Page 24 of Intolerable Bishop

“Two?” I held my breath, waiting to see if we were all going to get thrown out of the house. “Wow, how things have changed from my day,” she said, but pulled me into another hug, shocking me. “Your mother would be so proud of you. You look beautiful and healthy and….” She stepped back and grabbed tissues to dab her eyes. I held my hand out for some as my eyes filled up with tears. I’d been doing okay, but seeing my aunt was tough, and her accepting my decisions just as my mum would’ve was too much. The tears leaked out, sliding down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry I only called once,” I said, looking down. “It’s just that…talking to you was….”

Nadia cupped my cheeks. “I know, sweetie. Don’t worry about it. I needed to heal, too, and as happy as I was to get your call, seeing you and talking to you makes everything that happened seem so much more real. I still can’t believe Lily is gone.” She sniffed and then smiled. “Okay, no more sadness. I’m going to get the food, and I’ll be back shortly. Make yourself at home.” She pointed to the fresh pot of coffee. “Coffee is made, and cold drinks are in the fridge. Help yourselves.”

“Thank you. It really is amazing seeing you,” I said, and she grabbed my arm.

“You too, dear. I’ll be back.”

I watched her leave and shook my head. Weird. Wandering into the dining room, I sat down to go through the albums. I was looking for photos that I could scan to have of my mum. I had lots of her and me together but very little of all of us.

“Does your aunt have any kids,” Ivy asked as she came to sit beside me while the guys turned on a baseball game.

I shook my head. “And she’s never been married, as far as I know.”

Flipping open the binder, I started going through the pages. Ivy pointed to a few, and I was soon lost in telling stories that seemed like yesterday and yet also a lifetime ago. I held up a picture from when we all drove to Vancouver and stayed at the beach. That was when my father wasn’t acting so strange, and I thought our lives were perfectly normal and boring like all the other middle-income families.

Seeing my dad with his arm around my mum and them both smiling hurt so much more than I ever thought it would. Was it all a lie? Did he ever really love my mum? When did he fall into trouble with Lawrence? I just wished I had answers to all the questions swimming around in my head.

I scanned the photo and then opened my text messages, and sent it to him.

R: Found this photo. Thought you might like to have a copy. Are you okay? Blake said you looked stressed, and I haven’t heard from you.

I waited for any sign that he was going to answer, but no little bubbles appeared. I was sure some kids wouldn’t care after all that had happened. Some might even say good riddance, but I’d never been like that until now, and I was struggling. I didn’t have much family and had hung on with both hands to the little I did have.

R: I guess you’re busy. When you get this, can you at least let me know you’re alive?

“Is this your mom?” Ivy held out a photo to me. I took it from her and stared at it.

It was definitely my mum, but she was younger, and I didn’t recognize the man she was with or the buildings in the background. Flipping the photo over, I read the back. This was taken before I was born. But who was Yuliana? There was a letter I couldn’t make out. The name had been smudged, and I couldn’t read it. Could be an F, T, E, or maybe a C.

I flipped it over again and squinted my eyes like that would help me figure out what I was looking at.

“Where did you find this,” I asked.

“It fell out from behind another photo. The album is old, and I think it just came loose. Why is something wrong?” Ivy sat up straighter.

“Hey, Snowflake, you all good over there,” Myles asked. I jerked and looked at him and the other two guys, who were staring at me as if sensing my confusion.

“Yeah, I’m just stumped.” Like I’d waved a red flag, they all came over, and I handed Myles the photo.

“That’s definitely yer ma. But who is the guy?” I shrugged.

“I don’t know. Flip over the picture.”

They all stared at the names just like I’d done. “I thought yer ma’s name was Lilianna?”

“It was, so who is Yuliana?”

“Does your mom have a middle name,” Blake asked.

“Lilianna Yuliana Davies? Seems unlikely.”

“Could it be a nickname, like a bastardized version of her real name,” Theo asked, and I rubbed my lip.

“I guess it could be, but why? More specifically, why not mention it to me?”

“I just got shivers,” Ivy said and rubbed at her arms. “That’s just weird.”