#Blocked Toilet Adelaide

[blockeddrainstatewide]

Swift and Effective Blocked Toilet Solutions in Adelaide

[denaroplumbingadelaide]

Can a plumber fix a leaking toilet in Adelaide?

Is your toilet leaking in Adelaide? Our licensed plumbers provide expert repairs for all types of leaks, ensuring long-lasting solutions and preventing future issues. Contact us today.

[anytimeplumbing]

Leaking Toilet? The Hidden Costs You Don't Know About!

pests love moisture and humidity. Therefore, the hidden cost of Leaking Toilets could be severe pest manifestation.

[lonestarflight]

I was lucky enough to see Halley's Comet in 1986 by naked eye, would you believe looking through a toilet roll which blocked out street lights and moon in the small rural town of Robertstown in South Australia's north east pastoral district and it was a great sight. I have also been lucky enough to see during the day (getting close to dusk I believe) a shuttle's illuminated flight path travelling from south to north and I was looking to west of Adelaide and not sure what year that was. It could have been first shuttle flight back after Challenger but I can't remember what year. Anyway I would be able to work out which shuttle I saw just by the tracking information or is that a bit hard to be specific?

That's really cool! I was just a baby when the comet came by. I hope to live long enough to see it return.

But to answer your question, there wasn't a shuttle flying at the time. There was one planned (STS-61-E) but due to the Challenger Disaster, the shuttles was grounded.

"Back row: Samuel T. Durrance, Robert A. Parker, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Ronald A. Parise

Front row: Richard N. Richards, Jon A. McBride, David C. Leestma"

"Columbia was to carry the ASTRO-1 observatory, which would be used to make astronomical observations including observations of Halley's Comet. ASTRO-1 consisted of three ultraviolet telescopes mounted on two Spacelab pallets, controlled by the Instrument Pointing System (IPS) which was first tested on STS-51-F.

After the Challenger disaster, the flight was remanifested as STS-35 and several crew members were replaced. Both Richards and Leestma were reassigned to STS-28 while McBride left NASA in 1989. Vance D. Brand replaced McBride as the commander while Guy S. Gardner and John M. Lounge replaced Richards and Leestma, respectively."

It was planned to launch on March 6, 1986.

source

NASA ID: link, S86-25345

[abaplumbinginadelaide]

[electricaldeadshort]

Comprehensive Plumbing Services in Adelaide: A Complete Guide for Your Needs

Plumbing issues can strike at any time, and when they do, they can be a major inconvenience. Whether it's a leaking faucet, a clogged drain, or a burst pipe, these problems require swift and effective solutions. That's where professional plumbing services in Adelaide come into play. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the importance of plumbing services in Adelaide, the common plumbing problems residents face, and how to choose the right plumbing service provider. The Importance of Plumbing Services in Adelaide Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is a beautiful place to live, but it's not immune to plumbing problems. The city's unique climate, with hot summers and cool winters, can take a toll on plumbing systems. Regular maintenance and timely plumbing services are essential to keep your home or business running smoothly.

Preventative Maintenance: Plumbing services in Adelaide offer preventative maintenance to keep your plumbing system in top shape. Regular inspections can identify and address potential issues before they become major problems, saving you time and money in the long run.

Emergency Repairs: Plumbing emergencies can happen at any time, and they often require immediate attention. Whether it's a burst pipe, a sewer backup, or a gas leak, professional plumbers are available 24/7 to provide prompt and reliable emergency repairs.

Efficiency and Conservation: Adelaide is known for its efforts in water conservation, and a well-maintained plumbing system can contribute to these efforts. Plumbing services can help you install water-efficient fixtures, repair leaks, and conserve water, reducing your environmental footprint and lowering your water bills.

Common Plumbing Problems in Adelaide

Adelaide residents face a range of plumbing problems, some of which are unique to the area due to its climate and geographical features. Here are some of the most common plumbing issues you might encounter:

Blocked Drains: Adelaide's older neighborhoods often have tree-lined streets, which can lead to tree root intrusion into sewer lines. This results in blocked drains, causing backups and potential damage to your plumbing system.

Hot Water Issues: Extreme temperature fluctuations can strain hot water systems. You might experience issues with your water heater, such as insufficient hot water, strange noises, or leaks.

Leaking Taps and Toilets: Leaky taps and toilets are not only annoying but can also waste a significant amount of water over time. Plumbing services can repair or replace these fixtures to save you money and conserve water.

Gas Leaks: Natural gas is a common energy source in Adelaide homes, but gas leaks can be extremely dangerous. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, it's crucial to contact a professional plumbing service immediately.

Choosing the Right Plumbing Service Provider

Now that you understand the importance of plumbing services in Adelaide and the common plumbing issues you might encounter, it's essential to know how to select the right plumbing service provider. Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision:

Licensed and Insured: Always choose a plumbing service provider with the necessary licenses and insurance. This ensures that the company meets the industry standards and can handle any unexpected situations that may arise during the job.

Experience: Look for a plumbing company with a proven track record and years of experience in the Adelaide area. Experienced plumbers are more likely to have encountered a wide range of plumbing issues and can provide effective solutions.

24/7 Availability: Plumbing emergencies can happen at any time, so it's crucial to select a plumbing service that offers 24/7 availability. You need a plumber who can respond quickly when you need assistance the most.

Transparent Pricing: Request quotes from multiple plumbing service providers and compare their pricing. Be wary of unusually low prices, as they might indicate subpar service or hidden costs. Choose a provider with transparent pricing and no hidden fees.

Customer Reviews: Read online reviews and testimonials from previous customers to gauge the quality of service offered by the plumbing company. Positive reviews are a good sign of customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Plumbing services Adelaide are essential for maintaining the comfort and functionality of your home or business. From preventative maintenance to emergency repairs, professional plumbers play a crucial role in keeping your plumbing system in top condition. By understanding the common plumbing problems in Adelaide and following the tips for choosing the right plumbing service provider, you can ensure that your plumbing needs are met promptly and efficiently. Don't wait until a plumbing issue becomes a major problem—contact a reputable plumbing service in Adelaide today to keep your plumbing system running smoothly.

[abaplumbing]

What to do when there is a storm water blockage ?

A proper stormwater blockage system is essential as the rainwater can destroy the property and can have a severe impact on health; this a reason why households have their stormwater systems in their houses, but in case you find there is a blockage, call a plumber in Adelaide and see that stormwater drains are cleaned. 

 From flooded basements and blocked drainage systems to erosion and property damage, these are all consequences of failing to address stormwater blockages early on. So if you want to keep your property safe, dry, and in good condition - this post is for you! We'll share some practical tips to avoid costly damages caused by ignoring stormwater blockages. Let's get started!

 But before let us understand the concept of stormwater blockages

 What are Storm Water Blockages?

 Most of us are familiar with the dangers of ignoring blocked storm drains. Whenever there are heavy rains, water can pool in streets and parking lots, causing flooding and property damage. However, many people don't realize that ignored stormwater blockages can also cause costly damage to your sewer system. So remain aware of the different types of blockages that can occur and take the necessary steps to keep your storm drains clean and clear. You can then prevent costly damage to your property and protect your family's health.

 What causes blockages? 

 One of the reasons for stormwater blockages is leaves and debris. When these materials fall into a catch basin or storm drain, they can clog up the system and prevent water from flowing through. This can lead to flooding and other problems. 

  Another common reason is grease and oil. When cars are parked on the pavement, rain can wash away spills and track oil and grease into catch basins and storm drains. Once these materials build up, they can create a thick residue that traps water and prevents it from flowing properly.

  Finally, sediment can also accumulate in stormwater systems and cause blockages. Sediment comes from construction sites, parking lots, farms, and other land uses. It can be carried into catch basins by runoff or windblown dust. Over time, sediment builds up and creates a barrier that slows or blocks water flow.

 How to Spot Signs of a Potential Blockage?

 Unfortunately, many people remain unaware when there is a blockage, so it is best that you should spot signs of blockage, and these are:

·         Excess water pooling in and around areas where there is no chance of water getting accumulated.  

·         Unusual foul smells coming from drains or standing water 

·         Slow draining or no draining of water from gutters, downspouts, catch basins, or other drainage areas 

·         Sinks, toilets, or tubs that backup when water turns on 

·         Water leaking from joints in pipes 

·         If you notice any of these signs, take immediate action to prevent further damage. 

 Stormwater blockages can be easily avoided by regularly inspecting and maintaining stormwater systems and catch basins, cleaning out debris such as leaves and twigs, and ensuring that all drain pipes are clear. Regularly check for any changes in local water tables or levels to detect early signs of flooding.

 Preventive steps to take to clean blockages

 Most commercial properties are equipped with a stormwater system that helps to prevent flooding and water damage. However, if these systems are not properly maintained, they can become clogged and cause significant problems. Ignoring blockages in your stormwater system can lead to costly damages, so it's important to be proactive about preventative maintenance.

 There are a few preventative maintenance strategies you can use to avoid stormwater blockages:

 ·         Regularly inspect your stormwater system for blockages and remove any debris that you find. This will help to keep the system running smoothly and prevent future problems.

 ·         Check the inlets and drains to ascertain they're clear of leaves, dirt, and other debris. Clogged inlets and drains can cause water to back up into your building, so keep them clear.

 ·         Ascertain that all gutters and downspouts on your property are clean and debris cleared. Leaves and other materials can build up in these areas and cause blockages. Keeping them clean, ensure that water can flow freely through the system.

 ·         If you have a catch basin on your property, inspect it regularly and clean accumulated debris. Catch basins can become clogged easily, so keep on cleaning them.

 Regularly check the top of the drain grafting.

 Clean the area on and around the storm drain gate, and clean all debris like sticks and leaves and anything that you might find on the top of the grate or in its vicinity. Disposing of the same into receptacle areas ensures it does not reappear in the grafting. In some places, you can also keep a strainer on top of the grating to help keep the same clear.

