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@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

The tortuous journey to the building Sandy would later get to know as Building 1, took a network of taxis and commercial vans. Sullen drivers/ chauffeurs who were remote and uncommunicative; they preferred to listen to their music rather than to converse with Sandy. She had been blindfolded at some points and she was sure that one of the coffees that she’d been offered had been drugged as she had fallen asleep in the back of a white van and woke up to find herself covered in a blanket. Sandy had lost all track of time and felt disorientated. She had been told not to wear any jewellery , not even a watch and carry only a small purse. Her suitcase had disappeared , and she actually became frightened that she was being kidnapped.

Nevertheless, after the gruelling journey and with a curt instruction to remember a six- figure security code and to keep facing forwards and in no circumstance to turn around, she was deposited outside the gates of the facility.

Sandy was greatly relieved that the gates opened first time. In the distance, along a tree lined drive she saw an unattractive corrugated iron building which because it was painted white stood out against the grey sky that framed it. The building had the P. Neel Ltd Logo on it. There was a large sign pointing to various fields that advertised

” Pick your Own”

Building 1 looked out of place , almost as it had been stuck in the middle of the Countryside.

“Maybe there used to be a Stately Home here once, she mumbled to herself.” Glad to talk even if it was just to herself.

She continued walking as she had been instructed to and as she got closer she looked up at the imposing white building, there was no obvious door. A tall man in a white coat approached her on her right side. He appeared out of nowhere, yet he arrived by her side in a heart beat. He spoke softly to her as she turned to look at him.

“Good Day Sandy, we are very pleased that you have been able to come and see us. We are sorry about all the Security, but as you can appreciate, our real work here has to be kept secret. We are to all intents and purposes a Private Agricultural Research Company and you are our New Research Assistant from Lithuania. All your papers are in order and your arrival will have been noted by the Local Constabulary. That is how ridiculous everything is nowadays, but it is a good cover and we must keep the Authorities sweet.

” Hello, please to meet you. I don’t know any Lithuanian , I hope they don’t want to come and interrogate me.”

The man in the white coat smiled. ” I don’t think their Lithuanian is that good either, but they will just want to see you arrive, well the back of you arrive. We know where all their cameras are. The only view they will have is your hair and the back of your coat. If they capture any facial recognition data, then they could identify you and within a few hours we would be raided.

“Oh I see”. Sandy gazed in disbelief at the man. The man continued.

” We have some cottages on the Estate, which will be ready now. Do you want to freshen up or would you like to see Alex, he’s just in the playroom at the moment.”

” Please , I’d love to see my little boy straight away. I hope I don’t frighten him, he might not remember me , it’s been so long!”

“He’s been with us now nearly four years. He’s six and a half. He’s a very sociable little boy and he helps others settle in here too. He always enjoys meeting new people, at first we might just say you’re a new play assistant, but in a short time we can explain who you really are. We have shown him the photos you sent, but I’m not too sure about the workings of the six year old mind. They tend to live in the here and now and he may not have realised what we were showing him.”

Sandy looked up at the tall doctor who showed her so much empathy. She was very nervous. She really didn’t think that Alex would recognise her and she would find that very painful.

” That’s fine with me , he’s only little, it’s a lot for him to take in, it would be asking too much for him to remember me I suppose.”

As they walked along the side of the building, they came to small security panel which the Doctor put his palm against. The door slid open.

” My name is Dr William King by the way” he turned and shook hands with Sandy as they walked through the door. I’ve been looking after Alex’s case, and I’m pleased to say that although he has been through a lot that he’s doing really well at the moment.”

Sandy and Dr King went through the door; once they were inside it silently slid shut behind them. They both walked down a steeply slanting corridor, with small porthole windows at shoulder height from which you could see rows and rows of plants and for about ten minutes they walked down the sloped corridor which twisted and turned like a very large spiral staircase. The ground floor of the building was indeed an enormous cultivation area with plants growing in tightly controlled laboratory conditions. At the end of the corridor they came to another door, which was hermetically sealed and had a sign “Air-Lock” on it. Once Sandy and Dr King entered ,Dr King pressed some buttons on a key pad and Sandy felt the air pressure rise.

” Don’t worry , it’s just some Ozone, we need to ensure that we don’t bring any infections into the Nursery and to equalize the air pressure so that no air from outside enters the “Nursery Building”. The next phase is you will have to shower and your clothes will be treated with U.V. light. If you just come with me I’ll show you where to go.” Once the atmosphere pressure had been raised to the required level , Dr King opened the door into the “Nursery Corridor” and signalled to Sandy to go into a door on the left.

