Goa Call "Girls Service 9316020077 Call "Girls in Goa
Â
Ryman Legacy Chapter 13B
1. The Ryman Legacy Chapter 13B A Royal Wedding Or From now on, letâs consider this normal. By Mzyra
2. Rodney wondered why he had even dared to imagine he might get some peaceful alone time before Livâs wedding. âDo you genuinely not have anything better to do than annoy me?â âI just heard that my sister and ex-wife are dead,â Seth ignored him thoughtfully. âAnd? I thought you didnât care about them anymore. You were fine with blackmailing them out of their positions and they certainly hated you.â
3. Seth frowned a little at this before shaking his head, âItâs not really that â theyâre dead of old age. But Sara was only a little older than me and Noelle was my age. I should at least almost be dead too.â âBut youâre not. Congratulations, now go away.â âYeah, but Iâm still aging. Pretty soon Iâm going to actually get old. And then die.â âAnd weâll all be happier,â Rodney muttered under his breath. âEveryone ages and dies, Seth: man up and get used to it.â
4. ââŠYeah, I guess youâre right; everyone ages and dies,â Seth agreed casually after a prolonged pause while Rodney moved to the mirror. âExcept, you know, Juan Harris wonât since heâs a zombie and everything. Heâs probably going to be around forever. Long after weâre dead.â Rodney froze. Harris knew practically everything. He would only have to wait until Rodney died before he could reveal everything and destroy his name. And it was a bitter enough thought even without that.
5. He sighed and turned around to face Seth, who was now smirking victoriously. âAlright, Iâm listening, what do you propose?â âWell thereâs the reason Iâm still relatively young now-â âNo,â Rodney interjected. âNo cowplants. Youâve killed enough people as it is, and you know Harris will be looking out for anything like that to bring us â me â down.â
6. Seth sighed, âFine. Vampires also seem to live forever-â âI canât be a vampire. Not going out during the day? That might be fine for you, but some of us choose to see daylight. And itâs creepy anyway.â âAnd then there are zombies-â Rodney silenced him with a look. âNow youâre just trying to piss me off.â
7. Seth shrugged, âThose three are the only ways Iâve heard. So unless youâre okay with Harris beating you at something or you make sure he dies first somehow, youâll have to pick one.â Rodney stared into the middle distance for a few moments. âIâll think about it. There must be another way...â
8. âAnyway,â he said, snapping out of his trance, âsome of us actually have things to do. Find a way to make yourself useful for once, Iâm going to see my daughter.â ~~~~~~~~~~
9. Juan didnât want to have to do this. He didnât know what he was going to say, but he was seriously running out of time in which to say it. He sighed and reluctantly knocked on the door. âLiv? Can I talk to you?â
10. âSure, come in!â âOh. Wow. You look- you look wonderful,â he said, taken aback a little. âThanks,â she smiled happily. âI get the impression the dress was very expensive, but you know my DadâŠ!â
11. âYeah. I do.â He leant against the chest of drawers and continued to think how on earth he was going to say this. âJuanâŠ? What is it?â Liv asked lightly after a few minutesâ silence. He hesitated before starting, âLook⊠Youâre clearly very excited and happy about all this, but this is just a wedding. And a weddingâs just one day, generally followed by decades of marriage. I just⊠Are you sure about this?â
12. Livâs face betrayed no reaction, completely neutral, but she looked a little tense. âWhat do you mean?â âWell, Iâll admit I donât know Winston myself and he may be a good guy and suited to you and everything, but it kind of seems to me like...â he hesitated and watched her carefully as he slowly finished: âyouâre only with him because your father wants you to be.â The sign was small, she looked down and swallowed a little, but it was there. âOh.â
13. âThereâs nothing wrong with wanting to make people happy Liv, but there are some things where you have to put yourself first. This is the rest of your life we could be talking about; the person youâll be living with, possibly the father of your children: theyâll be a huge part of your life. Iâm not sure if I believe in soul-mates and all those kinds of things, but at the very least you should like them â preferably love them â and want to be with them forever, at least at the beginning even if it goes wrong later. Nobody else should make that decision for you.â Liv still said nothing.
