‘Thank you for saving my Mummy,’ she said.
Unsure how to respond and aware of everyone looking at her, Amari sat down to put her drink away and open the envelope.
Inside, there was a folded card decorated with pictures of flowers, butterflies and hearts drawn with a child’s hand. The biggest one, occupying the center of the card, depicted a group of people holding hands.
Amari glanced up at Susan, but the look on her face told her that she was also seeing Chloe’s creation for the first time. She sat down, looking at it curiously.
‘Why don’t you tell Amari who they all are?’ she suggested.
The girl wriggled herself between the two women and started pointing.
‘This is my Mummy and my Daddy,’ she said, ‘and my baby brother, and grandma and grandpa, and uncle Gerry and auntie Lyndsay, and me.’
‘And here?’ Amari asked, pointing at a couple at the edge of the group, also holding hands.
‘My uncle Danny and auntie Amari,’ the girl said with a proud grin, revealing cute dimples in her rosy cheeks.
The moment of silence that followed told Amari that everyone was just as embarrassed as she was.
‘Wow, you remembered everyone,’ Susan said in the end, trying to salvage the situation, ‘but Amari is not your auntie, sweetheart. She’s uncle Danny’s friend.’
The big grin disappeared from Chloe’s face, her mouth taking a shape of an upside-down horseshoe.
‘But Mummy, uncle Danny said Amari was beautiful,’ she said in a little voice.
‘And she is,’ Susan smiled at her daughter.
‘So why can’t she be my auntie? I like her.’
Susan opened her mouth but nothing came out of it. She glanced around the table, begging for help with her eyes.
Amari cleared her throat. ‘You can call me your auntie tonight, if you like,’ she offered.
‘Really?’ Chloe’s face transformed again. And before anyone managed to react, she threw her arms around Amari’s neck and hugged her.
Flabbergasted, Amari froze to the spot. She had no idea how to react.
The little girl’s arms were warm and soft around her neck and her chamomile-scented hair tickled her cheek. She looked into the eyes of Daniel’s family which glistened with affection.
Amari put her arms around Chloe’s back and pressed her to her heart.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ one of the musicians said to the microphone as soon as the applause died down. ‘May we suggest, for the last dance of the night, that everyone joins in for Strip the Willow!’
‘Strip the Willow!’ Chloe exclaimed, jumping off Amari’s lap, where she’d climbed a few minutes ago and refused to leave, clearly fascinated with her new ‘auntie.’ ‘Mummy, can I dance it, too?’
Wow, Patrick was right, Amari thought, it seems that even kids in Scotland know a few of those ceilidh dances.
‘Only if daddy dances with you, honey,’ Susan said, ‘why don’t you go ask him,’ she pointed at Nick who still stood by the bar with Daniel, Patrick and Gary.
Chloe ran to her father and pulled his sleeve, then started jumping up and down with excitement. Nick swept his eyes across the room; it seemed most people had abandoned their drinks and were now forming two rows on the dance floor and beyond it. Men and women faced each other with a couple of meters of free space between them.
Nick put his drink away, picked up his daughter and they joined the formation. Chloe squealed with delight.
Amari felt somebody’s gaze on her. She looked back at the bar and met Daniel’s eyes. Damn, he looks handsome tonight, she couldn’t stop thinking.
He put his drink away and briskly walked over to her. When he was next to her, he extended his arm and grabbed her hand.
‘Come on, you have to try this one,’ he said, ‘it’ll be fun.’
‘Daniel, no, I have no idea what to do,’ she protested, but as she realized that only very few guests weren’t joining in the dance, her resistance abated. Also because now that she was finally close to Daniel and touching him, she wanted it to last.
‘Don’t worry,’ he pulled her towards the end of the two rows of dancers. She joined the women’s row, he – the men’s. ‘By the time they get to us, you’ll know the steps off by heart. Just watch the front of the line.’
