The Sweetest Little Thing

Chapter 1

Ten years later...

"Aggie,"my mother called out. Every time I heard her voice I cringed and rolled my eyes. "Can you please come in here. Your father and I wish to talk with you,"my mother continued. I silently groaned wondering what could be that important that she'd disturb me while I was...well while I was in the middle of reading a great book. I was sitting on the sundeck overlooking our multi-million-dollar view from our Melbourne home. A light breeze was blowing and I was before I was so rudely interrupted disappearing into the persuasions of Jane Austin one of my favourite authors. I grumbled a bit more as I closed my book and placed my hands on the edge of the deck chair pushing up to stand before making my way into the lounge room where my mother and father sat on the same sofa side by side but oddly at opposite ends as far away from each other as possible. Clearly something was up. "Hey, sweetheart,"my father said making me smile. His country twang was more prominent than usual. My father was born in a small outback town of Queensland and he grew up where the dialect was a little rougher than those born in the city. The small town he grew up in was charming, sweetheart was a word used often, tipping their hats even shaking hands mixed with the friendliest of greeting, a smile. It did give me joy to see such things considering I lived in a city where most people wouldn't even give a sideways glance to others that walked beside them. No hello as you sat by someone one a train...friendly greetings were few and far between. I smiled as my father got up off the couch to kiss me on the cheek before retaking his seat. This was yet another outback charm of his, something I suspect his mother, my Nanna ingrained into him. My mother both loves and hates his old school charms, she loved them because she feel for them but apparently she no longer adores them as the look on my mother's face is one that could kill a thousand souls. She's a bitter woman and for years I've wondered what on earth made her this way. I gave her a quick smile as I took a seat in the small single lazy boy chair across from my parents and watched as they both look at each other. There exchanged glances are silent talk for what's to come next. The look in my mother's eyes informs me that this conversation isn't going to be one I want to hear but I have no choice. They'd called me here and now I'll have to listen to what they wish to tell me. "What's going on?"I asked trying to break the weird awkward feeling I felt circulating around the room. My father's mouth moved but nothing came out. I swallow hard and prepared myself for the chastising I know that coming my way. I bet that's what this was about. My parents only ever sat me down if I was in trouble, maybe skipping their socialite dinner the other night to hit up the club scene wasn't such a good idea. I was positive my mother had set it up for me to meet one of her influential friend's son's...she wanted me married off sooner rather than later and she didn't really care to who. Actually that was a lie she had been telling me since I was a teen that I had to marry a certain class of gentlemen and that anyone below that class would never be good enough. Apparently she lived in the stone age where the upper, middle and lower classes still existed. My father on the other hand well he was far kinder in his nature. He most likely wouldn't care that I skipped out, my mother however is going to lose her marbles and rant and rave about this for days, weeks using this as blackmail to get me to do what she wants. "We're getting a divorce,"my mother unexpectedly announced. O.K, wow! I wasn't expecting that. Holy hell and just like that the wind is knocked out of my chest and I'm finding it very hard to breath. Divorce is the last words I was expecting to hear slip from my mother's lips. "Caroline,"my father scolded. "That was not how we rehearsed it,"he continued. "Oh how did you rehearse it; how did you think that this was going to pan out. Blurting it out as mother just did wouldn't be how I'd break the news to a daughter,"I remarked. "What your mother is trying to say is we're not happy together and so we've come to the decision to separate,"my father spoke. His words are no less shocking them my mother's abrupt announcement. "I thought you two were happy,"I said. "For heaven's sake Preston, tell the girl what you've done. How you've screwed me and her into the ground. Tell her the real reason behind why I'm leaving you,"my mother shouted, her words were like venom she was being a bitch and all because things were not going the way she wanted them too. Control freak, manipulator...venomous. Ok so I don't have the best relationship with my mother, I haven't in many years and I don't expect I'd ever have a good relationship with her. I looked toward my father, strain clearly on his face as he ran a hand down his cheek silently groaning. "What's going on, what's wrong Daddy,"I asked. "As you know I've invested a large sum of our money with the firm McAlister, Collins and Beekman. They've been the go to company for years but lately they've been having trouble and apparently they're going under.""They're going under, as in closing down?"I asked. "The company has been swindling money from hedge funds and supposedly their clients to bankroll the company, to