14. âAnd if Winston is all those things to you then thatâs fine â thatâs great! But if heâs not⊠You should have the best you can get. And⊠your father has a life of his own; he doesnât need you to orient yours around him too.â He struggled not to sound bitter. Livâs silence continued.
15. âIâm sorry, but⊠I had to say it. Just in case. Anyway, Iâd better get back to your motherâŠâ he said awkwardly and went to leave. âJuan?â she finally said. âYes?â She gave him a small, sad smile. âThank you.â âAny time.â
16. Rodney watched Harris walking away thoughtfully, anger burning beneath the surface at the interfering conversation heâd just overheard. Just you wait, Harris. Just you wait.
17. He irritably headed into Livâs room himself. âYou almost ready, Liv?â âYeah,â she beamed. âHow do I look?â âGreat,â he said distractedly. âOhâŠ. Do you think thereâs anything I need to change?â she asked half-hopefully. âNo, youâll be fine.â âOh. Okay...â ~~~~~~~~~~
18. âYou okay man?â Tommy asked his best friend hesitantly. âFantastic,â Briney responded dryly. âItâs not too late to leave-â âI canât.â âBut why are you even here? Itâs only going to hurt.â âIâm here to look â and try to be â happy for her,â he said grimly.
19. âSo youâre not going to try anything then?â Tommy asked suspiciously. âLike what?â âI donât know.â I donât want to give you any ideas. âShe knows how I feel and if sheâs fallen in love with somebody elseâŠâ Briney sighed miserably. Tommy shook his head. He had a bad feeling about this. ~~~~~~~~~~
20. âEr Rodney â I thought you said the whole of Simfield was comingâŠ?â âYes.â âThis canât possibly beâŠ!â Rodney sighed. ââŠThereâs been some emigration.â ââŠâSomeâ?â âA considerable amount.â
21. Seth laughed gleefully, âAre you telling me that youâve messed up Simfieldso badly that everyoneâs just leaving?â âNo⊠And we didnât want them anyway,â Rodney said shortly. âWhat are you going to do when youâre Mayor of a town where youâre the only inhabitant?â âAs if youâd let me get that kind of peace and quiet,â Rodney glared. âAnyway, weâll get new people. Better people.â âWho?!â
22. âPeople who want to live somewhere like this and will benefit us. Or who donât have a choice and can be easily manipulated. Itâs a good thing.â âSuuureâŠâ Seth smirked. âAnyway, where am I going, what am I doing?â âUp the front â youâre the Best Man. Though thatâs only because if we had to sit you with the rest of your family youâd probably get lynched.â âAhh, youâre so caring,â he laughed and walked away.
23. Seth walked happily past the other guests still finding their seats, up to the arch where the Maid of Honour was waiting-
24. âOh. Itâs you. Hi.â Mia just stared at him in shock and apprehension.
25. ââŠNice weather we have today, huh?â She continued to stare. âRight, well, uh, this is extremely awkward â Iâm going to go over there.â
26. Oh my god, I canât believe this is actually happening, Mia thought as he walked away from her. How can this be right? ~~~~~~~~~~
29. âAh, wowâŠâ âAunty Liv looks really pretty! Did you look like that Mum?â âNo way â my dress was nowhere near that amazing.â âDonât listen to your mother, Elliot; she was just as gorgeous.â
33. âLadies and gentlemen, welcome to a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day, to witness the love and commitment of Winston Jayapalan and Liv Ryman, and its certification in marriage. With love, good fortune, and the help of the friends and family in attendance today, may it last for many decades to come. âWell,â Ivan continued nervously. âWe may as well jump right in, right?â
34. âWinston Seth Jayapalan, will you take Liv to be your lawfully wedded wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?â Winston casually reflected on this for a moment. âI will.â
35. âLiv Mia Ryman, will you take Winston to be your lawfully wedded husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?â