 Prevent opening or unclogging the drain yourself 

 As many types of pollutants make their way into the storm drain, a clogged drain can contain pesticides, fertilizers, dead animals and many more toxic chemicals, do not clean clogged material yourself even if you are wearing protective gloves and clothing, Prevent digging deep into the storm drain where toxic materials are settled. The best is to call a professional plumber.

 In addition to maintaining clear drains, you also need to be aware of the areas around your property that are susceptible to flooding. This includes low-lying areas where water pools down and areas downstream from a blocked drain or culvert. If you know a storm is coming, take the time to clear debris from these areas in advance. You can help reduce the risk of flooding on your property. 

 Ultimately if you do experience flooding, don't wait to call for help. Reach for a professional plumber in Adelaide or water damage remediation service as soon as possible to minimize the damage and get your home back to normal. By taking these steps, you can avoid costly repairs and other expenses you might incur by ignoring blocked storm drains.

[rightnowplumber]

What are the main advantages of regular drain cleaning?

In many homes, drain cleaning takes a back seat in their to-do list, as they have to do so many other things that they forget an important part of their homes, drains. At Right Now Plumbing would like to suggest you keep regular drain cleaning also in their priority list, as slight ignorance can create a mess in homes, and the same can get so serious that it can get difficult to come out.

 Giving due attention to the drainage system can make your living comfortable, relaxed and happy. Your plumber in Adelaide will open and clean all the mess created.

 Why Should You Keep Your Drainage System clean?  

 Maintaining your plumbing system is an essential part of home ownership. Regular drain cleaning can also play a pertinent role in keeping your plumbing system functioning smoothly and preventing costly repairs. 

 Prevents clogs and blockages: Over time, drains can become clogged with hair, food particles, and other debris. These blockages can cause water to back up, leading to slow drainage and unpleasant odours. Regular drain cleaning can help prevent clogs from forming in the first place, saving you time and money in the long run.

 Improves water flow: When drains are clogged or partially blocked, water flow can get restricted, causing slow drainage and inefficient plumbing. Regular drain cleaning can improve water flow by removing built-up debris and restoring the proper function of your plumbing system.

  Reduces odours: Over time, organic matter such as hair, grease, and food particles in accumulate in your drains and create unpleasant odours. Regular cleaning can help remove these materials and keep your home smelling fresh.

  Extends the lifespan of your plumbing: When clogs and blockages are left unchecked, there is a strain on your plumbing system, which can cause premature wear and tear. Regular drain cleaning can help extend the lifespan of your pipes and prevent costly repairs.

  Promotes a hygienic environment: Clogged drains can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. Regular drain cleaning can help promote a hygienic living environment for you and your family.

  Saves money: Regular drain cleaning can help prevent costly repairs and replacements by catching potential problems early on. It can also improve the efficiency of your plumbing system, potentially saving you money on your water bill. It can well help maintain your plumbing system.

 However, you can adopt precautionary measures to retain the cleanliness of the drainage system. 

 Avoid disposing of any waste material in the drains like oils, grease, food wastes etc. Use a strainer in the sink to catch food debris and hair, and empty it regularly.  

 Use a plunger or drain snake to clear any clogs. You can also use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clean the drains. Pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain, let it sit for a few minutes, and then flush with hot water. 

 Be cautious of what goes down the drain: Avoid flushing non-biodegradable items, such as plastics, wipes, and feminine hygiene products down the toilet. These can cause blockages in the pipes. 

 Install a grease trap, a device that traps fats, oils, and grease before they enter the drainage system and prevent clogs and backups. 

 If you have persistent drain problems or suspect a blockage in the main sewer line, it's best to call a professional plumber to assess the situation.

 All these measures and tips can keep your drainage system clean and prevent potential problems. However, if the problem persists, call a plumber in Adelaide from Right Now Plumbing. The company offers highly specialized services in plumbing. Where ever you are facing drainage system problems like in Kitchen, toilet or bathroom, our plumbers can do all the needful for you. With us, you are saving 15 % of your labour cost and completing your online booking form from us.

 We have no call-out fees and are available 24/7 all over Adelaide's metropolitan areas. For more information, visit https://www.rightnowplumbingadelaide.com.au/.

[blockeddrainstatewide]

Effective Solutions for Blocked Drains in Norwood

Contact Our Experienced Blocked Drains Team in Norwood to Resolve Your Issues

Are you currently suffering from blocked drains Norwood? Contact Blocked Drain Services Statewide for high-quality services at affordable rates. From overflowing toilets, blocked showers, and blocked sewers to replacing collapsed or broken pipes, we are the leading and trusted local drain specialist.

Our company was founded with the hopes of providing clients with streamlined, specialised, and professional plumbing and gas services. Our team is passionate about providing an efficient, high quality and innovative service to our clients in Norwood with the same exceptional customer service qualities we have always had along the way. We are super-fast in providing blocked drain solutions to our clients. With meticulous attention to detail and precision-based care, we are committed to getting your property’s plumbing back on track as quickly and effectively as possible. We have extensive drain cleaning equipment for clearing all major and minor blockage problems.

Prompt Blocked Drain Services in Norwood

Do you need a drain cleared now? Call us today for same-day blocked drain service in Norwood. We are quick to arrive, and we come fully equipped with technologically advanced tools to locate and resolve your blocked drain problems. Our plumbing team is highly skilled in using CCTV drain cameras and hydro jet and will have your blocked drain cleared in no time. We deliver services with high-quality workmanship.

As a reliable plumber, we provide the following blocked drain services in Norwood:

Blocked drain cleaning and cleaning

Blocked toilet repairs

Hydro-jetting

Pipe relining

Pipe replacements

Whether your drains are cracked, broken, or deteriorated, we can provide a drain repair solution that best suits your needs. We believe in long-term, sustainable and affordable plumbing solutions. Regardless of the cause of blockages, we have the skills and expertise to deliver solutions. No job is too big or too small for our team. Our highly trained team ensures that we bring your plumbing system to its efficient running as soon as possible.

Click to add caption and link

Unclog Your Blocked Drains with Professionals in Norwood

Blocked drains are one of the plumbing emergencies in Norwood. As such, a fully qualified plumber should attend to it immediately before the problem has time to escalate. As professionals, we know that blocked drains can easily cause damage to your property, damage to your pipes and potential health risks due to the harmful bacteria thriving in stagnant water. Here are the signs to look for:

Strong and unpleasant smell from your drains

Slowly draining sinks, showers or both

Gurgling sounds when draining water, taking a shower, flushing the toilet

Your toilet is completely overflowing

Whether tree root infiltration into your drain has caused the problem or is due to other factors, such as foreign objects being put into your sinks and flushed into the toilet, we will provide you with a reliable solution. We provide expert advice and sustainable plumbing solutions to our clients. All our work is fully guaranteed. Our prices are also extremely competitive, with attractive discounts provided to pensioners, seniors and people living with a disability.

For More Information:-

Contact:- 0401400736

Address:- Adelaide, Australia

Website:- https://blockeddrainstatewide.com.au/blocked-drains-norwood/

[assignedplumbing]

Experienced Emergency Plumbers in Adelaide: What You Need to Know

Plumbing emergencies can happen at any time, day or night. When they do, it's important to have a reliable emergency plumber you can call on for assistance. In Adelaide, there are many experienced emergency plumbers who can provide prompt and professional service when you need it most. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at what you need to know about these plumbers and why they're so important.

What is an Emergency Plumbing Service?

Emergency plumbing services are designed to provide immediate assistance to homeowners and businesses who are experiencing a plumbing problem that requires urgent attention. These services are available 24/7 and can handle a wide range of issues, including burst pipes, overflowing toilets, and gas leaks.

In Adelaide, experienced Assigned Plumbing offer emergency plumbing services, and can usually respond to your call within a few hours. They understand that plumbing emergencies can cause serious damage to your home or business if not dealt with quickly, and they're committed to helping you get your plumbing system back in working order as soon as possible.

Why are Experienced Emergency Plumbers Important?

Experienced emergency plumbers are important for several reasons. First and foremost, they have the skills and knowledge needed to quickly diagnose and repair plumbing issues. This can save you time, money, and stress, as you won't have to wait long for your plumbing system to be fixed.

Experienced emergency plumbers also have the right tools and equipment to handle any plumbing problem. Whether you have a clogged drain or a broken water heater, they'll have the right tools and parts to get your system back up and running. This means you won't have to wait for parts to be ordered or for someone to bring in the right equipment, which can further delay the repair process.

Another important reason to choose an experienced emergency plumber is that they'll provide you with peace of mind. When you're dealing with a plumbing emergency, it can be stressful and overwhelming. However, knowing that you have a reliable plumber who can handle the situation can help put your mind at ease. You can rest assured that your plumbing system is in good hands and that the problem will be resolved as quickly as possible.

What Services Do Experienced Emergency Plumbers Offer?

Experienced emergency plumbers in Adelaide offer a wide range of services to help with any plumbing emergency. Some of the most common services include:

Burst pipe repair: A burst pipe can cause serious damage to your home or business if not dealt with quickly. Experienced emergency plumbers can quickly locate and repair the burst pipe, minimizing the damage to your property.

Blocked drain cleaning: If you have a blocked drain, an experienced emergency plumber can use specialized tools to clear the blockage and restore proper water flow.

Gas leak detection and repair: Gas leaks can be dangerous and require immediate attention. Experienced emergency plumbers can quickly locate and repair gas leaks to ensure the safety of your property and its occupants.

Hot water system repair: If your hot water system has failed, an experienced emergency plumber can diagnose the problem and repair or replace the system as needed.

Toilet repair: If your toilet is overflowing or won't flush, an experienced emergency plumber can quickly diagnose and repair the problem to restore normal function.

