Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Current Day
Matilda helped Rita to cook the next day in preparation for Julie’s arrival. They’d invited Ryan to dinner, but Julie would get there first, giving them a chance to talk to her before he came over and joined them. And Matilda was nervous.
Her stomach was in knots. What if Julie was angry? What if she blamed Matilda? Hated her forever?
She shook smoked paprika over the bowl of potato salad and then leaned over the slow cooker to inhale the scent of slow-cooked spareribs in BBQ seasoning.
“This is going to be delicious, I can just tell,” Matilda said, eyes gleaming.
Rita squeezed her arm lovingly. “Honey, can I just tell you again how glad I am that you came into my life? I never really had the chance to tell you this before, but the first moment I saw you in the cafe, I was shaken up by how much you resembled my sister. It was as if I’d stepped back in time and Helen was there in the cafe with me. I had to gather my senses before I could speak to you.” She laughed. “And now I know why. It all makes sense. Plus, I get to have two nieces. What could be better than that?”
“I feel the same way,” Matilda said, a lump growing in her throat. “I’ve lost my parents but now I have a brand-new aunt.” She embraced Rita.
They set the table together, and by the time Julie arrived, everything was ready. There were racks of slow-cooked pork ribs, finished on the grill and doused in a sweet and sticky BBQ sauce. Along with it, there was freshly made coleslaw, corn on the cob swimming in butter and topped with salt, baked beans simmered all day on a low heat with slices of bacon and brown sugar, potato salad sprinkled with paprika, and a freshly tossed green salad.
“This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it all.”
“Ribs are a southern delicacy. And the trick is to just dive in, get them all over yourself. We have paper towels at the ready.” Rita laughed as she set the paper towel dispenser on the table.
“Looks good. We don’t eat a lot of ribs in Australia. I wouldn’t even know where to start with cooking them.”
“They’re pretty easy really, if you have a slow cooker.”
“Noted. I’ll have to get the recipe from you.”
Julie walked in then, embracing Rita immediately. She turned to face Matilda with a shocked expression. She didn’t speak for a few moments, then looked at her aunt.
“Is this…?”
“This is Matilda. I’ve told you about her. She’s from Australia.”
Her manners kicked in, and Julie did her best to be friendly, but Matilda could tell she was shocked by the resemblance to the woman who’d raised her as her mother. But she didn’t say a word about it.
Rita and Julie sat down to eat. Matilda filled everyone’s glass with sweet tea and topped each with a lime wedge. Then, she sat as well. As they ate, Rita and Matilda filled Julie in on what they’d discovered. Julie listened intently, her eyes widening with every new revelation. Finally, she stopped eating and set down her fork, her eyes brimming with tears.
“I can’t believe it … but at the same time it all makes so much sense. Mom should’ve told me. I would’ve understood.”
“We can’t blame her for that, she may not have known anything was up.”
“We spoke about it occasionally,” Rita said quietly, “We knew Julie didn’t resemble anyone in the family, but we honestly believed it didn’t mean anything. She mentioned an idea, once, of maybe following up with it just to set her own mind at ease. But I don’t know what came of that, if anything. She never said a word more to me about it. And she told me everything. We were as close as two sisters can be.”
“So … what now?” Julie asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them.
Her hands were clenched in front of her, elbows pressed against the table, knuckles white.
“Honestly … I have no idea,” Matilda said with a shrug. “I came here to discover the truth, and I’ve done that. My goal now is to get to know you all, and I hope you feel the same way. I don’t want to overstep. If you’re not up for a relationship, that’s fine.”
“What about my … I mean your … parents?” Julie asked, her eyes bright.
“I’m afraid they’ve both passed. My Dad died recently, that’s why I started this journey. I’m really sorry.”
Julie nodded. “I wish I could’ve known them, but there’s nothing we can do about that now.”
“One thing I probably should’ve mentioned,” Matilda said. “You have a sister and two brothers.”
“Really?” Julie’s eyes filled with tears. She shook her head to try to hide them.
“Yep. My sister, Stella, is amazing. You’re going to love her. And my brothers are pretty great too. One is a doctor, and the other is a PE teacher. They’re both married and have children.”
“Wow, a whole big family. Sounds like you were lucky.”
Matilda felt the depth and truth of that statement. It hit her in the chest like a mallet. All this time she’d been worried about finding the truth for herself, secure in the knowledge that no matter what she discovered, the love she and her family shared would never change. She hadn’t considered how much Julie had missed. How hard her life had been, raised without a father, by a mother who died young, and with no siblings. That should’ve been Matilda’s life.
“They’re your family too,” she said, her throat choking with emotion. “They’re going to be so excited to meet you. And you look so much like my sister, it’s a little scary to be honest.” She laughed.
“I can’t wait to meet them.”