Graham concentrated on the road ahead as mile after mile of motorway crept past, already three hours into what would be a six-hour journey as he travelled towards home. Perhaps that was not strictly true he thought to himself, his home was where he had set off from that morning, in reality, he was heading towards his parent's home or more precisely now, his mother's home, his father's passing being the reason for his journey. He tried to keep his mind focused, indicating and changing lanes as he sped up. He had already had one close call, having allowed his mind to wander and suddenly realising he was only feet away from the vehicle in front of him. It had taken several minutes for his heart to beat normally again as he slowed substantially for a while. This was the first time in ten years that he had been back to where he was born, having left under a cloud when he was eighteen and until now, never having found a reason to return.
He had been a wilful child, the second of four his parents had brought into the world, the other three all girls. As a teenager, he had never been out of trouble, always happy to settle any argument with his fists. The police had been frequent visitors to his parent's home, as frequent as his visits to the courts and at sixteen the school had finally breathed a sigh of relief when they could, at last, get rid of him.
His mother had seen a job advertised in the local paper for an apprentice joiner and had made him go for an interview, he would be forever grateful that she did because he found that he had a natural aptitude for the job. He loved working with his hands and by the time he was eighteen he was doing exceedingly well. That wasn't to say he stayed away from trouble, his last court appearance just after his eighteenth birthday had been the wakeup call, especially when the magistrate told him that if he were dragged before them once more, he would be looking at a custodial sentence.
He indicated to leave the motorway and took the slip road for the services, what he needed was coffee and a chance to stretch his legs. He parked the Porsche before going into the complex and grabbing himself a Starbucks, finding a solitary empty table over in the corner and keeping his back to the throngs of travellers as he sipped at his drink, allowing his mind to drift back once more.
The court appearance had culminated in a blazing row at home with his father, the finger jabbing into his chest resulting in his dad sitting on his backside and his mother screaming at him to 'Get out and never come back.'
That was precisely what he had done, packing a bag before slamming the front door behind him, and for the next few months, he dossed at mates homes before his boss called him into the office one day. Andy, his boss, had heard on the grapevine about his predicament and made a suggestion.
'Now then lad, I have a friend, he's always on the lookout for good joiners. It's at the other end of the country though, but maybe that's what you need, a fresh start, away from here.'
They had talked for nearly an hour and he had finally agreed to give it a go, He would travel down the following week and his boss's friend, "Bob" would also help him find some accommodation. He had got on well with Bob, realising that he was more of a father figure than his own dad had been and over the next three years, he gradually became part of a new family. Bob was already approaching his sixties when he went to work for him, and Graham had enjoyed the next six years until one morning when he'd been pulled to one side.
'I'm thinking of retiring lad and I'm going to be selling the business.' Graham looked despondent at the prospect until Bob continued,
'I'm sure you would be able to get a loan, what do you think about buying me out. You've got the gumption to run a firm like this, if you could find a partner, I'm sure you could do well lad.'
He'd given it a lot of thought and then as luck would have it, one of his workmates, Alan, also thought it was a great idea and offered to come in with him. Due in no small part to Bob's assistance, he had got the loan and at the age of twenty-four had become the joint owner of the company. At first, they carried on doing what they knew best but then Graham came up with the idea of branching out into property development. Twelve months later, they had bought, renovated and sold two properties; they were not rolling in money, but their heads were above water, and they were reasonably successful. As he approached twenty-six, Alan had dropped a bombshell on him when he'd caught up with him one morning and told him that he wanted out. He liked the money, just wasn't fond of the hard work that it took, keeping the business afloat. Graham had managed to extend the loan and bought his partner out; the business would now succeed or fail on his shoulders alone. At first, he'd had to lay a couple of the lads off, but as he diversified once more into renovating already established properties, the firm took off and he was soon recruiting more staff.
His thoughts were interrupted as he was approached by a young woman, 'Sorry to disturb you, but all the tables are full at the moment. Do you mind if I sit here?'
At first, she had just sat, immersed in her phone, but had then started to chat to him asking where he was heading to. She had been hitching lifts and heading home and he wondered if that was why all the tables had been conveniently occupied. As it turned out, her destination was only nine miles away from his mothers and it seemed ill-mannered not to offer her a lift. Ellie was, she told him, twenty-four and on her way home from a project she had been working on. She had taken one look at the handsome young man sat in the corner and had wondered if he was going her way which was why she had made a beeline for his table.