How to Choose an Experienced Emergency Plumber

Choosing an experienced emergency plumber in Adelaide can be overwhelming, especially if you're dealing with a plumbing emergency. However, there are several factors to consider that can help you make the right choice:

Licensing and insurance: Make sure the plumber you choose is licensed and insured. This will ensure that they have the necessary training and experience to handle your plumbing emergency and that you're protected in case of any accidents or damage to your property.

Availability: Look for a plumber who offers 24/7

[localbrisbaneplumber]

If You Have a Leaking Tap Adelaide Contact Adelaide 24 Hour Plumbing

If you have Leaking Tap, you’re probably here reading this post. This is not a great problem to have. It is a better problem than having your house on fire or something, but still, not great.Leaking Tap Adelaide, a problem?

This is a BIG problem if you have a Leaking Tap. This leads to other problems as well. If you have this problem, you might have water leaking into the foundation which is very expensive to fix.

Does Leaking Tap Adelaide affect anyone other than you?

Well, yeah. If you live in an apartment, then it affects your neighbours and other people that reside in the same building as you. A leaking Tap can affect your house value and cause you problems with your lawn. If you have one, it can even affect your back yard. There’s more to it than that though.

Leaking Tap Adelaide Yard or Garden problems?

You probably do have these problems if you are reading this. A leaking tap can be a huge problem and cause yards and gardens to be flooded with water. Yards with huge amounts of water in them can be caused by a Leaking Tap. It will then be a mud hole and all the grass will be gone. You will have to plant new grass once all the water drains out, which could take a long time!

Leaking Tap Adelaide Health risks?

Sure there are. If the problem is really bad, like you left the faucet leaking and the whole backyard is flooded, you have a health risk. Many insects, especially flies and mosquitoes like to breed in a damp environment. This includes standing water. Standing water is a danger no matter how you look at it. Standing water breeds insects, like it was just mentioned, and you may sink into mud.

Leaking Tap Adelaide is expensive!

Depending on where you live, you could use Adelaide 24 Hour Plumbing and Maintenance to fix your Leaking Tap problem. This business can also help prevent a leaking tap if you catch problems early enough! There’s a lot to be said for the proverb that “prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Leaking Tap Adelaide is a big problem

Also one that needs to be addressed immediately. Don’t wait until it begins to negatively affect you and your family with this. If it has already affected you and your family, don’t wait!

Leaking Tap Adelaide is something that can be prevented and fixed.

Not at the same time, however. Adelaide 24 Hour Plumbing is your saving grace if you can contact them. If you have a problem like this call them now. Spots are filling up fast as everyone doesn’t want their family affected by something that can be taken care of in a matter of hours. Call today and make that appointment. You won’t regret it.

If you have an issue with a blocked drain Adelaide or hot water system Adelaide, then you need a 24-hour plumber Adelaide or an emergency plumber Adelaide to service you. You might also reach out to a gas plumber Adelaide to help you. Its important that you have a plumber Adelaide or an Adelaide Plumber and Adelaide plumbers you can trust. Plumbers Adelaide offer excellent service. We also specialize in drain camera Adelaide and carbon monoxide testing Adelaide and plumbing Adelaide services.

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[lulu2992]

What I learned listening to Far Cry 5′s audio files

The game’s lore, as told by its characters.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Charlemagne “Sharky” Victor Boshaw

Biography

Sharky was conceived at the Grand View Hotel despite the fact his mother was on the pill and his father had a condom on. He calls himself a miracle because it sounds nicer than “unwanted”. His real name is Charlemagne and he got it from his uncle Charlie who won a bet with Sharky’s dad. Charlie had to get fake breasts and keep them for six months to have the right to name his nephew. He did and decided to eventually keep the breasts because they brought him luck. Sharky is Hurk Jr.’s cousin and the nephew of Hurk Sr. and Adelaide. In his family, he has another uncle, Stuart, who ripped his own penis in a church because he was on drugs, an aunt named Paula who looks like a vulture, a cousin who was a sex worker, and another who was a goat (but he’d rather not get into the details). His mother worked at a lumber mill. He claims his family has done “four generations of time” in prison. When he was little, he used to light fireworks with his “blitzed” grandfather on a parking lot. He tried to win a pie-eating contest to impress the first girl he kissed (a friend of Grace’s) but threw up on her shoes instead. When he was thirteen, his first date with Wendy Snorbush at the roller rake outside Fall’s End didn’t go as planned (he tried to touch her bra, she kicked him between the legs, he fell, and it created a “Tour de France accident”) so Sharky decided to light a trashcan on fire to make himself feel better. Even though the rake and half the city block burned as well, it did make him feel a lot better because he happens to be sexually aroused by fire. When he was fourteen, he had a girlfriend in each of the cabins at the Sacred Skies Youth Camp and claims he “finger blasted all of them”. As a kid, he used to go watch the bulls have sex at Kellett Cattle Co. to pass the time. A pilot from Lansdowne Airstrip once “stole” his girlfriend and, when he got her back, he burned the guy’s house. He cried for a week after a girl broke his heart but he then “rose up” like a “man-phoenix”.

Sharky claims he has “the biggest piss bottle collection you can imagine”. He started it because he says he hates to walk and barely has the courage to go to the toilet every morning. Interestingly, when he was younger, he instead used to empty all the bottles full of urine he found to get the deposit. He also used to do skateboarding tricks but just ended up in the hospital. One day, he kissed a skunk on accident and, at some point in his life, he went to jail. According to him, “eating pussy and kicking ass” is the way he lives his life. Well, mostly the “kicking ass” part because he’s actually pretty lonely… He says most people think he is stupid and don’t want to be friends with him. They are also “mean” and “judgy”, which is why he doesn’t want them to know he shamelessly loves disco music. Before working on his flamethrower, he used to work on a rocket launcher but he stopped because he realized he didn’t know where to find rockets. Sharky wanted to be a race car driver but there are too many rules. He never even wears a seatbelt... He doesn’t like religion much and doesn’t believe global warming is real. He says he is lactose intolerant, that he has “ADD”, and he describes himself as “an equalitist”. He hopes all the shooting will attract a Predator. Since he urinated on every wall in Fall’s End, he says that “according to dogs law, which Fall’s End was founded under”, he owns the town, not Eden’s Gate. He hates goats (because of a rumor about him). He also hates hospitals because they are full of old people.

Comments about other characters

Resistance

Sharky really likes the Deputy and sees them as a true friend. As “family”, even. When the fight against Eden’s Gate ends, he hopes they’ll still be friends and doesn’t want to go back to being on opposing sides.

He apparently doesn’t like Boomer. He says he’s ugly, that he smells bad, and that he looks like he “had his day a long time ago”. He doesn’t seem to hate other dogs and doesn’t have the same problem with Peaches or Cheeseburger. He writes poems and a lot of them are about his aunt Adelaide whom he’s always had a crush on. He’s also mildly attracted to Grace and Jess. When he was seven, he taught himself how to do “donuts” and other driving maneuvers with his cousin. Hurk Jr. was operating the pedals and Sharky was sitting on a pile of phone books stolen from his neighbors. He says it was pretty smart of them, especially considering all the paint chips they ate. They also used to go watch the Hope County Cougars every Sunday together, drunk. They have a team name: Shurky. At one point, he accidentally calls Nick “Daddy”.

He used to dress up as Clutch Nixon every Halloween.

Despite the name of his shop (Master Bait), Sharky says Dylan doesn’t like it when people actually masturbate in it.

He thinks Jerome might be the next messiah.

He says that Kim is hot, even pregnant.

He hates Wendell because he is old and gave peanuts and pennies instead of candies at Halloween.

Zip told him about the evil machines and spider eggs on Mars. Sharky just asked him what the name of his drug dealer was.

He frequently refers to the Resistance as “the Resisi”.

Eden’s Gate

Sharky hates Eden’s Gate and, like Adelaide and Hurk Jr., doesn’t understand why they don’t have sex. He explains they used to recruit people with barbecues. He once went and had what he says was the worst potato salad in his life. He doesn’t understand why they don’t just “go to Cuba live like kings” if they have so much money.

He uses various names for Joseph, like “(Big) Broseph” or “(DJ) Daddy Seed”. According to Sharky, John knows pressure points that can make people feel immense pain. He also makes fun of him a lot and, for this reason, hopes ghosts aren’t real because he doesn’t want John’s to haunt him. He calls him “old Johnson” at one point and says that, if he were him and owned his ranch, he would be “dicking down every female in this region”. Sharky frequently calls Jacob “Jake-n-Bake Seed”. He admits Faith has power over him and that he wouldn’t mind exploring her “bunker”. He says she’s interesting in a weird way but that he also hates her. He once saw her at a gas station and gave her 20 dollars for absolutely no reason. He used to think she was sweet and gentle and to love the sound of her voice. He still calls her a “witch”, though, and says the Pilgrimage is a stupid idea.

Other characters’ point of view

According to Adelaide, he always “looked at fire like it was wearing a bikini” and “the Boshaws aren’t the brightest”.

Dutch says many of his stunts ended badly but he admits he is a good fighter for the Resistance.

Grace confirms Sharky is the kid who threw up on her friend’s shoes years ago.

Hurk Jr., who is convinced the Judges are actually werewolves, says Sharky thinks they are just regular wolves on HGH. He also says he basically raised him and that he’s a good person, the “second coolest dude in Hope County”. As a kid, Sharky used to huff gasoline and, together, they jumped in front of cars to yell “surprise”. Mosquitoes like Sharky a lot, it seems.

Hurk Sr. explains Sharky is his sister’s son and that he once caught him “tugging it to a fireplace”. He tells the Deputy to stay away from him.

Jess advises him to “never go full furry” because he would “never come back”.

One NPC warns the Deputy that he loves to talk about “finger blasting”.