After she had showered and put on an overall along with some white sneakers. Dr King again accompanied her down the “Nursery Corridor” again at the bottom was another door which Dr King opened with his palm. Sandy was astounded when she saw what was inside.

It wasn’t the cold laboratory conditions she had expected on first seeing Building 1‘s harsh exterior. There were children everywhere, some obviously quite poorly , but they was a joy about the place. It was like the most magnificent children’s school, hospital and nursery combined. The were a significant number of adult carers and lots of activities going on.

The Doctor looked around and smiled broadly.

” This is our real purpose… as you see we are state of the art but also very homely, we try and make the children feel this is their home. We have all the medical support available when needed, we are very like the Hospices of Old, we like it to be a Joyful place, full of fun and laughter, some of the staff are ex- patients who have grown up and come back to work for us. We have set them up with false identities, they can live off site and we know we they can be trusted and I’ve just spotted Alex….” Dr King looked over at a little boy and called him.

” Alex!”

Sandy saw the little boy Dr King was calling look up from playing with another child. Alex stood up and ran over to the doctor, who picked him up and gave him a big hug. Alex had grown so much and what happened next stunned her.

After greeting the doctor, Alex turned his head to look at Sandy, he gave her a big smile and reached out to her with his arms and shouted.

” Mummy. You’ve came. I always knew you would! You sent me photographs , it’s you! Where’s Daddy?”

Sandy was overwhelmed , and reached out her hands to the little boy. Dr King gently passed Alex to her and they both hugged.

Sandy felt the tears come to her eyes and she did her best to stop them.

” Oh Alex, my little boy, how you have grown!”

Alex touched Sandy’s hair, he wanted to make sure that what was happening was real and not a dream.

” Mummy, mummy , yes I’ve grown very big now, William says I’m doing very well, I don’t have the fits like I used to and I’ve put on weight, look at my tummy!”,

Alex lifted his little blue tee-shirt and showed his small abdomen, which Sandy noticed was covered in little scars made by operations and puncture wounds from needles.

” Wow, that is a big tummy! You have been a very good boy haven’t you! Daddy couldn’t come this time, but he’ll be able to soon. Do you like it here?”

” Yes , it’s so much better than the other nursery I was at , when I get ill they know how to make me feel better. That other place they didn’t know how to make me feel better, they made me feel worse. I was scared mummy. I have had to have some operations since I came here but I hope I don’t have to have any more.” Alex looked up at Dr King.

” I have lots of friends here, they told me that you would visit me one day and they were right! You are here!” Alex touched Sandy’s face.

” Yes , my brave little boy , I’m here!”

Alex’s eyes were large and round and innocent. Sandy thought how did we get to this?

Dr King intervened, there was a lot to do and Alex could show his mum around and introduce her to everyone. There would be tea and coffee and some food laid on If Sandy wanted anything she was just to ask a member of Staff , they would be glad to help. Alex could stay over night with his mum in the Estate Cottage as a special treat and Alex was delighted.

“

©GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

Gerry was as good as his word and the News that the Media Wedding of The Year was happening was confirmed and Sandy and Martin’s invitation dropped through their letterbox a few weeks later.

Martin was furious and at first refused point blank to go. Sandy thought better of it and realised it would be best if they both attended and put a brave face on it.. Gerry had made three payments into the covert Bank Account that appeared on the invoices with the Weekly Organic Vegetable delivery. It was important to keep him sweet. Make everything appear as normal as possible. Martin knew she was right.

Gerry had a lot of friends in the Media and seemed to have invited them all. The Wedding had been brought forward, largely because of work commitments as Millie had won a hardly fought for promotion and would be presenting a Major Series for Sunshine Media. The work would mean a lot of assignments abroad initially. The Wedding itself was going to be a very lavish affair as Millie’s parents saw it as a chance to unbridle their wealth, as her grandfatherly father kept saying , “You can’t take it with you”.

The Big Day arrived and Sandy and Martin dutifully attended.

” Hello Martin, thank you very much for coming.” Gerry cornered Martin at the bar.

” How’s the World of Archaeology? Still trying to persuade the Powers that be to dig up a few more Car Parks in the hope of finding another Royal Corpse.”

Martin smiled, Gerry appeared a bit tipsy.

“Ah yes Richard the Third, that was a Biggy. Old hat now though, we do ground surveys now. We do very little digging , we can see exactly what’s in the ground. No need for all those hairy arsed volunteers and no dirty fingernails for me.

