Published: 05 Dec 2016

Andrew Campbell arrived to collect his son some time before twelve, staying for lunch. Alice his elder sister, widowed without children, with a good fifteen years between them, was one in possession of a kind heart and good ear, who was always ready to listen without giving uncanvassed advice.

This day was no different and it was obvious from the moment her brother entered the house, he was troubled with a problem.

Andrew’s arrival was somewhat solemn, there was the obligatory greeting and how are you son but Luke’s father lacked his usual confident self-centred spark, often bordering on arrogance and once his greeting with his son was done he took his sister to one side in confidence.

After lunch Alice suggested Luke do the dishes, giving his father and her opportunity to talk. The kitchen was within hearing range but no matter how Luke attempted to ascertain their conversation he could not. Their voices low and sincere, with long pauses for thought between each quiet statement.

Once Luke and his father were seated in the vehicle Alice again displayed her usual empathetic disposition, placing a kind hand on Andrew’s shoulder through the driver’s window, she wished him good luck. Andrew nodded and taking a deep breath, promised he would telephone in a day or so. The car pulled away at a slow speed. Andrew Campbell obviously had a problem which for the moment was not prepared to share with his son and Luke knowing his father’s leaning towards secrecy and tendency to burst into anger without real cause, didn’t enquire.

“Can I drive?” Luke asked once they were far enough out of Ravenswood.

“Have you got your learner’s yet?” Andrew dryly asked.

Luke was about to say he would have in three months one week and now three days but didn’t wish to challenge his father’s mood with frivolity, simply answered no. He wished to ask why not, as his father usually gave him the wheel once they were out on the open road. He also desperately wanted to enquire on his father’s disposition. Was his mother ill? Had there been a death in the family? Luke became as serious as his father. The cloud not lifting until they were home. His mother, wearing her favourite apron displaying large stylised flowers appeared at the back door. She waved as the car came to a stop.

“How was your stay with Alice love?” Margaret asked, following her son and husband into the house. Andrew took himself to the kitchen, opened a beer before leaving to the security of his shed. Minutes later the sound of a lawn mower motor broke the icy silence. Although he had done so the previous day Andrew once again mowed the lawn. Each run across the large block slow and calculated, with Andrew stooping over the mower as would a man suffering from some illness.

“Great – mum what is going on?” Luke asked his voice cracking with concern.

“Your dad has lost his job at the Butter Factory.”

“Oh.”

“We are going to leave town, probably live in the city or somewhere down the coast, Andrew has friends there who may be able to help.” Margaret explained.

“What about me, I don’t want to change school.” Luke became desperate. Gone was he usual carefree attitude. His thoughts said bugger school but he didn’t wish to leave Esca.

“Your dad and I considered that, you can stay with my sister Violet in Wilson Street until the end of term then you will be eighteen and will come down the coast with us.” Margaret’s words filled Luke with excitement, although finding difficulty in expressing remorse for his father’s misfortune, being a good actor displayed his most shocked expression.

“I don’t want you talking to your father. He will let you know when he’s ready.” Margaret demanded sternly.

“Sure mum,” Luke promised.

“Do you think you will be alright staying with Violet?”

“I’ll get use to it I suppose.” By his words the lad was restrained but in his thoughts it was as if someone had left his cage door unlatched and all he had to do was to prod the rusty hinges to be free.

“What about next year, I would like you to go to University?”

“Next year’s too far Mum.” Luke answered without inkling towards furthering his studies.

“Not that far love and you will have to make early plans, are you still interested in Science, maybe Computers?”

Luke shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t the right time to argue about his future, if he did so his parents may force him to leave with them and not allow him to finish his final exams while staying with Violet and if that were to eventuate, he may never see Esca again.

As she spoke Margaret’s attention was drawn through the kitchen window towards her husband. He paused his mowing to stoop lower over the machine as if listening to its motor. Moments later he completed his work and returned the mower to the shed. If Andrew was devastated by his loss of position, Margaret was not. She had never enjoyed small town existence, longing for city life with its glamour and intrigue. If not for marrying Andrew she would have left long ago, now her chance had come, she would show as much support for her husband as was necessary, while secretly revelling in his misfortune.

Over the following days the mood in the Campbell house didn’t improve. There were many questions from Luke while the few answers supplied came from Margaret, as his father spent much of his day at the Railway Hotel drowning his loss.

