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Back One Winter Morning Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. Acknowledgements
  54. Read More
  55. Two Years Later
  56. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

As we continue towards the base of the hill, I find myself smiling away for no apparent reason. I must be more relaxed around Kit than I thought, and it’s heartening to know that the two of us have slipped effortlessly into the same game of banter tennis that I play with Billy. Back home, where everyone has known me for years and has witnessed my transformation from bubbly and sociable into brittle and closed off, I don’t feel one hundred per cent authentic with anyone – not Billy, not Hayley, and not even David, not one hundred per cent. If anything, my adoptive father is the person I feel least comfortable with. We were so close once, the three of us, in our tight family unit – but Anna’s accident has shattered the bonds between us, the same ones that I always believed to be unbreakable, and now I have no idea how to mend them. Kit knows nothing about this, or about the accident, or about me – not really. I can be a different version of myself with him, one that is perhaps more like the old me.

I had an idea of how things would be when I reached New Zealand – how I would feel and what I would do and say – but never for a moment had I factored in a Kit or a Tui. I had envisaged getting some answers and finally putting a face to the empty space that I had in place of my birth mother, but I never imagined that I would make a friend or discover that I have a sibling. Kit has listened to and accepted me, and now he’s here, choosing to spend his free time with me, his friendship offered freely and seemingly without complication.

It’s as if I’m beginning to wake up after a very long sleep, and for the first time since that awful day, I am able to be present in the moment again. I feel alive.

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22

Bonnie

Despite being as big a fan of parties as she was of wasp stings, Bonnie had been told that she must come downstairs and attend Tracey’s annual mince pies and mulled wine soiree. Her unflinching host had also insisted that Bonnie put on a frock for the occasion, giving her house guest the benefit of a pained expression when she wondered aloud what was wrong with her old jeans and oversized jumper.

‘If you don’t already know the answer to that, duck, then I can’t help you.’