We arrived in Sydney to stay with my Great Uncle (Uncle J). When mum was growing up she stayed with Uncle J for some time (he was also her god father). His house was on a large block and over the years this area was built out by developers but my Uncle refused to sell. One day a private school approached him to use his land. They offered to build flats that he would own and he would be the caretaker. He agreed as he always had a soft spot for kids and this way he had a legacy.
We used to go visit him each Christmas and it was always so much fun. We went to markets and got to eat takeaway food which we didn't have in my home town.
Uncle J was handicap. When he was born the doctor was drunk and broke his spine. The fingers on his right hand curled and he couldn't walk without his trolley. Due to this he had meals on wheels visit every day, three times a day and we always got the juice and jelly. He had someone come and tidy his house but it always had a funny smell so when we arrived the first thing we would do was clean from top to bottom.
Uncle J sat in the same seat all day and watched out the window for people driving in to the school. He either let them in or tell them to go away. He couldn't lock the window due to his hands/disability.
I took Jay here one year to introduce him to Uncle J. Uncle J was pleasant but he didn't really like him.
Finally I felt safe. The first few days I slept like a baby. I hadn't slept an entire night for so very long that when I woke and it was after 9am I jumped up with a fright.
We were looking for a place to stay but because mum had to look for a job we couldn't afford to live on this side of town. We had to go west.
We finally found a house out west of Sydney. It was about 45 minutes train ride to get there.
The day we went to move in it was so hot. The house was very old and fibro so extremely hot. It was located on a main bus route, this was good as we didn't have a car as mum left it with Arthur. We had all our worldly possessions delivery and spent days unpacking.
Day to day we would walk about 5 kilometers to get to the closest train station in order to get in to the closest city. We couldn't afford to travel on the bus and then the train it was either one or the other. We had enough food to get us by and Ava always had everything she needed. We would always go without to ensure that she had everything.
On pay day we would catch the bus this was a real treat.
Mum finally got herself a job at the local hospital and she felt so much better once she had this. She is not the sort of person who can sit around and do nothing.
I told my closest friends my address and I constantly received letters from my friends. Once a week we would speak on the phone. They would mostly call me after 6pm because it was cheaper.
We had been in our house for a few months when I decided to go and stay with my cousin over in the northern suburbs for a weekend. We will call her Viv.
Viv was engaged to a submariner. She worked at the local pub where all submariners drank when they where docked. I had Ava with me and Viv asked me to come straight to the pub and we could sit at the lower bar (it was like a beer garden but inside). I went there and I met so many people they were all so very nice to me and they loved Ava. I would stay at Viv and her fiancées unit. They had people over and we played cards and talked. Finally I was feeling almost normal.
When I returned home I told mum how much filing I had and she was glad. Barry had started school at the local high school. He made friends quickly as he was a likable guy.
Viv would ask me over each weekend and i would jump at the chance. I would leave at about 4pm and be there by 6 ish. One weekend when I was away we had a call in the morning "Emily, it's your mum" Viv said. "Hi Mum, what's wrong?" I asked. "Jays called Emily, he is going to call back soon he said he won't stop till he speaks with you, I'm sorry sweetheart". "I'll be there soon". I told Viv what had happened and she said "let's go" we got a taxi and travelled across the city. She paid and it cost her so much money but she wasn't letting me go by myself and she didn't do public transport.
When we arrived home the phone rang. I asked with trepidation. "Hello" I whispered. "I know where you are you ducking bitch and you won't be there for long if I have anything to do with it". In the background mum told Barry to go and ring the police from the phone booth up the road and let them know what was happening. Barry did this and when he returned he said to mum very quietly "Emily needs to keep him on the line they are going to trace the call, I have to go and ring them every 15 minutes to see if they have found him". Mum wrote this down on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
I was on the phone for about 3 hours in total. I had to keep him talking and every now and then there would be a tap on the line it sounded a little like clicking a pen. The entire time Jay threatened my Grand Parent, Uncle J, my friends and other family members. I asked him how did he get my number and he told me Layla have it too him and Kylie have him my address.
My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. I thought to myself 'how could they do this to me?'
Jay asked if that noise was a tap and I said "no how could I get a tap". Barry kept going to the phone booth and after 3 hours and his last trip to the phone booth he came back and told us that they couldn't trace the number as it was old machinery that Jay was calling from a fax line.
The last words Jay spoke on the phone were "I am bringing some people to deal with your mother this weekend". Then he hung up.
I was freaking out and Viv wouldn't leave us she called her fiancé and he and a few if the boys came and stayed with us. They took turns.
That weekend arrived and I heard that familiar sound that sent shivers through my very soul. It was Jays car ....
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