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“To us, and every version of us wherever we may be!” he toasted.
“To us!” they echoed.
Settled back onto their seats, her father asked, “How’s David taken this?”
“He has been amazingly supportive, considering,” she replied.
“You know you can come and stay here, don’t you? Anytime either of you need a place to stay, I am here for both my chickens.”
“Thanks, Dad, and I might take you up on the offer if things turn awkward with David, but so far we’re coping.”
“Must be difficult for the lad, living with his wife, yet not his wife...” Her father trailed off.
“We aren’t sharing a bed, but it hasn’t been an issue. But if it becomes difficult, I promise you I will come and stay here,” she assured him.
“Good, that’s settled. What will you do if you never swap back? Do you think you might eventually make a go of Penny’s marriage? Could you love David?” he asked.
The memory of his kiss flooded her body with warmth. “It’s early days but if I’m honest, I think there is something, some spark between us, you know?”
“I do, and I’m not surprised to hear you say that, after all you and Penny are one and the same person. It stands to reason the same attraction will apply,” Allie interjected.
Penny and her father nodded in agreement. An equable silence settled as each of them disappeared into their own thoughts.
Her father finally broke the peace. “Are you two staying for supper?”
“No, sorry, there has been a change of plan, Dad. I’m sorry but we are going back to mine for dinner. Clare is cooking. Would you like to join us?” Allie asked.
“No, no. I have a date with the football on the telly and I’ll still order a fish and chip supper. Your loss, my chickens!”
By the time they left their father’s house, Penny was merry; not drunk, but merry. At least that was what she told herself. Allie had sensibly only sipped her drink, handing the rest over to her sister to finish. Between them, she and her father had finished the bottle.
He’d wanted to know all the details about her other life. Time slipped away from them; it became clear they would be late getting to Clare’s house.
In the car with Allie driving, Penny dozed, drifting in and out of consciousness.
“D’you fancy David?” Allie suddenly asked as she pulled up at a red light.
“Wh-what?” Her sister’s question caught her off guard, her brain foggy with alcohol.
“If you never get back to your dimension and you are stuck here, do you think you could live with David as your husband?”
“I-I do like him. I mean he’s gorgeous, and kind but... What if I fall for him and then one day I vanish back into my own world? I may not see him again. I am afraid of my heart becoming broken if he turns out to be the love of my life.”
“To be absolutely honest, Penny, I think it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever return home. I can’t imagine the exact same circumstances occurring for a second time. Both you and Penny in an aeroplane during an electrical storm, flying across the Atlantic at the exact same moment in time, encountering an electrical storm, which cuts the plane’s engines so that it free-falls then restarts... This is once in a lifetime stuff!”
“I’ve been pushing the same thought around in my mind. Oh, Allie, what shall I do?” She knew she sounded pathetic but an alcohol low enveloped her reasoning. Right now she felt down and more than a little frightened about her future.
Changing gears as the traffic lights turned green, her sister took a moment to quickly squeeze her knee in reassurance. “You have me, Dad, and Clare, and hey, guess what, you have a husband. David loves Penny.You are Penny. My advice is make your marriage work and don’t fret so much over the future. If you do decide you want to leave David, I suggest you go to Dad’s and I will stand by you. But my advice is to give your marriage a chance. If Penny loved, sorry,loveshim, then you should be able to as well.”
“You love Jack in my dimension, but if this happened to you and you ended up in my world, could you love him, a man?”
“Ouch, that’s a hard one to contemplate!”
“Not so easy, is it, when it’syouthat’s involved.”
“Touché, sister mine, touché.”
