Chapter 25: Sinbad's Offer

Two generations ago Adam Slade arrived in Sunset Valley to start a new life and build a lasting legacy, create a Slade dynasty that would be at the heart of the town's life. His granddaughter and heir, Cleo, is discovering something of Adam's life before Sunset Valley.

In this chapter Wanda makes an impression on Sinbad and receives a job offer ...

Wanda had been on the treadmill for about twenty minutes when she noticed someone new settle onto the next machine.

He was focused on his routine which meant Wanda was able to study him without the embarrassment of being seen to stare. He must be pretty fit, it looked like he had set quite a high load on the machine, and the slight sheen of sweat emphasised his taut, smooth, musculature as he tensed and relaxed. Fit and damned sexy, Wanda liked the look of this guy!

When he finished his work-out, Wanda also brought her treadmill to a halt and called across to this handsome stranger, "Hi, good workout?"

"Umm, yeah, thanks", he smiled back at her, "just a little toning up really, like to have a quick session here everyday to keep in shape."

"Well," Wanda looked him up and down, approvingly, "seems to be working"

"Thanks, you look pretty good too, my name's Sinbad, by the way."

"Hi, Wanda. Sinbad? That's an unusual name."

"Yeah, my mam, travelled a lot and apparently I was conceived on a ship somewhere around the Arabian peninsula ..."

"Cool.  Look, if you're not in a hurry anywhere, d'ya fancy an end of session drink in the bar upstairs?" Wanda suggested, "and maybe a quick game of table football?"

Table football was something Wanda had become quite skilled at; many pubs and bars in town had a table or two and it had become a reliable way for her to win a few free drinks or Simoleons.

Sinbad wasn't bad, but Wanda's practised eye and quick reflexes gave her the edge.

Despite taking an early lead in one game, Sinbad eventually lost three out of three games.

Conceding defeat Sinbad had to acknowledge his opponents skill, "You said you were good, but that was impressive."

"Sign of a misspent youth." Wanda laughed.

"Misspent youth? But surely you're not old enough to claim that yet?"

"Hah! You charmer! You were pretty good too, though I haven't seen you on the tables round town, all home schooled, eh?"

"Well," Sinbad admitted, "I do have a table at home for when friends come round. But I've only just moved to Twinbrook, so perhaps you'll have to show me around some your favourite places ..."

It didn't take much to convince Wanda that she should get to know this hot new man in town and, with any luck, he would be as generous with his wallet as he was with his compliments.

"I would love to, there's a couple of really good bars that I know, and most of the regular aren't much competition any more."

"Sure, that sounds like fun, though my schedule is pretty random right now, so I'll give you a call."

Intrigued by what he could be doing that didn’t have a regular schedule, Wanda asked Sinbad about his work.

"Well, it's a little difficult to describe in simple terms but it's a kind of 'Personal Services' business." Sinbad started to explain.

"'Personal Services'?" Wanda laughed, "is that why you have to keep so fit?"

"Hah! No, not that sort of 'Personal Service'! It's more like if someone has a problem and they can't find anyone else to deal with it, they'll come to me. Sometimes I help find people, sometimes I can help with security, sometimes courier work. A whole lot of things but it's always personalised for the client."

Now it was Wanda's turn to be impressed, "Wow, how do you do it all, you must be busy round here, like so many service companies don't bother with Twinbrook?"

"Yeah, that's why I came here, there's actually a lot going on but not much," Sinbad paused for emphasis, "in the way of 'personal services'."

"And," he continued, "we're always looking out for new recruits, people who can turn their hand to different things and," smiling, he looked Wanda up and down, "people who like to keep in shape."

-- * --

The following morning, as Adam was completing his homework for the day ahead, his mother was excitedly telling him all about this awesome new man she had met at the gym.

"Y'know he's got his own business, I bet he makes a shed-load of money from all the rich people in those big, fancy, houses. And he is so fit! He was flirting with me all night, he's going to see me again, I know he is. He might even give me a job, he said he was looking for more people ..."

