I shouldve been the one standing there.
Honestly, youre impossible! Emma flung her hairbrush onto the dresser, the plastic clattering to the floor. Look at herso sanctimonious, arent we?
Anna set her novel down, lifted her gaze from her sister, and said calmly, I only said I shouldnt have lied to mum. Thats it.
Right, because I should have told the truth and then endured your preaching until sunrise. Thanks, Ill manage somehow.
Emma yanked her jacket off the coat rack and slammed the zipper shut so hard the pull got stuck halfway. She had to yank it back, which only added to her irritation.
Where are you off to? Anna asked, perching on the sofa.
Out for a walk. As far from your holierthanthou attitude as possible.
The front door slammed shut behind Emma, and she bounded down the stairs, leaping over a couple of steps.
Emma strolled down the high street with her hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets, eyeing shop windows. A dress was £380. A handbag, £660. Shoes that cost more than she earned in three months. Someone actually buys this stuff, she muttered. Someone lives as if money grows on trees.
Why not me? she wondered.
Anna never quite understood Emma. The younger sister was content with the little things, delighted by a fresh loaf or a roof over her head, and thanked fate for the simple comforts. Emma found that attitude grating enough to make her teeth chatter.
She cut through a side alley that led toward the riverfront, and a flash of gold caught the setting sun. Emma stopped, squintingher heart gave a small hop.
Lying on the pavement was a smartphone. Not some cheap knockoff, but a genuine flagship in a shimmering gold case. Emma glanced around; the alley was empty, then snatched the find up.
The screen lit up at her touch. Locked, of course, but who cared? A phone like that would fetch close to £1,000, maybe more.
She slipped the phone into the inner pocket of her jacket and quickened her pace. Home. Immediately.
Anna raised an eyebrow as Emma burst into the flat.
Whats the rush? Forgot something? Anna asked.
Leave me alone, Emma snapped.
She locked herself in the bathroom and examined the device. It looked brandnew, not a single scratch. The owner hadnt skimped on techrich, then, maybe very rich.
She spent about twenty minutes in the bathroom, weighing options. Sell it? Too risky. Return it for a reward? That sounded better.
The phone rang just as Emma stepped back into the living room. Anna had gone to the kitchen to help mum with dinner, so no one saw Emma pull the strangers phone out and stare at the unknown number on the screen.
Her finger hovered over the answer button. One, two, three secondsthen Emma finally picked up.
Hello? a young, polite male voice said. Good evening. Sorry to bother you. You found this phone, right?
Emma hesitated, thinking fast.
Yes, I found it. And? she replied.
Id be very grateful if you could return it. It belongs to my mother; there are important contacts and photos on it the voice trailed off.
Gratitude is nice, Emma interrupted. But Id prefer something tangible. How about fifty pounds as a fair reward?
There was a long pause on the other end.
Fifty pounds for picking up a phone off the pavement? the man asked.
For not tossing it away or trying to sell it. Agree, and Ill be generous. Emma pressed on.
Listen, Im willing to pay a reasonable sumsay five pounds he suggested weakly.
Fifty. Or you can keep looking for your phone at the car boot sale, Emma said, hanging up and smiling at her own reflection in the dark screen. Let him stew. Rich folk always haggle for show, then pay whatever you say.
The next two days turned into a drawnout bargaining session. The stranger called repeatedly, offering £20, £30, even £40, but Emma held firm at fifty, not a penny less.
Tell me your name, at least, he asked during another call.
Why do you need it? Bring the money and well talk, Emma replied.
She collapsed onto the sofa, propping her feet up, and didnt notice Anna slipping into the room.
I told youfifty pounds. No point haggling. You think Im a fool? Want a pricey gadget back for peanuts? No way
What are you doing? Anna shouted from the doorway.
Back off, Emma waved a hand. Im busy.
Youre extorting money? Anna snapped.
Its a fair reward for a found phone! Emma retorted.
Anna crossed the room in three strides and snatched the phone from Emmas hand before she could react.
Hey! Give it back! Emma shouted.
Anna pressed the phone to her ear, one hand fending off Emmas. Hello? Please excuse my sister. She she got a bit hotheaded. Ill return the phone for free. Tomorrow, at the central park? Around three by the main fountain. Sorry again for the hassle. Goodbye.
Anna hung up and slipped the phone into the pocket of her jeans.
You! Emma gasped, furious. What are you doing?
Saving you from a criminal record for blackmail. You can thank me later.
That was my money! You you stupid
The whole evening the flat rang with shouting. Emma claimed her sister had stolen her rightful earnings. Anna argued that extortion isnt a job. Mum tried to make sense of it, growing more and more crestfrowned.
Fifty pounds?! mum exclaimed, hands on her hips, looking at the older twin. You wanted fifty pounds just for picking up someone elses phone?
And whats wrong with that? Whoever lost it should have looked after their own things.
Lena, look at me. Mums voice softened, disappointment flashing in her eyesfar worse than any scream.
