A New Beginning
Entry by: GinnyVir
7th July 2017
Scrunch! The sound made Florin flinch. He swung his other leg from the vehicle more carefully. Crunch! He may as well have trodden in a box of Lego.
-------------
'Daddy? Daddy! Daddy wake up! It's Monday! My first day Daddy! Wake up wake up wake up!'
'Ok, ok Robert, I'm awake'
'Your eyes are closed Daddy!'
Robert peered close into His fathers face, sticky fingers gently pulled his eyelids up. Florin rolled over.
'DADDY! Mummy says you have to help me get dressed Daddy, she says I mustn't be late for my first day Daddy. Daddy!..
...hehehe he heeee!'
Robert squealed with glee as Florin rolled back towards him and lifted him above his head.
-----------
Sighing, Florin stood, and took in the house in front of him. The drive was huge, yet apart from his trusty old Dodge there wasn't a car in sight.
In contrast, the facade of the house was fully
occupied. Every window held a window box, most of which were watched over by a gargoyle, ivy climbed across the eastern wing, and any gaps in the plants and stonework were full of moss.
'Mr Roberts?' Florin flinched again, perhaps he hadn't chosen the wisest of aliases. He turned back to his car, composing his features as he pocketed the key.
'Mr Roberts?'
'Yessir'
'Then welcome to Purtlebury Hall Roberts'
'Thank you sir'
'Have much ground keeping experience, Roberts?'
'Nosir, but I've always enjoyed gardening, and I think you'll find I can be handy where any heavy lifting is required'
'I can see that Roberts, but none of this Sir business, we don't stand on ceremony here at Purtlebury, just call me Hillary.'
'In that case, I prefer Stanley'.
'Of course Stanley, are you ready to look around? We are quite proud of our gardens here, no Kew of course, but I think you'll agree that we have done well with what we have'.
------------
He felt her arm slip around his waist, it seemed to fit there, it always had done, since their beginning. 'It's beautiful here, isn't it?'
They kissed then, Lauren up on her tip toes, Florin leaning his neck right down. Not a desperate, hungry kiss, those only happened rarely now, but a kiss of shared happiness, a slow peck of contentment.
'He certainly seems to be enjoying it' Florin smiled down at her. Their son was hanging upside down on the climbing frame.
'Mummy! I'm stuck!'
'Robert's don't get stuck' Lauren laughed, as if his name somehow imbued him with its stability. Perhaps it did.
--------
Florin followed Hillary around the house. Now THAT was a name with stability. Not like Florin, or Stanley, or any of the names he had taken over the years.
These gardens WERE beautiful. Rugged, like the house, and bursting with life. Hillary showed Florin where the heavy equipment was kept, and then walked him around to his quarters.
'You settle yourself in here for the afternoon, and meet us in the kitchens at 6.30, you are to meet the family this evening, so dress right, and wash up properly, you look like you've been gardening already!' Hillary jogged off, he had an impressive turn of speed for a man of his age, perhaps these gardens would provide enough of a challenge for Florin too. Prevent another relapse.
-------
'Daddy, what is your job?' Robert looked up at him with worried eyes.
'I am an astronaut' Florin's smile gave away his joke.
'Daddy, please, Peter says you are a layabout, what's a layabout?'
'A very lucky person, who doesn't have to have a job'. Florin smiled down at his son, Robert nodded, then
'Can I be a layabout too then Daddy? Oh. Unintended outcome there, Lauren wouldn't be pleased.
'You can be an astronaut Robert, much more exciting'.
Florin frowned, Robert seemed satisfied, but it was true, he didn't work now, Lauren looked after them financially, and that grated. How could he work without being found though? Impossible, probably.
'I look after you Robert, that's my job. Am I doing ok?' Robert ran into him. A huge cuddle told Florin that he was.
'Stop it Daddy, that tickles, hehe heeeee.
Lauren walked in then.
'Are tickles happening? Why wasn't I invited?'.
-------
Florin looked around his quarters. Sparser than his the home he had become used to with Lauren. It seems ridiculous that he had felt that he had had something to prove back then.
Standing up, he looked at himself critically in the mirror. He could see why he had never really been part of the Dad's group. At 6'6" tall and almost as broad, he did appear imposing. That and the fact that he appeared early 30's meant that the others hadn't seen him as their peers. They were well-to-do, worked hard, were paid well, and were not overly involved in bringing up their children. He understood why they had wanted to rile him, he had been taught to deal with the jealousy from others from a very young age, but still he had let them get to him, and now that life was over.
That life. It had been the only life he had ever wanted. He remembered rumours, when he was growing up, of Brothers who had escaped the craft, had disappeared and made themselves a normal life. He had thought he was one of them for a while.
---------
'Come on Florin! Show us what you can do!'
They were all a little drunk. Florin included. He knew he shouldn't have gone that night, he was still feeling tender after that conversation with Robert, but he had wanted to prove that he was one of them. That he was fine.
He had made that stupid boast, and then they had wanted proof. Who knew that there were street cameras there?
------
He had gone and made a specatacle of himself. He had been caught on camera, and now The Brothers were looking for him again. He had had to leave them, or Robert might be in danger, so here he was again. Running. Hiding. Not living.