“The old ways have gone. .” He made a gesture to look at his neatly manicured hand.

Martin took a sip of beer and looked around to see Sandy. He caught her eye, she looked concerned but Martin winked at her to reassure her.

” Still I remember the story, it was a good one, Richard the Third in the Car Park, even Shakespeare didn’t think that one up. So hard to get a good story nowadays. People love digging up ( excuse the pun) old facts, so if you have any good archeological stories, let me know we might be able to do something.” Gerry continued , oblivious to Martin’s lack of interest in someone who knew little about Martin’s work.

Martin knew that it was the alcohol in Gerry’s system talking.

” I always talk through my ideas with Sandy, she’s good at her job. I hope she gets the break she deserves one day. We both work hard, but it’s Sandy’s money that keeps us going and yours too with what you’re doing for Alex.” Martin was trying to get to the heart of the matter with Gerry. He wanted to thank him.

“How is he ? I don’t get much of a chance to talk to Sandy during the day, I’ve been busy with all this Wedding stuff too. Mills had me running around like a headless chicken over the last few weeks. That young lady got exactly what she wanted. I’m her trophy husband, she gets my contacts and I’m so damn cash rich I find it quite an embarrassment. So damn easy to hide too. Mill’s father is a bit of a gambler , all this cash is untraceable, it’s the dark economy. If the Mafia still existed he’d be part of it. At least you don’t have to worry about that. I’m glad to help out whatever way I can with your son.

“Well , yes, we really are very grateful Gerry, it came as a real shock what has happened.” Martin almost choked on his beer.

Martin wasn’t too sure that Gerry knew that Sandy had told Martin the whole truth.

Gerry appeared to sober up very quickly, his tone changed.

” Yes Martin, let’s stick to our stories, it’s safer for everyone. We’re going to do the very best for Alex, just let me know if anything changes or if you need anymore help. I care for Alex as if he was my own son.”

Martin was not comfortable with this conversation and just manage to mumble.

” Okay, Gerry, that’s good to know.” As Sandy arrived , drink in hand , she had been mingling.

” I can see you two have had a good chat, I know how difficult that is , talking to Martin can be like getting blood out of a stone.” She touched Martin gently on the cheek. ” Sometimes I think he’d rather read a book.”

” Weddings aren’t really my thing!” Martin smiled.

” Not mine either Martin!” Gerry laughed at his own joke.

” Anyway Sandy, I was just saying to Martin that if you need anything more don’t hesitate to ask. You know Millie’s going to be away travelling a lot. If you need help with anything , just ask.”

” I’m very grateful Gerry, we both are. I’m not sure what direction that this is going to take , so yes we’ll certainly keep you in the loop whatever happens. Money isn’t a problem anymore, I suppose it’s just a gambling debt to you.” Sandy regretted immediately saying this, but it was too late.

The office gossip was all about the High Rollers that Gerry and his now Father- In- Law were . They were big league Gamblers . It was a different World , one that was invite only.

” Yes, definitely, no problem. Ah Mills!” At that very moment Millie arrived, excited and breathless. She put her arms around Gerry’s neck and kissed him.

” I’m so happy , it’s the best day of my life!” Millie gushed. ” What an amazing bunch of people! I’ve just been talking to the guy who’s the Top Presenter at MBO Media. He thinks I’ll do a great job. I’m so hyped, how did he know ? He was giving me some tips, did my Naughty Gerry let the flea bitten moggie of out of the bag! It wasn’t supposed to be announced until next week!” Millie was questioning Gerry’s decision to release it early.

“Mills, it’s good to keep the rumour millstone turning, I hope you played thel little miss innocent , that you didn’t know. I couldn’ t help myself I’m very proud of my Mills, he put his hand around her waist and pecked her on the cheek. I hope you kept up the front though , the formal announcement is a biggy, it’s going to get a lot of attention..” Gerry looked quizzically at Millie.

” Yes , Yes I did. He was fishing wasn’t he? No we’ll wait , we’ll wait for the big announcement. Today is our day. You can call me wifey now…. not Mills.”

” OK wifey” Gerry smiled again.

Millie was very excited.

” I cannot believe at last I’ve got this ring on my finger, what an amazing day. Hey Sandy, come and see the Champagne Fountain, it’s so beautiful.”

Millie grabbed Sandy’s by the arm and they both ran off to the next room to see the ten metre arrangement of Champagne Glasses and bowls of fresh chilled strawberries which had been sculptured into and exotic fountain which filled and refilled the best Champagne into fresh glasses at the bottom , the glasses were replaced as the guests took their drinks by a team of waiters. The guests meanwhile could pick at the champagne drenched strawberries as desired. There was a lot of activity in the area and the arrival of the bride brought a round of applause and cheering.

