The two girls sat in silence and drank their tea, staring at the television screen. There was a quiz show on, but Alice wasn’t really watching it, she was just staring straight ahead, a million thoughts buzzing through her mind. She wondered whether Jane was really watching it, or whether she was just as overawed to be sitting on a sofa drinking tea with the sister she had never known.
When the programme finished, Alice decided she would have to say something. ‘So, Jane, when I spoke to your parents on Saturday they said you were going to go to university to study law, as well. Isn’t it funny that we chose to do the same thing?’
‘I wish you wouldn’t keep calling them, my parents,’ said Jane, agitatedly.
‘We... Well, they are your parents.’
‘And they’re your parents too.’ She placed her mug on the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa, her arms folded, legs crossed. ‘You’re calling them my parents, as if they’ve got nothing to do with you.’
‘Well, they made it clear that they don’t want anything to do with me,’ said Alice, glumly.
Jane uncrossed her legs and leaned towards Alice. ‘That was before they told me the truth. Now, I’m sure they’d love to get to know you.’
‘I’m not so sure. And anyway, I don’t know if I really want to get to know them.’ She avoided Jane’s eyes.
When she looked at Jane, she saw she was staring at the floor. She seemed offended.
‘Look, Jane. It’s different for me and you. You have had a long relationship with your—okay our parents—you weren’t the one that they gave away or the one that they rejected again after twenty years.’ Alice placed her empty mug on the coffee table.
‘You sound angry,’ said Jane.
‘I’m not really angry.’ She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down, as memories of the meeting flashed through her mind. ‘I just didn’t feel very welcome when I went to your house, that’s all.’
‘I know. I’m sorry they behaved that way. I think they were just trying to protect me. All I’m saying is, they’re not that bad. Give them another chance.’
Alice shrugged her shoulders and forced a smile at Jane.
The uncomfortable silence resumed.
‘I didn’t know you were studying law,’ said Jane after a couple of minutes, picking up the thread of the earlier conversation.
‘Yeah.’
‘It is a coincidence; a bit eerie,’ said Jane.
Alice giggled. ‘Yeah, I suppose you could say that.’
‘I’m not really looking forward to going back to university, I quite enjoy all the time off.’
‘Yeah, the holidays always go too fast,’ said Alice. Then, she realised what Jane had said. ‘Hang on, you just said you’re not looking forward to going back to university.’
‘That’s right,’ said Jane, frowning. ‘Don’t tell me you are?’
‘No, but your—our parents—said you were only going to start university this year.’
‘Why would they say that?’ Jane shook her head. ‘I’m going to start my final year this year.’
‘You can’t be,’ said Alice. ‘I’m going to start my final year this year.’
‘Yes. And?’ Jane was looking at Alice as if she had just said something stupid. ‘Er... why is that so hard to believe? We are the same age.’ Jane laughed.
‘The same age?’ Alice frowned. ‘But you are only about eighteen, aren’t you? I’m twenty-one.’
Jane’s expression changed then. She was looking at Alice differently now; a concerned frown on her face. ‘Alice, you don’t know the whole story, do you? They said you didn’t. We’re twins.’
Alice’s face turned pale.
‘Alice, are you all right?’
Alice felt strange. She could see Jane, but she seemed to be moving in slow motion. Feeling as though she would faint, she tried to focus on the television.
‘Alice? Alice?’
She could feel Jane’s hand on her arm, but she could no longer see her.
‘Alice, I’ll get you some water, lie down.’
Alice saw Jane, through a haze, as she returned with a glass of water. Slowly, she began to feel normal again. Alice finished drinking the water. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
‘We’re twins? I had no idea.’ Alice spoke slowly as if she were trying to make sense of what Jane had just said.
‘I’ll have to explain it to you, how Mum and Dad explained it to me,’ said Jane.
‘They separated us. I don’t see how there can be any justifiable reason for that.’ Alice’s mind was spinning.
‘Mum and Dad told me that when they made the surrogacy agreement, they fell in love.’
‘Oh, how romantic,’ said Alice, her words edged with sarcasm. ‘He was married to Stephanie. He cheated on her.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘I know,’ said Jane, frowning. ‘But there’s more to the story. They really tried to avoid seeing each other. Dad did feel guilty for cheating on Stephanie. To cut a long story short, they stopped seeing each other because it was too stressful keeping their affair secret.’
‘I don’t really have any sympathy for them,’ said Alice remembering the two stiff faces that had greeted her when she visited them. She was finding it difficult to believe that they could actually feel anything like love for anyone.
Jane pursed her lips and looked at her hands. ‘If I tell you the whole story, maybe you’ll feel differently.’
‘I still don’t understand how they could have been so in love with each other and yet find it so easy to give away their child.’
‘Well, Mum said that when she found out she was carrying twins she threatened to keep both of us and she told Dad that if he tried to stop her she would tell Stephanie about their affair.’
