Driftwood

[hward]

Okaay, I wondered if I'd clicked on the wrong page for a minute there, lol!  Great chapter, I really like the way you're giving snippets of information in flashbacks to the wreck and their time on the island rather than in one big chunk, as it keeps me wanting to find out more.  I really like the way that Aden was talking to Belle.  It's sad and sweet at the same time.

[Ludub]

2 hours ago, hward said:

Okaay, I wondered if I'd clicked on the wrong page for a minute there, lol!  Great chapter, I really like the way you're giving snippets of information in flashbacks to the wreck and their time on the island rather than in one big chunk, as it keeps me wanting to find out more.  I really like the way that Aden was talking to Belle.  It's sad and sweet at the same time.

Thanks hward  so glad you're enjoying it. I like to think of it as a sort of mystery where you're filling in the blanks of what happened. More interesting that way, for me and for you  

And yeah, you'd be forgiven for wondering what thread you'd clicked on here so I think we'll leave the Aden discussions aside for now. I think it's safe to say that Red and I could go round and round in circles for days on this subject and neither of us would walk away with a different opinion from where we started! Haha! 

Pleased that you liked the Aden and Belle scene too 

[Ludub]

Thank as always for the feedback guys. Hope you like this one!

 

WARNING: ADULT THEMES

 

Chapter 15

 

“Chicken mayo okay?” called Irene, smiling a little nervously at the young man now sitting on her couch, “I don’t think I have much else in… You haven’t gone vegetarian or anything like that have you?!”

“Chicken’s fine, Irene” said Aden, shaking his head a little and smiling, “It’s really kind of you but I don’t want you going to any trouble…”

“Oh come on Darl!” she laughed, giving him a little wink, “I think I can stretch to a sandwich for an old friend, don’t you?!”

He smiled a sad little smile. ‘An old friend’; those words meant more to him than she probably realised. Sitting on the edge of his seat, he twisted the gold band round and round his finger as he always did when he was feeling anxious, and watched as Irene darted around the kitchen. She pulled a Tupperware box of roast chicken out of the fridge, along with some lettuce, tomatoes, and a jar of mayo, and then she lifted the bread out of the cupboard. She’d insisted on making him this sandwich because she’d already eaten, and didn’t want to go out for dinner. He’d tried to refuse, saying that he’d get something later, but she’d heard his stomach rumbling and simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. He couldn’t help smiling, even if being in this house was making him a little uncomfortable. It was why he’d wanted her to go out for dinner with him in the first place. He knew that he was being ridiculous but being so close to Belle’s room, to where it had happened, was a little too confronting right now. That was why he was pointedly staring out at the kitchen and doing everything within his power to steer his attention away from that hallway. He didn’t want to remember what had once been behind that bedroom door. Not tonight.

As he gazed at the red headed woman out in the kitchen, who was busily spreading mayonnaise on two thick slices of multigrain bread, he couldn’t get over how little she’d really changed! She was a little bit older, her skin a little more wrinkled, and she looked a lot more tired, but this was undeniably the same old Irene. Same ‘no nonsense’ attitude. Same generosity and kindness. Same cheeky smile. The same flame-haired battle-axe that he’d locked horns with as a teenager, but who’d given him a second chance when so many others wouldn’t have. In fact, she’d given him multiple chances! He owed a lot to this woman, when he thought about it. She’d taken Belle in and given her a place to call home, and a lot of love and support when she’d needed it. She’d been the closest thing to a real mum that Belle had ever had, and in some ways she’d been a mother to him too. She’d been there for him when Belle had died, and done her best to pick up the pieces. He’d needed her then. He probably needed her now if he was honest with himself. He felt bad that he hadn’t made more of an effort to keep in touch, bar the few cards and occasional emails that he’d sent her over the years, but Irene had just been too closely tied to his memories of Belle. It had just been too hard! It didn’t excuse it though. She’d deserved better than that, and he knew it.

Irene had certainly been surprised to find him there on her doorstep at nine o’clock at night! Ten years since she’d last laid eyes on him, and here he was, just standing there with that cheeky grin on his face. He couldn’t help laughing when he heard her say ‘Oh, my Gawdfather!’ He’d never really forgotten those peculiar little ‘Irene-isms’, like ‘God save Ireland!’ and calling every young woman ‘girlie’, but in some ways he’d begun to wonder if he’d created some sort of caricature in his mind. An exaggerated version of her that spouted these catchphrases all days long… Surely no-one really spoke like that?! But here she was, hugging him to her, and calling him ‘Darl’ just like he’d remembered. She’d even called him ‘Buggalugs’ just like the old days! It was too good to be true, he’d thought to himself. Was he really here or was this just a dream?!

