Chapter 63 Derrick
DERRICK
Derrick: The funeral was today. It was so beautiful and devastating.
Charlie: Wish I was there to hold your hand.
Derrick: Me too. The kids did so well. There were hundreds of people there.
Charlie: They were well loved. That would have been good for the kids to see.
Derrick: It was. All this is making me re-evaluate what I want out of life.
Charlie: Oh. It is.
Derrick: Not that it’s changed much but I want to get married, I want kids, I want a happily ever after with my soulmate.
Charlie: I think that’s what most people are looking for.
Derrick: Is it what you are looking for?
Charlie: Yes. Of course. But I’m not there yet.
My stomach sinks. He told you that in Hawaii.
Derrick: I know. Sorry. I’m all in my feelings.
Charlie: You never have to apologize for being honest with me.
Derrick: You don’t think I’m being weird.
Charlie: No. Never. I love your honesty. You wear your heart on your sleeve. But I do have to be honest, D, I can’t give you that happily ever after yet.
Derrick: I know … I’m just in my feels.
Charlie: I get it.
Derrick: Forget I said anything.
Charlie: Never. Just please give me time and faith because I swear, I believe I can be everything you’re looking for.
Tears fall down my cheeks. Oh shit.
Derrick: I’ll be waiting for you, don’t worry.
Charlie: I’m working hard for you.
Derrick: Fuck. I miss you. Can’t wait to see you.
Charlie: Me too. When you know dates, I’ll be ready and waiting for you.
“Is everyone ready?” Stacey asks. The family is spreading the ashes today, under the big gum tree that overlooks the dam, a special place for them all.
We jump into the farm Ute, and all the kids pile into the back, each holding an urn.
We make the journey out to the old gum tree.
Oscar helps the girls out of the Ute, and they dust themselves off and head toward the tree.
This is heartbreaking. Sienna and I hold hands as we walk toward an old picnic table sitting beside the now dried-up bank of the dam.
The sun is beginning to set as we all stop and look out over the landscape.
“Did you see that?” Hunter points to the four kangaroos hopping along the horizon.
Well damn, if that isn’t a sign. Sienna and I squeeze each other’s hands.
“There are four,” Jennifer counts.
“That’s a sign.” Stacey smiles, taking in the moment as does the rest of the family. “Does anyone want to say any words?”
“Love you, Mum, Dad, Pop, and Nan,” Amelia starts.
“Miss you all.” Jennifer sniffles. Becca shakes her head, too overcome with emotion.
“Look, star.” Lockie points to the lone star rising in the orange-streaked sky.
“Are you all ready?” Stacey asks, looking nervously at her family.
“Goodbye, guys. We hope you’re happy together.
Miss you all. I promise to look after everyone,” Stacey says through her tears.
Then, one by one, they each pour the ashes out, the wind taking them, scattering them across the red earth.
The four kangaroos stay on the horizon until the very last speck of ash has blown away. Then they bound off into the darkness.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” Hunter says to the group.
The kids have asked Sienna and me to join in on the family meeting. We leave for LA tomorrow so it’s our last night together.
“Is everything okay?” Stacey asks as she walks into the room, her eyes landing on her family, then us.
“We want to talk about what happens next,” Amelia tells her. Stacey looks confused and takes a seat.
“Hear them out before you say anything,” Oscar warns Stacey. Sienna and I head over and take over from Hunter, who is playing cars with Lockie.
“We’ve been talking …” Amelia starts. “Oscar, can you …?”
“The girls would like to talk to you about maybe living somewhere else,” Oscar explains gently.
“What the fuck!” Hunter raises his voice. Now that wasn’t at all who I thought would be blowing up, but I’m also surprised that the girls haven’t spoken to Hunter.
“Hunter,” Stacey scolds him.
“You can’t be serious. They want to move. Our parents have only just been cremated, and they are ready to forget them,” he says, lashing out at his sister who all burst into tears. Stacey quickly goes over and consoles them, while we try to keep Lockie’s attention somewhere else.
“Hunter,” Oscar’s booming voice echoes through the room. “I asked you to listen to them. It took a huge amount of courage for them to talk to me about this. Now I’m asking you to respectfully hear them out. The girls would like to talk to you about maybe considering a move back to LA.”
The room falls silent. Sienna and I look at each other over Lockie’s head.
“You want to leave?” Hunter asks his sisters.
“You have no idea, Hunter. We’re sick of being bullied and the kids making fun of us. We want a new life,” Amelia shouts at him.
“You’re getting bullied?” Stacey asks them.