Adam didn't need to say anything, Wanda was quite happy to keep the 'conversation' going on her own. He had heard these tales many times before about many different men, each of whom was going to be the one who would take them out of this shack on the swamp and into some palatial new lifestyle.

-- * --

After having acquired their dog, Sandy, Wanda took very little interest in it but had, inadvertently, made quite an astute purchase.

He was both fiercely loyal and, Adam discovered, quite easy to train. So when they both left the house; Adam to go to school and Wanda to go, well, wherever Wanda went, Adam would instruct Sandy to guard their home and look out for any saleable treasures lying around in the swamps.

From a young age Sandy had proven to have a very good nose for finding buried trinkets. Of course this meant digging a lot of holes, but around Bayou Gulch there were few pristine lawns and landscaped gardens to worry about.

Over the years Adam and Sandy and built up a diverse collection of little relics that didn't amount to much on their own but Adam was certain they would find some missing pieces that would make their collection valuable to one of the big dealers in town.

The one downside to Sandy spending so much time outside, rooting around the swamp, was that he was never really clean and getting an infestation of fleas or some other unpleasant bug was a regular occurrence.

At least once a week Adam would come home from school and have to take his dog into the bath and give him a thorough washing and dousing with anti-flea powders.

Not that either of them really minded; Adam loved looking after Sandy, having someone to care for, and Sandy loved splashing about in the bath and getting attention from his devoted owner.

Having got his dog cleaned and clear of bugs, the next thing to do was go out and play, which invariably meant rolling around in the dirt and getting dirty all over again! But Adam didn't mind, he thrived on the unconditional love he got from Sandy.

Although he knew that his mother did love him, she didn't often demonstrate it. Maybe that would change when she found a man who would love her, but, for now, he had Sandy.

-- * --

Having spent the previous day at the gym, Wanda decided to visit the Community Swimming Centre to hang out and see who she might meet.

She had seen this guy before, he was nice enough looking, nothing special, but she'd never seen him at the gym or any of the flashy bars in town so he probably wasn't one of the wealthier citizens.

But, today, there weren't many other guys about, good looking or otherwise, so this was going to be his lucky day!

"Andy Plumber?", Wanda giggled, "so, are you ...?"

"No, I'm not a plumber," he sighed. He had lost count of the number of times people had thought it funny to ask. "I'm in reclamation."

"Err, is that like recycling?"

"Not exactly. We salvage building materials and contents when properties are taken down. We buy up and sell on anything still in a useable, or salvageable, condition or of architectural interest."

Still focused on the 'plumbing', Wanda pressed him, "And would that include old appliances?"

Andy sensed that Wanda's question had a purpose. "Not often, they're usually of too little value, we just ship those straight to one of the housing charities."

"Oh, I see," Wanda tried not to sound too disappointed, "but I guess you get lots of interesting old stuff anyway."

"Oh yes, we do. Amazing thing is how often people try to cover up really interesting features, like putting lino onto a classic wooden floor or painting over beautiful wooden doors or windows. Actually," Andy paused for a second, "just thinking about it, one of the guys has just cleared an old house which had most of the big appliances still installed ..."

"Really?" Wanda’s eyes lit up, "y'know I've wanted to get a new washer for ages, but they're so expensive ..."

"OK, let me check what they brought back and I'll let you know."

Wanda's luck was in, Andy's workmates had recovered a perfectly workable washer so, rather than just handing it over to one of the charities, Andy brought it over to Bayou Gulch and installed it on the back porch.

"It ain't much to look at it." Andy confessed, "But it works just fine and should keep you going for a good while."

Wanda was overjoyed, another successful day in town, now she had her own washing machine. No more washing in the bath or trekking to the downtown Laundromat.

Just as Andy had finished installing and testing the washer Wanda's phone rang.

It was Sinbad, he had some good news. "Hey, Wanda, y'know I said I was looking for people to join my crew ... well, we've just got a job come in that I reckon would be ideal for you. If you’re interested?"