Andrew Campbell had come from the factory floor to middle management before being chosen to manage the business some years earlier, a position he executed with much pride. Once the town’s butter factory supplied products for most of the area but with its sale to an opposition company, it was decided to close, suppling dairy lines from the parent company instead.

Some days after receiving the news on his father’s loss of work, Luke developed even more questions he needed to ask of his parents. His wish for answers were two fold, the first being that of the pending separation from his family, yet more important, was from part of conversation he overheard between his mother and her sister Violet, while making arrangements for him to stay with her. At first what Luke heard didn’t register until hearing the name of Esca’s father, Kevin Brody mentioned, followed by ‘did Andrew ever find out.’ Margaret hushed her sister into a whisper, answering ‘that was the problem and how she missed seeing Kevin Brody around.’ After which both sisters gave a knowing giggle.

Luke held his position outside the kitchen door for some time but heard nothing more on the subject of Kevin Brody. His mind commenced to work in overtime. Did his mother have an affair with Esca’s father? If so were there any other secrets on that matter. Luke cast his thought back to some years long before Kevin Brody took his life. There was a period of much controversy between his mother and father. Nights filled with tears. Silent breakfasts followed by other nights when his father had returned late, drunk and moody to sleep it off in the spare room. He remembered stress in the Campbell house lasted for weeks before his parents settled into an uneasy truce, with a lengthier period before a sort of normality returned between his mother and father.

What Luke overheard bothered him for days, until late one afternoon when his father was arranging transport for their departure, he approached his mother.

“Mum can I ask you something?” Luke asked, while helping his mother fold sheets.

“Yes Luke what is it?” Margaret agreed, believing she was to hear something about the pending move, or of his approaching school examinations, even a decision on his choice of university courses. Margaret wished him to do well, as she had high expectations for his future, someone to hang her pride upon. Maybe it would be about the young lass at twenty-nine, Susan Cunningham. She was sweat on Luke but her son didn’t appear to notice. More obvious was Luke appeared to avoid the girls altogether, bringing Margaret to the conclusion her son was shy, as Andrew had been similarly during their courtship. If it hadn’t been for her persistence she may have never married Luke’s father.

“Is Kevin Brody my father?” The question came freely from the lad without shame or sign of nervousness. Margaret was struck with surprise and embarrassment by her son’s question but not from his forthright attitude as many times he had issued a question that would embarrass and as many a time had been told to think before he spoke.

“What makes you ask a silly question like that?” Margaret answered, angered to the point of almost giving her son the back of her hand. She restrained from doing so.

“What I heard you talking to Violet about.” Luke declared his voice low and concerned.

“You shouldn’t listen to private conversations.” Margaret finish folding the sheet before quickly leaving the room towards her bedroom, soon returning holding a sheet of paper. She roughly pushed it towards her son. “Read place of birth on that.” She demanded. It was his birth certificate, Luke read the document.

In pride of place was his name Luke Geoffrey Campbell; followed by.

Mother – Margaret June Campbell.

Father – Andrew Campbell.

Place of Birth – Ravenswood and no where on that most official document was the name of Brody mentioned.

“How could Kevin Brody be your father, you were born in Ravenswood before we moved here. We didn’t even know the Brody family back then.”

Margaret’s voice was low and cold.

“Sorry mum but I thought.” Luke answered, his head turned from his mother’s infuriation. She calmed.

“No Luke you didn’t think, that’s you problem and don’t you dare bother your father about it, he has enough to contend with.” Margaret paused collected the folded sheets and left the room. “Keep the birth certificate, in the future it may remind you to think before you speak. Besides you will need it when you leave school.”

Once his mother left the room, Luke again scrutinised the document. He could not fault its contents but there had been something between his mother and Esca’s father and by the conversation between Violet and his mother it was tender beyond simple friendship. Maybe in another time he may have become Esca’s brother.

Luke soon let pass his confrontation with his mother. Yet a small portion of the lad’s thinking liked the idea of Kevin Brody being his father. It would therefore make Esca his half brother. Would their liaison therefore be incest? Maybe it would only be half incest. Luke smile at the conception, realising in this case it would not be. Or could it? It soon became academic and not worth pondering further over.

Luke had not seen Esca for more than three weeks since returning from Ravenswood. His home life was travelling at such a pace he could not get away, besides Esca had suggesting cooling their relationship until Luke reached his approaching birth anniversary. As for his belief that his mother and Esca’s father had an affair, for once he decided that information should remain in the past.

Gary would appreciate your thoughts on his story. Gary dot Conder at CastleRoland dot Net

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