36. The tension in select areas of the audience was suffocating.
38. Juan sighed and suppressed a groan, while Rodneyâs whole world lit up, most visible of all on his own face.
39. Brineyâs groan, however, was audible. âOh godâŠâ âI tried to warn youâŠ!â Tommy sighed. âYeah, yeahâŠâ
40. âNow for the vows and rings,â Ivan recalled cautiously. âI, Winston Jayapalan, take thee Liv Ryman, to be my wife. To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, and I promise to care for you forevermore.â
41. âI, Liv Ryman, take thee Winston Jayapalan, to be my husband. To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, and I promise to care for you forevermore.â
42. âThen I now pronounce you man and wife: Mr Winston â and Mrs Liv â Jalowitz. Winston, you may kiss your bride!â
43. It was amazingly short for something that had caused so much stress. But it wasnât really the focus for some peopleâŠ
44. âI win,â Rodney wasnât even looking at Juan, but it was obvious he was talking to him.
45. Juan stared at him in disgust. âIs that what this is about to you?! Youâre pathetic. And youâd better hope this marriage works because if it doesnât I am blaming all of it on you.â Rodneyâs smile just became a larger smirk.
46. Tommy saw his friend suddenly move out of the corner of his eye and start swaying slightly. ââŠDid you just freeze time so you could get drunk?!â ââŠNo.â âAre you planning on talking to Liv at all before we leave?â he sighed. âI guess so.â âYou think sheâs not going to notice and care that youâre completely off your face?!â Briney groaned. âHang on.â
47. He blurred a bit again and stopped swaying though he looked very grumpy. âIâve drunk like five cups of coffee and have a pounding headache â I hope youâre happy.â âHappier,â Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~
48. With the ceremony done, it was time for food and champagne (which may have been half the reason some of the guests were even there), but also for various conversationsâŠ
49. âWe just canât stand for this, Jane â weâve been friends with Rymans for generations; we must be able to marry in somewhere!â âŠ
50. ⊠âNo, no Nolan, weâre just suggesting that maybe-â âIf you get either one of us pregnant again you will swiftly lose the ability to father children at all.â âJanice!â âYou have to be firm with guys, Tessâ!â âŠ
51. ⊠âOh, come on, I dare someone to do it!â âWouldnât that be interfering?â âNoooo, Jess is obviously okay with it, and you canât say he doesnât deserve it after all this â itâs not exactly shoving him in a crocodile pit!â âI still prefer that plan, myself.â âŠ
52. ⊠âSo, are you single?â âThat depends on whoâs asking.â âOh, ignore my brother, he chats up everyone.â âOh yeah and you donât, Ivan?â âI just think sheâd be more interested in a mature man-â âWell that counts you out!â âŠ
53. ⊠âI wonder how the babysitterâs getting along with BrawlyâŠâ âOh, Iâm sure sheâs fine. You did tell her about that tin foil trick to send him to sleep, didnât you?â âYes, but Iâm not sure she really got the hang of itâŠâ âFly or die situation for her then, I guess.â âŠ
54. ⊠âSo Iâm Robin and these are my half-sisters Sally and Rose â theyâre half alien, you know.â âIâm Stone and this is my identical twin Ned.â âJerry, and this is my cousin Amy â our mums are twins too, but theyâre not identical.â âEr, Iâm Elliot⊠And, uh, my grandadâs a zombie?â âŠ
55. ⊠âSo how have things been since Sara⊠you know?â âWell, kinda lonely, obviously, but the house is packed full, so Iâm not really alone. And hey: Iâm a grandpa now, arenât I? Iâm sure coming to meet little Huey will make me feel better.â âOh yeah, he has your hair and everything, youâll love him.â âŠ
56. ⊠âUrrrrrghâŠâ âCome on man; if you slump over the table like this sheâll notice!â âUrrrrrrghâŠ.â âHey, you can behave or you can leave mate, but donât ruin the day.â âŠ
57. ⊠âOh come on Laura, if we can raise the dead just by concentrating, we must have the ability to kill people with a look!â âI just donât think that he deserves-â âHeâs done worse to other people!â âThen weâd be stooping to his level!â âCan we please at least try?â âŠ
58. .. âTheyâre glaring at you again.â âI choose to take it as a sign of love.â âItâs not.â âShhh.â âŠ
59. âOkay, ladies and gentlemen, we have just a couple of short speeches to make before the cutting of the cake-â
60. âSpeeches? Weâre making speeches?â âNo, I donât really do public speaking-â âBut Iâm the Best Man-â âAnd I forbid you from making a speech, Dad.â â⊠Youâre no fun.â