She followed his advice. As the first pair of dancers joined both hands together and started spinning, she peeked down the tunnel formed by the two rows of people, and tried to observe and remember what they were doing. Patrick had said that in ceilidh steps repeat over and over again, so hopefully she’d catch on. She was still nervous, though.
The dancing crowd clapped in time with the music and counted the first couple’s spins. When it came to eight, the pair split and the woman extended her arm towards the first man in the men’s row, whilst her partner did the same towards the first woman in the women’s row. They locked elbows with their new partners, swirled round once, and then repeated the same move with their original partner in the free space between the rows. Then they split again and repeated the same routine with the next person.
They quickly moved down the tunnel of people, constantly spinning and picking next men and women from both rows to perform a twirl with them. When they were eight couples down, the next pair from the front of the formation followed suit.
Amari started to understand the rules. She relaxed a little, although was still self-conscious not to miss the moment when it would be her turn to perform a spin with the male dancer.
It all went well, though, and the move was quick and easy; she was back to her spot in a couple of seconds. The first pair swung eight more times at the end of the tunnel and took their places past her and Daniel, laughing, panting and holding their heads that must have been dizzy as hell.
The second couple were on their way, and then the third and fourth. Amari felt more and more at ease and by the time her and Daniel’s turn came, she was bursting with excitement.
They looked at each other as they waited for the beginning of the tact, and when it came, they swung, all the while looking at each other’s eyes and smiling, then laughing like kids. Amari was already dizzy after the eight spins, but the dance was only just beginning.
Wahey!! she thought, here we go!!!
She caught the elbow of the next man in the row, the one who had started the whole dance with his partner. Then she met up with Daniel in the middle. Elbows locked, quick spin, and the next partner. Then Daniel again, then Gary, then Daniel and next was Susan’s husband Nick. There were about two dozen men in the line, amongst them all of the band members, Maddie’s boyfriend, Frankie, Tom and even Daniel’s father. Their happy faces surrounded her from all directions, as she weaved her way between them and Daniel, all the way to the bottom of the formation. The simplicity and complete madness of this dance made her feel like she was five years old again.
When Daniel and her completed their final swings, she was short of breath and dizzy, but felt so carefree and light that she couldn’t stop laughing. What a crazy idea this dance was! She looked at Daniel, who was also panting and laughing out loud.
The band finished playing and the dancers gave them a round of applause. Not a bad strategy to play this as the last dance, and get everyone involved, Amari thought. I can’t see anybody here begging for more – we are all exhausted!
The bar announced last orders, but Amari asked for water. Strip the Willow was a bit of a shock to her system; she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so spontaneous and unrestrained, and she didn’t want to dull her mood with alcohol.
She looked at Daniel, who was helping Susan put a hat and jacket on Chloe, and realized she had felt like this before. Many times. Trying new foods. Skiing on glaciers. Going up in hot air balloons and diving, horse riding and swimming with dolphins. Watching sunsets and sun eclipses, Aurora Borealis and meteor showers, sailing and lying on real beaches… And making love.
Everything that Daniel showed her, made her try or taugh
t her, made her feel alive. Made her feel like every minute of her life mattered, and was worth living to the full.
The bar bell, announcing end of service for tonight, jerked her out of her thoughts. It was one o’clock in the morning.
24th of December had started and hour ago. Her immortali day.
I must go, she thought. I mustn’t allow myself to keep thinking about Daniel. We’ve had an amazing relationship, but the differences between us are just too great to overcome. He seems to have moved on and so have I. I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship and business partnership again.
She collected her things and said quick goodbyes, taking advantage of the fact that everyone was trying to say goodbye to everyone else at the same time.
She went over to Daniel and touched his shoulder.
‘Goodnight, Daniel,’ she said, summoning all her self-control to make it sound light and friendly, ‘thank you for a wonderful evening.’
‘I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,’ he said, ‘told ya you could do ceilidh.’