"Oh yeah, for sure, what kind of job?"

"I can't really say on the phone. We promise our clients absolute discretion and, well, you never know who might be listening in on the phone. Come to our office, at 1252 Riverside, tomorrow morning and I'll explain more and you can decide if you wanna join us."

So, that following morning, Wanda made her way to Riverside and the offices of Sinbad’s company.

She was not impressed, it looked like an abandoned warehouse, many windows were broken and the wind was blowing pockets of litter around the site. But, she considered, he did say they were new in Twinbrook, they probably couldn’t afford a big luxury office yet.

As she went to enter the building she met by Sinbad on his way out.

"Oh, Wanda, excellent, great that you could make it. Look, I've gotta be somewhere, but I can give you a quick intro to the job if you're interested?"

Disappointed that she wouldn't be spending more time with Sinbad, nonetheless Wanda decided she'd hear him out, see if working to make money might be her thing.

"OK," Sinbad started to describe the job he wanted Wanda to take on.

"Some of the stuff we do is what you might call corporate competition or investigation, like where one company needs to keep a competitive advantage over another or when a business or executive isn't behaving themselves."

"Like a private investigation?" Wanda chipped in.

"Kinda, we do the fact finding but we also have an 'executive' team that can take action if the client requires it."

"OK ..." Wanda wasn't sure of how she would fit into this sort of role, "I'm no investigator or researcher, what would I be doing?"

"Well, we're not your traditional private eye outfit, we're more, shall we say, 'personal', y'know.  We get to know the target, to understand what they're all about so we, and our clients, can make the best decisions about what to do."

"And," he continued, "I noticed how good you were at meeting new people and putting them at ease. Those are exactly the skills we need for these types of job."

Wanda didn't need to think for long about Sinbad’s offer. If it meant getting to meet wealthy business men, she reckoned she could probably make a little extra on the side, in addition to whatever Sinbad would pay her.

"Yeah, I could do that. So what's the job and what's the pay."

Sinbad smiled broadly, "That's my girl, eye on the bottom line! To start you'll get a basic 'retainer' of 75 a day which means you'll be available for work whenever needed plus you'll get a cut of the final client payout."

That wasn't bad as a regular income as far as Wanda was concerned. "OK, that sounds good, what's the job?"

"Excellent. Now, there's an old family business in town that looks to be going where it shouldn't. The CEO has been making deals that would seriously compromise our client and we need to find out how he's been doing it and put a stop to it. What we need you to do is just get close to him, get to know him and learn something about his business dealings."

"But I don't know anything about business?" Wanda asked.

Sinbad tried to reassure her. "Don't worry about that, you just need to get friendly with him and, the man he is, he'll start telling stories of his big successes anyway."

He took an envelope out of the small bag he was carrying, "Look, I really gotta go, but there's a photo of the guy here and all his details; address, schedule and everything you should need. You should 'arrange' to meet him in the next couple of days and I'll give you another call to see how you're doing. I know you'll do great, just have fun with him."

With that Sinbad hurried off and Wanda opened the envelope to extract the photo, a black and white 'pap' style shot of a handsome and well dressed man leaving one of the uptown office blocks ...

Chapter 26: Meeting Walter

Chapter 24: Back to Twinbrook

Our story began with Adam Slade arriving in Sunset Valley to start a new life and a lasting legacy, a Slade dynasty that would be at the heart of the town's life. Time has passed, and that original vision has been handed down through Adam's only son, Brandon and then on to the third Slade generation, Cleo and Carl.

In this chapter Garett introduces Cleo to her own past ...


Cleo was not in any mood to see Garett. In her mind he had played her and her brother, he had wormed his way into their family and cold-bloodedly ripped it apart. But...

But the photograph that he had sent to her, of her grandfather in Twinbrook, posed questions she had no answers for. Garett, of all people, was claiming that he knew something of her family's history, was it possible that he really did know why Adam had come to Sunset Valley? So why, then, would he play such games with them now?