61. âHello, welcome, thank you for coming. I am, as I hope you all know, Mayor Rodney Jalowitz, father of Liv, our beautiful bride. And it is wonderful to be able to share such a special occasion with so many people. I canât honestly say I ever made the conscious decision to bring Liv into my life, but she really has made me proud today, and I never could have imagined what Iâd be missing and how different and much better my life is, than if I didnât have her. Sheâs an amazing girl with a kind heart and she deserves the best.â
62. âWhich brings us to the groom. Now if anyone had ever proposed to me that my daughter marry the son of Seth Jayapalan, I would have thought they were insane or trying to insult me. However, having met and gotten to know Winston, I can happily report that he is almost nothing like his father, and Iâm glad to be able to welcome him into the family and trust him with Liv for the years to come.â
63. âEr, I would do additional âthank youâs at this point, but this was nearly all my own work, so uh, Liv, I believe you had something you wanted to say?â âIsnât the Best Man supposed to make a speech first?â Liv asked. âWhy yes, yes he is!â Seth interjected before anyone could stop him. âThank you for reminding us, Liv â isnât she wonderful?â Winston and Rodney did not look thrilled.
64. âNow, as the best man, I am lead to believe it is my duty to rag on the groom, embarrassing stories, etc, etc, but those of you who know Winston will know thatâs very hard to do; heâs a hard-working, upstanding member of the community â Iâve never known someone to be quite so successful in not becoming their father â yes, believe it or not, Rodney was telling the truth, may wonders never cease. So congratulations for that Winston, and for managing to somehow get such a wonderful bride. Try not to screw it up, you probably wonât get so lucky again.â
65. âSo I may not be able to do the normal best man thing, but I did have some alterations to make to our earlier ceremony. We were told that we were all gathered here today to celebrate Liv and Winstonâs marriage, but a lot of us know thatâs not true: Iâm sure everyone here loves a good wedding, or at least a good party, but we know there are people here who wonât even really know the couple.â
66. No, we are gathered here today because âMayor Rodney Jalowitzâ, our dear father-of-the-bride, cannot pass up the opportunity to show off how obscenely rich and powerful he is to as many people as possible â and weâre sure heâs not compensating for something at all. So a toast to him for giving us this â because everybody loves a party they donât have to pay for.â
67. âAnd additional toasts to Mia and Juan Ryman, without whom Liv would not be the woman she is today, and my recently deceased ex-wife who did a lot more for Winston than I ever did. But mostly Iâd toast to Liv, and my eternal hope that maybe she might be able to turn these poor, socially inept fortune sims into something verging on normal human beings.â
68. âEr, thank you Mr Jayapalan,â Liv smiled shyly. âI donât think brides usually make speeches, but, well, everyone knows I like to talk! And I have to thank everybody â my mum, and Juan, my big brothers, my friends, my cousins, my sisters-in-law, my aunts, my uncles â even my niece and nephews: hi Elliot! You look adorable! And then thereâs obviously Winstonâs family too; I canât wait to get to know you all better and can hopefully make Winston happy all the while. Thank you for all coming and supporting me through the years; my life would be a little less bright without any single one of you.â
69. âBut most of all Iâd like to thank my Dad, who organised and paid for all of this. I know it canât be easy to bond with a daughter whose mother youâre no longer with, and who you donât live with and see necessarily all that often, but even if you werenât behind all this, Iâd still want you to be the one walking me up the aisle and sat next to me today, because youâre my Dad and I love you.â Rodney just stared down, stunned speechless. âNow, who wants some cake?â ~~~~~~~~~~
70. And then there was dancing, for those who had a partner and could do so without treading on their partnerâs feet.
71. And it wasnât long after that the kids (predominantly the girls) decided they had to dance too and were established into pairs of their own.
72. Elliot wound up dancing with Robin. Not that he was complaining; girls were soft and pretty, if a bit bossy. They should definitely together dance more often.
