Frankie looked on, scared yet excited. “hi.”

“hello” there is a silence “and you are..?”

frankie goes to speak yet can’t, for the first time in her life, words fail her

“listen, i’ve just boiled the kettle. i have to go”

She attempts to shut the door but finds it bli=ocked by frankie’s hand.

“wait.”

“what do you want?”

“i’m, i’m, i’m your daughter”

“what? your joking” alma replied, trying to close the door and once again it’s blocked by frankie

“no. please. just let me speak. i know you know cameron alan.”

“i think you had better come in” she holds the door open, allowing frankie to pass

“thanks”

“go straight ahead to the kitchen. take a seat if you want”

“cheers”

“tea?” alma goes over to the freshly boiled kettle

“yeah, please.”

“how do you have it”

“milk and two please”

there is yet another silence while the tea is made.

“So, your eleanor. not so little now”

“its frankie. and i guess not. you dont tend to be after 28 years”

“he changed your name?”

“yeah, he named me after my dead cousin and told me my parent died in a car crash. wonderful eh?! ”

“listen, it wasnt my choice. if i said anything, he was going to ruin my life”

“and you think this hasn’t ruined mine? growing up thinking your parents are dead, finding out your scumbag of an uncle is actually your father. and that your mother lives 5 minutes away and you didnt have a clue…” Frankie is interupted by alma

“i…”

“what. listen, i probably never should have come here. I wont..”

” im sorry”

“you’re what? sorry?! after all this and you just say sorry?”

“what did you want me to say?”

looking down into her cup of tea frankie replies “i dont know. that is all going to be ok. that you love me. i dont know”

Frankie begins to cry. Alma steps over and places a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Frankie shrugs it off.

Frankie stands up. “i’ve got to go. take my number and we can talk another time, when i’ve got my head round this all a little more.”

“sure” Alma grabs a pen and paper off the side and hands it to frankie. she scrawls a number quickly onto the paper, hands it back and walks to the door. Alma follows.

“bye.” frankie walks through the door. she takes a glance back to see her mother standing there

“i’ll call yeah.” alma closes the door behind and turns, leaning against the door as her mind tries to decipher what had just happened.

Maybe everyone needs something a little stronger than tea?!