The arrival

Cora följer med, avdomnad i sinnet. Hon önskar Owens var där. ”Our brother? Or yours?” Hon fattar inte att hon säger det högt. ”Yes, a happy occasion now that Da…Thomas is home. I am happy anout that and will not create a scene. He deserves a happy homecoming”

"Our, he is our idiot" Connie drar ner Cora i en fotölj.
"We talked about love before, how it's beautiful and exciting." Connie trycker hennes händer mellan sina.
"Love comes in many different form. And for mum, dad and Francis they found it between them all three. We essentially have three parents 1 mum and 2 dads. How's genetic component that makes up us siblings doesn't really matters."

Thomas reiser seg. Selv om han fremdeles ser sliten ut, lyser øynene feberaktig lykkelig. Han snur seg mot familien, ser lenge på hver enkelt av dem. Mikey mangler. Men resten er her. "Thank you. For coming here. I have missed you all so much, and I needed to see you now." Plutselig kjenner han hvordan han trenger å sette seg. Han ser mot biblioteket. Selv om det er varmt ute brenner det i peisen. "Let's sit down in there..."

”Yes, I know how love feels, how wonderful it is” hom saknar owens så mycket och hon kan inte säga så mycket om honom. ”Yes, the love between them is clear, beautiful but the rest matters. You…take after grandpa, Mikey after dad…Thomas…in a way and will after his uncle. I always wondered about me. Where I fit in” hon ser liten och övergiven ut.

Fiona går fram till honom och tar hans arm. Skakar av sig den tunga känslan, ser hans varma ögon. Tårarna har torkat, och hon ler stort mot honom. "Yes, let us! Oh god I have missed sitting in front of the fire, all of us." Hon rör hans kind lätt. Hans hud mot hennes fingrar. så länge sedan. Hundens svansande glädje får henne att vilja skratta. Ja, att bara vara glad, i nuet! "Who wants a drink? -- Tea for you Will" säger hon när hon ser sonen lysa upp lite.

Will ser skuffet ut. "But mum, only one glass?" Thomas smiler svakt og gir Fiona et kyss på kinnet. Det er varmt og mykt. "Let him have a glass of wine so he can toast with us." Så ser han på døtrene. De ser plutselig så alvorlige ut der de står for seg selv og snakker lavt og han blir litt usikker. "Are you joining us in the library?#

Connie falls down next to Cora in her own chair.
"Well I guess you probably take after Francis, artistic and sharp minded. Which I might be a bit jealous of, don't tell then this but his my favourite parent." Connie ler snett mot sin syster
"I knew you would take this better than Mikey. I was about your age then I figured it out, mum almost fell of her horse then I told her." Connie tittar över mot sin syster och försöker lätta upp stämningen lite.
"Is it now I tell you I'm engaged?"

Francis ruskar om Wills hår. "A little bit would probably be fine, don't you think, Fi? Or I think we can manage a cordial in a wine glass instead?" Han ser sig om efter flickorna som blivit ovanligt tysta och ser dem sitta i ett hörn och viska om något. Ser lite undrande på dem, men antar att de har saker att tala om som det behövs en syster till. "Do you need to finish your chat first, girls? We can wait for you in the library if you need to."

"Be there shortly, sister business!" Connie replies her voice betraying nothing about the serious of the conversation.

”Im not taking it better, I lie better” säger hon lågt, hennes värld har rubbats. ”Why didnt they tell us? Let me live in a lie?” Hon ser bedjande på sin syster. Innan hon rycker till och blir avis ett ögonblick, varför kan hon inte få vara öppem med sin kärlek när andras är tillåtna? Men hon önskar sin syster all glädje. ”Oh…Im so happy for you”

"That you do. They didn't tell us because they were scared. The world don't take kindly to people being different, they could all be arrested or declared mentally ill if the wrong people found out." Connie ser ledsen ut och tittar ner på sina händer.
"I guess I can understand it better since I'm well simular inclined" Hon tar ett djupt andetag, samlar modet till sig. Det är tid för att tala klarspråk
"I only fall in love with women, Cora. My fiancé is Athine. And most people will never know because it would be to dangerous." Connie håller andan och väntar på Cora's reaktion.

She looks at her sister. ”I can understand that, their fear. And if it was only their secret I wouldnt care if they are happy. But this…is a part of me they have been lying about. Me. Who I am. And that hurts so much” hennes ögon är äldre, djupare. ”I know, and I am still happy for you” hon kramar sin syster. ”I…love some too, and I cant talk about it”

Connie kramar sin syster hårt, när blev hon så här vis?
"Thank you. Talk to them about it. Tomorrow, sit down and talk with them about your feelings about this. I can be there if you want." Hon stryker Cora över håret.
"I gathered as much from your letters. When/if you want to talk I will listen, that's what big sisters are for"

Det är skönt att vara liten ett tag, att bli ompysslad när världen är stor och jobbig. ”I…really dont know what I feel, in a way that it is them that should talk to me, not the other way around. I wamt to talk to you about him, everything. But not tonigh, tomight it is…dad’s evening”

"You are so right," Connie stand up and offers her hands to Cora.
"Shall we join them in the library now?"

Hon tar Connies hand, tar ett djupt andetag och lägger på skådespelarmasken och börjar tillsammans med Connie släntra över mot föräldrarna.