74. âWhy hello there, Mayor Jalowitz.â Rodney avoided looking at the owner of the approaching sultry voice. That was the last thing heâd need. âIâm busy, Jessica.â âToo busy for one little dance?â âYes.â
75. âYouâre always busy,â she said, faux-dejectedly. âI am the Mayor.â âSeth will dance with meâŠâ âSeth would dance with a sheep if it asked. Would probably sleep with it, too.â
76. âItâs okay if youâre scared-â âIâm not scared-!â he said angrily, turning to face her, but she was already walking away. Bloody women.
77. Something told him he probably didnât have any right to be angry about Seth dancing with Jesspret, but it really didnât stop him feeling it anyway. The idiots deserved each other. ~~~~~~~~~~
78. Mia had barely spoken to Rodney since the bachelorette challenge when Liv was just a toddler, but she felt it was about time she changed that, especially since heâd paid for and run the entire wedding.
79. âHello Rodney.â He looked at her blankly. âThank you for all this â itâs beautiful and youâve done a really great job. Liv seems to be really happy too.â
80. And then he walked off without a word. âEr, okayâŠ?â Well that was disappointing. She sighed and went to find Juan again instead. ~~~~~~~~~~
81. Once the first couple of dances were over, Liv and Winston broke apart to talk to people. Naturally Livâs family got to her first. âOh Liv, you look absolutely wonderful!â âThanks Mum.â âI canât believe my little girl is marriedâŠâ âI know Mum, I know.â
82. âCongratulations sis, everythingâs great.â âNo grilled cheese at the buffet table?!â Lyle teased. âNo Lyle; we thought turkey might be better.â âCharlatans!â
83. âCongratulations Liv.â âThanks Juan,â Liv said quietly, not quite meeting Juanâs eye. âI hope youâll be happy.â âI will.â ~~~~~~~~~~
84. Seth waited until Livâs family was done and gone before approaching her himself. âHey, congrats Liv. It went really well. Great speech, too.â âThank you,â she beamed. âAnd of course you look absolutely gorgeous like that.â
85. âReally? You think so?â âWell yeah, why wouldnât I?â âWell itâs just my DadâŠâ Seth sighed, âWhatâs he done now?â âWhen I asked him how I looked before the ceremonyhe said âgreatâ, but he sounded like he was just saying that, and then when I asked him if there was anything I should change he said âyouâll be fineââŠâ
86. Seth stared at her for a couple of seconds before bursting out laughing. âOh god, he is priceless â Iâm going to have to start writing these down! No, trust me Liv: your Dadâs an idiot, and you look beautiful. No worries.â âThanks Mr Jayapalan,â she smiled happily. âOh please â call me Seth.â ~~~~~~~~~~
87. âOw! What was that for?!â Rodney demanded as Seth hit him as he passed. ââYouâll be fineâ?!â Seth laughed incredulously. âGod, you are completely hopeless with women, arenât you? Youâd probably be better off with menâŠâ Rodney opened his mouth to reply angrily but Seth was already headed off to the karaoke machine.
88. âWhat?!â he demanded testily of one of his staff staring at him from nearby. âOh, nothing, itâs just⊠you two make an adorable couple,â she smiled before walking away quite quickly.
89. Rodney stared after her before getting really angry. Where the hell was Winston?! ~~~~~~~~~~
90. âEverybodyyyâŠ. Rock your bodyyyâŠ. Everybodyyy⊠Rock your body right⊠Backstreetâs back, alright! -â
91. âAll those in favour of killing him right now?â Gina asked angrily. âWouldnât think twice,â Brendan muttered. âAny opposed?â âI think a quick death might let him off too easily,â Haley reasoned. âAgreed,â Gina said grimly. âMotion postponed, in favour of a slow and painful death. Give me a chance to gather my equipment and Iâll meet you behind the wedding arch for a discussion on how to circumvent the laws against torture.â ~~~~~~~~~~
92. âOh my God we're back agaaain, Brothers, sisters, everybody siiing! We're gonna bring the flavour, show you hooow! I've gotta question for ya, Better answer noow-!â
93. Juan watched Seth unabashedly singing his heart out on the karaoke machine in fascination. If the man ever got around to dying, scientists would have to dissect his brain in order to figure out what the heck was wrong with him.
