Chapter 2: Stephen's Life

Stephen had been thinking when he started today's jog that it was hard to believe five years had elapsed since his wife had been killed. They'd married a few weeks after Susan had turned 21; she'd just qualified as a school teacher. She was a mere two years younger than him. Although it had been considered very young to marry and some had believed it wouldn't last, they had enjoyed a wonderful 21 years together. Sure there had been the ups and downs that all relationships seemed to have, but the joys of making up after a minor argument just made it all the more worthwhile.

Although Susan had to frequently change schools as he continually got posted to different places, fortunately she always seemed to be able to get a new position. They'd had four years with just the two of them before being blessed with two children, two years apart. Even after having the children she was able to get work, which she was able to fit in with caring for the kids and running a loving and happy home, always happy to make her career subservient to his. He'd seen too many examples where both members of a couple tried unsuccessfully (as far as their marriage was concerned) to combine two full careers with a family and was pleased that they both agreed that one or the other should be the main provider and in their case it should be him with his better career prospects.

It seemed a long time ago now, but one year after the birth of their second child, they agreed that they didn't want a third, convinced it would be another boy. Besides they thought that two was the ideal number, especially as they had to move so much in the Army. Consequently, as they didn't want her to keep taking the pill, it was a joint decision that he'd be the one to undergo the 'snip', ensuring that they had no further offspring.

Both of their children were boys, who seemed to take after their father and were keen sportsmen. In some ways, this turned out to be the catalyst for ruining his life, because one day when he was off elsewhere on duty, Susan was ferrying the two boys to play football in Yass. A semitrailer and a 4WD collided head-on because the 4WD apparently veered to the wrong side of the single lane highway. She was unable to avoid the semi-trailer as it ploughed into her car, killing all three of them instantly.

The subsequent phone call he got was burned and embedded in his memory forever.

They were already financially well off by this stage. When his parents died, he'd inherited their estate, with well over a million dollars coming from the sale of their older home in what was now a fashionable part of Sydney, but the surprise was to discover that they had also accumulated almost another million in savings and shares. He thought they'd spent most of their savings on living expenses, but apparently some of his father's investments performed particularly well.

He was an only child and his parents had both turned 40 by the time he was born. His dad went first from a heart attack when he was 85, being six years older than his mum. She lived less than a year after he'd passed away, died from a broken heart Stephen reckoned as they had always been inseparable.

Some of that inheritance had been used to upgrade their home to the dream house that Susan had spied one day. Unfortunately they had less than five years in it, but she had loved their new mansion as she enjoyed calling it.

More recently, at a time when he didn't really need it, he got a considerable insurance settlement for Susan's death. He was already getting her superannuation. Now with his significant Army pension, retiring as a Colonel with 30 years' service, he had more money coming in than he could possibly spend and that didn't count his investments.

He was a multi millionaire but with no partner to share his life, no family and few friends because of all the moving he'd done as part of his service. Sure he'd made lots of friends and colleagues from his Army days that would only be too happy to share a glass or three with him, but not the close friends one would want to share quality time with.

He'd only really retired because he had been offered a posting he didn't want and decided that, as he didn't need to work for money, he would find something else to do. He didn't know what yet, although he had spent some time writing a few short stories that he published on storiesonline.net and had now started writing a longer novel. He knew he was no great author, but enjoyed the relaxation of writing, especially when nothing depended on it.

One thing that had always disappointed him was his non-acceptance by his in-laws. They had never thought him good enough for their daughter, not wanting her to marry an army person, even an officer with a potentially good career. They were also not happy with the constant moving Stephen and Susan had had to endure. After Susan and their two boys were killed, they somehow seemed to blame him for the loss of their daughter and grandchildren. It was his job to ferry the kids around, not be off playing soldiers, they had said. The fact that his wife regularly drove hundreds of kilometres each way to see them and was a very competent driver was somehow forgotten.

He realised that he hadn't seen his in-laws since the funeral and what's more was unlikely to ever see them again, not that he minded that much. He just wished he could see his wife and kids again.

As a child, he grew up in Sydney and attended school there, but had lost contact with his school mates once he joined the Army. He had attended the Army's Duntroon College for four years and it was during his final year he met her at a dance. They hit it off immediately. She always told him how dashing he looked in his uniform and she had been so proud of him as she watched him graduate.

The next year was difficult, as he was posted to Brisbane and she had to remain in Canberra to finish her teaching degree, which would take another two years. They only managed to see each other about once a month, but they both ran up big phone bills. There was no internet or email in those days.