Even After All

Part Fifty Six

Chapter Fifty Six

Her brother’s house was a beautiful colonial style house at the bottom of the mountains that seemed to rise majestically from the north of the city. It had a huge veranda at the back that basked in the evening sun, and over looked the twenty metre long pool. It was luxurious, but her father assured her that it was a modest house in relation to some of the mansions nearby. Dylan had stayed at the hotel sorting out some business, it was the longest time away from the office that he’d spent in years and since landing in Chiang Mai, he’d been having regular messages from Brandy amongst others, and as she hadn’t seen Gareth for a long time, she was glad to be making the first trip alone. She didn’t need the hassle of the two men clashing horns, and secretly, she wanted to smooth the water with her brother first. The previous afternoon, she’d walked into the hotel bar to see Dylan and her father talking...really talking, and getting along. When they both looked up at her, she knew they’d spoken, truly spoken, and she felt pleasure radiating out of her. That was all she wanted, a simple future. Whilst she was honest and knew that nothing was ever that easy, she also felt that if her family and Dylan were good, then the rest was purely incidental.

Her and Dylan, they could deal with anything together.

Gareth had been sat on the veranda looking out when they’d entered the garden. Her father was comfortable and at home in the house, which was as it should be as he was living in the same grounds.

Gareth stood when he saw her and gave her a rib threatening hug, but all affection ended as he held her at arm’s length, “where is he?”

Matilda sighed, “Gareth please, can you just accept things as they are?”

He shook his head, “do you have any idea how worried we’ve been about you the last few years? Because we have been. That man ruined everything, he abandoned you, left you when you needed him, broke you when you were at your most vulnerable, and hurt you...”

She held up a hand to silence him, “I am FULLY aware of how I was when we split up, but it wasn’t all his fault.” When he made a gasp of disbelief, she shook her head, “I have forgiven him, I understand. What is there about that that you don’t get?”

                “He hurt you...”

She laughed, “yes he did...but I hurt him too. Let’s ask a more deep and probing question, why are you so dead set against him? And how do you know how it has been for me these last years? Because you moved out here when Mum died, you weren’t there, you don’t know how it’s been. You abandoned me and Dad, just as much as he did.”

                “You bitch!” He was right, but Matilda wasn’t about to back down, he HAD left, and he was now interfering in her life when he hadn’t bothered to be involved in it for years.

                “That maybe, but where’ve you been the last five years? And I don’t mean physically. You don’t call, email, you haven’t been home in four years. So don’t pretend that you have some right to dictate in my life.” She didn’t know where the anger was coming from. It wasn’t his fault, but she was sick of everyone interfering, and she was defensive for Dylan. It was easier to deal with her issues with her brother than let the two men attack each other. Her father and Gareth’s girlfriend Suni were already looking anxious.

                “I have my own life to live Matilda, and forgive me if I’m not screwing it up like you!”

She laughed, “you hit the nail on the head, spot on. You live YOUR life, and I live mine. I make decisions, and if I forgive Dylan for his role in things, then it’s up to you, accept him...accept us, or don’t. It’s pretty simple.”