94. âDad?â Lyle interjected into his thoughts. âMmm?â âThe man on the karaoke machine â we donât like him, do we?â Juan looked at his son with deep concern. âNo. We donât. Do you not know who he is?â
95. âIsnât he some celebrity?â Jose asked. âHeâs called Seth Jayapalan,â Juan said slowly, waiting for one of the boys to suddenly remember. âYeah, thatâs his name,â Jose agreed. âDo we even know him though?â âI think Roxanneâs friends with his daughters or something,â Lyle shrugged. âSeriously? Nobodyâs ever told any of you kids?â Juan stared between them. âI assumed somebody would have said something or even that you might remember, LyleâŠâ
96. They both looked at each other and shrugged apologetically. Juan sighed. âOkay, you know how you all have different fathers? Do you remember why that was?â âOh yeah, one of Mumâs cousins went psycho and killed you and Joseâs Dad,â Lyle recalled. Juan waited for them to put two and two together before giving up and gesturing towards Seth. Their mouths dropped.
97. âNo way,â Jose said slowly. âThat canât beâŠâ âAre you trying to tell me that my Dadâs murderer is singing karaoke at my sisterâs wedding?!â Lyle exclaimed under his breath. âThat is exactly what I am telling you.â âWhatâs he doing out here?! Why isnât he in jail?! Canât you arrest him now?â Lyle couldnât stop gaping.
98. âHang on,â Jose said slowly, âis this all to do with that thing you told me? About your boss and the corruption and everything?â âItâs very linked to that, yes,â Juan said bitterly. âWait, I wasnât there for that conversation â what?â Lyle asked eagerly. âJuanâs boss is really corrupt and horrible and heâs made it so that the police canât really do their job unless it suits him,â Jose summed up. âHey,â he suddenly thought, âis your boss here today too?â Juan hesitated, ââŠYes, he is.â
99. âWho?â The boys asked together, eyes alight. Juan looked between them reluctantly before nodding his head in Rodneyâs direction. âLivâs Dad?!â Lyle whispered again. âThatâs why Iâve never said anything before,â Juan explained. âRemember when Liv became a teenager and he wasnât there? Heâs always been a criminal and I finally caught him, but then he and Seth Jayapalan broke out of jail together and were on the run-â âThey were the escaped prisoners?!â
100. âYeah, thatâs why that was never resolved. Rodney used Sethâs past to blackmail the former Mayor â Sethâs sister â into quitting and took over in her place, then excused Seth of everything. I canât do anything about either of them. And their⊠friendship or whatever is how Liv and Sethâs son met and are now married, which Iâm led to believe was her fatherâs idea. Hooray.â
101. âLiv doesnât know, does she?â Lyle asked. Juan sighed, âNot in the slightest â nor does your mother, by the way â I probably should have told Liv, but⊠I donât want to hurt her and Iâm not sure how much she listens anyway where her fatherâs concerned. And, of course, heâs blackmailing me tooâŠâ âWhat? What with?â âOh, you know, losing my job-â âThatâs not much,â Lyle reasoned angrily. âI say take him down.â
102. Juan was amused by his normally gentle sonâs anger, but shook his head tiredly. âThereâs other stuff too. Stuff that I canât ignore or risk.â Both boys looked frustrated. âHeâs so not invited to our house anymore,â Jose frowned, making Juan laugh. âIf you ever change your mind Dad, weâll help you out. Wonât we Jos?â Lyle said determinedly while Jose nodded his agreement. Juan looked at his son seriously. âThanks, but I really doubt that I will.â ~~~~~~~~~~
103. âAm I original? Yeeeeeah! Am I the oooonlyoooone? Yeeeeeah! Am I sex-u-al? Yeeeeeah! Am I everything you need? You better rock you body now-!â
104. Winston stared at his father with increasing pain as Rodney came up to him. âWas the karaoke machine really necessary?â âIt was the only thing he asked for that we werenât already going to have, and he promised not to cause any drama. In retrospect Ishould have added that he wouldnât annoy me.â âI know a lot of people complain about having the most embarrassing parents ever, but I swear I have a genuine claim to that.â âThere arenât many parents who manage to combine the embarrassment of karaoke with the name-destruction of numerous counts of various degrees of murder,â Rodney agreed.