‘So, in other words, she wanted to blackmail him and try to get him to leave Stephanie for her,’ said Alice shaking her head.
‘She was in love with him, Alice; she was taking their break-up really badly.’
‘Whatever way you look at it, it was an affair; adultery.’ Alice folded her arms and looked straight ahead at the TV screen.
‘Yes, but Dad really tried to make it work with Stephanie, despite his feelings for Mum.’
Alice shrugged.
‘Anyway, listen to the whole story and then you can judge them,’ continued Jane. ‘Apparently, one night, Dad and Mum, got together to talk about the problem. Dad came to an agreement with Mum that she could keep one of us, and give the other to him and Stephanie. Mum needed the money, so she agreed. Mum said she was still hoping to get back together with Dad. She didn’t want to give either of us away.
‘Mum and Dad really thought they were doing the right thing by splitting us up, to prevent further problems because the agreement had backfired when they had an affair. They agreed not to tell Stephanie about their affair, or about the fact that Mum was having twins.’
‘They did everything behind Stephanie’s back,’ said Alice.
‘Yes, but, Dad stayed with Stephanie and you for a while after we were born. He wasn’t seeing Mum at that time. The problem was that he loved Mum too much, and so in the end he had to get back with her and leave Stephanie. Dad decided to leave you with Stephanie because he thought it would cause less problems,’ said Jane.
‘How could they have done that? Separating twins?’ said Alice, her face red.
‘I know. I couldn’t believe it. I was really angry with them when they first told me. I was angry because they had kept it a secret from me, and because I couldn’t understand why they did it. I didn’t speak to them for two days. I went and stayed at a friend’s house. I couldn’t bear to look at them. I really considered just leaving home, and never seeing them again. It just kept going round and round in my head. But now, I sort of understand why they did it. It was stupid, but they were only doing what they thought was right. They didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Think about it, you’ve had a good life with Stephanie, haven’t you?’
Alice nodde
d. ‘Yes.’
‘And, believe it or not, I’ve had a good life with Mum and Dad,’ said Jane. ‘Stephanie and Dad were going to break up at some stage, anyway, I suppose. I mean, Dad said they weren’t getting along. But Mum and Dad really love each other. They’ve been together for all these years, and they’re really happy together, even now.’
‘But they were being selfish; only thinking of themselves,’ blurted Alice, with tears in her eyes.
‘No, that’s just it; they weren’t. If they were selfish, they would have taken both of us, and gone off to live together, leaving Stephanie alone,’ said Jane.
‘At least then we would have grown up together. And it wasn’t fair for Dad to expect Stephanie to bring up a child on her own with no help.’
‘I know, I know. I’ve been over it in my head again and again, and if I’m being honest I think there are things they could have done better. But I know them, remember; and I truly believe that they weren’t being deliberately cruel. They were young, only a few years older than we are now. I think they thought that by giving Stephanie a child, knowing that she couldn’t have any of her own, it was a kind of compensation for what they’d done.’
‘I don’t know how you can be so calm about it,’ said Alice, tears welling in her eyes.’
Jane giggled. ‘Believe me, I wasn’t calm about it. I almost shouted the house down when they told me!’
Alice wiped her tears on her sleeve and looked at Jane, frowning: ‘Miranda didn’t even want children. She was only having a child for money. She was being selfish by keeping you, not thinking of the effect it would have on us to be split up. Why didn’t they give both of us to Stephanie?’ said Alice resentfully.
‘Yes, I thought about that, but she explained it to me. She says that at first she saw the opportunity of the money, because she wanted to travel the world and she saw it as doing a favour to a couple who couldn’t have children; but, then, she fell in love with Dad, and she just felt she wanted to be with him. They didn’t plan any of this, it just happened. She ended up feeling that she would not be able to give up her child.’
‘But she did give me up!’
‘Yes,’ said Jane, nodding, ‘but can’t you see how painful that must have been for her? What a sacrifice? She had promised Stephanie a child, so she gave you to her.’
‘But you just said that she needed the money; that’s the reason she gave me to Stephanie.’
‘I didn’t mean it that way. What I meant was—well she wouldn’t have been able to bring both of us up, without financial support. She was only a student at the time. It was as if—I don’t know—if she kept to the agreement, she would get the money, so at least she could keep one of us.’
Alice was silent, tears now falling from her eyes. She sat staring at the floor.
‘I know you’re angry with them. I was angry when I found out,’ said Jane. ‘But what’s the use being angry? We can’t change what’s happened. At least we’ve found each other now, and we know the truth.’
‘Yeah, but if it was up to them, we would never have known the truth.’
Jane nodded. ‘That’s true; but, I think they’re glad it’s all out in the open now. It must have been so difficult, keeping something like that secret, for so many years,’ she said. ‘Alice, I really think that Mum and Dad would like to get to know you better now that we both know everything that happened.’
