Chapter 1
It’s an overly warm summer’s early morning. The sun is just peaking through clouds, the aircon is humming loudly in the background while the ceiling fan is clicking at high speed, and a loud rumbling sound is coming from under the fan under the doona. Before the mostly quiet room was filled with the musical notes of Highway to Hell by AC/DC, the rumbling sound stopped, followed by a groan. Before the middle age man could reach the phone it stopped ringing, “Fuck” He grumbled, climbing out of bed to see where his phone had gotten to before the room was filled with the same music, “Fuck where is it?” He asked, before finding it on the floor under his nightstand, quickly hitting the green button. “DAD?” A female voice screamed through the speaker, “Hailey?” He asked, “Yes, dad….” She broke down crying, “Hailey, what’s wrong, love?” He asked, “It’s mum…” She cried out, “What about your mother?” He asked.
The man sat up higher rubbing his face, while groaning, “Hailey? You’re going to have to tell me, or do I need to fly down to Brisbane?” He asked, and could hear sniffing sounds, “I don’t know Dad, the police were just here” She stopped talking, and the man was holding his breath, “What? Why? What’s going on with Renee? Hailey, sweetie, you need to tell me, what has happened to Renee?” He asked, “They said mum is dead, dad… she was killed in a car crash on her way to work.” Hailey spoke around her tears, as tears started to fall down the man’s face. “Fuck, ok I’m going to go down with your brother’s on the next flight sweetie. Who is at your house right now?” He asked, “No one right now.” She replied he let out a groan, “Why? Where is Adam?” He asked she let out a scoff, “The police took him to go and identify her body or something. He told me to stay here and not call anyone up yet, but Dad you need to know too.” She spoke around her tears, you could see he was becoming angrier by the second.
“Adam is not your father nor is he your stepfather he is just the man she was dating, he has no say over who you can and cannot tell about this. I will text you my information about the flights, but baby girl you need to call up your grandmother and Aunties so they are with you.” He said, “Ok, I will call them up. No dad, they got married two months ago.” She whispers while he groans out, “What the fucken hell? How come you never told me this, Hailey?” He roared at her, he scrunched up his face, shocked that he yelled at his daughter, “Sorry, Robbert but I had thought you had known this as they both told me they had told you and my brothers, and that you all were not happy with it which is why you never came to it. I’m sorry I had believed them.” She whispered.
“Oh my sweetie girl, I’m so sorry for yelling at you. Also, it’s not your fault at all they should have told us. I know your brothers would have wanted to be there for their mum too, myself only to see you sweetie I have missed you.” He told her, with fresh tears falling down his face for the wife he used to love, who helped create his five beautiful children. She was crying harder again, “I’ve missed you too, and my brother’s. Also been wondering if I could live with you all again. I don’t want to stay here alone with Adam” He spoke over the top of her, “Hailey you’re seventeen about to finish year twelve are you sure you want to move out here?” He asked, as much as he wants his daughter to be living with him this could hinder her whole life, “You don’t want me to live with you full time?” She asked, her voice catching at the end, “No, Hails I would love you to live with me full time. I’m more worried about your schooling and grades, you’re just about to start your Atar exams.” He spoke softly, her crying calmed down, wondering what she was going to choose.
“It’s ok, when you get here you can talk to the school about transferring me back home.” She whispered, he let out a chuckle, “I would love that, now Hails go and call up your grandmother, she is going to need to know what has happened to her daughter, and can you please call your aunties if I called any of them they would not answer my calls. I love you Hails. I will see you soon, I’m off to go find your brothers if they are all home, if not I will call them.” He told her, and she let out a small giggle, “Ok, bye Dad. I love and miss you.” She said he could tell that she was crying, “Bye sweetie, love you too Hails.” He spoke before clicking the red button, looking at his reflection, “Fuck Nay, fuck….” He cried out before bursting into tears holding his face into his hands.
They may have been divorced for ten years but they had been together for seventeen years before their marriage broke up. Falling in love with each other in year eleven, Renee had fallen pregnant at the end of year twelve to their oldest son Oliver who is now twenty-five, Robbert let out a loud sigh, fuck I still love you, Renee, Robbert thought, “Fuck better let my oldest boy know his mum has died, fuck this is harder than I thought… Now I’m talking to myself.” He grumbled, picking up his phone and pulling up his son’s number. Please be at home with your wife, and not out on site, Robbert thought.
