Memories

Cara barely touched her food—crumpets toasted with cheese, and a slice of pineapple. I’d made these, following instructions from a recipe book for leukaemia patients. After I dealt with the dishes, I found Cara lying on the bed in the master bedroom. I crawled under the covers next to her, just like the way we did when we were kids. ‘Where’s Kieran?’ she asked. ‘Business trip.’ ‘So you two are still together.’ ‘Uh-huh. Married, in fact.’ I raised my left hand, let her see the wedding ring. ‘Shit.’ She sat up. ‘I missed your wedding.’ ‘No, you didn’t, because there wasn’t one.’ ‘Huh?’ Cara lay back down, hugged a throw pillow to her chest. ‘I’ve been so occupied with my own life, I barely had time to catch up with yours. So, tell me everything.’ ‘It’s a long story. You should probably get some rest.’ ‘Can’t sleep. You might as well entertain me with your long story.’ ‘Okay. How about this—I found out I was adopted.’ In her stunned silence, I told her the rest. It took me the better part