‘I don’t know how you can be so forgiving. Maybe it’s because you’re not the one they gave away,’ said Alice, bitterly.
‘I’ve had more time to get used to it than you. I’ve had time to think about it. And, as for forgiving, I don’t know if I have, but I think I might be able to, in time,’ said Jane. ‘Anyway, you shouldn’t feel so bad about it. It wasn’t as if they chose me over you. Look at us, we’re almost identical. It could have been me that they gave to Stephanie. Anyway, I think you’re the lucky one. After all this has blown over, you’ll have two families. You’ve got Mum and Dad, and Stephanie.’
Alice wiped her eyes. She looked at Jane. Everything Jane had said made sense. Slowly, she began to feel a bit better.
‘I’m sure Stephanie would love to meet you,’ said Alice. ‘She’s coming here for dinner tomorrow evening, would you like to come too?’
‘Well...’ Jane seemed hesitant. ‘Yes, okay, why not?’
Alice and Jane sat in silence for a few minutes looking at the television. Then Jane began to speak again. ‘So, how did you trace us after all these years?’
‘Hmm... I’m not supposed to tell you, but I don’t think it really matters now: I got your address and telephone number from Susie and Tony, after I saw you at Tony’s party.’
‘Oh, right,’ said Jane, nodding.
‘It was really strange how this all started, though,’ said Alice. ‘I had a nightmare when you were in the plane crash.’
‘Really?’ Jane seemed intrigued.
‘Yes, I had a nightmare, and I woke up at quarter past twelve: the time of the plane crash. I was really scared. Then I heard about the plane crash the next day. It’s a long story, but basically I saw your picture in the paper, and saw that your surname was “Forester”—the same as my dad’s. And, you looked so much like me. Anyway, it made me want to start looking for my dad. It’s really weird, I still can’t believe it myself.’
Jane stared at Alice open-mouthed. ‘Wow,’ she said. ‘That’s quite a strange story. Maybe they’re right about twins having telepathic connections?’
‘Maybe.’ Alice remembered what the doctor had said about the pain in her arm possibly being sympathetic pain.
‘Well, none of that really matters now, I suppose,’ said Jane, interrupting her thoughts. ‘All that really matters, is that we are together again.’
‘Yes.’ Alice smiled.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
‘Are you expecting someone? asked Jane.
‘No.’ But, then, looking at her watch, she realised she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be going out to dinner with Andrew. Jane’s telephone call yesterday had wiped everything else from her mind.
‘Oh, sorry, Jane, yes... I am expecting someone. It’s my boyfriend. We’re going out.’
‘Oh, that’s okay. I’ll leave,’ said Jane.
Alice smiled at her and went to open the front door.
‘Hello,’ said Andrew, kissing Alice on the cheek.
‘Hello,’ she smiled, blushing. ‘Come in.’
Andrew seemed surprised when he saw Jane. Alice introduced them.
‘I was just leaving,’ said Jane, reaching for her coat.
Alice noticed that Jane was struggling and she helped her put her raincoat on over her plaster-cast. Jane bent down and took her umbrella which was sitting by the door.
‘Thanks for coming over, Jane. I’ll be expecting you tomorrow evening for dinner.’
‘Okay,’ said Jane, smiling. ‘Bye.’
Alice watched as Jane walked away from the house. It had stopped raining and the late evening sun was peeping through the thick grey clouds. As Alice watched Jane, she felt happy. Finding out that Jane was her twin had been like finding the missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle of her life. She felt complete.
She turned to face Andrew.
‘I didn’t know you had a sister,’ he said.
‘Neither did I,’ said Alice, laughing. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Yeah? Well, perhaps you can tell me all about it over dinner.’
‘Okay,’ smiled Alice, taking his hand as they stepped outside together into the evening sun.
###
Author’s Note:
I very much hope you enjoyed Coincidences. If you did, it would help me so much if you could leave a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other such sites. If you’re a member of Goodreads.com or other reader/writer forums, perhaps you could also leave a review there. A tweet on Twitter or a shared link about my book on your Facebook or other social networking site would be much appreciated.
Another fantastic way of helping would be to tell your friends about the book. Independent authors rely on their readers to spread the word about their books.
Thank you so much for reading my novel. I hope it has entertained you. Readers are the most important people in an author’s life. Thank you for picking my book to read.
Other Books by Maria Savva:
Coincidences - 1st Edition (Hardback)
A Time to Tell
Pieces of a Rainbow
Love and Loyalty (and Other Tales)
Second Chances
Cutting The Fat (co-author Jason McIntyre)
Fusion
The Dream
Short stories by Maria can also be found in the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies
Visit http://www.mariasavva.com for further information
Maria Savva, Coincidences
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