Prodigal Son – Chapter 1
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DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV.
-O-
Jackson looked at his mother with a concerned frown, "Are you gonna be OK?" he enquired.
Hazel looked tired, she had been so busy that day at the funeral, greeting assembled guests and making sure that everything went to plan, that she had not really had a minute to herself to let it all sink in. Now that all the guests had departed and she had a quiet moment, she had time to reflect on her late husband's passing. "Yes, love, I'll be alright," she said, almost in a whisper.
"I can't believe Carlos is gone," Jackson said, thoughtfully, "It all seemed to happen so quickly."
"If only he'd gone to see the doctor, like I kept nagging him to do," Hazel looked dejected, "He kept saying that his headaches were due to stress and the pressures of work, I could never have guessed..."
Aaron, sitting next to his husband in the villa's lounge, was unusually quiet, he had never been good with tea and sympathy and was not sure what he could say. He had only been married to his wonderful Jackson for six months, just over one hundred and eighty days that had been the happiest of his life. How could he have known that tragedy would strike his new mother-in-law so soon after their wedding?
"You couldn't have seen it coming," Jackson tried to console Hazel as best he could, "Carlos was always his own man and you know as well as I do how he hated going to the doctor. They said that the tumour would have been inoperable anyway, so I don't suppose going to the doctor any sooner would have helped."
Aaron felt that he needed to say something, so he cleared his throat, "What will you do now?" he asked.
Hazel seemed pensive: then she looked at Aaron, "I haven't really had time to think about it," she gave her son-in-law a weak smile, "Carlos told me that he'd made a will and that I was the sole beneficiary, apart from the business as that's jointly owned with his brother Rafael. Plus, I've been feeling a bit homesick these past few weeks...in fact Carlos and I had a little argument about it just before he collapsed. He knew that I wanted to go back to England but he couldn't understand why I wasn't happy here."
"I know what you mean," Aaron replied.
Jackson looked at his husband with a quizzical expression, "Aaron? What are you saying?"
"Look," Aaron gazed into his husband's chocolate brown eyes, "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I've been missing home myself lately. Adam rang me last week and I wish I could be back there to help him out."
"It's the first I've heard of this," Jackson looked shocked, "But then, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me! We may be married now, but I'm still the last to know what's in that little mind of yours!"
Aaron looked apologetic, "Sorry, babe, but I didn't want to rock the boat, you seemed happy here, working for Carlos."
"That's a thought," something had only just occurred to Jackson, "I don't work for Carlos anymore! Who's going to run the show now?"
"I had a word with Rafael earlier," Hazel looked at her son warmly, "He reckons they might sell that side of the business as a going concern. He can't take it on: he's got enough on his hands with the garage. Anyway, he'd rather raise some cash to help with his own business. He said he'd have a word with you later, when the dust has settled."
"What about this villa?" Jackson asked.
"I expect I'll sell it," Hazel answered, "Once this place is sold and what with Carlos' money in the bank, I'll be in line for a good payout. But that sounds mercenary; I'd rather have Carlos back again."
"Of course you would," Jackson took his mother's hands in his own, "I know you loved him, Mum."
"I did...but I've got to think about the future now. At least if I move back to the UK I can buy a house there once the villa's sold," Hazel stifled a yawn, "Anyway, I'm too whacked to think about it now, I'll get to bed, it's been a long day."
"Yeah, I think we're all ready to hit the hay," Jackson replied.
Hazel kissed Jackson and Aaron goodnight and she strolled off towards her bedroom. Jackson then turned his attention back to his husband, "So, what's this problem that Adam needs help with?"
Aaron felt a bit embarrassed that he had admitted wanting to go back to England, he thought that Jackson probably had the impression that he was settled in Spain, "It's just that he's really busy on the farm. Apparently, people are all after locally sourced meat since this horsemeat scandal kicked off and him and Moira are struggling to keep up with demand from the butchers. I just thought if I was on hand, I could do a bit to help him out."
Jackson gripped Aaron's hand, "Adam's lucky to have a best mate like you."
"Give over!" Aaron looked a bit coy.
"I'm serious, babe, don't be so modest. You are such a good and loyal friend: I've always admired that about you, you know?"
"Well, I'm not much of a best mate when I'm miles away, am I?"
"Distance doesn't change true friendships, but we'll go back home if it's what you want."
Aaron rubbed Jackson's hands with his thumbs, "What do YOU want, babe? I can't ask you to leave the sun and the sea to go back to grey, stormy old England, it wouldn't be fair."
"The sun and the sea are all very well, but they're not much good without a job to keep the money rolling in. Anyway, when the sun shines a lot of the time, you get blasé about it. You heard what my mum said, the business will be sold and I'll probably be looking for work. I should stand more chance of getting something back home than in a foreign country. My mum might need me for a while so I'd be happier going back with her, to keep an eye on her. By the sounds of things, you've got no objections to flying back to Blighty."
"When we get there, we'll have to make a 'block booking' at the job centre!" Aaron chuckled.
Jackson knew that Aaron wanted to make light of the situation and he kissed him tenderly, "Love you, Mr Walsh."
Aaron stared into his husband's eyes, "Love you too, Mr Walsh, let's get to bed."
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"Hey, baby, that's great!" Chas sounded excited on the other end of the phone, but Aaron detected a note of caution in her voice.
"Are you sure it's OK?" Aaron wondered if the prospect of him and his husband descending on the Woolpack was really as welcome as Chas was making out.
"Yeah...it's fine!" Chas still did not sound totally convincing, "I expect you'll soon find somewhere permanent to live anyway."