With her head full of confusing questions, Cleo made her way to the Pleasant Rest graveyard to meet with Garett as he had requested.

"Ahh Cleo, I'm glad that you decided to come, so I assume you recognised the photographs?"

"Yes, one of them. Is that really my grandfather? Why would you have a photo of him, and why is he in Twinbrook?"

Garett smiled, "As I thought, you know nothing of your history. How simple it must be to be fresh and new in this world, unencumbered by a difficult past. Well, today is the day when you learn about your family's past, your family's secret past."

Cleo was not enjoying Garett's gloating, "Look, Garett, if you have something to say, just say it, after what you have done I'm not in the mood for riddles."

"What I have done?" Garett repeated, amused by her choice of words.

Abruptly his tone changed, the smile leaving his face. "Do you recognise any of the graves Cleo? Do you know any of these people or their stories?"

Cleo frowned at him, glancing quickly at the nearby gravestones. "No, I can't say that I do."

"No," Garett continued, "you have your smart, expensive, memorial garden on Summer Hill, isolated and separated from all the others here. These are not the graves of rich people Cleo; their families did not have the means to build large mausoleums or anything like the grand gravestones you have erected. But every one of the people buried here has a story that can be traced back for generations. Generations of history, not always honourable, but a history that informs the people they leave behind."

Cleo was getting ever more impatient, "That's all very well but what has that got to do with me, or my family?"

"Because, Cleo Slade, when your grandfather arrived in Sunset Valley, it wasn't to create a new life for himself but to hide his past and what his family had done. He didn't want anyone to know his story, the part he had played in ... well, no, let me start at the beginning."

"That photo is indeed of your grandfather, Adam Slade, with his mother, Wanda." Garett began his story ...

"Adam's father had run off soon after he was born, Wanda was only a girl herself when she got pregnant and wasn't what you'd call a 'good mother'."

"When she moved out of her parent's place, they could only afford a shack down on Bayou Gulch, a run-down, partially abandoned, area on the edge of the Twinbrook Marshes."

"To keep the boy amused while she was out partying and getting drunk, Wanda had picked up this stray dog to serve as a surrogate parent."

"Adam would have spent more time with that dog than with his mother."

"Unlike his mother, Adam, was a pretty serious kid. He did well enough at school – he actually went, which is more than his mother had!"

"Seeing as they didn't have much in the way of income the boy kept a little vegetable plot by the side of the shack. From what they say he didn't socialise much with other kids, preferring to stay at home with the dog or tending to the garden."

"His mother, on the other hand, spent as much time as she could away from their home."

"The story goes that one of her favourite hang-outs was one of the down-town gyms. She'd managed to get hold of a membership card and would spend hours on the machines or in the bar finding gullible men to spend money on her."

"It was at the gym that she met Sinbad Rotter. It was that meeting that has led us to situation we now found ourselves in ..."

Chapter 25: Sinbad's Offer

Chapter 23: Photographs

Our story started with Adam Slade arriving in Sunset Valley to start a new life, not just for himself but for the many generations that would come after him and to create a lasting legacy. In time Adam passed that legacy on to his only son, Brandon who, in turn, handed the dream on to his children, Cleo and Carl.  Cleo is now raising her heir, Danielle, but, for now, the Slade story is still with the troubled third generation.

In this chapter Cleo hears from Garett and receives a surprising package ...


In the longest week of her life so far, Cleo had begun to settle into a routine with Danielle. It was tough and she hated leaving her young daughter in the care of a babysitter but there was a pretty good nursery system in Sunset Valley so good quality day care was easy to find.

Carl and Malia had set off on their grand adventure, although the plan had changed somewhat. They had found there was a like-minded community of travellers and adventurers in the resort town of Hidden Springs, so they have leased a small place which will be their base for their trips abroad.