[drabblesofrapture]

The Empress’s Pawn (Superhero AU)

Hey kiddos, been awhile since we’ve posted. Anyway have yet another scene from our superhero au lol. -Mod Dusty

CW: prison setting, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation, betrayal

The hallway seemed to stretch out infinitely before Roxanne. From above her came the constant buzz from the harshly glowing lights, a sound that invaded each thought that raced through her mind. Off-white brick walls stared down at her from either side, occasionally interrupted by doors or another hallway branching off from this one. The numerous branching paths made the whole place seem like a maze; a design choice intentionally made to confuse any possible intruders or escapees, making it easy for them to become lost and later captured by the guard patrol. While Jeff’s facility overall was very impressive, the prison block where Roxanne now found herself in had to be her least favorite place within its walls.

The thud of her boots echoed loudly down the corridor as she walked, her cape billowing behind her. One arm clutched a folder full of documents tightly to her chest while the other was raised to her face to wipe a bit of sweat away from around the edges of her mask. It felt rather silly to have to wear her suit around the facility, especially when it caused her inconveniences; such as her cape becoming caught in doors or getting snagged on various things. In hindsight, maybe the cape wasn’t a great idea for her new hero persona. Wardrobe malfunctions aside, bearing with it was far better than risking the exposure of her identity. 

She kept her pace quick, her footsteps keeping a steady beat. Her gaze was locked dead ahead of her, not even giving a second glance to the few guards and staff members whom she passed along the way. Their waves and friendly greetings went unexpectedly unanswered, leading to many raised eyebrows and double takes. She stopped for nothing. Two guards stood in the middle of the hallway casually talking to each other and she briskly stepped around them without missing a beat. No hellos, no wishing anyone a wonderful day, she just kept walking. She had places to be today.

After a series of twists and turns down the labyrinthine complex of corridors and a lengthy security checkpoint, Roxanne eventually came before a huge steel door with a sign above it which read “MAXIMUM SECURITY CELL BLOCK.” On either side of the door were guards carrying heavy assault rifles and dressed in high-tech suits of armor; armor modeled directly after the former Hero Killer’s suit. They both snapped to attention as she approached, most likely former henchmen of her father. She simply held up a hand to put them at ease and pulled out her keycard to insert in the reader on the door’s right side. A pneumatic hiss emitted from the door as it suddenly lurched open an inch before slowly sliding the rest of the way open. She waited for the door to open completely and for the guards to give her the go-ahead before she finally stepped through. 

The cell block was a long hall with a high, arched ceiling. The walls were lined with -you guessed it- cells! In lieu of the traditional metal bars, the cell doors were made of reinforced plexiglass, allowing the villains imprisoned within to be fully visible to the guards. Many of the prisoners leered at Roxanne as she passed, getting right up against the glass and making obscene gestures at her and shouting their usual empty threats. 

Like everyone else, she completely ignored them. Occasionally she’d shoot them the cold glare her father had taught her -that would usually shut them up immediately- but not today. She kept walking until she reached the end of the hall where she came before another large steel door. This door was much bigger and thicker than the first door, resembling that of a vault door. Six guards stood in front of this door, all wearing the same high tech armor as the guards at the entrance to the cell block. However, these guards had been outfitted with advanced rifles specially designed for super powered individuals, all sporting the trademark Collinsworth logo. As Roxanne approached, all six guards moved to block her path.

The first guard held out his hand towards her. “You’re not authorized past this point, Ms. Witch.”

“Dude, it’s Mrs. Witch now!” another guard corrected. “Didn’t you know she got married to that Angel guy recently?”

“Gary, what have I said about your mouth and keeping it shut?” The first guard scolded, turning around to shoot what Roxanne assumed to be a scathing look at his comrade. She couldn’t really tell because of the helmets.

Gary cast his gaze at the floor and let his arms hang dejectedly at his sides. The guard next to him patted his shoulder consolingly.

“Like I said, you can’t be here.”

Roxanne stared indifferently at him as she fished around in the folder she was holding. With a flourish, she pulled a document out of it and presented it to the guard standing before her. “I am here to interrogate the prisoner on authorization of my father, the King.” she stated in a professional tone.

The guard snatched the document away from her. He clicked the visor on his helmet open so he could scrutinize the document more clearly, eyes landing on the King’s forged signature at the bottom.

“Alright,” he said, closing his visor and handing the document back to Roxanne. “It checks out, head on in. Just be careful in there kid.”

The guard motioned to the guard closest to the door who proceeded to input a code on the keypad next to it. A red light above the door began to flash and there was a loud buzz, followed by the sound of metal sliding against metal as several huge locks were unlocked. The latch was undone next, and the door slowly slid open in a dramatic fashion. Roxanne waited until the door was fully open before going in, but even then she found herself hesitating. Her hands tightened into fists, crushing the cardboard folder underneath her fingertips. Mustering her courage, she took a deep breath and marched through the doorway. Once she was in, she tried not to jump when she heard the door slam shut behind her and all the locks clicked back into place. She was alone now.

The room was essentially a concrete cube, where in the center stood another cube made of glass tinted so heavily that it could not be seen through. There were cameras in every corner of the room, all pointed at the glass cube in the center. The cube had a control console on the side facing the door. Steeling herself with another deep breath, Roxanne strode toward the console, setting the crumpled folder on the dash. She pressed a button on the console which caused the tint of the glass to lighten until it was once again transparent. The glass cube was actually another cell. Inside was a cot, a toilet, a sink complete with a vanity, a small desk with a chair, and a bookshelf. A tall, slim woman sat hunched over on the cot, her face obscured by her long, blonde hair, now matted and ratty by weeks of improper care. Pale blue eyes stared up at Roxanne through tangled strands. Chapped lips pulled back into a sinisterly sweet smile.

“Hello darling,” she cooed. “Come to pay your dear old auntie a visit?”

“Adelaide,” Roxanne said bluntly. “You’re looking well.”

Adelaide just hummed, clutching a split end between her thumb and forefinger and holding it up to eye level before letting it fall limply across her chest. “I’ve looked better. The conditions of this place are absolutely dreadful.”

“Not up to your ostentatiously high standards, hm?” Roxanne asked, tilting her head to the side.

“No, not at all,” Adelaide replied, scowling at the hero. She suddenly stood up from her cot and strode over to the vanity at the end of her cell, studying the reflection of herself and Roxanne in the mirror. “My offer is still open, you know. If you can break me out of this place, that is.”

“Oh? You mean the offer to sell my life away to you as your servant for eternity?”

“Oh darling, must you always think so little of me,” Adelaide sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She turned around and began walking to the window. “The offer to rule Rapture by my side.” Her smile widened and she clenched her fist, shaking it as she spoke. “I’ve taught you so well that the two of us working together would be unstoppable! Think of what you could do with that power! Your friends have made powerful enemies, you could make sure those malefactors never harm them ever again.”

Roxanne was silent for a moment. Adelaide’s smug grin strengthened as she saw the gears turning in the girl’s head. However, a smile began to spread across Roxanne’s face and she raised a hand to her mouth as she started giggling. She soon lost control and was doubled over laughing, both arms holding her stomach as she struggled to regain composure. Adelaide’s nostrils flared as the sneer dropped from her face, her eye twitching slightly at the pure disrespect being thrown at her. 

“You must be joking auntie!” Roxanne managed to squeak out as she wiped a tear from her eye, a couple more giggles escaping her lips. “I remember how inspired I used to get whenever you gave me those grand speeches. Pandering to all my hopes and dreams, manipulating me. It’s quite amusing how easily I used to fall for that.”

“I haven’t the slightest clue of what you mean darling,” Adelaide said, feigning ignorance.

“Sure.” Roxanne turned away from her, crossing her arms and peering at her from over her shoulder. “That’s all you do: manipulate others.You promise them fantastic things so long as they can do something for you, and once their purpose has been used up, you cast them aside.” She turned her back on her completely now. “There’s not a single person in your life that you haven’t done it to. The heroes you face, your henchmen, father-” she threw a piercing gaze at Adelaide “-even me.” 

“Well…” Adelaide paused for a moment, raising a hand to her chin. She let out a short sigh. “Yes, I have manipulated others. How else do you think all my henchmen have remained so loyal to me?”

“Well, most of them,” Roxanne interrupted with a smirk.

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, most of them.”

“The point is,” Adelaide continued, “manipulation is the only way I’ve managed to survive all these years by myself. It’s the only way you can get anywhere in this ugly world; someone very close to me taught me that a long time ago.” She moved closer to the glass, gently pressing her hand against it. Her other hand brushed the hair away from her face to show Roxanne her caring expression. “But I would never do such an awful thing to you.”

Roxanne raised an eyebrow at her, turning again so that she was once again facing her. “I have only ever wanted to protect you from all the cruelness that runs rampant in the world. I took you under my wing, I taught you how to control your powers and furthermore how to use them. I taught you everything I know so that the things that happened to me will never happen to you.” Their eyes locked. “Do you know why I did all that, darling? Do you know why I want to protect you?”

The girl moved closer to the glass as well. “Why?”

“Because we’re the same,” Adelaide said, smiling sweetly at her. “Both of us were betrayed by someone close to us and then abandoned. Your own mother left you to waste away in that orphanage, much like how my husband left me to rot in a ditch.” She tilted her head. “I’ve always loved you Roxanne, you’re like a daughter to me.”

There was a long pause between the two. Roxanne stood there, her expression unreadable for a moment. Slowly, she raised her hand to the glass, placing it exactly where Adelaide’s was. There was a lump in her throat, and her lip began to tremble as her eyes started to well up with tears. Her whole arm tensed like she was struggling to hold herself up. Adelaide had to hide her smugness as she watched the poor girl melt like putty in her hands.

“Is that so?” Roxanne seethed, her brow furrowing. She pushed herself away from the glass, taking a step back from the cell. She breathed in, swallowing the lump in her throat. She tilted her head down and gave Adelaide a furious, yet determined glare. “Is that why you threatened to kill me if my father did not comply with your wishes? Is that what you call love?”