He’d been surprised at how much this had really felt like a homecoming. She’d welcomed him with open arms in a way that he only saw families do on TV shows and movies. It was something that was a little alien to him, because his family life had never been one of hugs and cuddles. Certainly not the kind of hugs that he wanted anyway. And now he didn’t have much of a family left. When it came down to it, he had a good job, a nice apartment and plenty of money, but he lived a fairly lonely existence. He had no-one to worry about, and no-one to worry about him. He was all alone. Even Justin had drifted away and he only saw him every now and then, and usually only when he wanted money. He wished that things were different but they weren’t. With a familiar little wave of sadness, he thought of the family that he’d wanted to have with Belle. The one that he’d imagined when he’d wanted to propose to her. They could have had a nine-year-old child by now if Belle had lived! He wondered what their kids would have looked like, and what family barbecues and dinners would have been like with a couple of little Aden and Belles running around. What would it have been like to be a dad? To live an ordinary blue collar life with the 2.4 children and a wife? To have little people to care for and worry about? Irene would have been a fantastic grandmother, he reflected sadly. He would have liked to have had her as a mother-in-law. He glanced sideways as he imagined a hand clasping his own, and pictured her sitting beside him now on the couch, as a 32-year-old woman. He was so lost in the fantasy that he didn’t hear Irene approaching.

“Oi!” she laughed, setting the plate down on his lap and tilting her head at him quizzically, “Are you gonna tell me what you’re doing here then?!” She plonked herself down in the armchair with a mug of tea and furrowed her brows at him a little. “I didn’t come down in the last shower, Aden… It’s been ten years… I doubt you just thought you’d stop by for a sambo and a yarn with your old mate Irene?!”

He gave a little snort and nodded his head. “I’m here on business, actually” he said, before lifting one of the two large sandwiches that she’d made for him, and taking a huge bite. He smiled across at her with his mouth full and gave her a thumbs up. Now that he was eating, he’d suddenly become aware of how hungry he actually was, and began to eat with great urgency.

“What kind of business?” asked Irene, settling back into her chair with a look of interest. She’d been surprised at Aden’s appearance when he’d arrived on her doorstep. He’d looked very smart in his navy shirt and fashionable grey roll-up trousers. They were casual clothes but there was something about them that screamed ‘designer’ and ‘expensive’. She thought he looked like a male model in one of those magazines, the ones where there are about 500 photos, but no content that you’d actually read.

“Lawsuit” he mumbled, with his mouth full of sandwich. He threw her an apologetic look and reached for the mug of tea that she’d set on the coffee table in front of him. He washed the sandwich down and gave her a little smile. “I’m a lawyer now” he said, shrugging his shoulders and feeling a little embarrassed that she didn’t already know that about him. At least, he didn’t think that she did. “I’m representing the victims of the Serendipity…” he continued, “So I’m here to interview Alf’s daughter, Roo… and her partner.”

“Matt” nodded Irene, the smile on her face fading a little at the mention of the cruise ship. “And they’re… co-operating?” she asked, looking a little surprised, “They’re actually talking about it?”

He nodded and shrugged again. “Matt’s having a hard time talking about things… but he did okay, considering… and Roo was pretty open and honest about it all… I was actually kinda surprised...” He took another mouthful of tea and then set the mug back down on the coffee table. “We’re meeting again tomorrow evening to finish up… I think she just wants the cruise-liner to take some responsibility… which is all I’m trying to do really…  I think people deserve some closure… and some decent compensation… They can’t just get away with it.”

“Morag did mention that you’d gone into Law” said Irene, nodding at him and looking noticeably impressed. “I didn’t realise you’d be handling our case though… or that that was what you do now… That kind of law…”

“I’m an Associate with a firm in the city…” he said, giving her a little smile. “Clayton and Associates…. We deal… well, um… I guess… I deal… mostly with criminal negligence cases… victims of big business…” He was surprised at the feeling of pride that was swelling in his chest as he spoke to her. She was looking at him in a way that made him feel about ten feet tall! He knew that other people talked about the moment that they got to tell their mum or dad that they’d made it, that they’d done well in life, but he’d never really had anyone for those moments himself. Morag to some extent, but it hadn’t really been the same. He hadn’t really had that someone to turn to, to celebrate his successes with him, and to feel that he’d done them proud. Not for a while anyway. This was the closest that he’d come to that in a long time and it was making him feel a little bit emotional. “I want to get justice for the victims…” he said, glancing at her and remembering the case notes with the statement that she’d given at the time. She’d been one of the lucky ones rescued from one of the life-rafts very early in the rescue operation and completely uninjured in the explosion. Still, she deserved some compensation for her ordeal. Being evacuated from a sinking vessel in the middle of the ocean couldn’t exactly have been a pleasant experience. “All the victims.” he said, giving her a gentle little smile.

