Chapter 25

It was Sunday morning. Craig had decided they needed an outing. He knew being outdoors in the sun had certain healing powers, especially when it was shared with his family. The sun was an amazing source of energy that had the ability to free anyone from certain anxieties and stress. At least they got the school necessities out of the way such as clothes, schoolbags and stationery, which Craig had to buy on his credit card. It was a painful exercise, but there was no other way. Certain necessities just had to be dealt with. Craig had to swallow hard when he bought brand-new clothes for the twins, Andrew and Patrick. They had less than a year to go before they were done with school. Craig knew his money was almost depleted with all the spending that took place over the last couple of months. Fortunately, he was promised a large salary at the Ore Refineries Inc. At least he still had a small sum of money invested, just in case of emergencies. Anyway, they could donate the school clothes to less fortunate people once the twins had written their final exam. That was of course if Patrick passed matric.

Craig had bought a bunch of small fishing rods, hooks, sinkers and a box of fish bate from a small shop in Saldanha. They travelled on a back road until they found a quiet spot with many strange rocks sticking out the ocean-like fingers. The place was quiet with no one in sight. To Craig, the outing was not about fishing, it was about family time and bonding. Since they moved down to Saldanha, they never really had quality time together. Sarah had packed a picnic basket with all sorts of delicious sandwiches and drinks while Craig and the boys were getting the fishing rods ready for the day.

Craig and the two boys had their fishing lines in the water while their fishing rods were planted between the nearby rocks. Emily and Sarah were sitting on one side enjoying the view. The ocean was a tranquil blue. The sun reflected from the smooth surfaces between the waves.

'So, how are you guys doing?' Craig asked only loud enough for Andrew and Patrick to hear. He knew the sound of the waves breaking would probably block out most of their conversation. That meant a little privacy for him with his boys.

'Great, do you think this is a good spot for fishing?' Patrick asked.

'I think so,' Craig said. He did not know too much about fishing, but it did not matter. 'We just have to wait and see.'

'I'm gonna show you guys how to do this,' Patrick said. 'The first fish for the day's on me.'

'Yeah right, probably a small rock cod,' Andrew added, 'or maybe a crab.'

Craig chuckled. What was more important to him than anything else was that his family would be happy on the West Coast. He knew he had to handle the matter with delicacy. He did not want the boys to know that he was actually fishing for something else, fishing to find out their true feelings about their new environment.

'So what do you guys think of Saldanha?'

'It's sweet,' Patrick said grabbing hold of his fishing rod. For a moment Craig thought Patrick had a bite.

'Andy, what about you? Do you like it down here?'

'I always wanted to live near the coast. I love it here.'

Craig nodded. He felt relieved. 'What do you think about going to the new school on Monday?'

'Not so sure about Pat, but matric is a short year and I intend to do it only once,' Andrew chuckled. 'We just need to work hard and get it out of the way.'

'Come on man, I'll make it,' Patrick said. 'Dad, we made friends the other day. We'll be in the same school.'

'That's great,' Craig said. He felt a sense of pride towards his boys. He realized how blessed he was and how easy they were to please. Just the fact that Andrew and Patrick were always protective over their younger sister made him even more proud to have such lovely children.

'Yes. That day when we went to the beach, we met these guys,' Andrew said. 'We played touch rugby with them. Nice guys.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' Craig said. 'I leave you guys alone for a moment and already you know the whole Saldanha?'

They all laughed.

Craig glanced back at Sarah and Emily. They were engaged in a conversation of their own. Now that he knew the boys were happy, it was time to find out if Sarah and Emily were feeling the same way. At least he knew Sarah loved the house.

Craig planted his fishing rod in a small hole he found in the rocks. He got up and walked towards Sarah and Emily.

'Hallo my princesses,' he smiled.

'It's lovely here. Do you think I'll have fish to fry tonight?' Sarah asked in a mocking tone. Craig noticed the beautiful dimple next to her mouth and realized once again how attractive Sarah was. The sun brought out a slightly reddish colour to her blond hair.

'Well, I sure hope so,' Craig said. 'Pat believes that he's gonna catch the first fish for the day.'

Craig regarded Emily and noticed she was not quite herself. Although her body was with them, it seemed like her mind was somewhere else, far away. He thought she must be one of the most beautiful girls around town. The apple did not fall too far from the tree. No doubt she was her mother's girl. Although Emily reminded Craig of the much younger version of Sarah, there were slight differences. The most dominant feature was Emily's striking blue eyes which Craig had no idea where they came from. Maybe it was the combination of Sarah's hazel eyes mixed with his brown eyes, but even that was unlikely.

'Em, you are very quiet, everything all right?' Craig asked.

'Yeah dad, I'm fine,' Emily said, 'didn't sleep too well last night.'

'I know. I'm struggling with that too. The environment is new. Soon we'll all sleep like babies.'

'Guess so,' Emily smiled.

'Are you ready for school tomorrow?' Craig asked.

'As ready as can be,' Emily said. 'I've done it in the past. This will be no different. At least I won't be a total stranger to Andy and Pat. Besides, they already started making new friends. Did they tell you?'

'So I've heard,' Craig nodded. 'That's good.' Craig's eyes dropped to the ground for a moment. When he looked up again, he noticed Sarah and Emily looking at him expectantly. 'Listen, guys, don't worry about the things that happened since we came to Saldanha. I guess it's a little weird, but I can assure you that everything will be all right.' His eyes bounced from Sarah to Emily. Emily tilted her head slightly and Craig could sense a faint smile. He knew Emily was fine. She definitely got her woman strength from her mother, 'I promise.'

Craig's eyes went back to Sarah for a little support.

'Don't know about you guys, but I like it here,' Sarah said. 'Much better than the big old city. Besides the air is much cleaner here.'

'I like it here too,' Emily added. 'Don't need to convince me though.'

Craig nodded and smiled at Emily. He felt much better and walked towards the cooler box behind them. He grabbed a can of Coke and turned towards Andrew and Patrick. He noticed both of them struggling with Patrick's fishing rod. The fishing rod arched heavily to a point that Craig thought it was going to break. Craig found himself smiling at the sight. Sarah might have her fish to fry for dinner after all. He thought and took a sip from his Coke.