Adelaide looked as if she had just been struck in the face. Her eyes wide and her mouth agape as her hand limply fell away from the glass. She took a step back in shock. “I-”

“That’s right, father told me all about your little game,” she said. “You probably used me as leverage against Angel as well, hm?”

“Darling-”

“You never really cared about me, did you auntie?” she continued, cutting her off. She had waited so long for this moment; all the anger, all the hurt, all the betrayal coming to a boiling point inside of her. She wouldn’t let herself be interrupted now, she would get this out in the open right now. “You didn’t teach me how to hone my powers so that I could protect myself, you just wanted to weaponize me. You thought that since we have the same powers, then we’d have the same weaknesses as well; weaknesses that you planned to exploit should the need arise.” Her shoulders started to relax, focusing all the anger in her body into her voice, making every word drip with venom. “That’s not love. You never loved me.” She crossed her arms, glaring straight into the villain’s soul. “All these years, I was just another pawn to you, is that right?”

Adelaide’s jaw was practically touching the floor now. Her already pale skin seemed to become whiter still and she took another step back. She brought her hand to her mouth to close it and kept it there for a beat. She closed her eyes, and her countenance suddenly began to change. A smile grew across her face as a malicious laugh began to rise up from her chest. Her eyes shot back up to Roxanne, fixing her with an icy stare. 

“Oh darling… of course you were.” The facade was gone now, her true evil beginning to shine forth. She strode back to the glass window, hips swaying from side to side. “Of course you were!” she laughed. “You really thought I ever gave a damn about an insignificant little mortal cur like you? You were always a means to an end for me.” She tapped a finger against her cheek. “Although, originally the plan was for you to help me take over Rapture. Unfortunately, that idiot Malcolm had to get involved so I had to change the plan; change your purpose.”

Roxanne was completely taken aback. She had already found out that these had been Adelaide’s true intentions, she just didn’t think that she would be so upfront about it. Perhaps there was even a part of her that wanted to still believe that Adelaide truly cared for her, that even treating her as a tool was just another facade.

“I’d say that I’m surprised that it took you this long to find out, but I’m not really. You always were a naive little girl,” Adelaide scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight into one leg. “No matter how hard I tried, I never could train the stupidity out of you.”

The girl flinched as Adelaide threw her head back, letting loose another maniacal laugh. “Honestly, you’re almost as dumb as that little devil girl! All your moronic blabbering over the years, rambling about how you and your ‘daddy’ are going to change the world! And now you run around with your little boy-toy playing hero like a couple of children!”

“He is not my boy-toy,” Roxanne snapped.

Another laugh. “Oh that’s right! He’s your husband now, isn’t he? Honestly darling, you could do so much better.” She chuckled, waving a hand at Roxanne as she started walking the perimeter of the cell. “At least he’s smarter than you, he knew better than to meddle in my affairs.”

She finished her lap of the cell while Roxanne sat in stunned silence, finally coming to a stop in front of her once more. “That’s all besides the point though. You’ll never be able to change the world, no matter who you pair yourself with and especially not by yourself. You’re not a hero, you’re nothing.”

Roxanne could’ve sworn that her heart stopped beating. She couldn’t feel it, she couldn’t feel anything right now. Her body just felt hollow, like her heart had just been completely scooped out and stomped on. 

“You betrayed me,” she said softly, trying to keep her voice from shaking.”

“Betrayed you?!” Adelaide guffawed. “Darling, betrayal only works if it’s by someone you love.”

“...I did love you,” Roxanne sniffed, looking down at the cold, concrete floor. “Or at least I thought I did, and I thought you did too…”

“That was your own mistake,” Adelaide snorted derisively. She crossed her arms behind her back and began to pace. “You want to know what I always hated most about you?”

The lump was back, throbbing up inside Roxanne’s throat.

“The way you insisted on calling me auntie,” She shivered, her face scrunching up in disgust. “That always made my skin crawl. And to think that I even said you were like a daughter to me just a couple minutes ago.” Her index finger stuck out to point at her open mouth as she mocked a gagging noise. “It was so difficult to make that sound convincing. You’re just so desperate for a family, aren’t you? I suppose it makes sense, a little runt like you being abandoned at birth.”

She couldn’t swallow the lump, it was too big. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Hold it in, she had to hold it in.

  “That’s why you cling to Malcolm so tightly, calling him ‘daddy’ and father. Well let me tell you something.” She walked over to the glass wall again, pressing her body against it. “I am not your auntie, and Malcolm is not your father; he never was, and he never will be.”

She bit down harder. Her lip was bleeding now. Don’t cry, please don’t cry. Not now, not in front of her. Please-

“You’re more of a pet to him really,” Adelaide went on. “A pet to him and a tool to me. That’s all you’ve ever been. And now I assume you’ll continue your sick little found family fantasy with that boy-toy of yours too, hm?” A vicious sneer was painted on her face as she watched the little girl trembling before her slowly break down.

Roxane sniffed a couple times, letting out a long, shaky exhale.

“Awww, did I hurt your feelings, darling,” she purred maliciously.

“No,” she replied after a long pause. It was a lie, but she wasn’t going to let Adelaide have the last laugh in this. “I’m just sad that you’ve become such a bitter old woman.”

Immediately, her countenance became twisted with rage. “What did you say?”

“You heard me,” Roxanne said, managing to fake a soft, derisive laugh. “You never got your happily ever after. You thought you were at the top of the world, that you could rule everything, but now the mighty Empress has been defeated.” She forced a cocky grin. “You had a husband, a family, but you lost it all. You’re mad that I have everything that you never had.” She took a few steps towards the cell, leaning in to make eye contact with the now infuriated villain. “He left you to rot in a ditch, and now I -the only person who has ever cared for you- will leave you to rot in this cell.”

Adelaide’s brow furrowed, pale blue eyes flaring with rage. “You little-”

“I’ve come up with a new name for you too, something far better than auntie,” she added. “I quite like the ring of ‘miserable old hag,’ don’t you?” She let out a small giggle. “Goodbye, darling.”

Adelaide opened her mouth to scream at Roxanne, but she quickly slapped the button on the console to shut the intercom off. She then quickly slammed her fist on the other button, causing the glass to darken until Adelaide was no longer visible through it. She was alone again, alone in this big, empty room.

She stood there for a few moments, hand still resting on the console. The taste of blood coming from her lip finally hit her, causing her to slowly raise a hand to her mouth to wipe it away. Adelaide’s words came back to her, echoing loudly in her mind, invading every corner of her head. It pounded in her ears until she couldn’t take it. The lump came back once more and she tried to bite her lip again to hold it back but quickly had to let go, wincing from the pain. There was no holding it back now. Despair spread to every space in her body, filling her with a cold and empty feeling. It sapped her strength completely, causing her to double over and her legs to buckle underneath the weight of her body and sorrow. She fell to her knees as heavy, violent sobs wracked her frame. Tears streamed freely down her face like rivers, smearing the eyeshadow she used to fill in the empty spaces between her eyes and mask. She buried her face in her hands as she tried in vain to muffled her wails. Her body leaned against the console, trying to keep herself from falling to the floor. 

She was so lost in her own sorrow that she didn’t even notice when the door opened behind her so that the guards could check on them. Their inquiries on what had happened didn’t even register in her mind. She barely even recognized Malcolm and Johnathan when they eventually arrived to escort her from the cell, continuing to cry the entire way. 

[cordonian-literature]

The Aftermath - Ch. 16

Overwhelming Memories

SUMMARY: Riley remembers Theodore

Word Count: ~6.4k

Warnings: Language, mention of drug abuse

A/N: this chapter is entirely flashback. we jump backwards, then slowly move forwards, but we don’t go fully into present time.  

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those that are unique to my story (I’ve also used some characters and fictional instances from Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch”)*

Catch up here

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I’m so sorry, I don’t know if the tags are working or not... but I hope I got everyone down! If I missed someone, or anyone wants to be added/removed, let me know! 

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

...About ten years ago...

- Riley -

The safety that I felt in Liam’s arms would always be unmatched. I wanted to stay in his embrace forever, under the starless New York sky. But after spending a tedious day collecting Madeleine’s wedding ring, helping Drake go shopping, then having to impress Adelaide at the U.N. party, I was terribly exhausted. The tiredness was new and... disturbing. I told myself that it was the emotional strain that added to my fatigue, though I was still uneasy about it. 

I pull away from Liam. “It’s getting late. Won’t you be missed?”

His face falls. It’s a look I’m too familiar with. “I’m afraid you’re correct. We should probably return to the hotel... and the rest of the world. Allow me to walk you back to your room?”

“Of course,” I allow, not ready to leave him. 

The walk is short and familiar. I resist the urge to pull him back and let us both get lost in the night. I turn to look at him, his hand tightly clasped in mine, and he smirks. 

Liam enjoys staring out at the landscape of the park and the people in it. I look in the other direction, subtly glancing at the faces of people who passed by. My heart gives a jolt when I see a familiar side-profile, but the man turns his head and I am proven wrong. 

And then I notice the person next to him, Boris, and Boris notices me. He points in my direction, and Theodore turns to look. Theo and Boris stop in their tracks and stare at me while I walk on with Liam. I look away, hoping that they wouldn’t try and come up to us. 

Liam and I part ways in the lobby. There are two elevators, and we each take a separate one. 

I feel the floor below me begin to rise, which sends a queasy feeling into the pit of my stomach. I wonder how Theo and Boris must’ve felt seeing me. Boris was Theo’s college friend, and I had only known him for a few weeks before I left. I know I went away abruptly and didn’t contact them after I had gone, but I hadn’t exactly believed that they deserved an explanation from me. 

Once inside the hotel room, I begin taking off my shoes, but the nausea comes back. I lean forward, and sensing that I’m about to empty my stomach onto the floor, I race to the bathroom and throw up into the toilet.