keep it afloat. It's been hearsay that certain high profile people have been using their money to line the big wigs pockets, to bribe them for bigger returns from their investments. The company has been under investigation for some time and apparently the large sums of money I had invested with the company have put me into the spotlight and now I'm under investigation,"my father stated with a sigh. "What do you mean you're under investigation?"I inquired. "A very large portion of my money was entrusted to the company, they invested it on my behalf in the stock market and other businesses across the world. I'm being watched, I'm now under investigation for fraud because apparently my money is missing and they believe I know more about the company then I should. What I'm trying to say is that we've practically lost everything and now I'm under examination for lining the pockets of supposed corrupt men. Apparently my money along with many others, it funded some shady business dealing,"he exhaled as he continued to tell me exactly what was going on. Apparently it didn't matter if my father was innocent or guilty the federal government was looking into his financial history. Inflating values, hedge fund fraud...our accounts were frozen including mine. My father was under investigation for corruption, for something to do with...well I tried to blank out after I heard about us losing everything. This was a lot of information to process but what I couldn't quite understand was why my mother would think this was her husband's stuff up, that it was my father's fault. Clearly it was the fault of the investment firm my father trusted with his money not him himself. I turned my gaze to my mother who stuck her nose up at the man beside her. How the high and mighty fall. Her snob like behaviour made my eyes roll over and over again. She was mental. "So we've lost everything,"I uttered still a little confused, actually I was shocked to be honest. "Yes sweetheart, I've got the lawyers working on it. They've filed junctions and have begun action against the company but it could be months, years even a decade before we see any of our money returned. However, I'm still under investigation and until they clear my name things could get ugly. If they believe I had anything to do with it, if they believe I willingly funded the corruption or worst believe I was part of the corruption then I could go to prison for a very, very long time,"he answered. Oh hell, I knew it was a shit economy and family friends had been losing money left, right and centre but I'd never expected us, our family to be in the same basket. I never expected my father to be under investigation on top of everything and that there could possibly be a chance that my father would be locked away in a prison for a crime I knew he'd never commit. He wasn't a horrible man, just the opposite. He was the best man I knew, the only man I knew who'd never break a woman's heart and never ever hurt a girl. "So let me get this straight, you're leaving my father all because he's poor, because he could possibly go to prison?"I remarked as I turn my glare back to my mother. "Cold heartless bitch,"I whispered under my breath. "Do you honestly think I'm that shallow Aggie?"she replied. I cackled. I wouldn't put it past her, after all she married my father Preston for money and the instant he apparently loses it due to a bad business decision she bails. "It's bloody obvious that you're shallow Caroline. Daddy needs our support, not for you to file for divorce at the first sight of a hiccup in your marriage,"I remarked. "See how she speaks to me Preston. Clearly she has no respect for me,"Caroline declared. "Of course I have no respect for you. How could I when you're willing to throw away everything,"I remarked. "Stupid, naïve little girl. You're such a romantic and it's sickening. The world isn't full of rainbows and butterflies. It's a harsh cruel place that eats you up and spits you out,"she replied with a nasty tone to her words. She was good at this, at stabbing you with a knife in the back and twisting it around and around until you couldn't bear the pain any longer. This is what she had been doing to me from the moment she decided that I was old enough for her to mould. I took a deep breath in through my nose and out my mouth deciding not to take her bait and fight with her about this, but honestly I'd love to put her in her place to yell and scream at her for being what I could only describe as the worst mother of all. I wasn't stupid, naive or young like I once was and yes I was a hopeless romantic but I knew the world wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, the world wasn't black and white it was splashed in a thousand shade of colours. Big, bright and beautiful and if my mother couldn't see that, if she was blind to it too bad for her. "What are you going to do?"I asked my father deciding to ignore my mother. "Your mother's filed for divorce and as per our pre-nuptial agreement she receives half of everything. Unfortunately, if she want's half of everything then she needs to understand that I have to sell the house, the cars and the whole shebang of our things that will fetch a decent price in order for her to receive a dime. She won't receive anything until the investigation is over and she'd lived away from me for more than a year,"he answered. 

