Chapter Sixty-Nine
Iris was on her knees, weeding the flower beds in the front garden when she heard the postman whistle as he opened the front gate. Standing up, she shielded her eyes from the bright sunshine. ‘Good morning.’
‘Hello, there. Just a couple of things for you today.’ He handed over two envelopes.
‘Thank you.’ Her heart was now racing as she mentally discarded the bill from the council and then realised that the other small brown envelope was a letter from her sister.
Normally she would stop and chat to the postie, but this morning she was desperate to open the letter and read her sister’s words.
Holding it close to her chest, she gave a hurried farewell before rushing inside and closing the front door behind her.
She hoped and prayed that Iona’s reply would be what she wanted it to be.
Would she understand why Iris had taken so long to try and find her?
It had only been a few days since she’d posted that last letter, explaining herself.
Was the quick response a good or a bad sign?
Iris sat down on the bottom stair and composed herself for a moment, listening to the rhythmic and soothing sound of Flora’s sewing machine upstairs.
Iris’s fingers trembled as she broke the seal on the envelope and quickly pulled the paper out, unfolding the pages.
Holding her breath, she started to read, urging herself to take her time and make sure she read every word.
My dearest Iris,
I read your last letter several times with tears running down my cheeks.
Thank you for being so honest and brave.
It must have been difficult to write that letter, telling me how long you’ve known about my existence.
But please know that I am not angry with you.
Not in the slightest. I am just so sad that this is a secret that you have carried for so long.
We all handle things differently and at our stage in life we both know things are never as straightforward as they may seem.
Please know that you did the right thing for you and I completely respect that.
I truly believe that life has a way of looking out for us and timing is everything.
The thing is, I really don’t believe that we were meant to meet until now.
And that is all that matters to me, Iris.
Especially as it feels like I’ve known you for longer than just these last few weeks.
It has been wonderful to read your letters — again and again — and hear about the story of your life.
I hope you have also enjoyed reading about mine, knowing that I’ve had a great life and been so very happy.
I’ve thought long and hard about this and I wonder what you think about what I am about to suggest .
. . do you think it’s time that we meet? How would you feel about that?
I know it’s a huge step and I completely understand if you’re not ready.
But if I’m being honest, too, what I really would love to do is give you a hug and reassure you, in person, that everything is okay.
That I am happy we are now in touch. I feel like I’ve won the lottery.
Let me know what you think and remember there is no urgency or rush to reply.
With all my love,
Iona
Despite willing herself to read the letter slowly, Iris had skimmed it really quickly, needing to know that Iona wasn’t annoyed with her.
Exhaling a huge sigh of relief, she then read it slowly again and again, savouring every single line.
A tear of happiness slid down her cheek as she clutched the letter to her chest, then pressed it to her lips.
After all the guilt she had felt, firstly for not acting after her mother had told her and then burying everything away all these years, she was overwhelmed with relief.
Her dear sister understood why it had taken her years to try and find her.
That was all she could ask for and it made her want to see Iona in person even more.
What a wonderfully kind and understanding big sister she had.
She longed to hug her too and make up for lost time.