Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty Six
Romeo was rather pleased with himself. He had taken to working at the restaurant rather well, even if he did say so himself. He knew it was only temporary and Joey had made that very clear, both because he was only filling in for Alf until he returned and also because she very much wanted him to return to school and finally pass his HSC. But he was genuinely enjoying working for Joey and with Angelo and Claire. It was nice to fill his time over the summer, earn some money and feel like he was doing something with his life, especially as Indi and Nicole were currently busy planning their adventure into University. It was helping him focus and not feel like he was being left behind.
"Hey, Ruby," he greeted warmly.
"Hey," his friend replied. "Is Claire around?"
"You know, you spend a lot of time here," he commented, pouring a lemonade for her, her usual drink as she sat on a stool at the bar.
"Well, my step-mum does own the place and my best friend does work here," she replied.
"Oh, I did know you thought so much of me," he teased.
She laughed, trying not to blush.
The truth was she did rather like spending time with him. She genuinely was here to see Claire. Charlie and Joey were out with Ross for the afternoon, giving her some free time so she had brought some homework to the restaurant so she could chat to Claire and hang out with her. But it was also a real bonus to get to gaze at Romeo as much as she wanted while she was at it. She honestly didn't know how she hadn't noticed him before. All this time, they had been living in the same town and she hadn't given him a second look. Then suddenly it was like a switch had been flicked and all she could see was him.
Perhaps it was because she had already been in a relationship when he had first arrived in Summer Bay. And she had been really good friends with Annie as well, who had been smitten with him and he had been smitten with her immediately too. So Romeo had always been in the friend zone. But now, all of a sudden, it was as if she could see him in a completely different light. However, although she was single, he was in a committed relationship and she was determined to respect that. There was such a thing as Girl Code, however gorgeous he was. And he would never be the kind of person to stray anyway. He was the epitome of a good guy. That was one of the things she liked about him.
"Hey, Claire," Romeo called. "Ruby's here!"
In the lead up to Christmas, Irene was struggling. It had been many years since she had felt alone and friendless in Summer Bay. Not since she had turned up here as an aggressive alcoholic. She had turned her whole life around since then. And yet, here she was, struggling and suffering and it wasn't even her fault. Or perhaps it was.
Alf was in jail and everyone was blaming Will. Charlie, Joey, Colleen… nobody was speaking to her. Even Leah was being polite and nothing else. Her commitment to Will was costing her everything. It was hard to stay true to him. It felt like he was ruining her life and she hated feeling that way about a boy she thought of as a son. She also hated wondering if he was concealing the truth from her. If he had killed Penn or harmed him in some way then it would go a long way to explain his behaviour since he had been living with her. Had he really blamed Alf to divert police attention away from him? Could he really have sold out a man who had been so good to him since he was a kid? She just couldn't bring herself to believe it.
Charlie and Joey woke up early on Christmas morning, happy in each other's arms. They were looking forward to a special day as a family with Ruby, Ross and Morag. It was all planned out with Charlie hosting and organising everyone and Joey doing all the cooking. They had decided that family was more important than anything else today so they had closed the restaurant until the following day. A few residents had been a bit annoyed, hoping to go for a drink in the evening but neither of them cared. They just wanted to be together; their first Christmas in their first owned home.
Kerri and Watson had very kindly invited Claire to join them for Christmas. Well, Claire thought it was very kind. They hadn't considered that Claire should be anywhere other than with them on Christmas Day – her family.
She had met up with Hannah the night before and they had exchanged gifts. Things didn't feel quite right between them at the moment and Claire was starting to feel worried. She liked Hannah a lot and she wanted things to work out between them. She was aware that she hadn't had as much time lately as she had been helping Ruby so much with Ross. She just hoped that that hadn't jeopardised her relationship.
Irene was feeling frustrated. Christmas Day was not going well. She desperately missed April and Bianca. Bianca was off traveling with Liam, the love of her life. She sent messages now and again, happy and in love and free. She remained oblivious to the fallout from running away from her wedding to Vittorio – her mother's fury and snatching April away from Summer Bay. Irene had tried and tried to contact the younger girl but her phone calls and messages remained unanswered and she had no hope of getting through to Joanna. She had no idea where April was or what she was doing.