“Are you going to be interviewing everyone, then?!” she asked, suddenly looking a little nervous, “I mean… I don’t know if I really remember that much anymore and…”

“We already have your statement” he assured her, “We have everyone’s statement from four years ago… but it’s Matt and Roo’s statements that we really need… They’ll be the ones to clinch it for us… make it real…” He gave her an embarrassed little smile when he realised that he sounded like some corporate type, buying into his own sales pitch, and talking about ‘us’ as though he’d been on the ship himself. “Their um… their statements will just have a much bigger impact on the court’s decision.”

She smiled and shook her head a little incredulously.  ”So… big city lawyer now, eh?!” she asked, “I’d have eaten my hat if you’d told me that fifteen years ago! …Aden Jefferies, a lawyer!”  

He nodded, taking another bite of the sandwich, and swallowing it down quickly. He would have scoffed it down in a much less dignified manner if he’d been on his own, but for some reason he felt like he needed to behave himself in front of Irene.

“There was a time when I thought you were going to end up in prison” she sighed, looking him up and down again, and letting her mind wander back to the scruffy young teenager that he’d once been. All loud mouth and attitude. He’d been so full of anger and resentment back then, and she’d written him off as a bad egg, without a second thought. She’d failed to see the frightened little boy, so hurt and damaged, hiding under all that rage. How had that boy been transformed into this?!

“I know” said Aden, looking at her in a slightly shamefaced way, as though he could read the thoughts that were going through her mind, “I have a lot of people to be grateful to.”

She tilted her head at him, eyeing the gold ring on his right hand, and gave him a sad little smile. She was surprised to see him still wearing it after so many years. She’d thought that he would have moved on by now and maybe even have remarried. Yet here he was, seemingly still single, and looking a little lost on her couch. Something about the way that he carried himself hinted at a great sadness in his life. He may have been smiling and saying all the right things but she could tell that he was still hurting. She just wanted to reach across and give him a hug. “How are you doing, darl?” she asked, “I mean… Are you happy? Anyone special in your life?”

He flashed her his trademark grin and forced a little laugh. No-one needed to know how lonely he really was, he thought to himself. “Ah you know, Irene… There’s always someone on the go.” he said. He held his arms out to indicate the way that he was dressed and cocked his head to one side in a cheeky sort of way, “I mean… smart suit, flash car, these looks… Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?!”

She rolled her eyes at him, and laughed, playing along with his joke. “Ah yes, the Aden Jefferies charm… I’d forgotten about that!” She raised her eyebrows at him in a mocking sort of way and said, “I seem to remember that ‘charm’ failing pretty miserably the first time we clapped eyes on each other!”

“True” he said, grinning at her again quite mischievously, “But you fell for it eventually, didn’t you?!”

“I suppose I did” she laughed. She shook her head again at him, wondering at his choice of career path, given the number of brushes with the law that he’d had when he was younger. She couldn’t help smiling a little at the thought of what Roman would have said. He’d be so proud, she thought to herself. “Have you told Roman about your big flashy job?” she asked, thinking how sad it was that the man that had set Aden on a path to a better way of life had ended up in prison himself. She felt a little guilty that she’d lost contact with him. He’d been a good man even if he had made some mistakes. “What does he say about all this?” she asked.

“Uhhh…” stammered Aden, as his face fell and he looked at her in shock, “I’m so sorry, Irene… I thought you knew… I thought someone would have told you…Told you… or Leah… or someone.” It was like he’d just been kicked in the stomach. He lifted the plate with his half eaten sandwich off his knee and set it on the table in front of him. He’d suddenly lost his appetite. He could see that she was looking at him now with a very worried expression.

“Tell me what?” asked Irene, furrowing her brow at him.

Shifting across the couch to sit a little closer to her, he took her hand in his, and gave a little sigh. “I thought someone would have informed you… or you’d have seen an obituary… or something.” It had been a couple of years now, and he’d had to come to terms with yet another death of someone close to him, but it still hurt when he allowed himself to think about it. He looked up at Irene, surprised to find himself tearing up, even after all this time, and gave her hand a little squeeze. “Roman died” he said softly, tilting his head at her sympathetically, “He um… he died about five years ago… He’d been sick for a while but it was just too advanced and they couldn’t do anything more for him… It was… it was a brain tumour.”