It lasts for longer than I expected it. I run through all the reasons for my having thrown up, wondering if it was something that I ate, or maybe I was sick?

I manage to pick myself off of the floor and brush my teeth. Walking back towards the bed, I take off my dress and put it to the side when I notice a notification on my phone. 

It’s a text from Theo.

Hey Riley. I know we haven’t talked. It was nice to see you. I hope you’re doing well. 

Bertrand had told me to speak to any of my friends in person, so I had ignored the texts on my phone ever since Liam’s coronation. I didn’t know whether I should answer him or not, but then he texts me again:

Just wanted to say that I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be hanging around that guy so much. Someone else could have seen you. Boris and I did

At that, I got angry. My relationship with Liam was none of his business!

Mind if I hop by for a visit? 

yes, actually, i do mind

That’s too bad. You’re staying in the same hotel as Boris. What a coincidence. What’s your room number?

I sigh and give it to him, somewhat afraid that he would just barge into every room to try and find mine. There was always a chance that he was intoxicated one way or another, so the safest bet was to not agitate him. 

A few minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. I open it to find Theo. He looks exhausted, but his suit is new. I wonder what he spent his day doing. 

“Hey, Riles.”

“Hey, Theo.”

“How’ve you been holding up?”

I shrug. “I’m doing alright.” 

“How long have you guys been in New York?”

“A little over a day.”

He nods and walks into the room, closing the door behind him. I stare at him, hoping that he would make eye contact and understand that I wanted him to leave, but he doesn’t look at me.

“Alright, Theo, it’s late. I’ve had a long day and want some sleep. It was nice seeing you, but,” I point at the door, “good night.” 

He doesn’t say anything, but takes out a pack of cigarettes. He lights one and takes a long drag. “Riles, I think you should be careful around him.”

“Who, Liam?” I scoff. “Why? Actually, don’t answer that, I don’t want your input on my love life.”

“I’ve read up about Cordonia ever since your name kept popping up in the news. The court isn’t exactly a nice place, is it? Liam’s half brother... what’s his name?” 

“Leo?” I give him. 

He snaps his fingers. “Yes. Leo’s mother. Everyone knows why she left court. I bet they expect you to do the same thing eventually.” 

“For your information,” I start. “I’ve made friends in court. It’s not so bad.” 

“Really?” He raises his eyebrow and takes another drag. The smell of it engulfs the room. “So his fiancée... she’s fine with you hanging around her man?”

“She’s actually allowing it.” I sit on the edge of the bed. “All she wants is the crown.” For a moment, I pause and stare out the window. “She’s not making it too easy for me though. She made me pick up her wedding ring today. And she keeps talking about ‘training me’ to be presentable in society.” 

He shakes his head. “None of us ever find enough kindness in the world, do we?”

“That we don’t,” I comment. “Especially not us commoners.” 

Theo struggles to hold in a laugh. “I always found that term a bit funny. Commoners. As if they’re anything special. All they’ve got riding for them is power that their ancestors were able to beat out of poor communities a couple hundred years ago. If their citizens were ever determined to get rid of the monarchy, trust me, those royal pomps wouldn’t last a day against a rebellion.”

I roll my eyes, but say nothing. Theo wasn’t in a position to comment on Cordonian politics.

We sit in silence for a few more minutes, Theo fiddling with his cigarettes while I contemplate asking him to leave. I feel nauseous again, so I run into the bathroom and empty my stomach. 

When I come back, Theo stares at me with wide eyes. 

“What?” I ask, irritated. “Never seen a girl throw up before?” 

“No, no, it’s just... are you sick or something?” 

“No. At least, I don’t think so.” 

He raises his eyebrows. “How long have you been feeling like that?” 

“Like... a week? I remember feeling the need to throw up on the plane ride to Shanghai, but it was fleeting. I’ve just been so exhausted this entire trip. It’s probably just that.” 

Theo sighs and puts out his cigarette on the table next to my bed, leaving a dark circle. “Riley you’ve got to be kidding. You fucking idiot, you’re pregnant.”

I frown, hoping that he was joking, but the annoyance in his tone was enough to tell me that he was serious. The symptoms could just mean that I was about to get my period. But then I remembered that I hadn’t been keeping track. “That’s... that’s impossible.”

He puts his hands in his pockets and tilts his head. “Really? You’ve got the nausea and the fatigue, and the privileged royal boyfriend to go with it. I’m guessing you missed your period, too?”

“Okay, wait.” I put up my hands. “‘Privileged royal boyfriend’? What does Liam have to do with this?” 

“Riley, don’t be stupid. I’m guessing he didn’t wait to get engaged before you two got it on?” 

“First of all, stop. Second of all, that doesn’t mean anything.” 

“So you’re telling me I’m wrong? You guys were never intimate, and there’s no chance of that being his kid?” He points at my stomach.

“I’m not saying there’s not a chance, just... wait, who are you texting?” 

Theo had taken out his phone and was typing something. “Boris,” he tells me. “Asking him to bring us a pregnancy test. Do you think that store a couple blocks down would have one or will he have to go all the way to Brooklyn?”

I grab the phone from his hands, leaving him mildly surprised. “Don’t involve Boris in this, it’s none of his business!” I look down at the phone, seeing that Theo already sent the message. “And it’s none of your business, either, Theo, so I would really appreciate it if you would leave!” 

There’s a knock on door, and Maxwell’s voice calls out, “Blossom, can we come in?” 

Theo and I turn to each other, eyes wide. I grab his shoulder and push him into the bathroom and he snatches his phone back. I go to open the door, and come face-to-face with Maxwell and Bertrand. 

“Boy, am I shocked to see you, Maxwell!” I cry, trying to sound cheerful through the anxiety.

“Really?” he asks, taken aback. 

“Not even a little. Bertrand on the other hand.” I turn to look at him, and find him as grim as ever. 

“Yes, yes. I have returned, but that’s not the big news.”

“What is it?” I question, glancing back at the bathroom door, hoping that Theo wasn’t eavesdropping. 

Bertrand turns to Maxwell, who reveals that he was able to narrow down Tariq’s address.

“That’s great!” I exclaim. “We should—”

Bertrand interrupts me. “Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of you just yet.”

Of course there was a catch. Maxwell had narrowed it down to ten locations, which was still good, so I tell him to give himself a pat on the back. 

“Wait,” I jump in. “At the party, Adelaide mentioned that Tariq only wears Sartorini shoes. Is that helpful?”

“Actually... yes!” Maxwell cries. 

“Only a few of the shops carry that brand, so you can focus your efforts on the addresses from those that do,” Bertrand states, a genuine smile on his face. 

“Wait, did you say ‘when we get to L.A.’?” Now I was really hoping that Theo wasn’t listening in. 

I thought that the engagement tour was taking a surprise detour, but Maxwell tells me that only him, Hana, Drake, and I would go on one of the royal jets. Unfortunately, Liam wasn’t coming with, but my heart was put a little at ease when Bertrand said that Liam was giving us the jet. At least he knew we were going. 

“We’ll be off to L.A. in the morning!” Maxwell states while Bertrand turns to leave. “Sleep well, blossom, we’ve got a big day ahead of us!” 

Once the door closes behind them, Theo comes out of the bathroom. “Have your friends told you what’s gonna happen if you don’t find the guy?” 

I sigh. “Don’t be so negative. Clearly, you were listening in, so you know that Maxwell narrowed down his address.” 

“True, but rich folks got a way of hiding themselves.” 

“Please.” I scoff. “Tariq’s not that smart.” 

“Well.” Theo looks around thoughtfully. “He contrived this whole scheme to make you look bad. Put up the photographer and everything.” 

“For your information,” I start, sitting back onto the bed after feeling a bit dizzy. “It was the King Father who did all that. Had his guard give an offer to one of the noble ladies who could send a message to Tariq and hire a photographer.”

Theo’s eyebrows jump up. “Really? And you still want to marry into that family?” 

“Theo, stop it. Liam is nothing like his father. When we confronted Constantine, he defended me—”

“Sure he’ll do that behind closed doors and in front of those closest to him, but did he do that when you were getting dragged out of the palace? When you were being called a whore internationally?”

“Theo, stop—”

He interrupts me and keeps going, “At the end of the day, he followed his father’s orders. He publically ousted you while keeping the prim-and-proper born-to-be-Queen on his elbow, ready to slam anyone who said anything distasteful about the monarchy. Even if it’s different behind closed doors, how do you know it’s not just to make you feel better about the fact that you’ll never have him?” 

“He did that to protect me! And he’s genuine about his feelings towards me!” I try to convince him, but he doesn’t listen.

“Riles, that’s bull and you know it. ‘Protect you’ my ass. He’s protecting himself. It looks bad to his people if he’s hanging around someone who’s been publicly shamed and has ‘betrayed’ him, and it would look bad internationally because it’d seem like he’s got his priorities twisted.”

He crosses the room to come and grab me by the shoulders, then continues, “Riley, please tell me that you see through the façade. What’s gonna happen when you can’t find this Tariq guy? Huh? Is your knight in shining armour gonna get rid of his fiancée and marry you? Open your fucking eyes, Riley.” He shakes me. “He’s willing to put you through unhappiness to make himself happy. Right now, he’s got the best of both worlds, and he’ll do anything to keep it. I’m sure he cares about you in his own way, but he’s privileged, and won’t ever know the full extent of the shit he’s making you go through, and I doubt he feels bad for it. If his country was on the line, I’m sure he’d do it again without hesitation.”

Before I can argue with him more, there’s another knock on the door. Theo allows me to go open it, and I find Boris, holding up a pregnancy test. 

“Here,” he says, his accent thicker than I remember. Boris holds out the box to me, and to avoid an awkward conversation, I rush to the bathroom. 

I take the test, then put it on the sink and wait. 

