Chapter 13 - Gen 5 - Amber

A little distraction :)

by Cain

Trying to get close to my Grandson Everett was becoming a tiring game.  I have struggled for years arguing with Ashley, and not once speaking to Alex, and now Everett seriously does not want anything to do with me or our family, and I suppose I can not really blame him after the mess that Alex has made of everything.  I have had to sit back and watched him growing up from a distance, Ashley not letting us see him, now he had just become a teenager, so I have tried to get to Everett himself, but all I am hitting is a brick wall.  I have tried to speak to him by phone and online but he really does not want to know!!! 

It was a mess, and I really can not believe that it has been so long since I have spoken to Alex, my son won't even answer his phone to me, he does not answer it to any of us, not even Amber can get through to him.

I am still reeling from what happened earlier today when I tried to talk to him face to face.  The minute he saw me coming he started to walk away, not helped by the fact that my timing stinks, which I did not realise at the time, I really picked the wrong time to try to talk to him.

"Everett wait please, I really would like to talk to you!!"

"Look Mr I know exactly who you are and I am not interested, and you can tell that so called Dad of mine the same applies to him too!!"

He went inside and slammed the door.

The girl he was with started to talk to me.

"Everett is a little upset at the moment, he will probably speak to you when he has calmed down!!"

"Has something happened?"

"You don't know?  Maybe you should talk to Alex, you are his Dad aren't you?!"

"Yes I am - has Alex done something to upset Everett?"

"You could say that, I can't believe you don't know, they have had another baby Ashley and Alex which has caused a lot of trouble!!"

"Another baby!!"

"Yes, Ashley married Bertie because she was pregnant but then the baby turns out not to be Berties but Alex's, they had a right bust up and Ashley has left Everett and the baby here with their grandmother and just taken off with Bertie, he made her chose him or the kids because he didn't want anything to do with the baby."

"Does Alex know that she has left the kids?"

"He hardly bothers with Everett and I think he is more interested in trying to save his relationship with that Lilac woman to care about Everett and Lawrence, he never answers his phone, Everett's Gran has been trying to get in touch with him but he just ignore the calls."

I had not even had time to take in what the girl had told me earlier, I had come home angry and upset and wandering if it wasn't about time I stepped in and tried to straighten out this mess.  Alex needed a good kick up the backside.   I started to work out while I thought about what I was going to do.  When my phone started to ring, I could feel it vibrating in my pocket and nearly didn't answer it, but it is just a good job that I did.

"Hello is this Cain Ugli."

"Yes, can I help you."

"I am Mary Smith and I work for social services, I am trying to get in touch with your son, Alex, in regard to Lawrence Heirloom."

"What about Lawrence, he is my grandson, can I help?"

"Well Mr Ugli, your grandson is about to be taken into social services care unless we can find a family member who can take him in."

"I thought Raspberry was looking after him."

"Unfortunately Mr Ugli, Raspberry passed on this afternoon and his Mother is not interested in taking him."

"What about Everett, what is happening to my other grandson?"

"He has been placed with his Great Aunt, Strawberry, it was what he wanted he said he would rather go into a childrens home than go to his Dad, but with Lawrence, as Strawberry is elderly she doesn't feel she is capable of looking after such a young child at her age."

"I am on my way, I'll take Lawrence."

There was no way I was going to let social services take my grandson into care.

After being given custody of Lawrence, I took him home, he can't walk or talk so doubted he was potty trained.  I fed and changed him and put him to bed for the night.  I knew the minute that Amber set eyes on him she would throw a wobble, but once I told her who he was and what had happened she wandered off just happy that he would not be living here permanently, she can not hack her own children let alone somebody elses, even her own nephew she couldn't wait to get away from.

He woke pretty early so I made a start on teaching him to talk while I waited for a decent time when I could go round to Adams with Lawrence and tackle Alex over the situation.

 I had half a mind to keep the child, my children so far have not been doing a very good job of rearing their children.  First Amber who doesn't seem to care about her children and won't go anywhere near them, now Alex and the mess he has made of being a Dad.  I am beginning to wander if me not being there when they were children has affected them in some way and I blame myself a little, I worry that Alex is not up to looking after Lawrence.

"Dad, you are out bright and early."

"Adam, where is your brother?"

"Upstairs asleep, who is the little man?"

"Lawrence - I take it you know who he is."

"Oh, Ashley never lets him out of her sight so how have you got him?"

"Its a long story, I need to see Alex."

"Go up, you might have trouble waking him though, he got a little drunk last night."

"ALEX WAKE UP!!"

"DAD?!"

"Well I hope you are proud of the mess you have made!!"

"Don't ......."

"No .... I remember you giving me a hard time once, for not being there when you were children, I had no choice not even knowing you existed, but here you are with two children that you do know about and you are blatantly not giving a shit about your kids and what is happening to them!!"

