A Pathway of Adversity

Still 'round the corner there may wait, A new road or secret gate; And though I oft have passed them by, A day will come at last when I, Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

Roads Go Ever On by J. R. R. Tolkien

Chapter 1

"Ouch! Mind what you do with that torch, Angelo!"

"Shush!" The man hissed.

"What the hell are we out here for in the first place?" She whispered.

"Quit the questions, babe, and enjoy the show!" Angelo grinned; his white teeth sparkling in the moonlight.

Constable Watson closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere else but with Rosetta. Her opinion of him had never been good; she was exasperated by his self-importance and his over-confident manner. She opened her eyes again and noticed that he had moved on, further along the thick scrub. She wrapped her jacket firmly around her shoulders and followed.


"So, what if he does spend the rest of his life weeping over her? Gawd, love! Why should it bother you?" Irene said in a tone less than sympathetic as she tidied papers on a desk.

"I'm just saying... I can't understand why a brother of mine should spend so much of his valuable time, being so concerned over someone like her!"

"Colleen, darl... you've gotta realise that Alf is big and ugly enough to look after himself! You can't keep him in nappies indefinitely! If he wants to make a fool of himself with her, let him! As long as he's happy, what's your problem?"

Colleen Smart's lips tightened as she struggled for an appropriate answer to her friend's question. Upon finding none, she took a deep breath.

"Irene Roberts, I do believe you don't care about what happens to my brother!"

Irene sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Look love, I'm just saying... it's none of your business, so back off! Leave the poor old bugger alone for a gawd sake! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do!"

And with that, Irene disappeared out of the room. Colleen Smart was left alone to seethe.


"Angelo, for Heaven's sake... what are we here for?"

"Look babe..."

"And stop calling me babe!" Constable Watson hissed, in a less than amused tone.

"Look 'Constable Watson'..." Angelo corrected himself sarcastically. "I can't do this by myself – you know I don't have a licence... otherwise, why the heck do you think I would have you trailing along behind me?"

"I'm not good enough, huh?"

"Well, if you wanna put it like that..."

"Well, it wasn't my fault you got your 'licence to thrill' revoked!"

"Oh for God's sake, put a sock in it woman!" Angelo hissed angrily.

Angelo Rosetta had been the proud owner of a Police Sergeant's badge for a few weeks and then disaster had struck...

"The only reason I'm here, 'loser', is because I owe you for ignoring the fact that I swore at a member of the public within your earshot!"

"Glad to see you're showing deference at long last!" Angelo grinned broadly.

Watson took a deep breath and tried to keep her cool.

"Only this once, Rosetta, otherwise it might be me next to you in the dole queue.


"Thank you, Miss. Collins..."

"Please, call me 'Joey'."

"Thank you, Joey. It's always a pleasure doing business with you. I must confess that when I heard it was you visiting, I breathed a sigh of relief." The middle aged woman said, as she showed the younger woman to the door. "The other one tends to... well, I get embarrassed!"

Joey grinned to herself, but passed no comment.

"Well, thank you Mrs. Hastings, for the order. I will make sure that an order acknowledgement will be winging its way to you shortly. And please, if you wish to amend anything, don't hesitate to contact me or one of my colleagues. We'll be pleased to help." Joey smiled as she shook the woman's hand.

"Well, as long as it isn't that Hugo! Geez, what a creep!"

"Goodbye, Mrs. Hastings." Joey chuckled.

"S'long Joey!"

Joey Collins, a young woman in her mid twenties, waved her hand as she walked away. 'Fishy Dishy' was a good customer and once again, Joey had secured a major contract.

Upon reaching her car, Joey let herself in and breathed a sigh of relief. She had no doubt of her selling skills, but she was always happy to have an order from such a reliable customer. She clipped the hands-free earpiece over her ear and started up the car engine. She grinned suddenly, remembering Mrs. Hastings' words. 'Geez, what a creep!' And she wasn't far wrong either. Joey engaged first gear and drove away, heading back to the bay.


"Hi sis, what are you doing home so early?" Ruby Buckton asked as her sister entered the bungalow.

"I live here, don't I?" Her sister remarked, caustically.

"I only mentioned it because it's the first time you've been home before ten o'clock this week. Just unusual to see you at eight!" Ruby pointed out; her last words fading as her sister swept past, towards the bedroom.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders and continued to watch television.

Sergeant, Charlie Buckton took off her utility belt and hung it over the chair which resided in the corner of her spacious bedroom. She exhaled and closing her eyes, flung her head backwards and rolled it from side to side, in hopes of relieving her tense, neck muscles. After a few moments, she stopped and undid the buttons of her blue uniform shirt, slipping it from her body and tossing it towards the laundry basket; only missing it by a couple of inches. Taking off her uniform trousers, she roughly folded them and with a better aim, managed to hook them on the back of the chair in the corner - just. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her temples; trying to shut out yet another day of full-on Policing. They were under-staffed and crime in the area had shot up by a tenfold over the last six months.

Lying back on the double bed, she thought of Angelo Rosetta and the deceitful words which had passed his lips. How many more times would his words run through her mind? Why had she always believed what he told her? Why were men such deceitful shits?


"There, what did I tell you?" Angelo smirked proudly.

"You're a bloody idiot, Rosetta! You've dragged me all the way out here to look at some old fisherman's shed?"

"Not just any old fisherman's shed... 'The' fisherman's shed!" Angelo said with glee.

"Okay then, tell me what's so wonderful about this particular fisherman's shed. Is it full of dancing girls?"

Ooh... I wish!"

"Yeah, me too." Watson sighed.

"Keep your pervy thoughts to yourself, Constable!" Angelo smirked.

"Angelo, are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

"Hugo Austen! I'm gonna make sure that bastard is busted this time – good and proper!"


Charlie opened her eyes when she heard the little tap on the bedroom door.

"Come in." She sighed.

"Charlz, I'm off to bed now."

"But it's barely eight o'clock!" Charlie replied, looking at her sister in surprise.

"Its eleven fifteen, Charlie! I think you must have fallen asleep."

Charlie glanced at the little clock on the bedside cabinet.

"Oh shit! I was supposed to have called someone at nine fifteen!" Charlie said, stumbling as she leapt off the bed.

"Hey, steady Charlz! Are you feeling okay?"

Charlie merely grunted as she swept by her sister in the doorway, in search of her mobile phone.

"Where the hell is it!" She yelled, irritably.

"What are you looking for?"

"Phone!"

"Maybe in your trousers pocket?" Ruby suggested when her sister swept back into the bedroom.

"What?"

Ruby pointed to the uniform trousers, hanging precariously on the back of the chair in the corner.

Charlie mumbled and snatched the garment: rummaging through its pockets for the means of communication. Upon finding it, she pressed one or two buttons and put it to her ear.


"Don't ever tell me lies like that again!" A voice was heard to yell. "Or I'll break your fucking neck!"

"Who the heck is that?" Watson hissed at Angelo in the darkness.

"Mr. Hugo Austen, no less!"