“Did you take it?” Theo calls, knocking on the bathroom door. 

“Yes, now I have to wait.” I never imagined this would be the way that I’d find out I was going to be a mother. I wanted Liam to be here. Theo and Boris felt like strangers, and I couldn’t shake Theo’s little speech out of my head. I knew that Liam loved me. More than once he had told me that he wanted to give me the world. I even had to convince him not to leave his country behind because of me! Doesn’t all that mean something?

It doesn’t mean shit. Those are just words, a voice in my head says. It sounds like Theo. I want it to shut up. 

“How long does that shit take?” Theo calls again. “Riley, can’t you check? It’s been more than five minutes.” 

I get up off my spot on the floor, embarrassed about having gotten lost in my thoughts. 

I desperately wanted there to only be one line just so I could go out there and rub it in Theo’s face. But there are two lines. 

Liam and I are going to be parents. 

“Riles?” I hear Theo’s voice. 

“Maybe she jump out of window?” Boris wonders aloud. I hear the sound of a smack, and know that Theo probably hit him. 

I open the door, holding the pregnancy test in my hands. “I’m pregnant,” I announce. I feel overly self-conscious and overly aware of my surroundings. 

Boris’ eyes go wide, while Theo stares at the test. 

“What now?” Boris asks. “You going to tell the father?” 

Does he care enough to hear it? the voice says again.

“Yeah,” I say out loud, trying my best to ignore the whispers in my head. “I’ll go right now.”

“Are you stupid?” Theo yells, blocking my path. “Riley, weren’t you listening to me?” 

“I was listening, Theo!” I yell at him. “Everything that you said was crap! I know how Liam feels about me! I know that his feelings are honest and genuine! I know that he loves me, and there’s nothing that you can say to convince me otherwise!” 

“Riley, you’re crazy!” he screams. “If you’re not going to see him for the lying royal cheat that he is, then let me break it down for you. He’s a politician, alright? Imagine him as just that. He’ll do anything to make sure that his image isn’t ruined! He’s already put you through pain! He’s one of the most powerful people in the world, he could do anything with the snap of a finger and no one could stop him, or would even try to stop him.”

Theo’s right. Liam is the king. Sure, he only rules over a small European country, but he’s one of the most powerful people on the continent, if not the world. Even though Constantine was the one who plotted against you, he’s only the King Father now. Liam holds more power over him. He could have made Constantine give a statement, but was willing to put you through continued shame just so people wouldn’t question the monarchy. Just so his throne would be secure. 

“So what do you want me to do, huh?” I yell at Theo. Tears brim at the edge of my eyes. As much as I want to give in to the thoughts and just give up, I don’t want to stop fighting for Liam and I. I can’t stop fighting for us. What else do I have left?

The baby, which technically, is a part of Liam. So leaving wouldn’t be leaving entirely. You’d still have that little piece of him.

“Ah,” Theo exclaims, running a hand through his hair. “I... didn’t really think that far.” 

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” I question. “If you don’t want me to go tell Liam?”

“Of course not,” Boris comments. “How you know he will not make you get rid of it?”

“He would never do that!” I yell. 

“Riley.” Theo sighs. “I’m not gonna say it.” 

“Then don’t say anything!” I try to back away from them, but bump against the wall. “Liam would never do anything like that. And I wouldn’t do that to him. I know how much he wants a family!”

Theo grabs my shoulders, and his voice is frighteningly comforting when he says, “Don’t, Riley, don’t fall for it.” 

“Fall for what?” I blink up at his green eyes. 

“Believing that you might have what could never be yours.”

I stare at him for a few more moments, trying to calm down the thousands of words and thoughts that were running through my mind. 

Finally, Boris speaks up: “My wife and children live in Sweden. I was going to leave in morning. We can go there for few days, figure shit out. I call my pilot, jet can be ready in few hours.”

Theo lets go of me, and my shoulders feel sore from where his hands were. “That sounds like a plan.” He turns to look around the room. “Is your stuff in your suitcase or did you put it in the drawers?” He opens a drawer, taking out a neatly folded pile and putting it on the bed. Theo continues to do that until all the drawers are empty.

When I walk towards my suitcase, I feel like someone else is walking. I was no longer myself. Wasn’t I supposed to stand by Liam’s side no matter what? Why am I leaving? What good will that do to our relationship? I don’t want to leave him. I don’t think I can. 

Yes, you can. Just like you both were separated after the Coronation. Remember how easy it was for him to let you go? During those few weeks before the engagement tour, he didn’t call or text or even send anyone to give you a message. If you leave again, he won’t really care. Just like he didn’t care the last time. He’s got more important things to worry about.

Unfortunately, there’s another knock on the door. I’m practically sick of that sound at this point, but I still go to open it. 

“Drake?” I exclaim when I see him. His clothes look like he threw them on in a hurry, and he’s got some serious bed head. I would probably think it was cute if I wasn’t so anxious. “What are you doing here?” 

“I heard yelling,” he tells me. “Wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

“This isn’t the social season, Drake. You don’t have to act like my bodyguard anymore.” 

He gives a thick laugh, his throat heavy with sleep. “I’ll always be here to keep you safe, Brooks.”

We stand there for a while longer, not saying anything. 

This may be the last time you ever see him again. 

“Did Maxwell tell you that we’re going to L.A. tomorrow?” Drake tries to continue the conversation. He’s still standing in the doorway, but when he takes a half step forward, I understand that he wants to come in. I close the door behind Drake, suddenly remembering Theo and Boris. When I turn around and don’t see them, I feel glad that they had some sense to hide away.

“Yeah,” I say. Turning around, I see Drake staring at the piles of clothes on my bed. 

“You trying to organize your stuff before we go?” he asks. 

I struggle to speak, knowing that the next few words would not only determine what would probably turn into the next few years of my life, but the first few years of my baby’s life. “No, uh... I’m leaving.” 

Drake’s head snaps in my direction. “Leaving? What do you mean leaving?” 

I don’t say anything, and he walks closer to me. 

“Brooks you mean leaving for L.A. in the morning, right?” 

I feel numb when I say, “No. I’m leaving court.” 

He gives a forced laugh. “You’re joking, right? Tell me you’re joking.” When my expression doesn’t change, I notice a panic in his eyes. “Brooks you’ve got to be kidding. This is some type of elaborate joke, isn’t it? Is Maxwell going to jump out of the bathroom and scream ‘You’ve been pranked’?” Drake moves towards the bathroom door and gives the handle a shake. “Why’s the bathroom locked? Whatever.” 

Drake moves towards the piles of clothes on my bed. He grabs one and puts it back into the drawer. “You’re not leaving, Brooks. We’re so close to finding Tariq and fixing everything.”

“The engagement shower is tomorrow,” I tell him. I don’t feel like myself when I speak. God, I feel so tired. “We’ll never make it in time.” 

“How could you say that, Brooks, of course we will! You and Liam, you two are meant for each other, you’ve gotta—” 

He turns to look at me, and seeing that I haven’t moved, he stops working. We stare at each other, waiting for one of us to say something, but when we slip into further silence, he closes the drawer and walks to the door. 

“You’re not leaving, Brooks. I don’t believe it. I know you’re going to do what’s best for you and Liam.” 

He seems like he wants to continue, but when I don’t say anything more, he opens the door and leaves. 

When Boris and Theo come out of the bathroom, they don’t speak. I imagine that they’re waiting for me to change my mind or comment on what Drake said, or something. But I feel too tired to talk, too tired to fight the words in my head that wouldn’t stop saying negative things about Liam. I let the voice in my head take over, and in a blur I pack the rest of my things. 

About an hour later, Boris announces that the jet is ready. We leave the hotel quickly, hoping that no one would notice me. It was late, and I knew the entire court would be asleep by now, but I wasn’t going to take any risks. 

As soon as I take my seat on the jet, I fall asleep. When I wake up, we’re already over the ocean. I turn to see Boris and Theo sleeping, too. I wanted it to be Maxwell and Drake. 

Okay, no, wait wait wait wait wait... you just left. Just like that. Without saying goodbye? You didn’t even get to say a proper one to Drake, you didn’t tell Maxwell good night, you haven’t seen Hana since Shanghai, and you left Liam after telling him that you loved him just a few hours ago? 

I feel too weak to fight my thoughts anymore. They were annoying me. I want to tell them to take a side, but the nausea and the fatigue are too much for me. I can’t handle it anymore.

... 

My marriage to Theo had happened so suddenly that I didn’t even realize that I was married by the end of it. Still a few months before my delivery, Theo and Boris come up to me to say that they think I should change my name. I tell them that I don’t want to keep running, that I want to go back to Liam. 

Theo tells me that this isn’t a good time for us to be entering Cordonia. We argue, and the discussion lasts for days. Once or twice I was about to just pack my bags and leave, but I couldn’t bring myself to. 

Without telling me, Theo had contacted my mother, who advised that I marry him. 

That made both of us blush like teenagers. I knew my mother had always liked Theo ever since we were both kids. She had even told me that he was the ‘perfect match’ for me, but I never listened to her, and I disagreed. 

That night, sitting with Boris and Theo, we made a plan as to what we were going to do. Boris’ wife, Astrid, said that getting married was nothing permanent, and would just keep me and the baby safe until I could go tell Liam. Boris laughed at that, and the two of them walked away to go plan our wedding. 

The event was in Amsterdam. I was already showing a little, so I didn’t really get to have the dress that I wanted, but I still loved it. 

Even through the distance, I felt a connection to Liam. Not just because I was about to have his kid, because in a way I felt like I was doing the same thing as him. Marrying someone I didn’t love to protect those I care about. 

I had kept away from any news articles or conversations that had anything to do with Cordonian politics, so for a long time I didn’t know whether he had married Madeleine or not. 

