CHAPTER ELEVEN - Siblings
"I know where she is." Jeff looked up from his thoughts as his father spoke to him.
"Where who is?"
"Where she is, where they are."
"But how."
"Which ever of you two is the Dad that still makes me the Grandpa. I didn't want to lose another Grandkid. I wanted to keep in touch and she was more than happy to oblige. She's not as bad as you all seem to think."
"You've seen her, you've seen the kid?" Jeff was shocked he couldn't believe that his father had stayed in touch with someone who had treated them all so badly.
"Once a fortnight for a long time now." Gilbert Hardy sighed as he spoke. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had betrayed his sons.
"Where?"
"In the city. I'll take you now if you want." Silently the pair left. Nothing was spoken until Gil pulled up outside a house in the suburbs.
"We're here." Jeff didn't react to his father's words. He didn't dare. He stayed perfectly still facing forward. "Jeff." Gil spoke softly to his son and Jeff turned to face him. "She's not how you remember, she's changed." Jeff nodded and opened his car door. He stepped outside and walked round the car to his father. Together they walked up to the door and knocked.
Jeff heard the door open. "Hello" The voice of a young boy spoke.
"Hello Max, is your Mum in?" Gil asked.
"Sure." Came the reply. Jeff guessed that the boy moved to let them in, as Gil gently tugged his arm and led him forward. Jeff was suddenly nervous, wondering what she would think of him now. What he would think of her.
Gil led Jeff to a chair and sat him down. Jeff sat leant forward with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped together tightly. Every muscle in his body was tense and he looked ready to spring forward at a seconds notice. He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax and gain composure. It worked a little but then he picked up on footsteps about to enter the room and everything tensed again.
The footsteps were, light, definitely female. They approached the door, it creaked lightly as it opened the female stepped through and the door creaked shut.
In his mind Jeff could see her standing there. Her jet black hair tumbling down her back, brushed slightly away from her face revealing her honey coloured skin and almond shaped eyes. Jeff wondered if her eyes glowed like they used to, lit by a fire burning within. Jeff had never known a blue with such red in it. Her eyes were almost lilac.
He heard her gasp as she saw him, but he didn't turn to her. He knew he must be a shock for her, turning up out of the blue after 10 years, but he also knew that she must have been partly expecting it. Everyone seemed to know that Matt as in custody.
"Jeff?" She almost whispered the name. Jeff felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach, all the air was sucked out of his body, by the tenderness of her tone.
"I'm back." Jeff spoke quietly too, too quietly. "I'm back" He spoke again to be heard.
"Look at me." He turned his head towards the sound of her voice. "Something's different about you. What is it?"
Jeff lowered his head to face the floor. He didn't know how to tell her. He took a deep breath and let it out again. She knelt in front of him and took his hands. He lifted his head so that his eyes should be looking directly into hers and took another deep breath. "I'm blind." He expected her to say something but she said nothing.
Eventually she spoke. "So you'll never see Max?"
"I got to see Mollie once." Jeff shrugged.
"Who's Mollie?" Jeff took another deep breath as she asked the question.
"My daughter,..by Chloe."
"My sister?"
"I know where she is." Jeff looked up from his thoughts as his father spoke to him.
"Where who is?"
"Where she is, where they are."
"But how."
"Which ever of you two is the Dad that still makes me the Grandpa. I didn't want to lose another Grandkid. I wanted to keep in touch and she was more than happy to oblige. She's not as bad as you all seem to think."
"You've seen her, you've seen the kid?" Jeff was shocked he couldn't believe that his father had stayed in touch with someone who had treated them all so badly.
"Once a fortnight for a long time now." Gilbert Hardy sighed as he spoke. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had betrayed his sons.
"Where?"
"In the city. I'll take you now if you want." Silently the pair left. Nothing was spoken until Gil pulled up outside a house in the suburbs.
"We're here." Jeff didn't react to his father's words. He didn't dare. He stayed perfectly still facing forward. "Jeff." Gil spoke softly to his son and Jeff turned to face him. "She's not how you remember, she's changed." Jeff nodded and opened his car door. He stepped outside and walked round the car to his father. Together they walked up to the door and knocked.
Jeff heard the door open. "Hello" The voice of a young boy spoke.
"Hello Max, is your Mum in?" Gil asked.
"Sure." Came the reply. Jeff guessed that the boy moved to let them in, as Gil gently tugged his arm and led him forward. Jeff was suddenly nervous, wondering what she would think of him now. What he would think of her.
Gil led Jeff to a chair and sat him down. Jeff sat leant forward with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped together tightly. Every muscle in his body was tense and he looked ready to spring forward at a seconds notice. He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax and gain composure. It worked a little but then he picked up on footsteps about to enter the room and everything tensed again.
The footsteps were, light, definitely female. They approached the door, it creaked lightly as it opened the female stepped through and the door creaked shut.
In his mind Jeff could see her standing there. Her jet black hair tumbling down her back, brushed slightly away from her face revealing her honey coloured skin and almond shaped eyes. Jeff wondered if her eyes glowed like they used to, lit by a fire burning within. Jeff had never known a blue with such red in it. Her eyes were almost lilac.
He heard her gasp as she saw him, but he didn't turn to her. He knew he must be a shock for her, turning up out of the blue after 10 years, but he also knew that she must have been partly expecting it. Everyone seemed to know that Matt as in custody.
"Jeff?" She almost whispered the name. Jeff felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach, all the air was sucked out of his body, by the tenderness of her tone.
"I'm back." Jeff spoke quietly too, too quietly. "I'm back" He spoke again to be heard.
"Look at me." He turned his head towards the sound of her voice. "Something's different about you. What is it?"
Jeff lowered his head to face the floor. He didn't know how to tell her. He took a deep breath and let it out again. She knelt in front of him and took his hands. He lifted his head so that his eyes should be looking directly into hers and took another deep breath. "I'm blind." He expected her to say something but she said nothing.
Eventually she spoke. "So you'll never see Max?"
"I got to see Mollie once." Jeff shrugged.
"Who's Mollie?" Jeff took another deep breath as she asked the question.
"My daughter,..by Chloe."
"My sister?"