Just a few weeks ago he was happy, but he had messed it up, he had had his new beginning. He wouldn't get another.
-------------
'Daddy? Daddy! Daddy wake up! It's Monday! My first day Daddy! Wake up wake up wake up!'
'Ok, ok Robert, I'm awake'
'Your eyes are closed Daddy!'
Robert peered close into His fathers face, sticky fingers gently pulled his eyelids up. Florin rolled over.
'DADDY! Mummy says you have to help me get dressed Daddy, she says I mustn't be late for my first day Daddy. Daddy!..
...hehehe he heeee!'
Robert squealed with glee as Florin rolled back towards him and lifted him above his head.
-----------
Sighing, Florin stood, and took in the house in front of him. The drive was huge, yet apart from his trusty old Dodge there wasn't a car in sight.
In contrast, the facade of the house was fully
occupied. Every window held a window box, most of which were watched over by a gargoyle, ivy climbed across the eastern wing, and any gaps in the plants and stonework were full of moss.
'Mr Roberts?' Florin flinched again, perhaps he hadn't chosen the wisest of aliases. He turned back to his car, composing his features as he pocketed the key.
'Mr Roberts?'
'Yessir'
'Then welcome to Purtlebury Hall Roberts'
'Thank you sir'
'Have much ground keeping experience, Roberts?'
'Nosir, but I've always enjoyed gardening, and I think you'll find I can be handy where any heavy lifting is required'
'I can see that Roberts, but none of this Sir business, we don't stand on ceremony here at Purtlebury, just call me Hillary.'
'In that case, I prefer Stanley'.
'Of course Stanley, are you ready to look around? We are quite proud of our gardens here, no Kew of course, but I think you'll agree that we have done well with what we have'.
------------
He felt her arm slip around his waist, it seemed to fit there, it always had done, since their beginning. 'It's beautiful here, isn't it?'
They kissed then, Lauren up on her tip toes, Florin leaning his neck right down. Not a desperate, hungry kiss, those only happened rarely now, but a kiss of shared happiness, a slow peck of contentment.
'He certainly seems to be enjoying it' Florin smiled down at her. Their son was hanging upside down on the climbing frame.
'Mummy! I'm stuck!'
'Robert's don't get stuck' Lauren laughed, as if his name somehow imbued him with its stability. Perhaps it did.
--------
Florin followed Hillary around the house. Now THAT was a name with stability. Not like Florin, or Stanley, or any of the names he had taken over the years.
These gardens WERE beautiful. Rugged, like the house, and bursting with life. Hillary showed Florin where the heavy equipment was kept, and then walked him around to his quarters.
'You settle yourself in here for the afternoon, and meet us in the kitchens at 6.30, you are to meet the family this evening, so dress right, and wash up properly, you look like you've been gardening already!' Hillary jogged off, he had an impressive turn of speed for a man of his age, perhaps these gardens would provide enough of a challenge for Florin too. Prevent another relapse.
-------
'Daddy, what is your job?' Robert looked up at him with worried eyes.
'I am an astronaut' Florin's smile gave away his joke.
'Daddy, please, Peter says you are a layabout, what's a layabout?'
'A very lucky person, who doesn't have to have a job'. Florin smiled down at his son, Robert nodded, then
'Can I be a layabout too then Daddy? Oh. Unintended outcome there, Lauren wouldn't be pleased.
'You can be an astronaut Robert, much more exciting'.
Florin frowned, Robert seemed satisfied, but it was true, he didn't work now, Lauren looked after them financially, and that grated. How could he work without being found though? Impossible, probably.
'I look after you Robert, that's my job. Am I doing ok?' Robert ran into him. A huge cuddle told Florin that he was.
'Stop it Daddy, that tickles, hehe heeeee.
Lauren walked in then.
'Are tickles happening? Why wasn't I invited?'.
-------
Florin looked around his quarters. Sparser than his the home he had become used to with Lauren. It seems ridiculous that he had felt that he had had something to prove back then.
Standing up, he looked at himself critically in the mirror. He could see why he had never really been part of the Dad's group. At 6'6" tall and almost as broad, he did appear imposing. That and the fact that he appeared early 30's meant that the others hadn't seen him as their peers. They were well-to-do, worked hard, were paid well, and were not overly involved in bringing up their children. He understood why they had wanted to rile him, he had been taught to deal with the jealousy from others from a very young age, but still he had let them get to him, and now that life was over.
That life. It had been the only life he had ever wanted. He remembered rumours, when he was growing up, of Brothers who had escaped the craft, had disappeared and made themselves a normal life. He had thought he was one of them for a while.
---------
'Come on Florin! Show us what you can do!'
They were all a little drunk. Florin included. He knew he shouldn't have gone that night, he was still feeling tender after that conversation with Robert, but he had wanted to prove that he was one of them. That he was fine.
He had made that stupid boast, and then they had wanted proof. Who knew that there were street cameras there?
------
He had gone and made a specatacle of himself. He had been caught on camera, and now The Brothers were looking for him again. He had had to leave them, or Robert might be in danger, so here he was again. Running. Hiding. Not living.
Just a few weeks ago he was happy, but he had messed it up, he had had his new beginning. He wouldn't get another.
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