I didnt raise you to profit from other peoples misfortune. Hes lost his phone, hes worried, and you Im ashamed of you, Lena. Very ashamed. She sighed. Just go to your room. Ive got nothing left to say.
The next day Anna left after lunch and didnt return until evening. Emma pretended to ignore her, slumping against the wall as if asleep, but she caught a glimpse of Annas facedifferent, not upset as one would expect after a fight, but flushed, lips curving into a genuine smile.
Weird. Very weird.
A week passed, then another, and Emma began to notice changes she couldnt ignore.
Anna started smiling morereal, not forced. Shed stand before the mirror for ages, trying on different blouses and dresses from their modest shared wardrobe, her eyes sparkling like a cat thats just found the cream. Then the flowers began to appear.
The first bouquetabout twentyfive white rosesarrived on a Wednesday evening. Anna set them in a vase on the kitchen table without a word.
On Tuesday came lilies, and on Friday a pot of orchids.
Gifts followed: a silk scarf, a bottle of perfume with a golden cap, delicate earrings with tiny stones.
Someones got a new beau, Mrs. Carter said over dinner when the silence became unbearable.
Anna lowered her eyes, smiling shyly, Mum
I can see it. Youre humming all day, checking the mirror every five minutes, those presents Who is he?
Just a good guy, Mum. Really good.
Emma poked at her meatball with a fork, feeling a sour knot grow insideenvy? No, something uglier, a gnawing injustice.
Id like to meet him, Mum pressed. Bring him round Saturday. Well have a family dinner.
Weve only been dating a month, Anna protested weakly.
Perfect. A month is enough to see if its serious or just a fling. See you Saturday.
Mrs. Carter was persuasive; arguing felt pointless.
Saturday arrived. Mum roasted a roast, Anna set the table, and Emma lounged in the corner, scrolling through her phone, trying hard to look indifferent.
The doorbell rang at exactly seven.
Anna opened it, and a deep, confident male voice called out, Good evening. These flowers are for your mum.
Mum, this is David! Anna announced.
Emma looked up from her screen, her mouth hanging open.
A tall, darkhaired man in his midtwenties entered, wearing a sharp jacket, polished shoes, and a watch that likely cost more than the entire furniture in their flat. He smiled warmly, offering Mrs. Carter a massive bouquet of garden peas.
Lovely to meet you, he said. Anna has told me all about you.
Mrs. Carter beamed, taking the flowers. Come in, dinners ready. Lena, say hello!
Emma rose from the sofa, feeling oddly out of place next to this polished stranger.
Hello, she managed.
Good evening, David replied, his eyes flicking to Emma. Pleased to finally meet Annas sister.
The conversation flowed easily. David talked about his work in the familyrun finance firm, asked Mrs. Carter about her younger days, and cracked jokes that even made Emma chuckle a couple of times. Then Mum dropped the inevitable question.
So, how did you and Anna meet?
David and Anna exchanged a glance.
Its a funny story, David began, placing his hand gently on Annas. My mum lost her phonefull of important contacts and photos. We were searching, calling, and Anna offered to meet up. She returned the phone, refusing any reward.
Emmas cheeks flushed hot enough to match her ears.
We talked by the fountain for about three hours, Anna added, gazing at David with soft eyes. Then he asked me out for coffee, and the rest is well, here.
David chuckled, And here we are.
Emma stared at her plate, the phone that had sparked all this still perched on the tablea phone shed demanded fifty pounds for, now belonging to the man whose mothers loss had set everything in motion.
Mrs. Carter deftly shifted the topic, but Emma wasnt listening. She watched her sister glowing, happy, while an empty hollow widened inside her.
It should have been me.
The months that followed turned into a slow torment for Emma. David visited more often, lavishing Anna with gifts and weekend trips to Brighton, the Lake District, and even a quick hop to Paris. Anna blossomed more each day, while Emma wilted under a tide of envy.
When David finally proposedwith a ring that sparkled so brightly it hurt the eyesEmma barely managed to keep from bolting from the room.
The wedding that followed was lavish: a hundred guests, a venue Emma had only ever dreamed of seeing on glossy magazines. Anna, in a pearlembellished gown, looked every inch a princess. David, the dashing prince, stood beside her, all because Anna simply did what she thought was right.
After the ceremony the newlyweds whisked off on a worldtourParis, Rome, Tokyo, Sydneysending postcards that made Emmas flat feel even smaller.
Emma stayed put: threebedroom council flat, mum, a job at the local cosmetics shop, evenings in front of the telly.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, she lay awake replaying that alley moment. What if shed just handed the phone back without demanding a penny? Would she now be the one holding a ring, receiving flowers, living in a country house, flying first class?
But no.
Shed chosen fifty poundsfifty pitiful pounds she never actually got.
Anna chose honesty and got everything.
Fate, Emma thought, must have a terribly twisted sense of humour.
She never learned to be genuinely happy for her sister. Jealousy gnawed, a constant, sour taste that poisoned each day. Deep down she knew it was her own greed, her own choice, that had sealed her fate. And no amount of regret could ever change it.