My mother attended the wedding. Afterwards, Theo and Boris pulled her into the discussion of me changing my name. My mother agreed. I didn’t want to change my first name, so I took Theo’s last name and became Riley Blaise. 

... 

Theo had always told me that he never wanted kids, so I was shocked to see him take on the roll of father so effortlessly. He became busy when he started up his business with Boris, but the fact that he always made time for Gabriel and I made my heart swell, even though I was forever angry at him for how he twisted me into leaving Liam. 

Throughout the pregnancy and Gabe’s first year, Theo gave up smoking, and told me that he stopped taking all the stuff that he used to. It was a long process, and he went through terrible withdrawals, but I helped him through it. I knew it was a sickness. I didn’t want him to suffer. 

We made Boris and another friend of ours, Rowan, the Godparents of Gabriel.

My mother always nagged us about wanting to spend time with her ‘Grandbaby,’ so every Friday night, Theo, Rowan, and I (and when Boris was in New York, he would come along, too) always went out for drinks or for dinner and leave Gabriel with my mother. 

And then one morning, after we had drank too much the night before, Theo and I woke up side by side in his bed. We had respectfully slept in our own rooms ever since we married and moved into a New York penthouse, and I couldn’t believe that we had just crossed that line. I took my clothes from his room and snuck out of bed, hating myself. 

For the most part, I still let myself believe that I was with Liam. Now I had felt like I had betrayed him. 

A few weeks later, I cursed myself when I started having consistent nausea. I took a test, and found that I was pregnant. I took that as a sign that I had to go back to Liam. If I didn’t, then this fake-life with Theo would become my real life. I didn’t want to let go of Liam permanently. 

Receiving an invitation in the mail was my perfect opportunity. Maxwell was asking me to come to Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding. I had cut ties with everyone, blocking them on every platform, changing my number, and deleting my email. How he found me, I never knew, but I was grateful nonetheless. 

I explained to Theo, and he let me go. I hadn’t told him I was pregnant yet. I decided that I would have to figure that out later. Liam was my top priority. Liam and the life we were supposed to have together.

I checked online, and found that he hadn’t gotten married, and there was no news of him being in any romantic relationships. My heart was put at ease, but only partly; no one knew much about his private life, so his lack of romantic activity was just hopeful guessing. 

I found news of Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding online, too. Liam was officiating the ceremony. I would see him. He would see me. We could talk. 

But before I could even enter Maxwell and Bertrand’s home, a guard pulled me to the side and I came face-to-face with Regina, who told me to back off, that I didn’t have any right to come back to try and ruin the monarchy. 

I didn’t even get a chance to protest before being thrown in the back of a van. There was no way I was going to be forced away again without a fight, so I kicked and screamed until the nausea came back. 

And then, just like when Theo took me away to Sweden, I gave up. I was so, so tired. 

Theo apologized when I came back. He said he felt bad for everything. After spending a whole night crying in my room, he came to me and said that he would help me get back to Liam. 

I told him that was impossible now, since I was pregnant. 

And so, for Gabriel and for our baby, we tried to make our life together real. Though it was painful, and I could never bring myself to forget about Liam, we managed. 

When the baby was born, I named her Eleanor. I was so deep into my fantasy of what could have been if Liam’s mother never died, that I gave my husband’s daughter the name of my love’s mother. 

Theo didn’t know Eleanor was the name of Liam’s mother. I just told him that was a name I found pretty. It was either between Eleanor or Audrey, Theo’s mother’s name. We put that as her middle name, and she was named Eleanor Audrey Blaise. 

Whenever I even looked at Gabriel, there was an overwhelming joy. Sure he had my hair, but his eyes and his nose were Liam’s. The ‘O’ shape his mouth would make whenever he was surprised or confused was all Liam. His cheeks were chubby, but I knew that when he would grow older he would look even more like his father. 

And I felt the same way with Eleanor. We had the same hair, but her eyes were as green as Theo’s. There was an affection for Theo that I didn’t really want to be there. 

We fell into this state of fake-love, where it was real enough for the kids to believe it, it was real enough for friends and other family members to believe it, it was even real enough for us to take comfort in it — but neither of us forgot that Liam was the one I truly loved. It was never Theo. It would always be Liam. 

...At The Met...

After dropping of Gabriel and Eleanor at their practices, Theo and I were walking around the Met. He said that he knew where the new exhibit was, but he wanted to walk around and admire the older exhibits first.

We eventually came to a section that I guessed was European history. We looked around at canons and weapons that were used in wars more than a hundred years ago. We saw portraits of monarchs and national leaders. There was a small section on Cordonian history that only held the replica of a double-sided sword and an incredibly large portrait of a warrior queen. 

“Kenna Rys,” Theo tells me. “Isn’t that Liam’s last name?” 

“She must be his ancestor,” I say, leaning forward to regard the portrait closely. “It’s beautiful. More beautiful than I expected. It reminds me of Cordonia.” 

“Isn’t that the whole point of beautiful things?” Theo asks. 

“What is?” 

“That they connect you to some larger beauty. For everyone else, her portrait connects them to history, and what Cordonia is today due to her. For you, the connection is Gabriel, and through him, Liam.”

I don’t answer him and continue staring at Kenna. When other people inch forward to look, I step to the side and pull Theo away.

His words remind me of Liam’s constant worry of what kind of king he would be. I miss how he would confide in me. The longing for him is heightened after seeing the portrait. 

I turn to Theo and ask, “Do you think Gabe would ever be able to bring change?”

“What do you mean?” He looks straight ahead, worried only about getting to the exhibit.

“Like... what will his story be? And our’s for that matter?”

“We don’t fit into a story, Riley. We don’t have a story.”

He leads me down a few more hallways, and when we reach a few signs that say “Grand Opening,” he slows his pace and says: 

“We can’t choose who we are, and whatever that is, we can’t escape it. There’s no escape for anyone. Even the beautiful stories are like soft fruit about to spoil.”

“Do you think that’s what Gabriel is?” I turn to him. “A beautiful story about to spoil?” 

“Beautiful? In his own childish way, yes. About to spoil? Not yet.” 

We look around at oil paintings I remember having seen before. I look around, wondering at the stories of people in the art work and the people viewing the art. Theo looks around intently at everything in front of him. I see him take out his phone and turn off the flash to take a picture of some things for Ella. 

Throughout our decade of marriage, my anger at him never fully doused, but I eventually came to forgive him. In a way I think he saved me. In other ways, in the ways that matter, he hurt me. But Gabriel and Eleanor both have a normal childhood. Right here and right now, they’re all I care about. Maybe one day soon I’d be able to tell Liam everything. I could tell him how sorry I was, how I never forgot him.

“You know—” Theo taps my shoulder, “—if you don’t mind, I’m going to go take a look in the other room. Do you want to come with?” 

“Um,” I say, recovering from my thoughts. “I’ll be fine. Do you wanna met in the gift shop?”

“Sure, that’s fine.” He walks away. 

I look around aimlessly for about another ten minutes, staring at details of paintings from past centuries. I wonder at what the painters went through and what their lives were. I remember Hana telling me in the ruins that it didn’t matter what people in the future thought about you. I feel empty without her. I wished she was here to give me her insight. 

I wished that Drake was here to give gloomy comments. If Maxwell were here, we all probably would have gotten kicked out. Liam would tell us the historical significance of each piece.

I miss them so much that I feel empty. 

I thought that I would forget about them after so long. But none of us got closure. Maybe if we had all said goodbye properly, everything would have been easier. 

I begin to walk out of the gallery, trying to remember where the gift shop was, when something strange happens. A museum guard runs across the gallery, carrying something in his arms. 

And then another guard flew across the room, screaming. 

Heads go up, and everyone looks around at each other quizzically. In the next instant, there’s a warm burst of air and smoke. The painting in front of me, The Dance Class, is caked with ash. A second later, there’s a black flash, and I hear debris flying around me. Hot wind slams into me, throwing me against stone. 

I remember thinking that I have to pick up... someone. From somewhere. I have to get on a plane to tell someone something. But I can’t see anything. Everything is black.

[rhonddaandallaneuro]

Now I know women experience a hard time with having a baby and that men have even more pain when trying to pass a kidney stone but while not ranking up there let me tell you having an ingrown toenail for two weeks is not a lot of fun either.

After two weeks of pain when walking Allan finally went to a podiatrist and had his large toenail removed. The pain had increased over the period to where he could not even walk. Lesson here is that a man should listen to his wife sooner rather than later. We all eventually do as we are told.

That noted we have moved on from Streaky Bay stopping shortly for a night in Tumby Bay, which has one of the worlds great bakeries, serving coffee at 5am in the morning and another historic jetty. Haha

I should also mention that we passed through Cummings which has the best toilet block in the world. Serious it has won international awards as the number one toilet tourist attraction. When you see it you will have to tell others. Definitely worth the detour for a moments rest.

We also spent a night in Snowtown where it was a “barrel” of laughs in the pub overlooking the old bank on the corner. This night ended up free and a win on one of the only two pokies in town. A morning walk through the metropolis of Snowtown very educational and recommended as a not to miss place.

The drive over two days to Belair, which is high in the ranges over Adelaide, is a greenies paradise but the road getting in, towing a van very hairy with deep gorges and extremely windy (narrow) roads to manoeuvre. Worth the drive though.

Once here we have wasted no time visiting Glenelg and the city, where Rhondda had her hair cut, and experiencing the many parks that are on offer. The city ring road is confusing at first but once you understand it makes driving easy.

Tried to go to the “Fringe Festival” on Friday night but arrived way to early so elected just to do a drive around noticing (in our minds) the reduction in church to pubs ratio we have witnessed in the past. Either the pubs are increasing or the churches are shrinking.

Saturday did the drive to Mt Lofty which enabled a great view of Adelaide before driving through to Hahndorf where we had a great German feast, moving on to some wineries. Spent most of the afternoon tasting the wares before retiring to our caravan.