"Well, if you're sure, we don't want to impose."
"Don't be daft! You're my son, you could never impose on me...I'll be really pleased to see you."
"Ok, thanks mum," Aaron said his goodbyes and hung up.
"Is she OK with that?" Jackson looked at his husband expectantly.
"She says she is..."
"But?"
"She just sounded a bit cagey...as if she had something to hide."
"Maybe she's moved a young, virile lover in and now you're going to uncover her dirty little secret!" Jackson laughed.
"That wouldn't surprise me with my mum," Aaron scowled, "She seems to attract undesirables...Carl King was a prime example of that!"
"That's ancient history," Jackson smirked, "Anyway, no-one can help who they fall in love with...look what I got lumbered with!"
"Oi, you!" Aaron playfully punched Jackson's arm, "I might still leave you behind and go on my own."
"You wouldn't last five minutes without me," Jackson raised his eyebrows, "Just admit it, Aaron Walsh...you've even got me to thank for your name!"
"What?" Aaron had a wicked grin on his face, "I'm supposed to be grateful for that, am I?"
Jackson pulled his husband into an embrace, their banter was as much a part of them as the air that they breathed, and just as necessary for their wellbeing, "I dunno, I rescue you from a broken home, dress you in fine clothes, keep you well fed...and this is the thanks I get!"
"You are a div!"
Jackson tried to kiss Aaron but he pulled away, Jackson pouted, "Do you want me to beg?"
"No, although don't let me stop you if that's what you're into...I might still have Clyde's old collar and lead somewhere."
"Very droll!" Jackson moved in again and was not going to be denied a second time as his lips locked with Aaron's.
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The flight home was uneventful and Chas was pleased to see her son and his husband. She moved them into Aaron's old bedroom and they soon settled in, it was just like old times. Hazel temporarily took up residence at the B&B while she was looking for a property.
Aaron quickly made arrangements to meet up with Adam and he started helping out on the farm. Moira was pleased to see Aaron and was grateful for the assistance and she was also pleased that Adam had such a good friend in his life. Jackson signed on at the Jobcentre, but times were hard and he was struggling to find work. He met up with Hazel in the Woolpack about two weeks after their return to England.
"You look as if you've lost a pound and found a penny!" Hazel noticed the downbeat look on her son's face.
"It's really tough, Mum," Jackson sipped the pint that Hazel had bought him, "I haven't even managed to get an interview yet. I've got all the skills needed for the building trade, but no-one seems to be taking on at the moment."
"Why not set up on your own, like you did before?"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure a tenner in the bank will buy me a van and all the tools to start my own business!" Jackson said, sarcastically.
"I could help," Hazel suggested.
"How do you mean?" Jackson looked perplexed.
"I could give you the money to buy a van and stuff."
"I can't ask you to do that!" Jackson looked shocked.
"Yes you can," Hazel was adamant, "I've got all the money in the bank that Carlos left me, plus the sale of the villa should go through soon. It will be an investment: you can pay me a dividend when you make your first million."
Jackson raised his eyebrows, "Like that's gonna happen!"
"Don't put yourself down! You're good at what you do and word gets round. Didn't you say Bob wants some work done at the cafe?"
"Yeah, he did ask if I was interested."
"There you are, then," Hazel had the wind in her sails now, "You'd soon get lots of requests for work, I'm sure."
Jackson knew that there was little point in arguing with his mother when she was in this mood, "OK! But I insist on paying you back as soon as I'm solvent."
Hazel smiled: she knew that she had got her own way, as usual, "Yeah, whatever!"
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Two weeks later, Jackson drove down the main street of Emmerdale in his brand new Mercedes van and parked outside the Woolpack. Aaron was just coming out of the pub and saw the blue van with Jackson's name on the side and whistled, "Man, she's a beauty! Well, for a van, anyway."
Jackson climbed out of the driving seat and gave his husband a hug, "She drives like a dream, I'll soon have customers queuing up, just to look at my shiny new vehicle."
Aaron laughed, "So, you've even had your name put on it too."
"Yeah, my Mum insisted that I should advertise. I told her that buying the van was enough, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, you know what she's like."
"Tell me about it!" Aaron grimaced.
"Anyway, what do you want for your dinner? Shall I get something from David's?"
"Yeah, if you like," Aaron replied, "Though don't get anything with minced meat in it...it might be contaminated with horsemeat!"
"I could get something fishy: that shouldn't have any horse in it."
"It might have," Aaron smirked.
"How can fish have any horse in?" Jackson looked confused.
"Seahorse!" Aaron laughed.
Jackson groaned, but chuckled along with his husband, "You are an idiot!"
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Aaron and Jackson were cooking a salmon pie in the kitchen off the back room of the Woolpack when Chas walked in. "I didn't know you would be in for your dinner," she said, "I could have got Marlon to cook you something."
"That's OK," Aaron smiled at his mother, "We thought we'd sit out here and eat for a change, just the two of us."
"OK, I can take a hint!" Chas moved back towards the door, "Oh, by the way, any news on when you two might be moving to a place of your own?"
Aaron raised his eyebrows as he studied his Mum's face, "Trying to get rid of us already, are ya?"
"Well, not exactly...though I might have plans for your room in a few weeks time."
"What plans?" Aaron was intrigued.
Chas turned non-committal, "Let's just say I might ask someone to stay." With that, she walked out of the room again.
Aaron looked at Jackson, "What is she on about? Who is she likely to ask?"
"Search me," Jackson replied, "Maybe she IS moving a young, virile lover in after all!"