A World Apart Read Free

about her father Frankie who was not coping so well after her grandmother Elizabeth and her sudden death. Frankie had also his father Jim to attend to after being declared unable to look after himself. Frankie had no option due to financial difficulties and his job, which is an intelligence officer for the Government, leaving no option but to place his father in a home where he like, Oxford, England. All this was just over three months previously and it was then that it struck her; maybe she should call, write to him or even fly back to England to see him. Once Kerry married Rupert she felt some kind of inner hatred towards Rupert, not intentionally it was just that she was very close to her parents and Rupert wanted her to move to America to start a new life. A better life, one with no poverty, pain and subject to violence, as her father regularly subjected to bringing his problems home for the family to endure obviously passed down from his father’s side.
     
    Something was prodding Kerry in the lower abdominal region of her stomach. She scuffled around in her trouser pockets, finding nothing. She then realised it was in her long silky overcoat and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that had sharp edges. The pain in her stomach vanished as she tore open the envelope and proceeded in unveiling its contents. The long slips contained one word that seemed to elevate her eyes as she beamed at the slips. It was there in black and white, England.
     
    Regardless of the pain that her father had caused her she still loved both Frankie and her grandfather Jim, loving them dearly and wishing nothing better than for them to have a peaceful life after all the troubles they have been through. Kerry recalled Jim’s 80 th birthday seven years ago, him dressed in a party hat, all smiles laughing and joking as he did when he was all so fit and healthy. She had been toying on the thought for a while and realised that life is so precious and that in the blink of an eye your whole world can change.
     
    ‘It is going to get brighter by the end of the week folks with expected showers heading north and the band of warm weather coming your way, so put away your umbrellas…. coming next is our special guests Amon Red Stars, the new and upcoming boy band from the west midlands.’ said the local presenter of the Oxfordshire radio station.
     
    The old man sitting in his wheelchair gazing out upon the world from the conservatory listening to the radio looked saddened, whether this was due to his position in life, pain, the longing to see his wife and his children remained uncertain. For one thing the old man was kind to the workers of the home and everyone seemed to love his company and jokes, even if they were incredibly unfunny and completely out of context. 
     
    Jim, or the old man in the corner never did like America, after the family became religiously obsessed with visiting for holidays he decided to stay and live the rest of his life in tranquility, the countryside was seen as ‘a greenery of gentle glamour’ which always stuck in Kerry’s mind as she imagined a breeze on a hot English summers day and her family all together, the sparkle of sun rays reflecting off the grass blinding anyone who made contact. Kerry came around after a few seconds and was filled with a desire to reach out and grab the past as she missed those times most of all. All the feelings of happiness and joy were replaced with wrath on herself for not visiting her father enough.
     
    The taxi halted as the automatic voice stated ‘Destination-please insert a form of payment and have a pleasant evening ’. Kerry placed her index finger of her right arm onto a glassed pane situated in front of her close to the drinks cabinet. The car was spacious and very comfortable with windows either side but none in front like her grandfather remembers, this nearly always make’s Kerry cringe, especially when he used to rant on about having to drive yourself, I mean this