“Because we’re different now,” Amelia tells her.
“What do you mean?” Stacey questions her.
“Because you’re with me,” Oscar explains.
“People are bullying you because of me?” Stacey asks, not quite believing it.
“They think we’re too good for them because we hang out with ‘celebrities,’” Jennifer adds in a mocking voice.
“You know how small this town is, Stace. Any little thing that makes you different makes you a target,” Amelia states.
“I had no idea,” Stacey exclaims.
“Mum never wanted to tell you. She thought it would make you feel bad,” Jennifer confirms.
“Of course, I feel bad. Why wouldn’t I? I’m the reason people are bullying you,” Stacey tells them.
“Tell her,” Becca urges her older sister.
“No,” Amelia says back.
“Tell me what?” Stacey looks between them.
“I swallowed some pills last year,” Amelia confesses.
Sienna and I still. Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“What!” Stacey’s voice rises.
“It was stupid. Nothing happened. I didn’t know what to do,” Amelia says, bursting into tears.
“Oh, Amelia. I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.” Stacey cries.
“I don’t want to go back to school, Stacey. Please,” Amelia begs. “It’s going to be so much worse. Everyone is going to treat us differently.”
“I don’t think your mum would want me to pull you from school,” Stacey tells her niece as tears fall down her cheeks.
“They couldn’t afford the private school. They looked into it,” Amelia confesses.
“Why did they not ask me for the money? I’d have helped,” Stacey tells her.
“The same reason you won’t let Oscar help you. Being stubborn is a family trait,” Amelia tells her aunt. She’s not wrong there. Stacey is stubborn.
“Where do you want to go?” Hunter asks quietly.
“I said they could live with us,” Oscar confesses.
“Oscar.” Stacey gasps.
“I told them it would be up to you to make the final decision, but they are welcome to live with us. We can even look at maybe purchasing a new house.”
Oh, Ragnar. You glorious man. Sienna and I smile at each other.
“Guessing the tradition of home gifting for Dirty Texas is going to be kept alive,” I whisper to Sienna, who is trying not to giggle.
“Oscar,” Stacey says, warning him.
“It’s not his fault, Aunt Stacey. We asked him,” Amelia confesses.
“I think Oscar and I have to talk about this.” Stacey doesn’t sound happy.
“You can’t be serious? You’re seriously thinking about moving everyone to LA?” Hunter asks.
“I said I need to talk to Oscar about it,” Stacey says through clenched teeth.
“I don’t understand,” he questions her.
“You can stay,” Amelia tells him, and the next thing we see is Hunter storming out the door.
“I’ll get him,” Oscar says.
“Stacey, please, just think about it,” Amelia pleads.
“I promise, I’ll think about it,” she says, giving her niece a smile.
Oscar and Stacey join us on the back veranda for drinks. All the kids have gone to bed early. Today has been a lot for them, but Stacey should be so proud of those kids, they are good kids. It was very brave and mature of them to voice their concerns to Stacey like they did.
“That was a bit intense,” I say, sipping my beer.
“I feel so bad for the girls,” Sienna adds.
“I don’t know what to do.” Stacey sighs, taking a swallow of beer.
“You should get married and adopt the kids,” I state. Oscar chokes on his drink. “What? You’re already engaged. You go to court next week to finalize the guardianship of the kids.”
“It’s not that simple, D,” Stacey says.
“Yes, it is. Oscar has enough money to hire good lawyers to speed up everything. The kids are having a crap time at school. It seems Amelia has already had a bad brush with depression. The kids are telling you they want a fresh start. Don’t you think they deserve that?
I’ve seen the way people in town look at your family.
Everyone is awkward. You can see the pity.
The kids pick up on all that shit. They’ve been through so much already.
” I don’t mean to push the subject because it’s not my family, but they bloody well feel like they are.
“You would have support back home with all of us being there. You wouldn’t be alone.
” I look over at Oscar, and he nods, letting me know he’s all in.
Stacey notices and looks between Oscar and me, and frowns.
“It will take a month or two to get your paperwork for the states ready. In that time, apply for a marriage license, and you can get married after thirty days. It’s done.
You’re a family. Then you can make a new life in America. ”
Stacey is staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“It might help our case being married,” Oscar adds.
“Ragnar, what the fuck? That’s not romantic.” I glare at him, but it kind of is. He’s just said he will marry her so he can adopt her nieces and nephew so that he can give them a new life in LA. Okay, I’ll shut up because that is fucking romantic. Stupid speaking before thinking.