of the china, her mind flitted back to the early hours of that Thursday morning in June, nineteen years ago. She had been twenty-one, her sister Francesca nineteen. They were both still living at home with their parents, occupying adjacent bedrooms in the cramped, semi-detached house.
Kathryn had padded into Francesca’s room and gently shaken the blanket-wrapped shoulder of her sleeping sibling. She hadn’t wanted to wake her, but knew if she didn’t share the news that was threatening to burst from her, she would very probably explode.
‘Francesca, are you asleep?’
‘Mmmmnnnn… Go away…’ Francesca mumbled.
‘Wake up! I really need to tell you something.’
Even in her semi-conscious fog, Francesca knew from her sister’s tone that resistance was futile. She reached out an arm and snapped the lamp on the bedside table into life.
‘For God’s sake, Katie, this better be good.’
Rubbing her eyes, she focussed on her sister’s blushing face.
‘Well, go on then!’
Francesca’s irritable prompting rather robbed her of her moment, but she proceeded nonetheless.
‘Guess what?’
‘What?’
‘Francesca, you’re supposed to guess! Come on!’
‘For God’s sake, Katie, you’re really annoying me now! We’re not children any more; it’s three o’clock in the bloody morning. I’ve got to be up for work in three hours. So, you either tell me now why you’ve woken me up or bugger off and leave me alone!’
‘Okay, grumpy, you are not going to believe this, but Mark has asked me to marry him!’
Kathryn clapped her hands together and let the news hang in the air. Francesca reached over and located her glasses, perching them on the tip of her nose. She leant forward as though improved visual focus would help her mentally focus as well.
‘He has asked you to
marry
him?’
‘Yes! Can you believe it?’
Her sister thought for a few seconds. ‘Frankly, no. I thought you were going to say you’d shagged him.’
‘Oh for goodness sake, Fran, you are so gross! Isn’t it wonderful?’
‘Truthfully, honey? I don’t know.’
‘What do you mean, you don’t know?’
‘I mean… Look, Katie, I love you, but you are a bit like a character in a
Famous Five
novel who doesn’t realise that there is a big bad world out there. Even though I’m the youngest, I’ve always felt as if you needed my protection. We all do, in fact.’
‘Do you?’ It wasn’t exactly news to her that Francesca felt that she was a total idiot, but her parents as well?
‘Yeah, kind of. And this Mark… It’s great that you’re so happy, but he’s your first proper boyfriend, you’ve only known him five minutes, and you haven’t even, you know… Sex is very important!’
‘Oh for goodness sake, there has to be more to a relationship than sex!’
‘There does? Okay, don’t look like that, I’m kidding, kind of. I am happy if you are happy, but I don’t think that you should be rushing into anything.’
‘Actually we have been going out for three and a half months and I love him, Fran, and he loves me.’
Kathryn chose not to divulge the frenzied kissing and aggressive smooching that left her more excited and alive than she had ever felt. This she knew boded well for a satisfying love life in the future.
‘Blurgh! Pass the bucket!’
Kathryn punched her sister on the arm.
‘I’m truly chuffed for you, sis, but there’s something about Mark that I’m not quite sure about…’
‘What do you mean?’ Kathryn’s voice was a high-pitched squeal, she looked close to tears.
Francesca decided to backtrack.
‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t got to know him yet or maybe he isn’t relaxed with us because it’s all new for him as well.’
These words caused Kathryn to brighten again. Yes, that would be it.
‘All I am saying is, Katie, why don’t you have a long engagement, get the sex out of the way, get to know each other a bit and see how it works out. Worst-case
Kathryn had padded into Francesca’s room and gently shaken the blanket-wrapped shoulder of her sleeping sibling. She hadn’t wanted to wake her, but knew if she didn’t share the news that was threatening to burst from her, she would very probably explode.
‘Francesca, are you asleep?’
‘Mmmmnnnn… Go away…’ Francesca mumbled.
‘Wake up! I really need to tell you something.’
Even in her semi-conscious fog, Francesca knew from her sister’s tone that resistance was futile. She reached out an arm and snapped the lamp on the bedside table into life.
‘For God’s sake, Katie, this better be good.’
Rubbing her eyes, she focussed on her sister’s blushing face.
‘Well, go on then!’
Francesca’s irritable prompting rather robbed her of her moment, but she proceeded nonetheless.
‘Guess what?’
‘What?’
‘Francesca, you’re supposed to guess! Come on!’
‘For God’s sake, Katie, you’re really annoying me now! We’re not children any more; it’s three o’clock in the bloody morning. I’ve got to be up for work in three hours. So, you either tell me now why you’ve woken me up or bugger off and leave me alone!’
‘Okay, grumpy, you are not going to believe this, but Mark has asked me to marry him!’
Kathryn clapped her hands together and let the news hang in the air. Francesca reached over and located her glasses, perching them on the tip of her nose. She leant forward as though improved visual focus would help her mentally focus as well.
‘He has asked you to
marry
him?’
‘Yes! Can you believe it?’
Her sister thought for a few seconds. ‘Frankly, no. I thought you were going to say you’d shagged him.’
‘Oh for goodness sake, Fran, you are so gross! Isn’t it wonderful?’
‘Truthfully, honey? I don’t know.’
‘What do you mean, you don’t know?’
‘I mean… Look, Katie, I love you, but you are a bit like a character in a
Famous Five
novel who doesn’t realise that there is a big bad world out there. Even though I’m the youngest, I’ve always felt as if you needed my protection. We all do, in fact.’
‘Do you?’ It wasn’t exactly news to her that Francesca felt that she was a total idiot, but her parents as well?
‘Yeah, kind of. And this Mark… It’s great that you’re so happy, but he’s your first proper boyfriend, you’ve only known him five minutes, and you haven’t even, you know… Sex is very important!’
‘Oh for goodness sake, there has to be more to a relationship than sex!’
‘There does? Okay, don’t look like that, I’m kidding, kind of. I am happy if you are happy, but I don’t think that you should be rushing into anything.’
‘Actually we have been going out for three and a half months and I love him, Fran, and he loves me.’
Kathryn chose not to divulge the frenzied kissing and aggressive smooching that left her more excited and alive than she had ever felt. This she knew boded well for a satisfying love life in the future.
‘Blurgh! Pass the bucket!’
Kathryn punched her sister on the arm.
‘I’m truly chuffed for you, sis, but there’s something about Mark that I’m not quite sure about…’
‘What do you mean?’ Kathryn’s voice was a high-pitched squeal, she looked close to tears.
Francesca decided to backtrack.
‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t got to know him yet or maybe he isn’t relaxed with us because it’s all new for him as well.’
These words caused Kathryn to brighten again. Yes, that would be it.
‘All I am saying is, Katie, why don’t you have a long engagement, get the sex out of the way, get to know each other a bit and see how it works out. Worst-case
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