Tom Murray worked at a foundry in his home town, it's here he met Mandy Grady; our two lovers fell deeply in love not realising that they were brother and sister.
After the devastating truth comes out it shatters their world, Mandy is with child, it's the result of their incestuous passion, and now with the help of his lifelong friend Tim Bradley, they hope to make a new start in America, where finally they can be a family.
*
"Tom...I'm sacred, I hope we are doing the right thing...Are we?" Mandy asks.
"We'll be fine...really, it's going to be ok; I promise you,it will." I say reassuringly.
Our flight is called for Boston USA, and nervously we board the jet, I keep thinking someone, I don't know who, will take my Mandy away from me.
We strap ourselves in and the plane roars into life, the plane takes off and as it rises into the sky it banks slightly and the pilot unknowingly gives us our last view of home.
Mandy is staring out the window, her eyes are filled with tears, and I touch her hand reassuringly and smile. I won't let you down Mandy, I won't. I think to myself.
After what seemed an eternity we touched down in Boston, we are both tried but excited as we get our first glimpse of the city from the air.
"Have you been to the USA before?" I whisper to Mandy.
"Yes...yes, mum and dad brought me to New York for a holiday when I was ten." She says, sadly.
"Well, we are here no together, let's make the best of it, all three of us."
"Ok Tom, I love you, love you so much."
We touchdown and after making our way through security we head to the baggage hall to collect our cases.
Instinctively I pull my mobile out to text Tim, and it has already signed on to a network.
Heeding Tim's warning I switch my phone off and I tell Mandy to do the same.
It's been so long since I've seeing Tim's uncle I am not sure if I will recognise him, we are like two lost souls in the airport and Mandy has a worried look on her face.
Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder and turning around I see a somewhat older version of Tim, it's his uncle.
"Tom and Mandy,am I right?" he says.
"Yes...yes we are, you, you are Tim's uncle Timothy,aren't you?" I ask.
"Yes, that's me my boy, and this must be Mandy, Tim told me about you."
"Yes, yes, I am Mr Bradley." She says, looking relived.
"Call me Uncle Tim, everybody does." He laughs
"Look, Uncle Tim, I...well, we can't thank you enough for helping us." I say.
"Now's not the time my boy, not here, let's get you both home safe first." He says, looking around.
We leave the airport and climb into his big black American SUV, its size has amazed me, I can scarcely believe how big it is.
We set off for his home in Wolderbash; he tells us it's about a two hour drive to his house.
Mandy and I are amaze by the sheer size of the roads and the amount of traffic as they go about their business blissfully unaware of the two illegal aliens onboard the big SUV.
I glance back at Mandy in the back and I see she has fallen asleep.
Finally we arrive at Tim's house and I am staggered by its size, there's a high wall around the perimeter and electronic gates with CCTV cameras.
He pushes a button and the gates swing open to greet us and we enter what I hope will be our sanctuary, our salvation.
"Right guys, this is going to be home now for a bit, best get used to it." He says.
"Are we here Tom?" Mandy asks sleepily, as she yawns waking up.
"Yes, yes we are my love...God would you look at the size of the place." I say forgetting Tim is beside me.
I'm looking at all this and wondering how on earth does a simple construction company that Tim runs pay for all of this, it has to be worth a few million I think to myself.
"Thanks Tim, I have worked hard for this, the US has been good to me." He laughs, as he gets out.
"Come on guys, leave the cases, Come, come this way and meet my wife." Tim says eagerly.
We enter the big house, if we thought the outside was incredible well...the inside was like something out of an American Cribs show on the TV, Mandy looks at me in disbelief at the size of it.
There's more CCTV cameras inside as well, I start to wonder what exactly this guy has to be afraid of with so much security about the place, what has he got to hide? I wonder to myself.
"Well now guys, this is Julie my wife, Julie these are the kids I told you about." Tim says.
I look at Julie, and somehow she looks familiar to me, she's about thirty and Uncle Tim I think is sixty, Tim never mentioned his uncle had a wife...I wonder why not? Well I suppose her forgot.