"Is that....?"

"Your son, yes!!!."

"How do you have him? Ashley won't let me near him!!"

"Alex, Do you ever answer your phone?"

"Not much."

"Well you should try answering it sometime!!"

"I am so angry with you right now, I have half a mind to make you pack your bags and take you home, you obviously are making a right mess of your life and you are dragging your kids down with you!!"

"Why do you have Lawrence Dad?"

"I saved him from the social worker that was about to place both of your kids into care!!!"

"What!?"

"I don't know what the hell you and Ashley have been playing at but both of you don't deserve to have these kids, she has just dumped her elderly mother with Everett and Lawrence and taken off with her new husband and you, you just don't seem to care from where I am standing!!"

"That's not true!!"

"So how did it get to this Alex?"

"I don't know!!"

"Everett is with his Aunt Strawberry, if you are even bothered, that should have been your first question - where is Everett?.   Raspberry died yesterday and social services have contacted Ashley but she didn't want the kids, both of you have chosen your love life over your children, you both should be ashamed of yourselves!!!!"

"You don't have a clue what it has been like for me Dad!!"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, I warned you, your dumping on Ashley when she was pregnant was the biggest mistake of your life, whatever has happened to you since is your own fault!!  All I can see is that you have not fought for your children very well!!!"

"I have tried so hard to get close to Everett but she kept pushing me away, she has been evil and given me hell"

"Come on Alex, she couldn't have been that bad, else how did this little one happen?"

"That was the only way I could get to see Everett."

"So if you slept with her she let you see Everett, is that what you are saying?"

"Basically."

"You are an Idiot Alex!!"

"Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing, you aren't quite the angel either are you Dad!!"

"My situation was totally different and you know it!!"

"Look, she kept telling me she loves me, I saw a way to get her to let me see Everett, so I led her on a little, she wanted me to leave Lilac but I couldn't, she was sneaking around behind Bertie's back and I was sneaking about behind Lilac's, it has been going on for years, I did what I did to get near Everett, I didn't know what else to do.  It all went pear shaped when she found out she was pregnant, but I didn't expect it to be my kid.  When Lawrence turned out to be mine, she just started all over again pushing me away because Bertie was kicking off and so was Lilac, I know its a mess and now Ive lost everything, Lilac has kicked me out, Everett doesn't want to know me, so please Dad, I don't need you telling me I've made mistakes, I know already!!!"

"So, am I keeping him or are you going to be a Dad and take responsibility for your son?"

"Of course I'll take him, it is what I wanted all along!!"

"And Everett?"

"I am just going to have to keep working on him, it might be easier if Ashley is not around him filling his head with rubbish!!"
"Get his name changed, he's an Ugli not an Heirloom!!"

Adam had been in the room and quietly listening for a while.

"Now its your turn Adam!!"

"What?!"

"You are not much better, but at least you have had the sense not to be having babies all over the place."

"What did I do?"

"Michela  - Regan, I never know from one week to the next who you are with, you too have been bouncing between two women since you left home.  Now, out of the blue you go and marry some random vampire, that I have never seen or heard talk of before ... and what happened to our wedding invites?"

"Dad, you don't recognise her do you?

"Recognise who?"

"That random vampire - as you called her - don't you recognise her?"

"No why should I?"

"It's Michela!!"

"Oh!!  She looks so much different - Adam please tell me you are not considering becoming a vampire, I am not sure I like the idea!!"

"No, I don't have any intention of becoming a vampire and I think Michela is regretting it now, I just wished there was a cure for it."

"You do know it is going to cause problems don't you!!"

"Yes I know I am going to grow old and die a long time before she will, we have talked it all through"

"Just as long as your sure you know what you are letting yourself in for."

"I do but maybe you need to start getting used to the idea now that your next grandchild is going to be a vampire"

"You're having a baby?"

"Yes we found out yesterday."

I left Alex teaching Lawrence to talk.  I hope he is up to the job of being his Dad, but he knows I will be watching him and if he needs my help he knows where I am.

I now have something else to worry about, my next grandchild being a vampire, that is something that is going to take me a while to get my head round.  Plus I still have Amber and her problem to fix.  I swear my kids are getting harder work the older they get, I will be worrying about them all till the day I die.

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Chapter 14

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I got the pop up about Raspberry being old and dying and the child would be placed into care etc. etc and as usual I reacted :/

Ashley has done a bunk, moved to a different house, leaving her two kids behind - living with her elderly mother.  SP definately has been very busy splitting this family up!!!!

I couldn't let the little mite go into social service system - although i did think about getting Cain to adopt the kid as he still has a wish locked in for 10 children. But as it is not Cains generation I got Cain to grab him and dropped him off at Alex's - who has also moved from the house he was living in with Lilac, he is now living in a house with Adam and his vampire wife :/