Pascal had arrived safely back in Champs Les Sims, and his father had left a message to say he was OK, but there was no news on when Pascal might come back to the Valley.

-- * --

Having fed and dressed Danielle Cleo was about to start her normal week-end chores when her phone rang. It was not a number she recognised.

"Hi Cleo ..."

It was a voice she knew instantly.

"Garett!"

Before she could frame a response, he implored her, "Hi, don't hang up. I have something important to tell you, something that will make you understand."

"Understand?" She could hardly believe he would have the temerity to think he could excuse his behaviour. "What is there to understand? You deliberately screwed up my relationship with Pascal, and with Carl. There is nothing you can say."

In contrast to Cleo's anger, Garett remained entirely calm and even in his tone. "I think, Cleo, that your problems with Pascal were not all down to me. You had a choice too."

Garett's apparent composure only served to further infuriate Cleo. "That was for me to deal with, you went out of your way to blow it all up and destroy my whole family!"

"Ahh, yes, that would appear to be what's happened, and now, now, I want you to know why. It is important to me for you to understand. I want you, Cleo Slade, to know where you came from and then you will understand everything."

"Where I came from? What are you talking about? I know exactly who I am!"

"No Cleo," Garett continued, "I don't think you do, not at all." He paused, briefly, "Check your mailbox. You will find two photographs, one of which I think you will recognise. Then come to the Pleasant Rest gardens at two o'clock this afternoon and I will explain and then, then, you will understand."

And the call was disconnected.

Cleo's anger at what Garett had done or, more accurately, what she and Garett had done was replaced by a feeling of unease, what could he tell her that would make sense of what he, they, had done?

She hurried down to the mailbox, there was a single unaddressed envelope. She ripped it open and found two old, faded, photographs as Garett had promised.

The first was of an apparently wealthy family. Well dressed, in front of a large, elegant, house, a small mansion you might say.

But, as much as she studied their faces, Cleo could find no clue as to who they might be.

Frustrated she turned her attention to the second image.

The photograph was faded, the paper worn, but there was no doubting who she saw.

Her left hand moved, involuntarily, across her mouth, as questions flooded into her mind.

She turned the paper over, in clear, even, hand-writing was a single word: "Twinbrook"

This was her grandfather, Adam, as a young man, but what was he doing in Twinbrook? And what was his relationship with the other family?


Chapter 24: Back to Twinbrook

Chapter 22: Crashing

In the beginning there was Adam Slade. Arriving in Sunset Valley to start a new life, not just for himself but for the many generations that would come after him, to create a dynastic legacy.  Adam passed that legacy vision to his only son, Brandon. Now the Slade dynasty is in the hands of Brandon's children, Cleo and Carl.  As yet unaware of her destiny is Cleo's daughter, Danielle.  But, for now, the Slade story is still with the troubled third generation.

In this chapter everyone learns something of the truth and decisions are made ...


It was the most uncomfortable night Cleo and Pascal had ever endured, neither slept, however much they tried they could only think about Cleo's terrible confession. That she had slept with Garett.

They both rose early from their unsatisfying slumbers and sat together in the main lounge in the hope of finding a way to deal with the crisis in their relationship.

Cleo could hardly look at Pascal, if he knew the full extent of her betrayal she feared that she would lose him forever.

Pascal tried to make sense of what he had learnt last night. "Cleo, I just don't understand it. I thought we were happy, that you had all that you needed. What could he give you that I couldn't? What would be worth losing what we have?"

Cleo wasn't sure she understood it herself. "I wish I could tell you Pascal, I really wish I could. There was something about him that, somehow ... I don't know ... it was as if he could fulfil a need I didn't know I had, a need that I couldn't resist."

"Oh, that doesn't make sense! Did he hypnotise you? Was it a drug?"

"No, nothing like that. I can't even make that excuse, I wasn't drunk or drugged. I knew what I was doing but somehow, at the time, it didn't seem wrong ... oh Pascal, I can't excuse it, I was weak, and stupid. Stupid because I always knew, before and after, that it was you I loved. You."