‘Yeah,’ she laughed, ‘nothing like discovering a new talent in oneself. Thanks for, you know, dragging me over there to try.’
‘Anytime,’ he said.
‘I must be going,’ she said after a pause. And after a moment’s hesitation, she added, ‘Merry Christmas.’
‘Merry Christmas, Amari,’ he said. ‘Have a nice break. I’ll see you next year.’
She nodded and took a step back, but he didn’t let her just leave. He pulled her towards him, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her for a few good moments.
She hugged him back, but as soon as he let go off her, she retreated without looking back. She didn’t want him to see the tears that misted her eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Two hours later she was approaching her New York apartment and dreading the moment she’d arrive there. It would be empty and she would be alone.
Her encounter with the Mortals was the complete opposite from what she had expected and she still felt overwhelmed. She realized that the image of that meeting she had created in her mind was completely ungrounded and ringing with her still-lingering prejudices against the Mortals, and her total ignorance regarding their world.
They all treated her so well. They included her, made her feel welcome and judged her only on her actions, not on who she was biologically. The matter of her immortality didn’t come up once. To them, it was irrelevant.
And then there were Daniel’s folks, who quite simply treated her like she was part of the family. Even Lyndsay was friendly with her. She could just put it down to their gratitude for helping Susan, but it was too obvious there was so much more to it. She had a feeling they would treat her just the same, even if she wasn’t involved in Susan’s recovery.
Their acceptance and kindness, she was sure, was more down to how Daniel felt about her than anything else.
No one mentioned it, and yet things they said intimated that they all knew he cared about her. Hell, if a 5-year-old managed to get the gist of it, the whole family had to be aware that there was something between them, even if Lyndsay didn’t spill the beans about catching them in bed together.
She arrived at her portal and stepped into her living room. She knew it would be empty and quiet, as it always was, but this was the first time it bothered her.
The first time she felt lonely.
It’s only because I’m exhausted and I’ve just come from a party that was full of nice people, she reasoned with herself. I had a great time, listened to great music, had drinks and a laugh. Not to mention I danced like a mad person. I just need to wind down and I’ll be fine.
She reasoned for a while longer, but she knew she wasn’t believing herself. She went to bed but lay wide awake for a long time. The feeling of loneliness persisted.
It was hours later that she finally drifted off to sleep.
She woke up more exhausted than she was when she went to bed.
She stayed in bed for a long while, thinking again. 24th December. My immortali day is here again. In a few hours, I’ll be in my Immortality Clinic and for the 56th time I’ll have my life extended by another year. Just like my parents wanted me to.
She clutched her Ankh cross pendant in her fist as she thought of her family. She always felt closer to them on her immortali day, but today thinking about them wasn’t filling the emptiness she felt.
She got up and started getting ready. She’d better get there earlier this time, all the extra treatments she was eligible for may take a long time.
When she was dressed, she sat on her sofa with a cup of coffee and sipped slowly. Time was passing quickly and it was getting close to her appointment, but she couldn’t bring herself to rush.
Images of last night started coming back to her. All the faces that smiled at her as soon as she appeared. Genuine kindness and care. The feeling of being included, accepted as a part of a family. She’d never had that sort of feeling before.
And Daniel. Daniel in his kilt, looking so good she could hardly control herself not to touch him. Daniel holding the baby and playing with Chloe. Daniel looking at her and not saying what his eyes were saying. And hugging her at the end like he never wanted to let her go.
She put her cup down.
Why does it have to be so complicated?
Because she was immortal and he wasn’t.
But he’d said he loved her. She dismissed it then, but now…
She looked back on her life and imagined the years to come. What will I be doing? Probably the same as I’ve always done. Entertain other people and make a lot of money in the process. For how long? A hundred more years? Two hundred? Five?