Instead, she was stuck at home desperately trying to bring some sort of Christmas cheer to a confused and upset little girl whose father was getting more and more drunk and miserable on the sofa. Nobody in this house was having a merry Christmas.
"It was a good day, wasn't it?" Joey said, climbing into bed.
Charlie smiled, climbing into bed on the other side.
"Yeah," she said.
They had exchanged gifts, they had eaten until they couldn't fit anything more in, they had played games, they had talked and they had laughed until they had cried. It had reminded Charlie and Ruby both of Christmases past and it had been for Joey like Christmases she had always dreamed of but never had.
"Yeah, it really was," she said.
She leant over and ran her hands through Joey's hair, kissing her.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?"
"For loving me," she said. "For loving our family the way you do. For being such a central part of our family the way you are."
Joey kissed her.
"Well, thank you for including me in your family," Joey said.
"Our family," Charlie corrected.
"Our family," Joey repeated.
She smiled. They kissed again.
"Dad is getting slowly worse every day, isn't he?" Charlie said sadly.
"I think so," Joey admitted. "But we just need to love him and support him and enjoy our time with him every second we can."
"Yes," Charlie agreed.
She looked thoughtful and sad. She sighed heavily. Joey kissed her tenderly. Charlie snuggled into her, kissing her neck.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," Joey whispered back.
Alf lay on his bunk in his cell in the dark. He had had many dark days in his life. He had had many bad Christmas Days – without his first wife and then after Ailsa had died, not to mention so many other loved ones in between. And now here he was, separated from everything he knew and trusted and everything that made him feel safe. And it was all for a crime he didn't commit. And yet he couldn't prove it.
The strange days that blended Christmas and New Year arrived, where nobody ever quite knew what day of the week it was, all the TV shows were on at the wrong time and everyone's schedules were upside down. Nicole in particular was in a world of her own. She had drifted through Christmas, hardly paying attention to anything going on around her. She felt bad about it as she knew she had probably been very bad mannered. With Alf in jail and Miles in Thailand, she and Romeo were living in the house by themselves. They were even attempting to run the caravan park together in their absence. Sid and Marilyn had therefore invited them for Christmas, presumably prompted by Indi. It had been really nice of them to ask and what Nicole had been able to eat of the food had been lovely. However, she was throwing up daily now and it was getting harder and harder to keep her pregnancy a secret. She just didn't know what to do.
The restaurant was set for a big New Year party and Joey had put Angelo fully in charge. He was thrilled. Claire and Romeo were eagerly helping him and Joey thought the three of them made a good team. She had also heard Claire on the phone inviting Hannah to the party so she hoped that things were getting better between them. She hoped that Will would think better of attending and although it saddened her, Irene too. She had chosen Will who had lied and betrayed Alf and left him rotting in jail and Joey, along with the rest of Summer Bay just couldn't understand any of it.
Angelo was extra nervous about the New Year party going well. The Informal hadn't exactly gone to plan, what with Ruby's bad behaviour and this time, Charlie and Joey were actually attending so he was worried about being watched. But he was grateful to be given a second opportunity to show his bosses what he could do. If he could continue to prove, especially in Alf's absence, what he was capable of, then who knew what promotion he might be able to gain and where he might be able to go in his career.
Ruby was looking forward to the party. It was the end of a tough year and next year was going to be a whole new start. She was determined. It was her final year at high school and after that, the world was her oyster. She could do and be anything she wanted. And she was determined to dream big. She wasn't going to mess it up this time.
"Are you absolutely sure you're okay to come to this party tonight?" Morag was asking Ross as Ruby left her bedroom, dressed up for the night ahead.
She was looking forward to hanging out with Claire and their friends. The only downside was that Hannah was coming to the party, although her new attitude had told her that she had to take the time to get to know Hannah and become her friend instead of keep avoiding her.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Ross said before coughing very hard.