"Weak!" This was not a word Pascal associated with Cleo, "But you are one of the bravest and most confident women I have ever known, it is something I always loved about you, that you were in charge of your life, that I felt honoured to be part of it."

Cleo struggled to hold back the tears. "I know, but that is only one part of me, I still needed you to give me the confidence to be strong, I knew that if I failed you would be there for me, unconditionally."

"And I was, Cleo, I was, and thought I always would be, for as long as we lived. But that wasn't enough was it? You needed more, you needed Garett?"

"No, that's it, I don't, but when I was with him, sometimes I thought I did ..."

"A friend from school, someone you hadn't seen in years ... how could that happen? You don't meet someone after so many years and just fall into bed ... or I thought you didn't!"

Cleo was horrified, what was he saying, that she'd had a string of lovers? "How could you even think that! I have not slept around, there was only him, please believe me."

"And yet, how soon was it after he moved in here? How long did it take Cleo? There is more to this than you are telling me."

She knew he was right, it didn't add up that she would fall into Garett's arms so easily, not if she truly loved Pascal. How had she got herself into this mess? There was only one way out of this, only one way that she could possibly forgive herself, although it might mean Pascal never could; she had to tell him the whole truth.

"Alright, I know I have let you down, I have let myself down," Cleo leant forward and, glancing quickly at Pascal, she could see the anger, and the hurt, in his eyes. This was going to hurt him even more, she couldn't look at him as she hesitatingly told him of her history with Garett.

"I first met Garett when, he was our babysitter for Carl, and I suppose I developed something of a crush on him, a lot of the girls did. He was seeing a girl at my school and she was always showing him off to impress us – he was very cute and we were very impressionable."

"If you remember, after our first week-end here, the local paper had a photo of me from one of the house fires I attended. Well, he said he saw that and arranged a sort of date in town and, and, he told me he loved me.  I was that little girl again, the boy I had a crush on had said he loved me ..."

Cleo paused as the memory of how she felt on that date with Garett replayed itself. She had 'chased' Pascal and it had been quite exciting to have a man 'chasing' her.

She looked to Pascal again, briefly, he held his hands out as if trying to weigh up an invisible object – the object in question being the point of Cleo's, so far, inconsequential story.

She continued, "And then he kissed me. I loved you then Pascal, just as I do now, but there was something different about him. I don't know, maybe it was like the sense of danger, the adrenaline rush, I had become used to at work. I think I knew he was 'dangerous' and somehow ..."

"Well, a couple of months later, he turned up here, at the house. Everyone else was out ... and ... well he's a very charming man ... one thing led to another and ...", Cleo stopped, brushing away the tears welling up in her eyes.

"All this time?" Pascal broke his silence, barely able to contain his anger. "All these years; you have been sleeping with that man! How could you deceive me for so long?"

He suddenly stood up, turning away from Cleo for a moment before turning back to ask, with the brutality, the coldness, of a man whose whole life was being torn apart. "So, tell me Cleo, is Danielle even mine?"

"Of course she is. Please believe me, I am not having an affair with Garett, I have known him for years and, yes, I have slept with him, but it has only been a very few times. He is not my lover, he never could be. You are the man I love and Danielle is ours."

"You tell me that now, but how can I believe you when you have lied to me for all these years." Pascal pulled free of Cleo’s grip, "I don’t know if I can trust you again."

"Look, I spoke to my father last night, and my mother is not well, so I think it is best if I go back to Champs Les Sims to help care for her."

"Of course, I understand Pascal, but what does that mean for us? We can't just leave this, we need to sort this out together. If not for us, then for Danielle."

"I don't know Cleo, I could perhaps forgive you one mistake but now you tell me that this has been going on for as long as we have been together ... I am not sure that I will be able to. I need some time to work out what to do. Now, I have to get ready to get to the airport."

He did not need to pack much for this trip back to his parent's home; it was not long before Pascal was ready to leave.