This was crazy, extremely crazy. How could my mother even think about leaving a man she vowed to be together with forever and ever until death parts them from this world. Clearly her vows meant nothing but a whole bag of horse shit to her. "If you sell this house where would you go?"I asked him "Honestly Aggie, do you not care about me,"my mother interjected. "Anyone who decides to divorce my father because he loses his money is nothing more than money hungry scumbag in my eyes, so don't you dare start asking me if I care about you because it's been blatantly obvious that for many years you've never given a shit about me or daddy for that matter,"I angrily grumbled the words flying from my lips. Honestly, how could she, she had to be ashamed of herself. The look of horror on my mother's face was amazing...awesome even because I know she was disgusted by my words but most of all she was hurt by them. The truth hurts and that's something I've grown to know over my years but the worst part of my lessons learnt is that there are vindictive, cruel and very nasty human beings out there that harbour such hatred in themselves that they often let it spew out and infect others. This was my mother and as much as it was sad, I thought it was simply pathetic. My mother knew the type of person she was, how horrible of a person she had become over the years. After all her best friend Lillianna was forced into hospital due to a mental breakdown after her husband Scott divorced her a year ago. She had had been the sole provider for the household and when she lost everything in the financial crisis, her husband Scott the asshole wasn't going to stick around to help her through the stress of something life changing. Clearly my mother and Scott were in a basket all of their own, inconsiderate human beings who obviously deserved each other. 

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, but we're going to have to sell your inner city Melbourne apartment. Your car unfortunately is something you'll have to part with and as for your trust fund it's been frozen until the investigation is over but I will warn you that the money inside it might have to be used to pay back my lawyers and probably your mother,"he declared. I licked my lips. Oddly I didn't give two shits about the apartment or trust fund but I loved my car, it had been a gift for my eighteenth birthday and that was going to be a little harder to part with than anything else. "Where are we going to live?"I asked as supposedly all our homes, assets etc. would no longer be ours.

 "That's the thing. I've organised with Uncle Scott for you to go and have some time away in the country. I know it's been a while since you've seen my family but they're extremely happy to have you come and live with them, at least until everything gets sorted,"he responded. Wow! I wasn't expecting that. How the hell could he send me away when he needed me here. I swallowed, my throat becoming dry I needed some water. "I can even stay with Peyton if need be,"I voiced. I didn't want to leave the city, everything my life was here.

 "I'd love for you to be here in Melbourne, close to me but while I'm under investigation it's just too hard. This case is going be in the media and I can't have you dragged into this. For the sake of your protection and my own sanity please,"he pleaded.

 So that was the reason why my father was shipping me interstate, out into the Queensland outback. I hope he knew that only for him would I ever do such a thing, would I leave Melbourne for Queensland. I shook my head letting him know that I'd go willingly and without a fight. I watched as my father get up off his leather lounge and walked away. Clearly this was all too much for him. He turned back and smiled at me. 

"I've booked your flight and bus, you leave in the morning,"he uttered before leaving the room. "I guess I should be packing for Flindersville,"I mumbled getting up out of the lazy boy. I'd have to head across town to the inner city apartment to grab my things since that's where my whole life was. "Do I not even warrant a goodbye?"my mother voiced. "What do you want me to say, thank you for ruining this. For ripping out my father's heart. Thank you,"I sarcastically threw my words. "How did I ever breed such a horrible child.""I wasn't always like this. Don't you remember how happy I was. You ruined that when you told me I'd never be good enough for anyone unless I did something about it. You made me feel so insignificant, so small that everything you told me when I was fifteen I took to heart. I began to believe that I wasn't ever going to find a man to love me.""Are you saying I forced you to get plastic surgery?""Oh please, you might not have forced me but you were pretty damn convincing that without it I'd be nothing,"I responded. "If you want me to say goodbye, goodbye mother but don't you ever expect anything else from me because this girl, this woman standing in front of you that's the woman I am now and you have no one to blame for this but yourself,"I added walking away. "Aggie,"my mother called out. "Just remember, no man in the wretched town of Flindersville will ever be good enough for you,"mother snickered.