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand, “Oh love! That’s just terrible!” She blinked as the first sign of tears began to appear. Roman had been a good friend to her all those years ago and he certainly hadn’t deserved the hand that life had dealt him. Not in her book anyway. A brain tumour?! How could life be so cruel?! She looked at Aden, who was now staring sadly off into the distance. “Was Nicole with him?” she asked, wiping at her eyes as a few tears began to roll down her cheeks.

He nodded slowly and turned to look at Irene again. “At the end” he said, giving a sad little shrug, “But he wouldn’t let anyone visit him for a long time so we didn’t know that he was sick until… until near the end…” He grimaced a little, trying not to cry, and wiped with the back of his hand at the few stray tears that had escaped his eyes. “But he was in a really bad way at that stage… Couldn’t walk anymore… couldn’t talk very well… I’m not really that sure that he knew who we were most of the time...”

“Wasn’t there a funeral?!” asked Irene, still trying to take it all in, “I mean… why didn’t Nicole let us know… or you?!”

He looked a little guilty and stared down at the floor. “It was a very small funeral” said Aden, shaking his head, “He asked that it be kept private… He was too… ashamed, I guess...” He gave a heavy sigh and twisted the ring on his finger again, “It was just me and Nicole …and Angelo.”

“I would have come if you’d let me know” she said, looking a little hurt, “Roman was a good man.”

“I know” he said, nodding sadly and thinking back to the man that had taken him in and given him a place to live when everything had been falling apart. He’d been a better father to him than his own father had ever been. “I think he thought… I think he thought he deserved it… like it was his punishment or something…”

“Poor Roman” she tutted, feeling terrible for him that things had ended that way. Some part of her wondered if it hadn’t come as a release. He’d been sentenced to life after all, and maybe that life hadn’t exactly been worth living? She flushed bright red and glanced a little guiltily at Aden when she caught herself thinking it.

“I guess he didn’t see the point in fighting it” he said, as though he’d read her mind, “I think he kind of just gave up after a certain point… I mean, they said he refused treatment after the first couple of rounds… It was pretty quick after that.”

She couldn’t help feeling a little shell-shocked. It was a lot to take in. “How’s Nicole doing?” she asked, looking at him with concern, “I mean… losing her dad like that…”

“She’s okay, I guess” said Aden, nodding slowly. “She and Angelo, and the kids moved away… after Roman… So I don’t see them much anymore… They’re running a restaurant and B&B in Tasmania.”

“I hadn’t heard” replied Irene, sounding a little dazed. “Cancer though?”, she murmured, looking a little lost in her own thoughts, as the long list of people who’d been affected by cancer in this town ran through her head. She put her hand on her chest out of reflex, and thought of her own battle with breast cancer not so long ago. Was nobody safe?! “It just feels like it’s everywhere…” she said quietly, “You just seem to hear about someone every other week… It’s everyone.”

“It is in Summer Bay” said Aden, solemnly nodding at the ground and beginning to twist the gold band on his finger again. “That’s the other reason I’m here” he said quietly, “I made a promise to Belle… and to Roman… and I intend to keep it.”

 

*****

 

His heart began to hammer in his chest when he heard Roo calling out his name. He was on the rocks just above the beach but still out of sight. This was one of the more difficult bits of the climb and somewhere that he could easily lose his footing if he wasn’t concentrating. If he slipped, he could fall and break his neck, and then where would they be?! He told himself to calm down and pay attention to what he was doing. He was less than five minutes away if he kept his wits about him. There it was again though! His name! She was shouting Matt, over and over, as loud as she could. He couldn’t tell by the echoey tone of her voice whether she was in distress or not. She had to be though! The sheer fact that she was screaming his name so insistently made him think that something must be wrong! It had to be! What if it was Alfie?! What if something had happened to his little boy?! He dropped the bundle of fish that he was carrying and began to scramble a lot faster across the rocks. He was scared. He was scared of what he would find when he got there, but as he got a little bit closer, he realised that there were other voices too. There were men’s voices in the distance. He couldn’t hear what they were saying or even what language they were speaking. But they were unmistakably human voices. Shouting, laughing, human voices! How could that be?! If his heart had been beating fast before, it was now at bursting point. He was climbing over the rocks with a new level of panic that he had rarely experienced before. Roo’s voice again, much clearer now. “Matt!” she called out, giggling a little at the end of the word. She sounded excited.