And in that time Daniel will meet someone, get married and start a family with her. He’ll have children and look after them the way he looks after his niece and nephew. He’ll show them and his wife all the fascinating things on Earth… They will live their lives to the full. And I’ll keep living mine to entertain hordes of selfish, arrogant, judgmental Immortals who have no idea how great life can be if you share it with others… And being free to sleep with anyone I choose, but never meeting anybody who’d truly care about me.
She got up, summoned her hovercar and ordered it to take her back to Scotland.
She spent the time it took her to fly over the Atlantic trying to come to grips with her sudden decision. She had no idea what made her turn her life upside down like that, but she had never felt more sure it was the right thing to do.
Suddenly, with this simple decision, the door to her life with Daniel became wide open. There were no more barriers between them, there was nothing stopping them from being together. Would it be forever? She had no idea, but the chance was there. It wasn’t doomed to failure anymore.
That’s if he’ll have me back, she thought. She was hoping he would, but suddenly a worry crept in. What if I blew it by refusing to spend the Christmas break with him? What if, despite him still having feelings for me, he’d decided it wasn’t worth trying again?
But she didn’t turn back. There was only one way to find out.
‘Have you located the Collins residence yet, Eiko?’ she asked.
‘There are a few in Edinburgh,’ Eiko replied. ‘One in Stockbridge, two in Morningside, four in Portobello…’
‘Cross-reference with first initials,’ Amari interrupted. ‘C for Cathy and M for Mark. Also, it’s somewhere near a park or a meadow...’
‘I’ve got a match,’ Eiko said. ‘There is a C. and M. Collins residence in Bruntsfield, near an area called The Meadows.’
‘That must be the one.’
As the coast of Ireland appeared on the horizon, Amari’s heart started pounding. In a few minutes, she’d face the moment of truth.
Mr. and Mrs. Collins’ house was one of those traditional family homes built from sandstone. The well-kept lawn was covered with a layer of snow that glistened in the street lights. A colorful Christmas tree filled one of the bay windows flanking the main entran
ce and strings of fairy lights decorated the window frames.
Amari rang the doorbell and stepped back, trying to calm herself with a series of deep breaths, but the fresh winter air made her lightheaded. She could hear voices and music coming from the depths of the house.
The smell of home baking hit her like a warm wave as the door swung open. In the frame stood Susan, holding sweets and money in her hand.
‘I can’t hear you singing!’ she said before looking at the person standing on the doorstep. It took her a few seconds to recognize Amaranthine.
‘Amari!’ she exclaimed, surprised but happy, ‘I took you for carol singers!’ she laughed. ‘Come on in.’
Amaranthine hesitated. ‘I don’t want to disturb you,’ she said, ‘I was just hoping to speak to Daniel if he’s here.’
At that moment, a gust of wind blew a little blizzard into the house. She had no choice but to step in and close the door.
‘He’s been gone for a little while,’ Susan said, ‘but he should be back soon. Come on in, I’ll let him know you’re here.’
She led Amari across the hall into a spacious kitchen where the family sat around a big table mounted with food.
‘Everyone, look who’s here!’ Susan announced. ‘Isn’t it great?’
‘Auntie Amari!’ Chloe jumped off her grandfather’s lap and darted across the kitchen to hug her. ‘Merry Christmas Eve!’
Amaranthine picked her up, feeling her eyes water at this welcome. ‘Merry Christmas Eve, sweetheart,’ she replied, amazed at how good it felt to say it.
Everyone got up to greet her and before she knew it she was seated behind the table with a plate in front of her.
‘Here, have something to eat, dear,’ Mrs. Collins encouraged her. ‘What would you like to drink?’
‘A cup of coffee would be great, thank you.’
‘I’ll just let Daniel know you’re here,’ Susan said, leaving the kitchen. A moment later, a steaming cup of coffee claimed a spot next to her plate.
‘Here you are, dear,’ Mrs. Collins said with a smile, ‘just cream, no sugar, is that right?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ Amari replied, shocked. What has Daniel been telling them about me?
She helped herself to some cookies, the ones that filled the house with the aroma of baking, and glanced around the table.