"Pascal, I know I have hurt you, but please know that I did not mean to, that I love you with all my heart and will do anything to make it up to you."

"I want to believe that ma chérie, but once trust is broken ... I am not sure it is possible to get it back."

Holding Danielle ever more tightly, as if to ensure that she would lose no one else today, "Please give my love to Gerard and Edith, I hope she gets well soon and please, please, call me when you get there."

As Pascal turned and walked to the waiting taxi, Cleo whispered softly to herself, "I am so sorry my love, please don't let this be the end."

-- * --

When Carl awoke that morning, neither Cleo nor Pascal were anywhere in the house. Nothing too unusual in that of course; Cleo could be out on a job and Pascal was often visiting garden centres and the like these days. Though there was no note as to when they would be back or to say who had Danielle, but they knew he had plans today so he assumed that they had everything organised.

-- * --

It was quite late in the afternoon when Carl returned home from his day out with Malia. Danielle was playing in her room and he could hear Cleo shuffling around in the main bedroom. She had obviously heard him too as she called out to him as he got the main landing, "Carl? Is that you? Hold on a moment, I need a word."

Carl was quite surprised to see his sister dressed in one of her night shirts, she was always smartly dressed, even when just lounging around at home.

"Carl, I need to tell you something ... about me and Pascal."

"You mean, like how you got rid of Garett?"

"No, Carl, well, not exactly. We had an argument last night, it was about Garett, and, well, Pascal has left."

Carl was confused, why would Pascal leave after they had thrown Garett out? "What do you mean 'left'? What's that got to do with Garett?"

"I have done something terrible, and I'm afraid Pascal might never forgive me, but I want you to know the truth so when people start talking you won't listen to the lies and gossip."

"OK sis, you're proper worrying me now, what has happened?"

"Garett told Pascal that I had been sleeping with him and ..."

"What! Why would he?"

"Because I had."

"What the ...! Oh, right, it all makes sense now, why you were so pissy with me yesterday; you'd already got your claws into him!"

"No Carl, it wasn't like that."

"You knew I had feelings for him, ever since mum died, and then you turn on your charms and get him into bed, what the hell sis, you already had Pascal?"

"No, I've known Garett since you were a baby, I'd been seeing him long before mum died ..."

"Oh crap, this just gets better and better! You were with him even before Pascal moved in here."

"Oh, no, oh ... this is so messed up, it wasn't ... we weren't, we weren't lovers."

"Right, so he was your bit on the side for when you got bored with Pascal?"

"Carl, please, let me explain, it was just the once, twice, with Garett, I was young and confused, and you know what he's like, he's too easy to fall for."

"Yeah, like that's an excuse, someone's nice to you so you have sex with them! I really thought you were better than that."

"I am Carl, I am, it was one mistake, that I have to live with for the rest of my life, and now I think I may have lost Pascal, I don't know if I could cope if you hate me as well."

"You don't have any right to judge how I feel, you have brought this on yourself. I'm not going to hate you for sleeping with Garett; but for what you have done to this family … I don't know if I can forgive you. I gotta get outta here."

With that Carl zipped up his jacket, pulled the hood over his head, and ran out of the house.

-- * --

The following morning Carl rang Malia, inviting her over for a chat.

When he greeted her at the door Malia could see that something was wrong. He kissed her as warmly as ever but as broadly as his mouth smiled at her, his eyes were not smiling, they looked red and puffy.

"Are you OK babe? Looks as if you didn’t sleep last night?"

"Umm, no, I'm OK Mal, but I had a fight with Cleo last night that kinda freaked me out."

"Cleo? You had an argument with Cleo, but you two are so close?"

"I know, that's what kills me. I thought I could trust her with anything and now I find out that she's been lying to us."

"What would she have to lie about? She's as straight as they come surely?"

"Garett, she'd been sleeping with Garett. Pascal found out and now he's gone."

"Oh my ...!"