I suppose Timothy likes a young wife I guess. I think to myself.
"Welcome, welcome Mandy and Tom, we are delighted you made it over safe, come, come this way I have food for you both." Julie says, pointing to a dining room.
"Thanks Mrs Bradley, we'd be lost only for you and Uncle Tim." I say
"Call me Julie and Tom, there's no need to thank me guys, we have to help family." She says, smiling.
"God Julie, your home is amazing, really beautiful." Mandy says.
"Yes...Yes, both Tim and I are proud of it."
"Well Tom, how about a beer, I'd bet you could kill for a cold one?" Tim laughs.
"A cold beer would be most welcome, thanks."
"Come on this way to my Den, we'll leave the girls to get acquainted...That ok?" he asks
"Ya, ok, sure; lead the way."
We go into his Den, and it has it all, the pool table, video games, the works as the yanks might say.
He pulls me a glass of beer from his own bar and we settle down to talk but my eyes are drawn to yet more cameras, Jesus...! What is this guy up to? I think to myself.
"Oh, I see you noticed the cameras Tom." He laughs.
"Yes, yes I did, there are so many of them." I say, with a puzzled look on my face.
"Here, have a look at this, over here." He says, while pointing to a timber panelled wall.
Hopping up he takes a small remote from his pocked and presses it.
A concealed door slides back slowly to expose an array of display monitors and computer equipment.
He presses the remote again and all the small TV's flicker into life, you can watch almost every location in the house, every place, even bed rooms from here.
He also has a pool to the rear and both it and his garage can also be seen from here, even the inside of the garage as well.
"I like to keep my eye on everything Tom; you never know when they might call." He chuckles.
Well, whoever 'They' are; you don't what to be here when they call Tom. I think to myself.
"Look buddy, I know you are tired but we need to talk...and, well, I would prefer if you keep Mandy out of the loop for now. Is that ok with you?" He asks, as he sips his beer.
I wonder why all the secrecy...? What have I let us in for? I think to myself.
"Sure Uncle Tim, sure, we are glad to be here. Thank you; thank you so much, for both of us."
"Ah, don't you worry about that...you'll do fine here, I'll see to that, I promised Tim I would."
"What are we going to do here, look...We have a little money, but...Will we be ok?"
"Don't worry about money Tom, you and Mandy will live here for a while, we'll look after you.
There is something I have to ask, did you bring any paperwork with you?"
"Just our passports and a few other bits...why, is it important?" I ask nervously.
"Where are they?"
"In the case outside in the car, why?"
"Come on, show me." He says, getting up.
We go back out to the car and I take our cases out, Tim leads me around back to a big garage, and beside it is a small bungalow.
"This way Tom...Oh, and that's the guest house, it's going to be home for you and Mandy for a while, and don't worry, I have no cameras in there." He laughs, pointing to the bungalow.
"I use it for meetings now and then." He says.
I hand him the paperwork and passports and he carefully studies them all...shit, I notice Mandy has the two birth certificates in her papers.
I start to panic a bit in case he spots we are brother and sister.
"Ok Tom, I'll keep the passports, you won't be needing them now, and the paperwork will be burned, and if you have phones give me them too."
"Why do you need the passports?" I ask.
"Look, in two weeks time a couple like you and Mandy will return home with them, I have friends at the airport and it will look like you went back after a holiday.
I will send the phones home with them, it's all arranged with my nephew...and well, that couple will fly back again in a few days using their own US passports, simple as that, ok buddy."
"Fine Uncle Tim...that's fine I guess." I say.
I turn to walk back to his house wondering if I have made a terrible mistake, Tim calls me back.
"I have a question Tom, ah, well...a personal one, I hope you don't mind?" He quizzes.
"No...No, go right ahead and ask." I say, in a nervous tone.
"Is Mandy pregnant?"
"Yes, yes she is, did your nephew Tim say something?"
"No...no he didn't, I know that look, I have a couple of kids here myself but they are away at college." He laughs.