CHAPTER 7
As time went on things seemed to be
stabilising.The various relationships would never be the same but somehow life
went on.People gossiped less about Kirsty and Kane and their lives became
easier.Jesse found he had a lot of sympathy for Kane , he knew how hard it was
to put the past behind you.Through
Jesse the lovely and kind Leah found herself defending the couple against
Colleen.And even Colleen mellowed somewhat after Max told her how Kane had
helped him , and how he let him come out on the boats and take his dog out
etc.Alex stopped criticising when Leah and Jesse pointed out to him that
punishment doesn't have to go on for ever, and Hayley talked to Kirsty and even
had a go at Sam for being so hard on Kirsty.Irene remembered her son Nathan and
how hard he found it to convince people he had changed.Alf simply declared that
Kane was a fantastic sea captain and that was what he hired him for,but he was
quite fond of the young couple really.
But while Kirsty and Kane settled into their
new lives together Dani was finding it hard to cope.She didn't want people to start seeing Kane differently..She was still very hurt and damaged and while over two years had gone by,shestill needed to know that everyone despised him as much as she did , it helped
her to cope.She knew it was making her bitter and she didn't want to feel like
this .She didn't want to like Kane or be buddies with him but she knew that if
she didn't stop this hatred and bitterness it would continue to grow .So she
decided to try mediation,and being the person that she was nothing was going to
stop her
She discussed it with friends and family , but
apart from Rhys they all backed her 100%.She was getting concerned about Rhys
he had become far more jaded and bitter
than Dani herself , but instead of trying to build bridges with Kirsty he dug
his heels in and became more and more angry.
Dani wrote to her mum who said she would come
down to support Dani when the mediation started.She had been writing to Kirsty
, but although she did not approve of what Kirsty had done , she knew that
there was very little she could do about it.And Kirsty seemed so happy , even
burning the dinner was a joyous event in Kirsty's letters to her mum , because
she was cooking for KANE.Kirsty wrote with such love and affection about Kane
in such minute detail that Shelley actually hoped that things turned out OK for
them, it just broke her heart that the happiness of one daughter was at the
expense of another.
Dani tried as best she could to prepare herself
for the mediation session ,she tried to be positive and ignored Rhys's comments
when he tried to put her off.So when she got to the dop in centre where the
mediation sessions had been arranged , only to find that Kane had cancelled at
the last minute she was livid.
She rang the boat shed , but there was no reply
, so with anger boiling in her blood she marched down to the diner.As she
walked in she was astonished and even more angry when the first person she saw
was Kane.
"You ignorant pig.How dare you cancel the
mediation.Do you know how hard it was for me to make the decision,to sit in the
same room as you.And here you are having a nice coffee with Alf like it doesn't
matter! Do you know how.
Kane didn't even look up , she shook his arm,
as he turned to look at her she tried to read his face, but he didn't look
ashamed or sorry just tired , maybe sad.Sad wasn't an emotion she associated
with him.She expected him to look ashamed , as he normally did when he saw
her.Unable to make eye contact.
"I'm really sorry Dani , but something happened
and I couldn't do it today but I'll be there next week ,I promise."
"Like I believe you, any way you knew the deal
no mediation - no job , so you'd better have a good excuse."
To Dani's amazement Kane just got up and walked
away.Dani was astonished , how dare he.She went up to Alf, " I hope you can see
what he's really like now ,he missed the first mediation session , I guess he
loses his job now , that was the deal."
"No Dani," said Alf. "He was going to go to it
, but I told him not to.He stopped off for a coffee on the way to see you.I
asked him why he looked so awful and was he worried about the mediation and he
told me no, his aunt died this morning.He'd been at the hospital all night.So I
sent a message up to the drop in centre and told him you would understand."
