Chapter 3 - How we got to now
(The next few chapters will be about the various siblings before going back to Joey again)
Joey put pen to paper but only got as fas as "Dear Cousin" when he began to question what he was doing. He wasn't even sure of Toby's surname, was it still Hartwell or had Roxy married again, perhaps Toby had caught up with his real father and was using his surname? He also didn't want to be in a position of owing Shifty a favour even if it did mean getting Toby back in his life again. He decided he would sleep on it, enjoy the party and tackle the letter in the morning.
Once again he found himself wishing he had a partner he could discuss things with, who could offer a different perspective on things. Did Jack, Adrian and Aveline realise how lucky they were to have this? He wasn't sure Aveline did, she still seemed to take poor Oswald for granted somewhat and he always had a browbeaten look about him but they were still together so they must have been doing something right. He knew Jack appreciated Leonara even though it had taken a massive health scare for him to realise how special she was and Adrian owed his recent carrer success to Irene so he knew he appreciated her.
Billy of course was still Billy and had never really got over Julie even though he had had a string of girlfriends since, including Julie's cousin, Carmen's sister and Irene's sister which wound Adrian up something rotten. Joey had thought Billy and Connie had potential but she had wanted to travel while Billy wanted to settle down and have children and they went their separate ways and so it ended up that he and Billy were at 30 Kelsall street with their mum next door and Jack across the street. Aveline was in Childwall, only Adrian had left Liverpool but wasn't too far away in leafy Southport.
None of the siblings needed the services of the DHSS any more. Jack had discovered e-bay and was doing very nicely selling all sorts of random things to hipsters with more money than sense. It amazed Joey the amount of money people would pay for any old tat, Luke had told him that Jack had once managed to sell an airline sick bag for £30. This meant he could work from home and look after Leonora and keep his eye on mam as well, allowing Joey to concentrate on the organic shop which was doing well. He still popped in the DHS office on the off chance of seeing Martina, but it was full of unfamiliar faces now. Billy had found a job at Woolworths and seemed to be happy there even though he been passed over for promotion 3 times. Aveline had giving up modelling but had found a little job hosting candle parties at home, she did it more for the company and a chance to show off her home than the money.
Adrian had eventually found success with his writing. He'd made the decision after Freddie had died to change tact with his writing, attempting to pen gritty northern dramas rather than soppy poetry. He was getting rejection after rejection until Irene pointed out that Adrian wasn't really a gritty northern name. He reluctantly sent the same scripts off under the name Jimmy Boswell and things began to happen. The scripts, five in total based on the the lives of him and his siblings were first picked up by local radio, then national radio and 3 years ago by television. Adrian's dignity was hanging by a thread when reviews described the play based on his own life as the most boring of the five and that based on Billy's as the funniest, but it had lead to bigger things and he was now a sought after script writer. He'd been sensible this time with his money. He had a nice but modest house in Southport and his children went to the local schools. He had wanted to send them to a fee paying school but Irene had won that battle. His one luxury was his car, a 1960s mustang which didn't really suit him, but his family knew not to criticise. He also still insisted on being called Adrian at home even though it was the name Jimmy which had brought about his improved lifestyle.
Of all his siblings, Adrian's life was the one Joey envied most. He had a wife who loved and encouraged him and two children who were bright and healthy. Joey hadn't really grown close to Adrian's children in the way he had to his other nieces and nephews, perhaps because they hadn't needed him as much. All those years Adrian had spent searching for an identity and a framework and it turned out his real talent was as a father. Adrian had really grown into and relished his role, a far cry from how his was when Irene first discovered she was pregnant.