Gerry and Martin stayed put by the bar.

” She’s got a lot of energy that girl, I’m not sure what she see’s in an old soak like me. Didn’t even try , she did all the chasing.” Gerry sighed.

” Well, not a lot I can say Gerry, except, you and Millie are helping Alex, and if you weren’t in the position you are in . I don’t know what Sandy and I would do.”

” I’m glad to help. It will keep me focussed on what needs done. I’ll keep Mills and her family sweet and the money flowing . I hope one day that Alex can come home , or at least be somewhere near that I can see him. Do you think that’ll be possible?”

” We’ll have to see, it ‘s against the Law, who knows, Alex shouldn’t even be alive”.

Martin hadn’t thought that Gerry would want to see his son. He felt stupid, of course the fatherly instinct was there. Except there was another possibility that Gerry wanted to find out who had Alex and uncover an illegal organisation. That would be a scoop for Gerry, or if he was an A1 , it might be his way of protecting the status quo. He after all was a carrier.

They moved along the bar ” Another drink Martin?”

” No thanks Gerry, I think I better be heading home, rescue my wife from the Champagne Fountain.”

Gerry remembered the night he’d spent with Sandy, yes , she liked Champagne. It had been a very enjoyable evening. Gerry looked at Martin and turned away.

Later when Sandy and Alex were in bed , they talked about the evening and both agreed that they thought that Gerry could be trusted. They were, however, unwilling to let go of control. There was still a risk that Gerry was an A1 who wanted to stop the organisation that in effect he was financing.

Gerry’s desire to know where his son was perhaps genuine or it could put Alex’s rescuers very much at risk . Gerry saw Alex as his only son, Martin understood that for a father it was a strong bond and Gerry would do anything to protect him and it was understandable that one day Gerry would want to meet Alex. Sandy was unsure how that could happen, but they were both tired, so Martin turned out the light and they both went to sleep. The twins would be up at six o’clock wanting breakfast and to play, so it would be best to get some rest.

@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

Martin and Sandy talked long into the night. The decision to make contact with Gerry Reid was a difficult one for both of them. There had been tears but no recriminations .They were being blackmailed. The Group that were saving Alex, were the good guys, but nevertheless they needed money to achieve their goals and they were going to get it whatever way they could. What they were doing was Criminal in the eyes of the State. However the situation was going to make Blackmailers out of Martin and Sandy too. They were entering dangerous waters , they would also be Criminals . Sandy though still couldn’t figure out where the money would come from.

Sandy had talked in the past to Martin about Gerry Reid without of course mentioning her brief encounter with him. At the time it had been office tittle tattle that she had shared over dinner. Martin had had the impression that Sandy did not like Gerry , but thought no further about it. He listened to the story ,without realising how useful it would be in the future.

Gerry had got engaged to a young production assistant he worked with. Once married Reid would be a very rich man. The young woman concerned was called Millie, an only child with elderly parents who doted on her. Millie’s parents were majority shareholders in the Media Conglomerate that owned the The Sunshine Media Company where Sandy worked. There was no doubt in Sandy’s mind that Reid was marrying for the money and there was a lot of it. They owned the licences and copyright for many Major Productions and in Sandy’s reckoning the funds would be unlimited. Millie in turn was marrying Gerry for his position and knowledge and probably she was naïve to think she was in love. There had been rumours that Gerry Reid had lost a lot of his own money through gambling, Sandy wasn’t sure if that was true, but the wedding had been put off a couple of times and Sandy thought that Millie’s parents were not best pleased that she was marrying someone old enough to be her father.

Sandy’s lightbulb moment came when she thought about the wedding . If anyone found out that Gerry would pass on a hereditary disease then that would be the end of his marriage plans. That would be the end of his relationship with Millie, no matter how much in love they were. The powerful parents would not let it go through, they would want healthy grandchildren. It would blow his chances completely. There was sure to be a water-tight prenuptial and Gerry would not want his genetic make- up to result in a divorce either. This was not natural Sandy territory, but Martin had given her a fire in her belly and led her to realise that the plan could work and that they could get the money to care for Alex. Indeed after discussing the plan , she felt confident of success. Sandy went into the office the next day with a determination to ensure that Gerry Reid would do exactly as she asked. She was determined to get the first payment for the following Friday delivery.

