Charlotte and I have always been close, ever since we were children, and life has only drawn us nearer. She moved to London to study at university and has stayed there ever since, finding a job and renting a flat. Despite the distance, weve never lost touch. She would visit during holidays and we often caught up over the phone. When I turned twenty, I got married and had a daughter. Just last year, my husband and I decided to move to London, too, and by coincidence, we ended up renting a flat in the same neighbourhood as Charlotte.
Charlotte, now twenty-seven, had been on her own all this time. It puzzled me since shes such a striking woman. Recently, though, she revealed that shed finally started seeing someone. I was thrilled by the news and eagerly begged her to introduce me to her new boyfriend. She replied rather mysteriously, saying the time wasnt right yet.
It was about a month later when we finally met him. James moved in with her, and her sister invited my husband and me to come over. The first time I saw her fiancé, I was taken aback. He looked well over thirty, and his face suggested a history of heavy drinking. His appearance was scruffy, almost like a tramp. My husband and I exchanged startled glances. Later, we found out that James was out of work and had barely finished his GCSEs.
I just couldnt fathom how my educated, beautiful, and clever sister ended up with him. I tried to talk to her about my worries, but she snapped at me, demanding I keep out of her life. She even confided that she wanted to have a child with him, which completely horrified me. The thought of her having a child with a man like that made me feel sick. No matter how much I tried, I couldnt understand her decision. It just made no sense, no matter how different everyones tastes might be.