“Dad? Why are you calling me this early?” Came Oliver’s voice, “Hi Oliver, are you home or out on site?” he asked and could hear odd sounds in the background, “I’m at home it’s my week off. Dad, what’s going on?” He softly asked, must be his wife Tanya in the background, “Good, this is not easy to say, son. About a few minutes ago I just got off the phone with Hailey” He cuts me off, “What is going on for you to get a phone call from Hails, is she ok?” He asked worried, he was always protective of his baby sister, it had killed him when their mother took her from us, Robbert thought. “Hailey is not ok son, the police had arrived at her house to inform her that mum had died in a car crash on her way to work.” Robbert was going to say more but his son cut him off, “What? No! What? Dad, this is some sick joke right, mum is not dead.” He cried out, Robbert could hear Tanya talking to him in the background, “Sorry Ollie I wish I was joking, but no Hails had called me up in tears, your stepfather has gone to the station to identify her body while your little sister is calling up grandma and your aunties to inform them of what has happened. I’m rounding you all up to head back home to Brisbane for Hails. She wants to move back home with us, she doesn’t want to live with Adam.” Robbert filled him in.
“What the fuck? Adam is not my fucken stepfather! He is just dating mum! Does Hails not realise how much of a hassle that is going to be for her as she has only five or four months left of year twelve?” He asked, Robbert let out a sigh, “Sorry to inform you but they got married a few months back, they lied to Hailey saying they had told us and all of us were not happy so that was why we never showed, which I believe had hurt Hailey more than anything as she wanted to see you all. Yes, I had told her this and she said she wants to live with me again. Hopefully, Renee has nothing in her will stating that Adam stays on as her guardian as I will fight him” Oliver cuts Robber off, “Dad you’re forgetting she is seventeen about to turn eighteen Adam has no say over her, it’s what she wants now. Just like us boys who all chose to live with you instead of going back down with mum. Fucken hell really? They are married, yeah, great so are we flying down today?” He asked, “Yes, I’m hoping we can get a flight back today. Sorry, but I have to go fill in the rest of your brothers.” He tells his son, “Thank you, Dad, sorry she has gone, I know you still love her” He cuts off his oldest son, “Oliver, stop, she is still your mother even if we are no longer together. I will see you soon, son. I love you.” He told him Oliver burst into tears, “Thanks, Rob, I will take care of him!” Tanya called out before the line went down.
“Fuck, one down, three to go, you got this, Rob.” He told himself to give himself the strength he needed to tell his sons about their mother. “What the fuck, Dad? Why are you calling before my fucken work alarm goes off!” Archie snapped, while Robbert did his best not to yell at his second-born son, “So sorry Archie, but I have no choice, just spoken to Hails, she has informed me that your mum has died in a car crash on her way to work. We are booking flights to be down with Hails” He cuts off Robbert, “WTF?! NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! I was just talking to her last night! She was happy, no, really?” He asked before bursting into tears, “I’m so sorry Archie, did you want me to book a flight back to Brisbane for you?” He asked, and could hear sounds, “Did you just nod your head again and forget to answer with words?” Robbert asked, “Shit, yes please Dad I don’t think I could cover the cost of it this week, it’s in between pay” Cutting off his son, “If rent is chewing your pay that much son, you’re more than welcome to move back home to save.” He pointed it out, and Archie scoffed, “Yeah would rather not live with you again thanks.” He snapped, while Robbert let out a loud sigh, “Yeah, noticed that shit. But be packed and come to my house by mid-morning, I will text you when I know what time we fly out, I have got to go and let Jax and Brax know what has happened.” He told his son, “Hold up Dad, is Hails ok?” He asked, “As ok as any teen girl is when she has found out her mother has passed away.” He spoke around another sigh, “Fuck, shit timing for her too she is about to have her exams soon, fuck I’m going to call her thank you, Dad, I do love you even if I don’t show it.” Archie spoke softly, Robbert let out a soft chuckle, “I know you do love me, son, right you go talk to your sister, see you soon. Love you too mate.” He spoke before hanging up, placing his phone on the bed before walking out of his room into a dark narrow hallway, please boys do not have a one-night stand girl in your rooms.