Dani felt awful, she hadn't given him a chance
to explain, but she had been so worked up about it that she couldn't help
herself.Without even hesitating , without contemplating what a huge step she
was taking, she went outside to look for him.Dani saw him sat on a low wall
some distance away.He didn't look scary or intimidating , he just looked very
sad.He had a cute looking dog sat with him .The dog had his chin resting on
Kane's knee and was looking at him with such doleful eyes that it was hard to
tell who looked most unhappy.Dani approached him and although she didn't think
about it until later , she did not feel afraid or uncomfortable.
"Hi.Look I'm sorr y for losing it like that in
there.I didn't know about your aunt.Alf just told me."
"Hey.No worries .I'm sorry , I did really want
to do it.I know I can't change what happened but I would do anything to make it
easier for you.You do believe that don't ya?I know you'll always hate me and I
don't blame ya.I hate myself for what I did , but I hope you can forgive Kirsty
one day.You probably miss her as much as she misses you.I know what it's like
to not have a family.It sucks.Don't let your family fall apart Dani ,talk to
her , after all if you can talk to me you must be able to talk to Kirst.You
don't really hate her ,do you?"
"No I don't hate her.I don't even know if I
still hate you.I hate what you did.I'll never forget it , but I don't know if
what I feel is strong enough to be called hate any more.Sometimes I pity you,
that you were so weak and ignorant to not even seem to know the damage you were
doing until it was way too late.I do believe that you have changed and that you
wouldn't do that again , but I do want the mediation to work for me this time and I need
to know that you willreally try to be honest and put everything into it.I just want to move on ,
feel normal again."
"Do you think you can.I mean it would be great
if it worked and ofcourse I'll do anything to make it work.I really hope it
works for you."Kane replied
"I hope so too.Well I've got to go now.Cute dog
by the way.Max wants one just like him."
"Yeah!Well bye and thanks for talking to me."
Dani walked off and felt more at peace with
herself than she had done in a very long time.She had spoken to him , alone ,
she hadn't felt scared or intimidated, she was sure he was remorseful and that
the mediation sessions were going to help.She also knew that she would forgive
her sister.It would just take time.
As time went on things seemed to be
stabilising.The various relationships would never be the same but somehow life
went on.People gossiped less about Kirsty and Kane and their lives became
easier.Jesse found he had a lot of sympathy for Kane , he knew how hard it was
to put the past behind you.Through
Jesse the lovely and kind Leah found herself defending the couple against
Colleen.And even Colleen mellowed somewhat after Max told her how Kane had
helped him , and how he let him come out on the boats and take his dog out
etc.Alex stopped criticising when Leah and Jesse pointed out to him that
punishment doesn't have to go on for ever, and Hayley talked to Kirsty and even
had a go at Sam for being so hard on Kirsty.Irene remembered her son Nathan and
how hard he found it to convince people he had changed.Alf simply declared that
Kane was a fantastic sea captain and that was what he hired him for,but he was
quite fond of the young couple really.
But while Kirsty and Kane settled into their
new lives together Dani was finding it hard to cope.She didn't want people to start seeing Kane differently..She was still very hurt and damaged and while over two years had gone by,shestill needed to know that everyone despised him as much as she did , it helped
her to cope.She knew it was making her bitter and she didn't want to feel like
this .She didn't want to like Kane or be buddies with him but she knew that if
she didn't stop this hatred and bitterness it would continue to grow .So she
decided to try mediation,and being the person that she was nothing was going to
stop her
She discussed it with friends and family , but
apart from Rhys they all backed her 100%.She was getting concerned about Rhys
he had become far more jaded and bitter
than Dani herself , but instead of trying to build bridges with Kirsty he dug
his heels in and became more and more angry.
Dani wrote to her mum who said she would come
down to support Dani when the mediation started.She had been writing to Kirsty
, but although she did not approve of what Kirsty had done , she knew that
there was very little she could do about it.And Kirsty seemed so happy , even
burning the dinner was a joyous event in Kirsty's letters to her mum , because
she was cooking for KANE.Kirsty wrote with such love and affection about Kane
in such minute detail that Shelley actually hoped that things turned out OK for
them, it just broke her heart that the happiness of one daughter was at the
expense of another.