Mr Gerald Reid as an executive of The Sunshine Media Company had a plush office on the fifth floor of Sunshine Media Corps Building. Sandy arrived at her usual time on Monday morning and put her coat on the back of her chair in the open plan office where she normally sat. No one noticed her as she left the office and headed to the Executive Lift and took it to the fifth floor. Gerry’s office door was closed, but that did not bother her, she opened it and flounced into the office as if she owned the place.

Gerry was at his desk typing a report into his computer when Sandy appeared, he looked up surprised to see the mousy back up presenter that he had bedded for a bet with the ex-Managing Director of Sunshine Media who had since moved on to other horizons. He had won the bet but had felt bad after the event as he had nothing to offer the woman. Gerry knew how tight budgets were and he knew the hierarchy’s favourites. He even had to watch his own back, but with Millie in tow he was pretty safe. Nothing was going to change and what had happened was long before him and Millie had started seeing each other.

” Hello, it’s Sandy isn’t it? Nice of you to drop in , but I’m not aware that you have an appointment and I’ve got a rather urgent deadline”. He looked up from his computer , looking to get rid of Sandy as quickly as possible.

” No Gerry, I do not have an appointment, don’t need one really , we’re old mates really, arent’ we?”

” Pardon, Sandy, that was a long time ago, we’re both adults, it’s in the past. How are your assignments going?

Sandy stood tall above him , Gerry seated at his desk.

” My assignments are going fine. I’ve been covering the odd Parliamentary Debate and a lot of local news which you know all about. I get the leftovers no one else wants.”

” Ah , yes, you’ve been doing a great job on the local stuff, don’t worry we do notice.”

” Yes , I’m sure you do, just a shame you can’t do anything about it. The same people get the best jobs.”

” Now, now Sandy don’t be bitter, it’s unbecoming, at the end of the day we give the best people the best jobs. Your chance will come one day , just keep plugging away. Really nice to have a chat, but I really must get on.” Gerry looked up at her and dismissively signalled for Sandy to go out of the open door.

Sandy turned around and walked towards the door when she reached it she put her hand on the handle and closed it. She walked slowly back to where she had been standing.

” Sandy, I’ve got a deadline, I’m sorry , not now”

” Oh yes now, Gerry!” Sandy came closer to Gerry’s desk , reached over and closed the lid of his lap top. Gerry’s fingers were the only thing that stopped the lid coming down completely.

” Ouch, that hurt, I’m going to ring Security if you don’t get out of my office straight away”

” Enough Gerry, you won’t be ringing anyone once I’ve finished with you”.

” Look Sandy, I’m engaged to be married, what is in the past is in the past . What has got into you?”

” Gerry don’t flatter yourself, I’ve no interest in your flabby body or ruddy complexion and I’ve learnt that despite your bravado you are just another Corporate Face in this very dull organisation. What exactly does Miss Prissy Pants Senior Floor Assistant see in you, must be your unflappable charm.”

” Bitter, Sandy , Bitter, let’s leave Millie out of this “. Gerry looked up at Sandy acerbically

Sandy moved around the desk and put her face right up to Gerry’s.

” Oh no Gerry, not bitter, but I do have the bit between my teeth”. She reached her hand down towards Gerry’s crotch .

Gerry moved his chair backwards to get away from Sandy’s hand.

” Sandy, what has got into you , you stop this or I’ll get Security to throw you out.”

Sandy laughed as she took her hand away. ” Gerry you are just a scared little boy, but what I’m about to tell you is the really scary thing.”

” You’re mad! You’re completely raving bonkers”. Gerry tried to stand up and get out of his chair but in a flash Sandy jumped on top of him and straddled him with her legs, pinning him to the chair.

” Remember Gerry, remember I got pregnant after we had our one night stand. Remember it suited you so well that I had to go on Maternity leave as you were finding it so hard to have me around at work because you know you had nothing to offer me. I wasn’t really bothered once I knew I was going to have Alex, I was happy.”

“Look get off me , someone might come in”. Gerry pushed at her but Sandy held him down firmly. “I’m very sorry about you losing Alex, it was terrible , I remember at the time thinking it would affect you terribly. “

” Yes it did , and his father didn’t give a damn did he?”

” What do you mean? I thought that your husband was a great support to you at the time, everyone said so , it was very hard on you both.”

” Yes, but Alex’s father didn’t help at all.” Sandy stared into Gerry’s eyes. ” He did nothing to help and now it’s payback time You are Alex’s Daddy.”

” What are you talking about, Alex was not my son! That’s impossible.”