105. âIf I werenât already an adult and just married to your daughter I would now beg you to adopt me instead.â âAnd I really wouldnât blame you. But you still kind of like him, donât you?â Rodney asked significantly. âHeâs my father,â Winston shrugged. âSo it would bother you if something⊠unfortunate were to happen to him?â âI guess so, why?â âIf you donât get him out of my house pretty much immediately, I will be forced to kill him.â
106. Winston considered this. âI suppose we could use an extra pair of hands when we have kids.â âExactly. Thank you.â âI ask only one thing in return.â âOh? What?â âGet him off that karaoke machine right now.â ~~~~~~~~~~
107. Hmm, now what am I supposed to do? Seth wondered to himself after Rodney finally forced him away from the karaoke machine. Which was a stupid plan; if all else failed he would simply wind up annoying Rodney until he was allowed back on the karaoke machine again âExcuse me, mister?â A childâs voice interrupted his ponderings.
108. He turned to see two cute kids looking up at him. âWe were just wondering whether youâd seen our Mums? Itâs hard to see from down here,â the little boy explained. âEr, okay, who are they?â Seth asked. âKaren and Laura, they have black hair and-â âKaren and Laura Jayapalan?â Seth interrupted him suddenly. âMy Mum Lauraâs a Vijayakar, but I guess she used to be,â the girl replied.
109. Seth stared down at them, speechless. ZOMG grandchildren. Small, adorable, perfect grandchildren. âThere you two are!â a familiar voice came from behind Seth. âI thought we told you to stay with the other children, Jerry.â
110. âSorry Mum, me and Amy were just looking for you and Aunty Laura,â Jerry explained, gesturing towards Seth, who was now staring at his daughters instead. âOh. Itâs you.â Karen said distastefully at him. Laura turned to the kids before Karen could continue, âYou two go play with the other children and weâll come find you in a minute, okay?â ââKay Aunty Laura,â Jerry said before the kids disappeared off in another direction.
111. âWhat are you doing talking to them?â Karen seethed. âThey started talking to me,â he pointed out. âI didnât even know for certain that I had grandchildren.â âWell you might as well consider yourself not to. Youâre not having anything to do with my son.â âOh come on Karen, give me a chance!â âOh, sure, remind me how many people you killed and how many chances you had to stop before?!â
112. âAre you even sorry?â Laura joined in sadly. Seth hesitated, âIf I hadnât done any of it you two wouldnât exist, so not entirely, no!â âYeah, great Dad. And all we have to do is go through life knowing that we only exist through somebody elseâs death â murder â and all their familyâs grief and suffering. Fantastic,â if reaper children really did have the power to kill people through looks alone, Karen would have killed Seth a million times over by then. âIâm sorry, but I wouldnât take that back now,â he said honestly.
113. âAnd what about the people you killed who didnât lead to us?â Karen asked coldly. âI- Look, I know Iâve done a lot of things, but that was a long time ago. Iâve changed â thatâs why Iâm free now. And even back then, you have to know that I never would have intentionally done anything to hurt you two, and the exact same goes for your kids â just give me a chance, I wonât let you down,â he promised, half-pleading. Karen and Laura glanced at each other before contemplating him in silence for a few moments.
114. Karen broke the silence. âIâm sorry Dad, but all I hear when I listen to you is lies,â she said coldly. âCome on Laura.â Laura at least gave him a sympathetic look before following her twin, but said nothing to challenge what sheâd said. âDamn it,â he sighed to himself. ~~~~~~~~~~
115. Rodney was sat resting for a bit and trying to ignore the compulsion to go and talk to Jesspret again when Seth fell into the chair next to him. âIâm kicking you and out and youâre going to live with Winston and Liv,â he informed him. âGreat,â Seth said despondently. âWhatâs wrong?â Not that I particularly care.