Dani tried as best she could to prepare herself
for the mediation session ,she tried to be positive and ignored Rhys's comments
when he tried to put her off.So when she got to the dop in centre where the
mediation sessions had been arranged , only to find that Kane had cancelled at
the last minute she was livid.
She rang the boat shed , but there was no reply
, so with anger boiling in her blood she marched down to the diner.As she
walked in she was astonished and even more angry when the first person she saw
was Kane.
"You ignorant pig.How dare you cancel the
mediation.Do you know how hard it was for me to make the decision,to sit in the
same room as you.And here you are having a nice coffee with Alf like it doesn't
matter! Do you know how.
Kane didn't even look up , she shook his arm,
as he turned to look at her she tried to read his face, but he didn't look
ashamed or sorry just tired , maybe sad.Sad wasn't an emotion she associated
with him.She expected him to look ashamed , as he normally did when he saw
her.Unable to make eye contact.
"I'm really sorry Dani , but something happened
and I couldn't do it today but I'll be there next week ,I promise."
"Like I believe you, any way you knew the deal
no mediation - no job , so you'd better have a good excuse."
To Dani's amazement Kane just got up and walked
away.Dani was astonished , how dare he.She went up to Alf, " I hope you can see
what he's really like now ,he missed the first mediation session , I guess he
loses his job now , that was the deal."
"No Dani," said Alf. "He was going to go to it
, but I told him not to.He stopped off for a coffee on the way to see you.I
asked him why he looked so awful and was he worried about the mediation and he
told me no, his aunt died this morning.He'd been at the hospital all night.So I
sent a message up to the drop in centre and told him you would understand."
Dani felt awful, she hadn't given him a chance
to explain, but she had been so worked up about it that she couldn't help
herself.Without even hesitating , without contemplating what a huge step she
was taking, she went outside to look for him.Dani saw him sat on a low wall
some distance away.He didn't look scary or intimidating , he just looked very
sad.He had a cute looking dog sat with him .The dog had his chin resting on
Kane's knee and was looking at him with such doleful eyes that it was hard to
tell who looked most unhappy.Dani approached him and although she didn't think
about it until later , she did not feel afraid or uncomfortable.
"Hi.Look I'm sorr y for losing it like that in
there.I didn't know about your aunt.Alf just told me."
"Hey.No worries .I'm sorry , I did really want
to do it.I know I can't change what happened but I would do anything to make it
easier for you.You do believe that don't ya?I know you'll always hate me and I
don't blame ya.I hate myself for what I did , but I hope you can forgive Kirsty
one day.You probably miss her as much as she misses you.I know what it's like
to not have a family.It sucks.Don't let your family fall apart Dani ,talk to
her , after all if you can talk to me you must be able to talk to Kirst.You
don't really hate her ,do you?"
"No I don't hate her.I don't even know if I
still hate you.I hate what you did.I'll never forget it , but I don't know if
what I feel is strong enough to be called hate any more.Sometimes I pity you,
that you were so weak and ignorant to not even seem to know the damage you were
doing until it was way too late.I do believe that you have changed and that you
wouldn't do that again , but I do want the mediation to work for me this time and I need
to know that you willreally try to be honest and put everything into it.I just want to move on ,
feel normal again."
"Do you think you can.I mean it would be great
if it worked and ofcourse I'll do anything to make it work.I really hope it
works for you."Kane replied
"I hope so too.Well I've got to go now.Cute dog
by the way.Max wants one just like him."
"Yeah!Well bye and thanks for talking to me."
Dani walked off and felt more at peace with
herself than she had done in a very long time.She had spoken to him , alone ,
she hadn't felt scared or intimidated, she was sure he was remorseful and that
the mediation sessions were going to help.She also knew that she would forgive
her sister.It would just take time.