Back out on the motorway, she had chatted incessantly, at least now his thoughts would not interrupt his driving as the miles continued to pass. Occasionally he glanced across at her, noting her natural beauty and telling her a little bit about himself. And then finally he was leaving the slip road as he drove through the rural scenery, his destination getting ever closer.
'This is my village,' she told him as he slowed going through its centre, 'You can drop me anywhere around here.'
He had pulled the car over, allowing her to retrieve her rucksack from the backseat when she leaned back in, 'Thanks for the lift, Graham...... err, I don't normally do this, but if you fancied going out one night, I owe you some drinks for getting me home.'
She had slipped him a scrap of paper, 'My telephone numbers on there...... if you fancy calling.'
She waved as she walked off, quickly disappearing down a side-street. Pushing it into his pocket, he continued to sit for a moment, glancing up and down the main road as he re-familiarised himself with his surroundings. Setting off again, he should be at his mum's in twenty-minutes, still thinking about Ellie as he turned into his old road and pulled up outside his parent's home. Leaving his cases in the car, he looked around, it appeared nothing had changed since the day that he had left. He opened the gate and walked up the path before ringing the doorbell, in the past, he would just have gone around back, but it was no longer his home, in part, it felt like a strangers house.
His mother opened the door, a look of surprise on her face as she realised who he was. He'd had no contact with his parents in all that time, text messages and the occasional phone call from Alice, his oldest sister, had kept him updated on some of the family news and the subsequent death of his father.
'Hi, mum,' was all he managed to get out before she had thrown herself at him hugging him tightly, despite what had happened in the past, he was still her son.
'Come in, come in.' she said as she led him through to the lounge, nothing in the house had seemingly changed either, everything exactly as he remembered it. They spent the next few hours becoming re-acquainted, his mother continually asking question after question as he told her how he had managed to turn his life around.
'Zoey should be home soon,' she said, asking where he was staying.
Zoey was his youngest sister and at nearly twenty-four would now have finished college. He had planned on looking for a bed and breakfast or a cheap hotel, forgetting that his sisters had also grown and had perhaps flown the coop.
'There's a spare room here if you need it, or perhaps you could stay with Gracie. She has her own house now and I know she has a spare room. Let me make a phone call.'
With that she disappeared into the hallway, not for mum the walkabout phones, she still had one connected to the wall, 'You can't lose it that way,' she told him.
She was speaking to Gracie when he heard the sound of the back door opening and then a gorgeous young woman came into the lounge and stood staring at him. He just sat there and watched her changing expressions as it suddenly dawned on her who he was.
'Graham?' She cried, as he stood, and only just in time, Zoey flinging herself across the room and wrapping her arms around him. The last time he had seen her she had been thirteen and precocious, the only one of his sisters that had time for him and would follow him around like a puppy dog. Now, she was a stunningly attractive young woman, and he was only too aware of her curves as she pressed herself against him.
Zoey stood back and looked at him, she remembered her brother young, with his mop of hair and always dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Now here he was in a suit and tie, looking every part the young businessman. He had filled out over the last ten years, his shoulders were wide, tapering to a slim waist, but it was his face that had changed the most with his now chiselled features.
'Are you staying here?' She asked.
'I was going to find a hotel, but mum's on the phone to Gracie, so I don't know yet,' he was telling his sister when his mum reappeared.
'Right, it's all sorted, you're staying at Gracie's, she is in and is expecting you,' he was told. He spent another hour with them as he asked about the funeral arrangements, surprised that everyone seemed to have got over that initial shock. When he got a moment alone with Zoey, he asked.
'It wasn't really a surprise,' she had told him, 'He'd had a couple of minor heart attacks and had been told to take it easy, but you knew dad, he just wouldn't stop.'
His father had been an accountant and nearly ten years older than his mother and must have been nearing retirement, but he had been a stubborn kind of a man as Graham remembered, never one to take advice and set in his ways. As his only son, he had wanted Graham to follow him into a nice comfy office job and had been deeply saddened to find that he had sired a delinquent.
'Right, I'd best make a move otherwise Gracie will think I've got lost.' He kissed them both before saying he would pop around again later. His mother had given him directions but from memory, he knew exactly where her house was located. It was only a fifteen-minute drive before he pulled up outside. Grabbing his briefcase from the car, he left his cases inside and made his way to her door, pressing the bell and waiting patiently. When the door opened, it was not the welcome he had been expecting.
'Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested. I'm expecting someone and I am far too busy. Good day to you.'