Suddenly the beach came into view, and as he took in the scene that was unfolding below him, he thought he might vomit on the spot. There was Roo, standing at the foot of the rocks, with Alfie in her arms. She was surrounded by a group of very western looking men. They were all standing around laughing and holding red thermos cups in their hands.  She was smiling from ear to ear, and he heard her give a loud throaty laugh, before taking a drink from the cup that they’d given her. She even seemed to be wearing one of their coats. He crouched there on the rocks just above the beach and realised that every inch of his body was shaking. Not just a mild trembling, but violent shudders that meant he couldn’t control his hands or his legs. It was like a huge burst of adrenalin had just been released and every fibre in his body was telling him to turn around and keep going in the opposite direction. He wanted to hide! He wanted them to go away! Who were these people anyway and what were they doing here?! Why were they here?! He could see a number of inflatable dinghies in the distance, the kind with outboard motors, and a pile of cameras and other bulky equipment on the sand near their little camp. All the men were dressed in expensive looking outdoor gear and looked like they were probably Australian. It looked like they were there to make some kind of movie or something. They certainly didn’t look like rescuers…

He watched them, unseen from his perch above on the rocks, and wondered at his own reaction. Surely he should have been scrambling down these rocks now and thanking his lucky stars that they’d finally been found?! Surely he should have been jumping up and down, and dancing for joy, that they were finally going to get to go home?! They’d be able to leave this godforsaken island now and live normal lives again. They’d get to see their loved ones. They’d get to have normal food, and sleep in warm and dry beds again, and have electricity and warm showers. They wouldn’t have to rough it anymore! He knew that he should have been happy. He should have been over the moon. He should have wanted to go down there now and kiss each and every one of those men on the beach. But he didn’t feel that way. Why didn’t he feel that way?! Why was he so frightened?! What was he so frightened of?!

“Matt!” called Roo, suddenly looking up at him with a big smile, “Oh my God! Matt! We’ve been found!” All the men looked up at him too, and he couldn’t help feeling sick as he counted the ten smiling faces now staring up at him. She waved at him to climb down and then hugged baby Alfie with an excited smile on her face.

He took a huge breath and tried to steady his nerves. As much as he wanted to run away right now, he couldn’t abandon Roo and the baby. They needed him. He would have to suck it up and get on with it. He began to climb down, telling himself to calm down, but shaking more and more with every step. He finally reached the bottom and Roo threw herself into his arms. “They’ve found us, Matt!” she squealed excitedly, “We’re finally going to get to go home!”

He glanced at the faces of the intruders, feeling more than a little resentful, as he held Roo and Alfie close to his chest. He couldn’t help noticing the judgemental looks and knowing little smirks of the men standing around them now. They’d only begun to realise how big an age difference there was between him and Roo, and they obviously seemed to find it quite amusing. Who did they think they were?! Just waltzing into his home and sitting in judgement of him and his little family?! He wanted them to leave! He wanted them to go now!

“Buddy!” said an American voice as a hand clamped on his shoulder, “Looks like this is your lucky day! We weren’t planning on filming this island… but Hank over there thought he saw something moving on the beach here… so we thought we’d come look!”

Matt turned to look at him for a moment, taking in the pork-like and overfed complexion of the man in front of him, and it took all the strength he had not to punch him in the face. “Yeah, thanks” he mumbled, before turning his attention back to Roo. He put his hand under her chin to turn her face up towards his. “You okay?” he asked.

She smiled the biggest smile possible and looked up at him with eyes shining like stars. “We’re going home, Matt!” she squealed at him, “We’re actually going home!”

It felt like someone had just kicked him in the stomach so hard that it had knocked the wind right out of him. He couldn’t breathe…

He sat bolt upright in the bed, gasping and gagging, and trying to force air down into his lungs. He was panicking and it only became worse when he realised that he was on Roo’s side of the bed and she wasn’t there! She wasn’t on his side either! The cuff was still around his wrist though, and he slowly became aware of something tugging his arm down over the side of the bed. He rolled across to look over the edge. There she was on the floor! She was hunched over with her back to him, and she seemed to be doing something with her hands, but he couldn’t see what. He vaulted off the side of the bed and crouched down beside her. His heart was still thumping wildly.

“Roo?” he said a little breathlessly, as he tentatively put his free hand on her shoulder, “Roo, what are you doing?!”

“Digging” she said, in a dazed and distant sounding voice. She was clawing at the floor beside the bed with a sort of desperation and as he leaned over her to see what she was doing he realised that her fingers were bleeding.