She could see that fighting with his sister had really upset Carl, and there was probably not a lot she could say that would help him feel any better.

But actions can be as significant as words, she moved in closer to him, so that he knew she understood he was hurting and was there to support him.

"I am so sorry to hear that babe, I really wouldn't think she could do anything like that."

Carl put his arm around Malia, drawing her close, "Thanks Mal, I know anyone can make a mistake, but I think this has been going on for years, for years she's been lying to us ..."

"Carl, you know what we were talking about yesterday? Perhaps now would be a good time, just get out of this situation for a while?"

"You think so? I don't know, you may be right, but could I do it to Cleo, I mean, Pascal has left and I don't know when, if, he will be back. And there's Danielle."

"I know, but maybe you both could do with some space. Otherwise you'd be rubbing up against each other all the time and just constantly repeating the arguments."

"Yeah, maybe, but it feels like I'd be running away, and what would that solve?"

"I'm not suggesting that you abandon Cleo, but having distance between you might give you that time and space to deal with this without fighting about it."

Carl, thought for a while, feeling the warmth of having Malia close to him, how comfortable he felt with her at his side and how much he hated fighting with his sister.

"Do you know something Malia Norwood? I do believe I love you."

-- * --

Cleo had gone out to buy supplies, so Carl and Malia had to entertain themselves for a few hours until she returned, when they told her about their plan.

"Hey sis," Carl began, "Mal and I have been talking and we've decided that it's best if you and I give ourselves some 'space'; so we’re not always arguing over this business with Garett."

Cleo’s heart sank; she knew what people meant when they said they needed 'space'.

"Look, you know I've had some success with my books, well, the publisher has said that it would help if I had some more 'real world' experience - it would make them even better."

Cleo was confused, "'Real world experience', what does that mean? You're only young, where are you going to get 'real world experience'?"

"Travel. I want to travel, we want to travel. See more of the world, see more of life than we could here in the valley."

"Ahh, OK," Cleo was feeling a little happier, "you want to go on holiday somewhere, some place exotic?"

"No, more than a holiday, we want to travel the world, while we're both young and free of responsibilities, see as much of it as we can."

"Travel the world?" Cleo was taken aback by the idea that her brother could be leaving her, "how long for?"

"We don't know, I reckon several months at least, maybe a year ..."

"A year! How are you going to afford that?"

"Mal and I have worked it out, we've both got family savings we can use to start with, and we reckon we'll get by on working locally in some places where we want to stay longer. Besides which I can always call on my share of this house if we ever get really stuck."

Cleo knew that finances weren't really going to be a problem. They were both young and fit, and could quite easily find some sort of work almost anywhere. But the thought of losing her brother as well as Pascal was too much to take in.

"And when do you plan to do this?"

Carl looked at Malia, who nodded encouragement, "Now, as soon as we can get tickets. We'll see Malia's parents tonight and then I want to be off."

There was little point in arguing with him, they had clearly made up their minds and, to be honest, Cleo couldn't face another argument like the one they'd had last night.

"But, sis," Carl wanted to reassure her, "I don't want you to think that we are running away. Sure, I'm still angry but you're my sister and I love you. So, wherever we go, I want you to know that I will always keep in touch with you, I don't want to lose you forever, but I think having some time apart will help us get over this business without arguing all the time."

And so, Carl and Malia kissed Cleo and Danielle goodbye and set off to see Malia's folks and, from there, start on their grand adventure.

Cleo held Danielle close as they waved the young couple off, as the taxi disappeared from view, she turned back into the house, locking the front door behind her, "Just me and you now, doll, we've still got each other."

But once alone in her room, Cleo collapsed onto the floor, she couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks as the events of the last couple of days sank in.

"What have I done? What have I done, how can I cope, here, on my own with Danielle and this huge house ..."

She didn't hear her door swing open, and the small, hesitant footsteps as Danielle came in to see why her mother was crying.

"Mummy? Mummy hug?"

Chapter 23: Photographs