116. âI have grandchildren â cute, perfect, intelligent, adorable grandchildren â but my daughters wonât let me talk to them.â âOh. Well Iâm sure Winston and Liv will give us a few to make up for it.â âMeh; their kids wonât be cute,â Seth dismissed.
117. âWow, you really are shallow. Some parent and grandparent you are.â âThis coming from the guy who would only accept his daughter after sheâs proved her loyalty by doing exactly what sheâs told, and marrying a man she barely knows and doesnât love just to make you happy.â â⊠Yeah, well, we all have our issues.â âAnd I plan to drown mine in alcohol. Why donât you actually go and talk to the daughter you now accept?â ~~~~~~~~~~
118. Here goes, Briney thought as he approached her. âHey Liv. Congratulations.â âOh, Briney â hi! I wasnât certain if youâd come!â âWhy wouldnât I?â he asked with a nervous laugh. âOf course I wanted to see one of my best friends get married; wouldnât miss it for the world.â âOh good, Iâm glad. I didnât want things to be awkward or anythingâŠâ âNot at all; if youâre happy, Iâm happy.â
119. âHowâs university, you must be graduating soon, right?â âOh yeah, just a couple more semesters to go.â âGirlfriend?â she asked hopefully. âAh, no, not just yet â focusing on my studies, you know, but Iâm sure soonâŠâ âYeah, me too.â
120. âWell, uh, Iâll let you get back to things-â âOh, hey: did- did you ever figure out how to do that age freezing thing for other people?â âUh, yeah. Yeah, I did in the end,â he said wistfully. âOh, well Iâm sure youâll find somebody special to share it with soon,â she smiled kindly. ~~~~~~~~~
121. Rodney managed to locate Liv across the lot â it shouldnât have been that hard with the huge white dress and all â where she was talking to some guest, and headed over towards her.
122. But then the guest disappeared. Completely into thin air.
123. âLivâŠ?â âOh hi Daddy, whatâs wrong?â âI- I could have sworn there was someone stood just hereâŠâ âOh! Oh, thatâs just Briney. He tries not to get caught doing it, but he can freeze time and move around.â
124. âOh. OkayâŠ?â What kind of people was his daughter friends with?! But Liv was happy to have hit on something to talk about. âYeah, itâs pretty cool â he can freeze his own aging, and apparently now other peopleâs too!â â⊠He can stop people aging?â âYeah! Iâm not sure how he does it, but he said that he could.â âThatâs⊠interesting.â
125. Then Briney reappeared. âOh Liv, I forgot to mention â you look beau-â âBriney, is it?â Rodney interjected.
126. âOh, uh, Mr Jalowitz, right?â Briney swallowed nervously. âSorry if I interrupted, I didnât-â âNo, no, itâs fine. Actually, Iâd quite like to have a word with you about something, if you donât mindâŠâ ~~~~~~~~~~
127. âSooo, how did talking Liv out of the marriage go?â âYou enjoy annoying people, donât you?â âAbsolutely.â
128. Juan sighed. âI spoke to her, she listened. But she knew what she was doing, and she made her choice.â âAnd now we get to share grandchildren,â Seth laughed. âI donât suppose youâd do us all a favour and die already? Maybe take Jalowitz with you?â âHmm⊠no, I donât think so.â
129. They sat in silence for a few moments. âYou like Liv â as a person â donât you?â âYeah, sheâs nice. Little on the thick-as-a-plank side, especially with her Dad, but nice.â âGiven that youâre partly to blame for all this, youâd better help make sure sheâs happy.â Seth gave him a sidelong smirk. âIâll see if I can find the time.â ~~~~~~~~~~
130. And as the wedding party finally ended, Rodney approached his daughter. âWell done Liv, that went really well. Iâm proud of you.â
131. âSo you didnât just say that for the speech then?â she said with a small smile. âNo. No, I mean it.â âThen I am very, very happy.â
132. âGood. And now we can finally go home and relax.â âYeah. I suppose youâll have a lot of work to do now, though?â âWell, maybe, but Iâm never too busy for my daughter. And you can call me anytime anyway.â âThanks Dad.â ~~~~~End of Chapter 13B~~~~~