Ruby rushed over, concerned. He had had a cough for a couple of days now.
"Dad, are you sure?" Ruby said. "You shouldn't do too much if you don't feel well."
"I want to bring in the New Year with my family," he insisted, holding her hand.
Ruby smiled. She had genuinely enjoyed the time they had all been spending together.
"Okay but we're coming home if you get any worse, alright?" Morag said firmly.
"We can all come home," Ruby said. "I'd rather spend New Year with you than at a party."
Ross smiled affectionately at her, as did Morag.
Danny was very excited to be allowed to attend the party and was also very excited that VJ was also allowed. It was the first time that either of them had been allowed to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve.
VJ in turn was very excited, especially as Leah had arranged to collect Lily on the way.
"Knock, knock," Leah said, poking her head around Irene's door. "Is Lily ready?"
"I am!" Lily said, bounding out of her bedroom, looking very pretty in her party dress.
Leah chuckled and gave her a hug. Irene smiled affectionately at her young charge.
"Hey, are you sure you aren't up for coming?" Leah asked her friend.
"I don't think I'd be very welcome," Irene said sadly. "Especially not there."
"I guess but…"
She agreed with her. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Irene herself right now if she was being completely honest. But it just seemed a shame that she was stuck at home on New Year's Eve.
The restaurant was already pretty busy by the time Sid, Marilyn, Indi and Dex arrived. Indi abandoned her family immediately to find Romeo, who was dressed up rather smartly and was working for the evening. She thought he looked gorgeous. He greeted her with a kiss.
"Happy New Year," he said. "Almost."
"Happy New Year," she replied. "I think it's going to be a good one."
He smiled and he felt more hopeful than he had for the past few weeks. He still wasn't happy about having to repeat the school year, especially for such a stupid mistake. But this job was giving him a sense of purpose, not to mention a decent amount of pocket money and he felt like he at least had a shot at having a fresh start. Ruby's offer of help was also really useful. He had spent quite a lot of time with her lately and he enjoyed her company. He thought they would make good study buddies.
Sid and Marilyn joined Gina and John at a table while Dex and Xavier found their own table in the corner.
"You look thrilled to be here," Dex remarked.
"I just got dumped," Xavier said sourly. "What exactly have I got to celebrate?"
"You've heard from April?" Dex said hopefully.
He missed his friend more than he had expected. Xavier glared at him.
"I tell you I get dumped and you're just happy that I might have heard from her?" he snapped.
Dex apologised quickly. He hadn't meant to be insensitive.
"Anyway," Xavier continued. "No, I haven't heard from her. That's the point. I've tried calling her and texting her. Constantly. And nothing."
He shrugged.
"What am I supposed to think? I just don't think she gives a shit anymore."
"Hey, come on," Dex said. "This is April. She wouldn't do that to you."
"Then what, Dex? Has something really bad happened?"
Dex looked worried.
"I just don't get it," Xavier said.
Angelo stood at the entrance of the kitchen, looking out at the restaurant, which was filling up. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the snacks and the drinks were flowing. Romeo and Claire and the rest of the staff were working hard. He just hoped that everything would go well tonight, especially as Joey and Charlie were attending and Charlie's Dad was going to be there too with Morag. Tonight meant a lot to a lot of people.
He watched Romeo welcome the family of honour into the restaurant and he was relieved that Charlie and Joey both looked pleased with how things looked. Joey caught his eye and smiled as Charlie led her father and Morag into the restaurant and found them comfortable seats. Ruby chatted to them for a bit and then went over to chat to Claire who was serving a multitude of drinks to customers at the bar including Watson and Colleen.
"VJ! Lily!"
Danny leapt up and rushed across the room, barrelling towards his friends as they arrived with Leah.
"Well, that's me abandoned for the rest of the night!" Kerri joked to Watson as she brought back their drinks.
Watson chuckled as Leah approached them.
"Can we get you a drink?" the police officer offered.
Ross was still coughing when he, Morag, Ruby, Charlie and Joey arrived at the party.
