𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE; WALL STREET CRASH

The year was 1929, and in the early hours of a harshly cold October morning, Caroline lovingly held her daughter all the more tighter to her figure, producing body heat to keep her warm during her slumber. Then, with adorning eyes, she scanned Charlie who slept on the small cot bed on the other side of the wagon. He was a big boy now and didn't want to share with his parents in contrast to his surrogate sister of which whom felt safer within touch of her parents.

Then, she sighed to feel Thomas's side which has grown cold over the many hours that he'd left. Their relationship had improved significantly due to a shared interest of communication, consistent consideration and commitment, but his mental health had taken a turn for the worse, and it seemed to be that it was a quest that Thomas nor Caroline could conquer, no matter how many cigarettes, gin and tonics or lines of cocaine they took to ease their suffering.

Caroline's nostrils engulfed the delicate hint of dirt in the air, and with it her brain flooded with pictures of him. His face just as soft as the first day she saw him, his eyes twinkling with joy and his gums glistening as he gurned. So much time had passed since then, and all Caroline had left of her brother was the occasional fleeting memory. She had lost the sound of his voice and the touch of his skin. Her chest ached as she thought of what she had lost. No one had ever replaced him, and no one ever would, nobody except his daughter, of course.

She peered around the open. Practically in the middle of nowhere with monochrome hills stretched out for miles, she slumped against the side of the caravan and reminisced of how their father took them on a hiking holiday many years before they understood how much of a cruel man he could be - back to when she didn't have a care in the world - to when she foolishly believed she was loved, but her love for her sibling was no joke. She missed him greatly.

"Cheer up." Oscar whispered playfully into her ear. "It won't be long until you're back here with us."

Caroline stared ahead with a dead expression. "It hurts, you know. I don't need you to remind me of the pain when you drop in on me unexpectedly."

Oscar's smirk widened as he moved in front of his sister to gain her attention. "It's not unexpectedly when you think about us every second of every day."

"Now you're just being cocky."

"I learnt from the best." He puffed a laugh. "The pain reminds you that it was real - that we were all real; myself, father John, everyone."

Caroline licked her lips with a faint grin. "Believe me, I know you were all real."

"So, why are you still moping about?" Oscar extended his arms and suggested to the area around him. "You're at peace with fresh air in your lungs and a healthy marriage with beautiful children. What could possibly be so horrible in your new life that you still feel sorrowful?"

"You're not in it." She released a shaky sigh before continuing. "Although they are my family too, Thomas is surrounded by his blood relatives and I don't have anyone."

"Who in God's are you talking to?" Oscar disappeared, only to be replaced by a familiar face. "You're an absolute nutter of a woman, you know."

Caroline shrugged absentmindedly. "Be that as it may, don't you have work to tend to? You aren't being paid to dig a hole for no reason."

"Daddy!"

"Oh, come here, you."

She turned around, only to find Rose jumping into Tommy's arms, both with fond smiles on their faces as they melted into one another's embrace. In no way did she and Charlie share resemblance, but for the fact that Thomas treated her as her own, Caroline couldn't have been more proud to witness such a beautifully blossomed relationship between the duo. In fact, she and Thomas decided it was best to keep her real father's identity concealed, for to tell the truth would only leave heartache.