Sandy jumped off Gerry and moved back to the other side of the desk and sat down opposite Gerry in the office chair.

“Why Gerry?

” It was a one night stand, you never said anything about it at the time. Alex was you and your husband’s.” Gerry shuffled his seat forward towards the desk.

” I wish he had been mine and Martin’s we would have a healthy six year old now, instead of a child who’s suffering from a genetic disease which to all accounts should not exist and which the State believes has got to be removed from the population. That is what Martin and I are now facing. We need money Gerry and a lot of money and you are going to give it to us. Or I’m going to shout from the highest treetops that you are a man carrying a defective Gene. Say goodbye to Millie’s fortune when she hears that , her Parents will definitely be able to kick you into touch.

” I can’t have children, that’s impossible.”

” No what you mean is that you shouldn’t have children. The State does not want you to procreate, you can screw as many women as you like, but you must not have a baby with them. How long has that law been in place, maybe thirty years or so, how long have you known about your faulty gene?

Gerry’s face changed, it became pale and drawn . He was silent and Sandy held his glance. She stood back up and again moved behind the desk , stood behind him and ruffled his thinning hair.

Yes , how long have you known sweetie?”

“Sandy this is dangerous ground, I’ve always known , but I’ve never been in a position where it mattered. Alex is dead, he was taken away from you, if he was my son he’s dead. What is this going to achieve? I’m not planning on having any children, I have discussed this with Millie , she accepts it. As far as everyone is concerned Alex was yours and your husbands. I have nothing to do with it. Now get out of my office! Millie might come through that door any minute.”

Sandy stood up straight and breezily walked back to the chair in front of Gerry’s desk and sat down and crossed her legs.

” Alex , your son is very much alive and he is six years old” Sandy looked directly at Gerry.

There was a knock on the door and Millie, entered . She was taken aback that Gerry had someone with him. She gave Gerry a puzzled look. They looked more like father and daughter. Sandy held her ground and smiled at Millie.

” You still free for lunch , I just wanted to talk through a few things about the wedding , I’ve booked a table.”

” Mills , I’m afraid I’m going to have to cancel, something has come up, we’ll talk tonight when I get home”.

” OK, Gerry, let me know if I can be any help.”

Millie gently closed the door.

Sandy said ” Hope the wedding arrangements can be pulled forward, we need her families money now”. Sandy smiled.

@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

The next night, Friday, at exactly 7.00pm the doorbell rang . Martin opened it to a tall gangly young man with a mop of red hair. He was dressed casually in a checked shirt and well lived in tightly fitting jeans.

” Hi , I’ve got your fresh veg delivery , do you want me to bring it in? He looked at the large black plastic delivery box sitting at his feet.”

“Oh yes, sure, that’s be great.” Martin held open the door as the young man passed by him carrying the box at shoulder height.

“The kitchen is straight on through.” Martin closed the front door.

Sandy made her way downstairs quickly, she had put the twins to bed and they had settled down after she read them a story. They were fast asleep and she was desperate for news about Alex.

She nearly bumped into the young man at the bottom of the stairs and after he dodged her he followed her into the kitchen.

” I’ll put the box on the kitchen table , will I ?” he turned and spoke to her .

“Yes that would be fine” She spoke to Martin. ” The Twins are fast asleep, they love those dragon stories, I hope they don’t have nightmares.”

Martin moved towards Sandy and said ” They’ll be fine”

” I’m parched any chance of a cup of tea , this is my last call and I’ve got an hours drive back to the depot” The red headed young man said.

Sandy smiled at him ” Yes of course, the kettle’s not long boiled , Martin and I will have one too. Sit down and have a rest. Do you take sugar and milk ?”

” Yes, thanks, just one sugar, I got to watch my weight” He laughed as he patted his very thin torso.

Martin had anticipated and had got the mugs down and was already boiling the kettle.

Sandy sat down at the kitchen table and she began to open the box which was full with fresh fruit and vegetables. However, once they were removed she could see there were compartments at the bottom that had been well hidden by the produce.

“These boxes are great” The young man said” As this is your first delivery , you keep that one then each time I deliver we give you a fresh one and take the old one back”.

“May I ? ” Sandy pointed to the compartments.

The young man nodded “Yes go ahead”

Sandy opened the first compartment, and took out an envelope , it had numerous photographs of Alex, over the last few years. Her mouth opened but no words came out.

” Our products are well cared for , organically grown, we nurture them, family firm”

Sandy spread the photographs on the table, and looked at each one intently.