"Dad, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Maybe we should go to the Doctor?" Charlie asked worried as they went up in the lift.
Ross touched her arm firmly.
"We will go to the Doctor tomorrow," he said.
She saw a clarity in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Tomorrow is a new day," he said. "A new year and a new start. Tonight is for having a nice time. As a family."
He squeezed her arm and she smiled sincerely at him.
"Okay, Dad," she said. "Let's enjoy the party."
Nicole was trying not to admit that she was feeling unwell but it was getting harder and harder to hide her pregnancy. She looked around the room and she just didn't know what to do or who to talk to. In a room full of people, she had never felt so alone.
She forced herself to laugh at something Dex said but she hadn't really been listening. She looked around at her friends, all with their own joys and griefs.
Dex was the outsider but was clearly going to go far in his life. He was the most intelligent person she had ever met.
Xavier was extremely down in the dumps right now, not knowing whether he and April were an item or not. But teenage drama aside, Xavier had a good future ahead of him, that much was clear.
Then there was Romeo. He had made a huge error with his exams and was facing repeating the year. But he was so charming and so kind. How was he not going to make a success of his life?
Then there was Indi. She had passed all her exams and like Nicole, she was about to embark on her first year of University. She had the world at her feet. And together, they made the most beautiful couple.
And Nicole had worked so hard at school, getting her grades against the odds and she too had been accepted at University. But now she was pregnant. With Penn Graham's baby. A man she hated. A man the whole town hated. And she had no idea what to do.
"Hey," Ruby said, plopping down beside her. "Having fun?"
"Yeah," Nicole said, not sounding very convincing.
"I'm sure it will liven up soon."
She glanced over at Romeo who smiled at her. She smiled back at him. Then she looked over at her father, sitting in another corner with Morag and Colleen. Charlie was catching up with Leah, Watson and Kerri. Joey had predictably started fussing behind the bar and in the kitchen while Angelo was trying to bat her away. Everyone had known she couldn't leave it alone!
"Joey, would you just chill and have a nice time with your friends and family?" Angelo said, ushering his boss out of the kitchen.
"Okay, okay!" Joey said, holding her hands up in submission. "But just let me know if you need me, okay?"
"I will," Angelo said. "But I won't. Okay? Everything is fine."
She walked around the other side of the bar to see Claire who was giggling about something or other with Hannah. The girls blushed when she approached.
"Hey," she greeted.
"I am working," Claire assured her.
"I'm not your boss tonight," Joey said. "As if I'd tell you off if I was. I appreciate you working tonight when you want to have fun like everyone else. Relax."
Claire smile gratefully at her. So did Hannah.
"How are you both?" Joey asked.
"We're good," Hannah said.
She looked affectionately and meaningfully at her girlfriend.
"It's nice to get to spend some time with you," she said to Claire.
She meant it.
The time rushed forward to midnight far too quickly and most Summer Bay residents greeted 2011 with joy. At the bell tolled, party poppers popped and kisses were shared, glasses were clinked and 'happy new year' was chorused.
"Happy New Year, darling," Charlie said affectionately to Joey, kissing her lips.
"Happy New Year," Joey said.
They both hurried over to hug Ross and Morag before heading off to find their daughter. She was busy hugging her friends, although Romeo and Indi were too busy smooching in the corner to notice any of their friends.
"Happy New Year," Claire said, kissing Hannah.
"Happy New Year," Hannah said. "Hopefully this will be the first of many we'll spend together."
Claire blushed. They kissed again.
"Happy New Year!" Joey said when they had parted.
She, Charlie and a rather hesitant Ruby approached them to wish them well.
"And Happy New Year to you!" Joey and Charlie said, hugging Angelo.
And so it all started again.
It took a good twenty minutes to get around all their friends at the party but eventually, everyone had been hugged and wished well for the year ahead. Back at home, Will and Irene had watched the TV and counted along with the clock but sadly, the New Year had meant nothing special to either of them. Alone in his prison cell, the New Year had meant even less.
Next time… Ross is hospitalised, Nicole confides in Marilyn and Ross has a final request of Charlie…
