Part 24
We drove a few more hours before reaching the small town called cobar. Passing its old, but large museum bulding that surprised me due to the size of the town. We passed a small supermarket, some clothing stores, a commonwealth bank aswell as other stores that were common in the small towns. Looking for a decent hotel we decided to camp out at a place called "The Barrier Motel".
Seemingly ok, but obviously in competition with the hotel accross the street.
Jim settled in and decided to have a rest and i thought i might go for a walk and see what else there was in this place of 3000 people maximum. I walked down the main street passing a small library that looked less informative than a childrens school library. There was a small flower shop with a covered side ally where there was a selection of ponds and fountains. I walked around the corner past a festival supermarket and the local shire counsil to a park. One of the nice parks ive seen. Small compaired to the city ones but beautifully green. Palm trees, and there was an almond tree. And a nice looking old kids playground. I sat down on the bench and though about everything. Stephanie, Jen... everything.
I saw a girl walking down the street with her mother, well i assumed it was her mother. She was carrying bags. She almost looked like Steph. She did look like steph.
I stood and ran towards her and she turned to look at me.
"RANDY!!!" she cried and i kept running and lept into her arms.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" the woman i assumed to be Julie screamed and pushed me onto the street.
"YOU GET AWAY FROM HER" i shouted back, not knowing exactly what i was doing, all i knew is the fact that i was dealing with a mad woman.
"Julie... you know who i am!"
"NO! you're some strange boy trying to steel my daughter. SHE'S MY DAUGHTER!"
"She's my sister... Im your son... Randy"
She stumbled back and looked confused. I heard the sound of a police car moving up the street and it stopped next to us. Mum and Dad jumped out followed by dectective Noble who flashed his badge at her and told her she was under arest.
She looked at Paul and brought her hand to her mouth.
"Julie... let go"
"Paul? Paul you came back to me!! Hannah this is your father Paul! he left us but he's back!"
"Steph come here" Dad said and she ran to him before he finished the sentence.
"Hannah... come here... what are you doing! He left you... he left us!!! and you're taking his side"
Se looked angry and confused. looking at mum and not knowing who she was or what was going on.
For some reason, suddenly she stopped raving, and looking angry... all she did was cry. She fell to he knees and cried.
"I... Im so sorry. I didnt mean to... god whats happened to me! I... Randy... Im... so incredibly sorry... Hannah... My little hannah... Did you find her?"
"You killed her didnt you Julie?"
"I... no... i didnt... Not on purpose... oh god what have i done! Im so sorry!"
She stood and her tears still streamed down her cheeks. She looked down the street and began to run onto the road. The truck blared its horn and the sound of the bullbar coming in contact with her body echoed in my ears. Steph buried her head in dads arms and i went to hug her, feeling mums arms around me as i did so.
Sargent Noble said that she would have been put in a mental institute. She was medically proven to be insane not long before and she didnt even know what she was doing most of the time. We all went home, i thanked Jim and said that he was welcome to come visit any time. I wish that meeting my real mother had happened under different circumstances, but i was happy to have everything back to normal.
it turned out that the reason Jens mother wouldnt let her come and stay with her aunt was because they were moving here! She moved into a nice house 3 streets down and we went to school together. The whole thing for steph turned out to be great for her self esteem. She found a boyfriend and started getting friends. me, Steph and Jen started doing music together, busking in the street singing songs that dad, Uncle Paul and Uncle Tim helped us write and people loved it.
All in all the whole thing turned out for the best. And there is one thing that i will always remember. When the glass seems half empty, Something can always make you see that its half full... and all you have to do then, is fill it the rest of the way... by living.
The End
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