Opened up the youngest son’s room to only find it empty the room is still cold from the aircon but it’s off he must be awake then, Robbert thought, walking out of the room and heading down towards the entry of the hallway, turning into my next son’s room to find Jaxon sound asleep with nothing on and a sheet wrapped around some girl who has brightly coloured rainbow hair, “Fuck me.” Robbert muttered under his breath, walking up to his son, and slamming a hand down onto his shoulder, Jaxon flew up in anger, “Going to fucken kill Dad?” He was in shock, “I’m so sorry Jax but I need you to get up and start packing soon.” Robbert told him, he rubbed his face and then his shoulder, “Yeah that did not call for being slapped.” He grumbled, “Sorry no easy way to say this but Hails called, she told me mum has passed away in a car crash we are all heading down to her, send this nobody home now thanks I’m booking the flights once I find your baby brother.” He spoke softly, while his son scrunched up his face in confusion then bursting into tears, “No? Really?” He softly asked, Robbert went to open his mouth but his son flew into his arms crying hard, Robbert held him tightly, not caring that his son was naked either. “I’ve got you, son, I’m so sorry I never wanted any of you to have this happen until you’re older,” Robbert whispered as he lost both his parents at a young age.
Jaxon looked up at his father in shock, “Is Hails going to live with that fuck face Adam or moving back home with us?” He asked, Robbert smiled at his son, “She wants to live with us again.” He told him, he smiled back at his father, “Good, I fucken miss her. Alright, I will get this bitch out, go find Brax.” He told Robbert, and can tell he is still upset but Robbert needed to find his other son so we could book their flights. Robbert walked into the kitchen and froze in shock on seeing his son drinking a cup of coffee all dressed for work, “Morning Dad, why do you look like something bad has just happened?” Braxton asked, Robbert smiled at him, trying to make it look happy but his son knew the difference, “No easy way of saying this but Hails called and she said mum has just died in a car crash on her way to work this morning, I’m booking flights for all of us to head down and be with Hailey” Robbert said before his son dropped his coffee in shock, the kitchen was filled with glass breaking as Braxton cried out in shock slamming into his father’s chest, “NO!!! I WANT MUM NOW! NO THIS IS SOME SICK FUCKED UP DREAM!” He roared, while Robbert held onto his son tightly while crying, “I’m so sorry son, it’s not a dream fucken wished it was.” Robbert spoke softly to his son, “Oh god Hailey is all alone down in Brisbane with fucken Adam. Dad he gives off vibes that he would sexually touch Hailey if given the chance.” He informed his father while Robbert looked at his son in shock and anger, “Explain now, as she has never told me this.” He spoke trying to contain his own emotions.
“She has never liked him, Dad, she said he gives her creepy vibes but has no proof.” He told me, “Right, tell work you are taking two weeks off, I’m off to book flights.” Robbert snapped storming towards his office and turning on the lights, fan, aircon and laptop, sitting down in his office chair looking sadly at his photos of his children, “Fuck Hails has that cunt done something to you?” He thought out loud, no fucken way is his daughter staying living with that man, going to have a big fight over having her living with us. Once the computer was awake and ready, he started searching for flights out of the closest city, argh fuck this is going to take a lot out of his savings he thought. Let’s hope Adam does not expect me to be paying for her funeral too. “Oi dad you got the tickets?” Braxton asked me, “Working on it son, how did work take it?” He asked, Braxton grumbled, “They want me to only take a week.” He told his father, “No, son, take two due to having to travel to it.” He told him, his son nodded his head, “I had told the boss that, then I made it four weeks as I want to chill and spend time with Hails and because they upset me they can look for someone to work my job for a month, they are going to have fun trying to find someone who does everything I do.” His son spoke with such confidence in his voice, “No you are lucky with having a triple skill set, do not mistake that you’re just a number and they will easily replace you if you play up too much for them.” He informed his son, “Right go text your brothers and sister that we are flying out of Whitsunday Airport three this afternoon, tell them to hurry up and get here so we can drive to the airport to get to our flight on time. I did not book return flights just yet as I don’t know what is going on, but also booked three hotel rooms down the road from your mum’s house, as I don’t think there’s room for all of us to stay.” Braxton nodded his head while typing away on his phone, Robbert started turning everything off in the office and at the wall, before heading into his room to start packing his bag.