“Hey!” he said, leaning his arms around her and trying to stop her hands, “Roo… Roo… stop! You’re just dreaming… stop!”

“No, I have to!” she said, shrugging him off her a little violently, “I have to… I have to do this…”

“No, Roo… please, stop!” he said, trying to take hold of her hands again. This time she brought her elbow up and hit him full force in the face. He fell back onto the floor behind her and put his hand up to his bruised and bleeding eyebrow in shock. He watched her for a moment as she went back to clawing at the wooden floorboards and wondered what was going on in her head. “Roo!” he shouted, shaking her shoulder but keeping his face a safe distance from her, “Roo! Wake up!”

“I have to do this… I have to do this… There’s no-one else!” she said, ignoring him and picking up momentum. The scratching was getting louder and he could see that her fingers were bleeding even more now.

“Roo!” he said, taking the risk and reaching around her again to stop her hands, “STOP IT!” As he took hold of her hands, he glanced apologetically at Alfie who was up on his feet now and crying hysterically.

He turned back just in time to see the look of fury in her eyes. She swung for his face but he managed to dodge the blow. He tried to put his arms around her, to pull her in against his chest and restrain her, but she pulled away violently, squealing and growling.  Just as he managed to get hold of her wrists, Alf appeared in the doorway.

“It’s four in the morning! What the flamin’ hell is going on here?!” shouted Alf, staring at the strange scene unfolding on the floor of the bedroom and eyeing the handcuffs on their wrists with suspicion and disgust.

In his distracted state, Matt let go of Roo’s wrist and she twisted away from him enough to get her hand to his face and drag her fingernails down his cheek. He cried out with the pain, and let her go, putting his hand up to cover his badly scratched face and scrambling away from her.

“What are you doing to her?!” bellowed Alf, in an accusing tone. He watched with concern as she went back to scratching at the floor.

“She’s sleepwalking!” said Matt, as his eyes welled up with tears, “I can’t get her to wake up and I don’t know why she’s doing that.”

“Where’s the key?” asked Alf nodding at the handcuffs with disapproval.

“On the dresser” said Matt, looking a little defeated, “Over there.”

Alf approached them and knelt down beside the two of them with the key in his hand. He looked at Matt’s frightened eyes and couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He hadn’t known about the handcuffs, but on reflection, they probably hadn’t been the worst idea. He put the key in the lock and un-cuffed Matt, nodding for him to go to Alfie.

Matt got up off the floor, feeling a little shaky from the shock of it all, and scooped a very distressed Alfie up into his arms. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, mate” he said, clutching him to his chest and swaying him back and forth in a soothing way, “Daddy’s here, it’s okay” Alfie’s little face was bright red at this stage and he was howling the house down. Matt gave him a gentle little kiss on the top of the head and began softly shushing him.  

Alf gave a nervous little smile as he saw Maddy appear in the doorway. She was clearly still half asleep, but she’d obviously heard the commotion and come to see what was going on. Alf turned his attention back to Roo, and shook his head in pity at the demented figure in front of him. She was crouched over again, and she was back to clawing at the floorboards as though her life depended on it. “Roo!” he shouted loudly, taking her shoulder firmly and shaking her quite violently, “Wake up! WAKE UP!”

Suddenly she was looking at him. Her eyes were actually focused on him. “Dad?!” she said, starting to cry, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

He put his arms around her and pulled her in against his chest. “What do you have to be sorry about?” he asked her softly.

She just shook her head and leaned in against him. “I’m so sorry!” she sobbed again, shaking and shuddering in his arms, “I’m so sorry!”

Matt and Alf made eye contact across the room and grimaced at each other. This sleepwalking was getting out of hand, especially if she and Matt were getting injured now. What if she did something to hurt Alfie?!

Alf lifted Roo’s hand up and looked at the shredded fingernails. He looked at Matt’s facial injuries as well. She’d made quite a mess!  “C’mon” he sighed, looking down at Roo’s tear-stained face and tilting his head at her sympathetically, “Let’s go downstairs and get you two patched up, eh?” He nodded at a shocked looking Maddy who was hovering in the doorway. “Maddy, love, could you uh… could you put the kettle on? I reckon these two could use a cup of tea… calm the nerves.”

“Thanks Dad” said Roo, looking up at him and sniffling a little. She looked across at Matt’s bruised and scratched up face, and when she saw him smile at her she began to cry again. “I’m so sorry, Matt.” she sobbed, as Alf ushered her out past him and into the hallway, “You didn’t deserve this! I’m just such a mess!”

