Free A Thousand Small Explosions by John Marrs Page A

you agreed to meet me.’
    ‘So am I,’ replied Ellie and she felt something warm inside her stir. Whether it was the four gin and tonics or the unlikely but endearing Match sitting in front of her, instinct told her that the landscape in her world had suddenly tilted.
     

CHAPTER 21
     
    AMANDA
     
    ‘I’m sorry,’ mumbled Amanda, her heart racing and overcome by feelings of nausea. ‘I really need to go.’
    Suddenly the last place she wanted to be was at the church memorial service for a man she’d never met, being questioned by his sister as to why she was making up fictitious anecdotes about him.
    She felt the walls closing in on her and swiftly regretted turning up at her Match Richard’s memorial service, conjuring up stories like they were old pals. But as she was about to hurry away from Richard’s sister, Emma grabbed Amanda’s arm.
    ‘No,’ replied Emma firmly, ‘you need to answer my question and tell me who you are and why you’re telling stories about spending time in a city with my brother when it never happened.’
    ‘I… I…’ Amanda stuttered.
    ‘Were you even friends with Richard?’
    Amanda said nothing.
    ‘I thought not. You’re, what, ten years older than him? So you didn’t go to school with him. Are you one of those horny older women he trained at the gym who kept trying it on with him? Or are you one of those weirdos who gets their kicks from crashing funerals for people they never knew?’
    ‘No!’ Amanda replied, eager for Richard’s sister not to think badly of her yet understanding why she might. ‘I’m none of those things.’
    ‘Then who are you and why are you here?’
    Amanda closed her eyes tightly. ‘We were DNA Matched.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I did the Match Your DNA test a few weeks ago, then I found out my Match had also done the test, only it was too late for us to meet because he’d ... died. It was your brother, Richard.’
    Emma paused and eyed Amanda up and down. ‘You’re lying again,’ she replied.
    ‘I promise you, I’m not. Look.’ Amanda opened her handbag and removed a printout of the email confirming their Match and passed it to Emma.
    ‘Why are you here?’ continued Emma, her tone softening as she digested the information before her.
    ‘It sounds stupid now I’m saying it out loud but I wanted to say goodbye to him. I’ve spent the last few weeks mourning a man I’ve never met and I wanted to find out more about him from his friends because that’s something I’ll never get the chance to do with him. Everyone here has these great memories of your brother and I have nothing, just a name and some pictures I found online. Then when I was listening to them talk about him, I got carried away and made up my own story. I’m sorry, it was pathetic and thoughtless and I should’ve known better and I didn’t mean to upset you.’
    ‘I think I get it,’ said Emma, taking two glasses of wine from the table and passing one to Amanda. ‘So what do you want to know about Rich?’
    ‘Now I’m talking to you, I don’t really know where to start.’
    ‘That’s our mum over there, let me introduce you.’
    ‘No!’ said Amanda, panicking, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for that.’
    ‘Well, why don’t you leave me your contact details and we can stay in touch for when you are ready. Maybe you could come round to the house and meet her some time?’
    Amanda smiled and nodded, then apprehensively typed her telephone number into Emma’s phone.
    ‘I should be going,’ she said, ‘It was nice to meet you. And I’m sorry about Richard.’
    ‘I’m sorry too,’ Emma replied, ‘I’m sorry for the both of you.’
    Amanda kept her head down as she passed Richard’s mother on her way out of the church and hurried back towards her car. What had begun as a way to learn more about her late Match was also supposed to have given her closure.
    Instead, something told Amanda this was just the beginning.
     

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