I’ll find out as fast as I can, I laugh.
She hugs me, hugs me with excitement though I think she’d hug just about anyone she’s that happy. But she hugs me. My mother hugs me. Our first hug. Hopefully not our last. I leave the salon feeling a million dollars. Bouncing, new dress, new hair, fresh blow-dry, a relationship with my mother.
Twenty-Seven
I walk, but feel like I’m floating, across the road to the park by the marina. My hair bounces, my button-down yellow tea dress flaps open around my legs with each step and I feel the sun on my hair and my skin and I’m happy. It’s one of those days it’s great to be alive, when you don’t hate everyone, when you don’t feel shame, when you don’t want to hide. For me anyway. I’m sure there’s someone somewhere living their worst day.
Foreign exchange students sit in large groups throughout the green area, wrapped in coats and jumpers on our warm sunny day. I sit on the grass and open the minister’s letter again. It’s handwritten but it’s on her constituency office headed paper. There’s an email address at the bottom. Now that she has replied to me, the correspondence has begun. I feel like I knocked on her door and she let me in. But it’s quicker to email than write, and time is of the utmost essence now. So that her secretary doesn’t think I’m a lunatic, I take a photograph of the minister’s letter as proof, and attach it to my email.
Dear Minister Brasil
I was so delighted to receive your letter, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It meant so much to me, it started the most incredible chain of events. You see I had almost given up, but your words gave me such confidence that I went straight to my mother, who gave me up at birth. I walked into her world and I’ve just spent the most amazing hour of my life with her all thanks to you. Do you see how inspirational you are to me.
Her name is Carmencita Casanova, she’s the president of the Malahide Chamber of Commerce, and she’s running an event in three weeks’ time celebrating women in business. She would love for you to attend. If you have time to call by this event for even ten minutes, it would mean the world to the president of the Malahide Chamber of Commerce, and the businesswomen of Malahide.
But mostly if nothing more ever comes of our correspondence, I want to thank you for the gift you have given me today. Your response gave me wings, just when I needed them, and that is the power of being somebody’s one of five.
Attaching a poster of the event to prove its legitimacy. I would appreciate it if you or your office would liaise directly with me for this event as I’m assisting the president with the organisation.
You’ll be glad to hear I have taken steps to do a postal vote for the by-election.
Best wishes
Allegra Bird
I request to be contacted directly by the minister’s office because I don’t want to get cut out of anything further happening. In the event the minister decides to attend this event I want to use it to further develop my relationship with Carmencita. Then, when the time is right, I’ll tell her who I am. But the time has to be right. I absolutely have to prove myself first. Carmencita is tough, she’s strong, she’s firm. She does not like surprises. I don’t know her well but I know that I need to prove to her that I am someone she wants.
I press send, lie back on the grass, lift the camera and take a selfie. New hair, yellow dress, green grass, buttercups, daisies. It’s a moment. It’s an Instagram post. I’m getting the hang of this.
Allegra, a voice calls, breaking into my thoughts.
Tristan is beside me, looming over me, blocking my sun like darkness incarnate in that stupid red Ferrari cap.
Go away please, I say, getting myself ready. I throw my phone into my bag, carefully fold the minister’s letter and place it inside.
I barely recognised you, you look amazing, not that you don’t always look … He hunkers down to my level. I saw your post on Instagram, you know you should turn off the location if you want privacy, anyway I took a chance that you were still here, he says, and I realise he’s breathless from running over here from his office.
I do want privacy. Please go away, I say, standing up.
Tristan stands up too.
I’ve been searching for you all week. Where have you been.
I walk to the road, the green man turns to red, stopping my escape. Frustrated, I hit the pedestrian crossway button.
Allegra, Tristan says, keeping up with me in a polite way that shows he doesn’t want to invade my boundaries but also doesn’t want to leave. Please listen.