“Look Martin!” She turned just as Martin was bringing the mugs of tea to the table. He put the mugs down and picked up one of the pictures.

” Wow, that’s not long after he left us, my he really doesn’t look very well, but look at that one, that’s later what a change.”

” I don’t want to say to much, I don’t really know how they do it. I am just a delivery driver.”

“That’s fine, I suppose the less each person knows the safer it is for everyone else. ” Sandy took all the photographs out of the compartment and spread them on the table. At the bottom was another sealed letter. She took it out and opened it .It was an invoice for the groceries. It was for £1000. Sandy stared at the amount, she knew they could not get hold of that sort of money.

” We can’t afford that!” Sandy cried and showed it to Martin.

Martin looked at it but did not react. He handed the delivery driver his tea and the driver thanked him.

” How often do we get a delivery?” He asked the driver.

” Once a week, same time each week” The driver replied.

” And the charge is the same , each week” Martin looked directly at the driver.

” Yes, as far as I’m aware, one week in arrears.”

“I’m not sure we can afford this delivery , it’s an awful lot of money. Is there any alternative?” Martin sat down and faced the driver.

The driver began to stand up. He slurped the last of the tea out of his cup.

” Look , I’m only the delivery driver, I’m told to leave the box with you and if it turns into a regular slot I’ll be back each week”

” So we have a week to sort this out, that’s not long really.”

” I know, but I’ll get instructions and if I’m to collect next week I will. Thanks for the tea, I’m off home, it’s been a long day and I’ve got to drop the van off at the depot. They are really nice photos, he looks a nice little boy. I hope you can work something out. We don’t leave any loose ends, hold onto the box until next week.” He smiled and stood up, I can let myself out.

Sandy’s eyes followed the man as he went out and then she looked at Martin. When she heard the front door close, she began to cry.

” Martin, where are we going to get that sort of money each month, we can barely make ends meet as it is?”

Martin moved his chair closer to Sandy’s. He reached out and took her hands and held them gently in his.

” Sandy, I know Alex is not my child.”

“Martin” Sandy screamed ” Not now, not now!” She cried and pulled her hands away and held them to cover her face, her elbows almost seemed embedded in the table. Gently Martin moved her hands away from her face.

” Sandy, we need to talk about this. I love Alex as my son, he is my son, I’m the only father he knows. There might be a way to get this money. Alex’s biological father has got to help us and , I need to know who it is.”

Sandy’s face changed to one of total disbelief.

” That bastard, he wouldn’t help anyone. He just used me, I’m nothing to him. I was just a piece of meat”.

“Sandy, look I can only think it was one of your Media Colleagues. You were using him just as much as he was using you. Who was it? I know this is painful, but we have to do something if we have any chance of keeping Alex alive. “

Sandy’s eyes met Martin’s as she gave a sideways glance.

” So you knew all the time.”

” Well, I suspected, but I didn’t know for definite. Alex’s illness came out of the blue, but it’s all beginning to make sense now. Who is the father, is he a well off bastard, I’m thinking he might be an A1?”

Martin continued.

“There’s been a massive cover up with this, I’m not sure why no one pursued where the defective gene in Alex came from, let’s face it , they knew it wasn’t from either of us”.

” I’m so sorry Martin, it was just one time , but you are right, the timing is right , I hoped against hope, but Alex’s sire is a man called Gerry Reid, he’s very high up in the Company I work for. Whether he is an A1 , I wouldn’t know.”

“Well Sandy , you really went for a Celebrity! My heavens Gerry Reid! I suppose a boring archaeologist can’t compete with the likes of that. He must be in his 60’s now though for Heaven sake! “

Martin brushed Sandy’s cheek ” Gerry Reid!” he squirmed.” Tell me you prefer the younger man now though! This younger man loves you ,always has , always will. You make me happy.”

Sandy smiled and gently raised her hand to hit Martin on the shoulder.

” Oh you !Stop it! ” she began to laugh.

” It was a big mistake and I hate myself for what happened. I was just being stupid and I can’t see how I’ve made you happy . Look at the mess we’re in .”

” You’re not going to like this Sandy , but we are in a mess and there’s only one way out if we want to give Alex his best chance. For better or worse we said, I believe that and I love you and what we have made together. Alex is mine just as much as he is yours. Let’s face it Gerry Reid has been no father to Alex, I have. He’s mine and I’ll look after him, I will fight for him. You and I are strong and we both will be strong for each other.”

” Martin what are we going to do?” Sandy looked directly at Martin.

