MOOSE ROAD, a Canadian Tragedy - an excerpt
Page 14-15
I was a good mother. I did everything for my children. I loved them and I devoted my life to them.
Now I rarely hear from them. It's been such a long time since I've seen them I don't even remember the last time. Today my son, Robert, the only boy who never left home, runs the farm.
More than thirty years ago Rob married Alice Murphy and brought her home to live here with us on the farm. I can't say that the Murphys are a lot better than the O'Briens so I will resist temptation and I'll not say another word about the family in which Alice grew up.
They say the apple never falls far from the branch but I feel no hesitation in stating that I believe Alice is an exception to that fabled rule. At first I wasn't enthusiastic about her arrival into my home. I wasn't sure I wanted to accept another woman into my kitchen; into my son's life or into my own heart. The warmth and caring that is the essence of Alice was far greater than any doubts I had about living with the daughter-in-law.
She is a very kind and thoughtful woman. I have to admit that from the very first day she moved in with us, Alice has always been good to me.
Now that I am an old lady she never complains about having to bring me my meals or about washing my clothes. Yes, my Robert could have done a lot worse than Alice. And she gave him the greatest gift of all, a healthy son; my grandson, Martin who is now twenty-nine years old. My life being what it is with my other sons and daughters keeping their determined distance, Martin is the only grandchild I have the good fortune to see and to know in these, my last days.
Whether I will be a great-grandparent again in the near future or not is debatable. Oh, there is no doubt that Martin's girlfriend, Angel O'Brien, is expecting a child. Why, she must be near seven months gone now and the girl has no shame, no shame at all, when it comes to prancing around the neighbourhood and even into Mansey with her stomach bulging; filled as it is with her bastard child.
Yes, I know bastard is a harsh word but just because I am saying it like that doesn't mean that you should get the idea I have anything against the poor, innocent, unborn child. I declare it is never the baby's fault what its mother gets up to. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Angel is back and forth like a yoyo between the house of Alex O'Brien and our own house.
It's not that the young ones seek my approval because they know their reckless behaviour would never gain it but I am not blind. I have a more than fair idea of what goes on in this house between Angel and my grandson. I wasn't born anywhere close to yesterday.
But who really knows what goes on in the O'Brien household? That is something else again. I can only imagine and I can only hope the situation there is not any worse than what I can imagine.
MOOSE ROAD, a Canadian Tragedy is available on all Amazon sites in Paperback, Kindle and Audiobook formats. You can find it on my Amazon Author's Page at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin
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