Islands of Sunset Valley – Epilogue
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No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own or of thine friend's were. Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” Extracted from Meditations #17 – John Donne (1623)
Dear Diary,
As Keith and I packed our boxes to go to university, I found that little essay I wrote for Ms McIrish, now Mrs Briody, all those years ago. I showed it to Keith.
Keith read it and pointed out that our dad may once have been an island adrift from the mainstream of humanity, but today he stands a headland, proud and strong against the ravages of time and tide.
The Isthmus of Diana is no more. Sheltering in the lea of the headland, the love of family and friends replenished the lost clods to form a cove where gentle waves lap the sun drenched beach. The cove connects the headland to the mainland. Atop that strong headland stands a lighthouse, our mum Faith, a beacon of light, guiding lost ships in the night to the safety of the cove.
I often wonder how things might have panned out if dad had been able to resurrect the ghost of my birth mother, Agnes. Would he be the person his is today? No, certainly not. Grandpa St Clair said that Agnes had been the strong person in that relationship and dad had been devoted to her. Would he have been happy? Undoubtedly, but he would most probably not have had the life experiences to make him the tower of strength he is today.
At Julian’s high school graduation, Mrs Briody read a beautiful poem by Brian A ‘Drew” Chalker; saying that people come into our life for a reason, a season or a lifetime
Agnes came into my dad’s life for a reason. To help, guide and support him to come to terms with his childhood, embrace adulthood and begin the physical and emotional journey he needed to make. Agnes showed him how love between a man and a woman felt and gave him the foundation and scaffolding to develop and build the father we love.
I like to believe that deep down, Agnes knew her role in the journey of dad’s life and that her work was done. I believe that is why she never returned to him. Not because of a glitch so she couldn’t or because she didn’t want to, but because she knew, ultimately, that she shouldn’t.
Our family; my brothers, sisters and I, together with our grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and all, will transit dad’s life for a season.
We’ve helped him to grow and learn what being a parent and family unit entails. We bring him joy and fulfillment in a way he could not have experienced on his own and we have tested the strength of his character on more than one occasion and, no doubt, will do so again.
But as with all family, our transit in and out of his life will be cyclical, because we are the seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. We’ll come and go like the waves upon the sand. We’ll leave interesting tidewater marks, pretty seashells and probably the odd bit of flotsam and jetsam just to keep him interested in walking along the beach.
But our mum Faith will be there with our dad for his lifetime, however long he chooses that to be.
With her strength and love, he has found inner peace and contentment. Faith’s boundless energy gave him the strength to match her enthusiasm and passion. Faith is the light of his heart, his life and his lifetime.
But without the lessons learned from Agnes and our family, Faith’s liveliness would most likely have intimidated and repelled the young Brandon St Clair who first came to Sunset Valley all those years ago. It was with Faith’s love and ingenuity that enabled dad to overcome his self imposed exile and with her blessing, grow beyond his programming to become the successful romance writer he is today.
Part of dad’s success as an author is surely the sheer breadth of material our family constantly provides him; including my cousins Lexi Goth and Joshua’s Steel surprise elopement on Lexi’s graduation day. Then Lexi’s brother Morty was finally able to win Bella Bachelor over and marry her.
But it is my brother Julian with his Secret Agent lifestyle, his dashing good looks and his romantic escapades which are the perfect fodder for dad’s books. Although Julian swears dad has taken his literary license too far and given him a romantic reputation he hasn’t earned, the JK Chronicles are gaining popularity and have made the Best Seller list. I personally can’t wait for the next installment.
Thankfully dad has restrained his wit and his pen to leave the rest of us out of print. Although Hope with her fabulous figure and friendly nature sure attracts a lot of male attention. Dad says he’s scanning the consignment store for a cattle prod.
I wanted to go to University not only to get an education but to meet some nice guys, and to keep an eye on Keith. He wants to go to max out the Science Skill and hopefully find more aliens from his father’s home world.
Am I looking for someone tall dark and handsome? You bet, but also short; blond, brunette or redhead and average looking, is fine if he’s nice. If I don’t meet the man of my dreams at university maybe I’ll meet him as I travel around the world with my sketchbook and easel. Wish me luck.
So for me and you dear diary, it’s goodnight and farewell to Quantum... for now
Diana Crumplebottom-Baker
