Chapter 3

As darkness fell, I tried to decide what to do.

I had sat in the car park for the last couple of hours, watching people coming and going. Families, kids. Old people. I had particularly been fascinated by an old couple who had come in. He had gotten out and walked around the car to open her door. They kissed after she had gotten out.

Idly, with nothing better to do, I pondered them. Random thoughts. Was she his wife? Did they love each other? What secrets did they keep from each other? What lies was their relationship built on?

Bastards.

I hated them without knowing them.

I was trying to decide where to go. What to do. I was now out of a job. I had money in the bank, but I didn't know how long it would last.

Oh, and the big one, did I want to chance going back for my stuff?

Going back for it meant that I would risk seeing - them - again. I suppose, if I had have thought about it, the thing I feared the most was more them seeing me again.

I wasn't sure what I really thought about them anymore - me, them, us. To be totally honest, I was quite angry with them. Well, I was a lot of things, particularly when it came to Amy and my brother, but at the moment, anger seemed to be number one on the list. How dare they come back? First, they ask me to 'give them space', and then they make a point to come into my space!

Bastards!

One thing I particularly hated my parents for at that point was their insistence that I always look at any problem from the perspective of the other person. Oh, don't for a moment think I was prepared to even think about caring about, nor understanding their point of view, but I couldn't help but wonder why they had gone to the effort to all come. I mean, why now, and the one that puzzled me the most. Why all of them?

As I sat there, I decided that I wouldn't let them stop them getting my things. After all, it was all I had left. Everything else was all back in ... Melbourne?

With I sigh, I had stood and started a long slow amble back to my room. I did keep an eye out, but didn't see them anywhere near my door. I had stood in the shadows for a few minutes just to make sure, but didn't see anyone. The hire car was still parked in front of the room, but I didn't see them anywhere.

Almost guiltily I sneaked around to my front door. I paused at the door, just in case.

Silent. No light from under the door.

Summoning what courage I had left, I turned the key. There was no handle to turn, just a cheap handle for pulling the door closed.

I eased the door open to a darkened room.

Slipping into my room, I quietly shut the door behind me. I thought about turning on the light, but there was enough illumination coming in through the window to see my way to the dresser against the wall. My bag was on top, along with my charging ipad.

Disconnecting the ipads power cord, I looped the cord neatly before putting it in the front pocket of my backpack. Having filled my small bag with everything I owned, I scanned the room looking for anything I had forgotten. Nope. Got it all.

As I slipped out, I wondered what to do with the key. I had paid by the month in advance, and was paid up for another two weeks. I had paid a bond of two weeks rent up front, so I supposed I needed to return my key to get it back. Maybe I could even get a refund on the rest of the rent...

Approaching the office I had to pass by the communal kitchen and laundry. It was a pretty crappy set up, but it seemed popular with families who were looking for budget accommodation. The kitchen was large, and reasonably well set up with lots of pots, pans, plates, cutlery and all the other stuff usually found in the kitchen.

Walking passed the open door, I had glanced inside.

And stopped.

I looked down. My hands were shaking again. I screwed up my hands in a fist.

In that split second, I had seen them. My mother at the stove, cooking. Amy, leaning forwards across the table, a baby being fed from a jar. And my brother talking with my father.