“It’s okay” said Matt, giving her a reassuring little smile as he carried Alfie down the stairs behind them. She was looking back at him with such fear and desperation in her eyes that he thought his heart might break for her. “It’s okay” he said again, “It’s okay”.

 

*****

 

“This is ridiculous!” giggled Evie, feeling gently around her plate with her fingers and trying to identify the food in front of her by touch. Long crunchy strips of bacon, slimy little mounds of scrambled eggs, and something lumpy and sticky that she took to be baked beans. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this!”

“I don’t know” laughed Billie, smiling with ketchup smeared around her mouth, “I think it’s a really interesting idea… I mean… It’s kind of freeing isn’t it?! …No-one looking at you… You can eat like a pig!”

Brody stood at the breakfast table and grinned in a self-satisfied sort of way. He’d invited Kyle and Billie over for brunch and roped them into his blind experiment despite a lot of reluctance on their parts. He’d invested in some blackout glasses that blocked out light from all angles and he wanted to see how people who could normally see would navigate a plate of food once their sight had been removed. The food was divided into 4 sections and the plates positioned so that bacon was from 12 to 3, and eggs from 3 to 6, and so on… They were making an almighty mess but they did seem to be enjoying themselves. It was interesting to see how they felt around the plate and how difficult it was to find the right cup or juice glass. They kept lifting the wrong one but he chose not to tell them. Buttering toast had been a sight to behold and pretty entertaining for the sighted person watching. Judging by the amount of laughter though, he was beginning to think that this could be a really good idea. Communal banquet style tables were also worth considering, he thought.

“I don’t get why you couldn’t have got Josh and Tamara to do this for you” said Kyle, trying to lift his scrambled eggs with his fork and find his mouth without making a mess of himself. The girls were just using their fingers, whereas Kyle was making a concerted effort to use his cutlery. He wasn’t having that much success. “I mean” he said, with about half the forkful in his mouth and the other half in his lap, “Wouldn’t that make more sense?”

“Uh… no!” replied Brody, in a sarcastic tone that said it was this most ridiculous thing anyone had ever said, “The whole point is for people, like you, who can see, to experience food in a different way… I mean, if I got Josh and Tam to do it, it’d just be like they eat everyday… There’s nothing interesting in that!”

“Well, why aren’t you doing it then?!” frowned Kyle, looking decidedly embarrassed when he realised that he’d dropped most of his fork of food down his front.

“He is” laughed Evie, rolling her eyes inside her darkened glasses. “Big weirdo!” she teased, holding out her hand for Brody to take it. He took her hand and put his arm around her shoulder. “He’s been eating his food blind ever since the barbecue…” she explained, feigning a very unimpressed tone, “So I’ve had to sit opposite a man wearing dark goggles… with food splattered all down his top… for the last couple of days!”

“I’m just trying something different…” sighed Brody, shaking his head at Evie in an exasperated way. She just never seemed to get how much he wanted this restaurant to be something special. He really hoped that making it into a ‘restaurant in the dark’ would be the way to set it apart from everything else. If it was good enough for London and Paris, then it was good enough for Summer Bay!

“I think it’s really interesting” said Billie, reaching out her hand and finding Kyle’s face, “It’s kind of sexy actually…” She leaned across the table and gave Kyle a seductive little kiss, giggling like crazy when she realised that they both had sauce around their mouths. “I think we might want to take these glasses home” she said, biting her lip and stroking her hand up and down his arm suggestively.

“Yeah…” said Kyle, jumping a little when he felt Billie’s other hand slide its way up his thigh. “Can we borrow them?” he asked, grinning in what he assumed to be Brody’s direction. Suddenly this whole blind thing seemed a little more exciting.

“Maybe we should give it a go?” giggled Evie, as she rubbed her hand up and down Brody’s back. She thought of the first time that she’d slept with Josh after his injury and how awkward things had been between them. He’d seemed so shy and frightened and that hadn’t exactly been a turn on. But his blindness had been real. He couldn’t just take the blindfold off, and take a peek. She’d always wondered what it had been like for him. Feeling his way around her body must have been very strange, especially because they hadn’t been together for some time. The realisation that this was it for him for the rest of his life had been tough, and he’d seemed a little sad and emotional, whereas she’d really enjoyed it. He’d been much more attentive to her reactions and learned to read the little movements of her body. It would be different for her and Brody because it would just be a game. Maybe they could have a bit of fun with this? Maybe it would be exciting to try things from a different perspective? “Could be fun?” she said, smiling up at him and giving him a cheeky little pinch on the bum.

