?’

  Shauna pulled out a letter. ‘I’m really sorry to say that my grandmother Annie, your aunt, passed away a few years ago. This letter was from your grandfather, written back in the fifties. It has his address on it…’

  ‘Yes, he’s lived here since he got married to my gran in 1958,’ Tom confirmed, as he noticed that Shauna was beaming from ear to ear.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘but I’m just so happy to have a cousin. Second cousin, but it’s practically the same thing. I have no family to speak of, so Lulu and I came up here from London for the day in the hope of finding some relatives. There was another letter with Aunt Flora’s address – an old one as it turns out – but we managed to track her down.’

  ‘So you all only met today?’ Tom asked, incredulous.

  ‘Yes, pet,’ Flora responded, then a shadow crossed her face. ‘Although I’m afraid I knew all along where George lived, but there was a fall-out, you see… And we’ve discovered today that it was all based on a misunderstanding.’

  Her dismay was palpable and Tom knew he couldn’t keep putting off the inevitable. ‘Mrs McGinty…’

  ‘Please, call me Flora…’

  ‘Flora,’ he repeated. ‘I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid my grandad is in Glasgow Central Hospital…’

  ‘My goodness, we’ve just come from there,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘… In the palliative care ward. Sadly, he’s very ill – bone cancer – and doesn’t have long left. We really don’t know if he’ll make it from one day to the next.’


  Shauna gasped, while Flora’s eyes misted with tears.

  ‘What fools we’ve been,’ she said quietly and Tom could see that her heart was breaking.

  ‘Could I go tomorrow and see him?’ Flora asked.

  ‘Of course,’ Tom said, then another thought. ‘But Mrs… Flora… I do have to say that he might not make it through the night. I’m actually just here to pick up some things for him and then I’m going back to sleep at his bedside. The nurses in palliative care are amazing, and they’re very accommodating at this… stage.’

  He heard a sniff and realised it came from Shauna, who he could see was fighting back tears.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I’m just so sad to hear that. We leave first thing in the morning, so… Flora, will you tell him about us? About Annie?’

  ‘I’m afraid he’s not been conscious at all today,’ Tom said, with palpable sadness.

  ‘That’s okay,’ she said, oozing sorrow. ‘Flora, will you tell him anyway?’

  Tom made a split decision. His head was spinning from the chaos and turmoil of today’s events, but strangely he was feeling such clarity. He glanced at Chrissie. He had no idea if she could still guess everything he was thinking, but as she caught his eye, she nodded, so he was sure they were having the same thought. He turned back to the others.

  ‘Look, do you want to come there with us now? It’s only ten minutes away, and that way, you’ll all get to see him. I know it’s late, but the charge nurse is great and I’m sure she’ll allow it.’

  The three women made eye contact before Flora spoke for them. ‘That would be wonderful,’ she said. ‘I’ve been apart from my brother for all these years and I don’t want to risk never meeting him again.’ The tremble in her voice as she said that tugged at Tom’s heart.

  ‘I understand that,’ he said, his eyes flicking to Chrissie again. That was how he’d felt for twelve years – terrified that he wouldn’t see her again. And now she was finally here, but he’d have to wait a little longer to talk to her. He just hoped she’d give him a chance.

  ‘If you want to follow me, then. My father and stepmother are there at the moment…’

  ‘More relatives,’ Shauna said, grinning. Tom didn’t like to say that those ones might not be such a joyful addition to the family.

  The women had just stood up, when, over at the window, Chrissie’s phone rang. She checked the screen and Tom watched as her whole demeanour changed.

  ‘I just need to take this,’ she said, awkwardly. ‘I’ll catch you up.’

  So she didn’t want him there to hear the call. Perhaps there was a boyfriend after all, or someone in the wings.

  Tom walked the women back to their taxi, where he was surprised to see the driver greeted them like friends.

  Shauna was the last to climb in. ‘The smell of vinegar in here would knock you out,’ she said to the others. ‘We were eating chips,’ she explained to Tom.

  The absurdity of it all made Tom laugh. This was the strangest day of his life and it wasn’t over yet.

  ‘I’ll just go back for Chrissie, I’ll be two minutes.’

  ‘No worries, we’ll wait until you’re ready.’

  As soon as he saw Chrissie standing at the door, he knew something was wrong. ‘I’m s… s… sorry. I need to go,’ she stammered.

  ‘No, you can’t. Please,’ he begged her. Not now. Not when he’d finally found her. ‘We need to talk and whatever it is—’

  ‘It’s my son,’ she said, cutting him dead.

  ‘You have a son?’ Just when he thought nothing else could surprise him tonight. He realised he’d asked the wrong question, and immediately rectified that. ‘Is he okay? Is something wrong?’

  ‘Yes. No. He’s having a sleepover at a friend’s house, but the friend has just become unwell so I need to go and pick Ben up.’

  ‘I’ll take you!’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll call a taxi. You go on with your aunt…’

  ‘No. Chrissie, I can’t. I honestly can’t let you out of my sight yet. But…’ Oh, shit, so many other things in the way. ‘Hang on a minute, I’ll sort this,’ he promised.