“Gerry Reid will have to pay his due and supply the money to these people . They are blackmailing us and we will have to blackmail Mr Reid.”

” What ? How?” Sandy looked in disbelief.

Martin picked up one of the photos of Alex from the kitchen table and held it up so that they both looked at the healthy looking little boy.

” We’re going to do everything we can to help Alex, he’s my little boy, I’m his dad.

“Yes he is. Ours”. Sandy hadn’t a clue what Martin was planning.

@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

It was a Thursday evening and Martin and Sandy were both sitting at the kitchen table eating a rapidly put together meal. The brief contact with Martin and Maria had been three days ago. The twins were in bed and hopefully sound asleep .There was a knock on the door and they both went outside to answer it , both of them were on tenterhooks not really knowing what to expect.

They were quite disappointed that there was no one there ;only a parcel which lay in the porch. Neither Martin or Sandy were expecting any delivery, so they took the parcel into the kitchen and Sandy looked on as Martin opened it. Inside the cardboard box was a very old, mobile phone with a charger, some sims and a business card.

P.Neel and Family , Organic Greengrocers

Superfood Delivery Specialists ( We deliver to suit You)

The business card had a weekly delivery slot time of Friday 7.00pm written in blue ink on the reverse.

Martin examined the mobile phone and remembered an article that he had read about Criminals using offline mobile networks and the Government attempts to stop their use being largely ineffective. Martin’s specific area of interest had been stolen archaeological artefacts so he was very aware of this out of date technology and how effective it was at keeping protagonists under the radar of anyone trying to find out their activity and location. The sims were changed frequently and were nigh impossible to trace. Martin told Sandy that it was probably only going to be for emergency use, but it was from the people who had Alex. Sandy immediately put the phone on charge. The business card said they should expect a delivery tomorrow.

Sandy sensed Martin’s trepidation and acknowledged that his reactions and feelings towards Alex were complex. There was something that neither of them had addressed or talked about. Where had this gene defect of Alex’s come from? Both Sandy and Martin as A2’s had been screened and although the Doctor had given them the get out card about the environment, Martin had had every right to ask Sandy about being unfaithful to him, but he never had. She was keeping something back from him and he knew it. Sandy thought that if they were about to be embroiled in a fight to get Alex back, would Martin feel as strongly about it as she did?

Martin had never pursued Alex’s paternity with her. He was surprised that the Authorities had not dug deeper and questioned Sandy. Martin had wondered why at the meeting about Alex’s future, the origin of the gene defect had been brushed over, and though he sensed Sandy’s embarrassment, no one had addressed it. It crossed his mind that the father could be an A1 and that the whole thing was a charade , a big cover up. He loved Sandy and whatever the truth he had chosen his life with her and that was what he wanted.

The truth, which Sandy would have shared if Martin had asked was seedy and she regretted every moment. It had been a one night stand on a business trip. Out of the blue she’d been given a short piece on a Travel Programme about Northern Spain to do and she was on location with the crew. The main presenter was Gerry Reid. Gerry was one of the old Grandees of the presenting World. An older man who apart from his fame and the fact that he’d never married, she knew little about. Sandy had drunk a lot and was flattered by his attention and had perhaps hoped that he might help her with her career. The opposite had been true. He hardly spoke to her after that night, and her piece was never used. Sandy decided to put it down to experience and move on . She loved Martin. They were trying for a baby even if it was by artificial insemination. She hated herself for making Martin do that , but she felt so confused and degraded.

Martin had suspected that he wasn’t Alex’s father. He was certain Sandy had been unfaithful to him at a time when perhaps they had grown distant from each other , but he did not know with who or where. He only sensed that whatever had happened had not been a good experience for Sandy. They both lived such busy lives and both were away from home or on training courses. Hotels, Business Meetings and Conferences. Everyone was at it, he just hadn’t been tempted. Life was like the Discovery Channel and we were all basically just mammals had been his conclusion.

Sandy’s subsequent behaviour and the trauma of losing Alex made him think that she regretted what had come between them. She had changed, she was more attentive and less critical and that was all Martin had wanted. The twins arrived and everything was good between them. Sandy and him were fine. We all make mistakes and Alex had not been a mistake, but his subsequent fate had been out of Sandy’s and Martin’s control.

The situation that had unfolded in recent days though had changed circumstances seismically. Martin figured that the people who were going to look after Alex would want maintenance money. Once he knew for sure what they wanted he and Sandy would have to have one of the toughest conversations he could ever imagine. He would need to know who Alex’s father was. He hoped that their relationship would survive.