“Oh-kay” said Brody, looking a little embarrassed but staring into the distance as another idea began to take shape. “So, blindness is a bit of a turn on then?” he said to himself. He wondered if that could be part of the selling story for the restaurant. All it would really take was a couple of vox pops from a few randy customers. If he could get them to say that they’d eaten there and promptly ended up in the sack, then that would definitely create a media stir. People would be flocking from everywhere! Maybe he could get a bulk order of those glasses and include them in the price of the meal? That way they would even have the option of taking them home? A high end meal with a little bit of kink thrown in?! He couldn’t have been more excited…

[Guest]

Great chapter 

Liked the chat between Irene and Aden.

Poor Matt getting attacked by Roo while she's sleep walking

Update again soon

 

[KittCatt]

Great chapter!

I loved Irene and Aden. Aden continuing to reminisce was lovely and i liked Irene's shock at him being a lawyer. But he came bearing bad news about Roman that Irene and the rest of Summer Bay didn't know  It's always cancer isn't it..

Poor Roo and Matt  And Alfie, witnessing that. It must be so exhausting for her, and her loved ones to continue experiencing this. Matt's dream/flashback was insightful. He really didn't want to be found did he?

Continue to really like Brody! And Kyle and Billie with Evie. He certainly has ideas! I wonder how Josh and Tamara would feel about it.

I look forward to more!  

[Red Ranger 1]

Wow, lots of really good stuff there! Aden's chat with Irene was interesting, both his reflecting on how she really is like he remembered and the news he brought.(Is he going after the cancer cluster as well?) Matt's flashback and Roo's latest night terror were insightful and good to see Alf and Maddy helping out.And Brody's "blind meal" was very funny.

[Ludub]

1 hour ago, Kristen said:

Liked the chat between Irene and Aden

1 hour ago, KittCatt said:

I loved Irene and Aden. Aden continuing to reminisce was lovely and i liked Irene's shock at him being a lawyer. But he came bearing bad news about Roman that Irene and the rest of Summer Bay didn't know  It's always cancer isn't it..

28 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Aden's chat with Irene was interesting, both his reflecting on how she really is like he remembered and the news he brought

So glad you all liked this scene! I loved the relationship that developed between Aden and Irene. Going from a position of mutual hatred, to a point where he and Irene had a sort of cheeky banter going on, to the close relationship that eventually grew between them before and after Belle's death. I wanted to capture some of that. They were always great together. I think everyone in the Bay who still remembered him would be quite shocked to find out that Roman had died. 

1 hour ago, KittCatt said:

Poor Roo and Matt  And Alfie, witnessing that. It must be so exhausting for her, and her loved ones to continue experiencing this. Matt's dream/flashback was insightful. He really didn't want to be found did he?

38 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

good to see Alf and Maddy helping out.

I think it would be understandable for Matt to not want to be rescued after so many years. It would mean saying goodbye to the life that they'd built for themselves there and going back to the real world. That would be scary. The isolation would have taken its toll and suddenly having to deal with people again would be really really hard. No-one really likes change. Roo is still dealing with a huge amount of inner turmoil too, and obviously Matt leaving her again last night has reawakened her fears of abandonment, and stirred things up for her. She's pretty scary when she's sleepwalking! lol! Thought it was about time that Matt got some support though.

1 hour ago, KittCatt said:

Continue to really like Brody! And Kyle and Billie with Evie. He certainly has ideas!

48 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

And Brody's "blind meal" was very funny.

Glad you liked this scene too!  I actually read about a restaurant in London where you eat in the dark. There's one in London and one in Paris. The difference is that the servers are all blind and you actually eat in the dark. I can't imagine Brody being able to find enough blind people in Summer Bay who all want to be waiters though, so he'd have to find a way around that. That's why I thought of the glasses! lol! 

Thanks to everyone for commenting! x

[pembie]

Could Aden be planning on taking Summer Bay's cancer cluster? Its sad about Roman

I wonder why Roo was digging?

Loved the idea of Brody's in the dark kinky restaurant

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

So sad about Roman

Liked the chat between Aden and Irene

Looking forwards to the next chapter Xxx

[hward]

Great chapter!  I loved the flashback and I can certainly understand why Matt would be reluctant to go back to civilisation after living a relatively peaceful life on the island despite the hardships of finding food and shelter.  Roo's certainly got some issues too with the way she behaved while she was asleep and I think a solution is going to have to be found soon for both their sakes.

A friend went to one of those blind restaurants a little while ago - in London I think - and to put it one way it was an experience he won't forget in a hurry, lol!