  He dashed back inside, running upstairs to his grandad’s room as he dialled a number on his phone.

  ‘Liv? It’s Tom. I’m so sorry to ask, but I need your help…’

  As he grabbed the things he needed for his grandad, he explained everything that had happened with his aunt – how she desperately wanted to see George, but he couldn’t come back with her right now because a friend needed him for an emergency situation.

  Liv listened to it all, including the issue with his parents, then together they solved every element of the problem. He was going to take that woman the biggest bouquet of flowers tomorrow.

  He galloped back downstairs, ‘All sorted,’ he told Chrissie, as they stepped outside and he locked the door behind him.

  At the car, he opened the passenger door for Chrissie, but she objected again. ‘Tom, I really think it’s better if I go myself and…’

  ‘Please let me take you,’ he said, willing her to agree, terrified that if he let her walk away he might never see her again.

  It must have been the anguish in his voice, but after another pause, she finally acquiesced and climbed in. He darted to the boot and took out two cases, then wheeled them to the other women’s taxi.

  ‘Sorry, but we need to make a slight change of plan. Chrissie has an emergency with her son and he needs to be picked up from his sleepover.’ He saw Flora’s immediate disappointment and went on to remedy that. ‘But I’ve spoken with the nurse in charge, her name is Liv, and she’s agreed to let you come over for half an hour. Would that be okay?’ he asked.

  ‘We’ll take any time we can get,’ Shauna replied gratefully. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘I’m glad to do it. George would have loved to have met you all,’ he answered, an unexpected choke of emotion catching the last few words. He cleared his throat. ‘But can I ask a favour? My parents are at the hospital and the nurse tells me they’re keen to get away, but I have their luggage. Could you take it with you please? I’m sure my dad will come down and collect it from you, so I’m not asking you to carry it up or anything.’

  ‘Aye, no worries, son,’ the taxi driver answered, popping the boot and climbing out.

  Tom then handed a key over to Shauna. ‘And could you give them this please? It’s the key to my house. I assume they’ll have the address on their phones, but if not, they can call me. Thanks so much.’

  ‘No, it’s us who want to thank you. I’m looking forward to having a cousin, Tom,’ she said.

  ‘I am, too,’ he grinned, meaning it. If first impressions went for anything, he was going to enjoy having Shauna in his life. ‘I’m just sorry you caught us on such a chaotic night.’ He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket. ‘Here’s my card and number. I’ll try to get to the hospital as quickly as possible tonight, but if I miss you, perhaps we can meet early in the morning before your flight? My number is on there. Please text me your flight details, and I’ll be in touch. And Aunt Flora…’

  ‘Oh my, no one has ever called me that before tonight and now both of you have done so,’ she gasped delightedly.

  ‘Please take my phone number from that card, so that you’ll always have it. I hope I’ll see you tomorrow, too.’

  ‘You definitely will, pet.’

  With that he waved them off, then climbed back into the car and saw that Chrissie was already speaking on her phone.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t mind, Val? No, honestly, that’s not a problem, I’m on my way there now. No, not Davie. I’ll explain when I see you. No, I promise I haven’t been kidnapped. You don’t need to call the police. It’s a long story. Well, a lot can happen in two hours. Seriously, this will keep you and Josie talking for weeks. Okay, thank you. I love you. I’ll see you soon.’ She ended the call. ‘That was my friend Val – who is also my next door neighbour. She’s going to pop in and look after Ben toni
ght once we’ve collected him. I don’t relish the thought of seeing my mother, but I’d like to come to the hospital with you. There’s so much…’

  She didn’t have to finish the sentence because he was feeling exactly the same way. So much to say. So many years to catch up on. He realised that she was still speaking, but her voice had lowered and she sounded uncertain, nervous.

  ‘… And I don’t want to drop a bombshell and then leave you.’

  He laughed, flicking a button to switch on his satnav. ‘This isn’t a bombshell, Chrissie. Finding you tonight has been the best thing that’s ever happened. No matter what. Okay, so what is the address for Ben’s friend?’

  Her brow furrowed in confusion and he had a horrible feeling that they weren’t on the same page here.

  ‘The bombshell isn’t us meeting again,’ she clarified, and he stopped, turning so that their eyes locked.

  Oh crap. This wasn’t good. She looked absolutely torn up about something and unless she’d changed drastically in the last decade or so, he knew she wasn’t prone to overdramatising things.

  ‘So what is it?’ he asked, heart thudding with trepidation, desperate to rewind to five minutes ago when he thought everything was going to be okay.

  ‘It’s about my son, Ben,’ she began.

  10 p.m. – Midnight

  Twenty-nine

  Chrissie

  Chrissie couldn’t say it. How did you just spring this on someone? It was inhumane. Shocking. All the times that she’d thought about this moment, and never once had it played out like this. In her imagination, it had always been a confrontation that was teeming with recriminations about the fact that he’d waltzed off to a new life and never looked back. Now she could see that wasn’t the case.