Chapter 4 - Gen 9 - Rio

My birthday came and went without any fuss

I am now a young adult and was very interested to see if my

Dad would treat me like one or carry on treating me like a child!!

I had been grounded for so long I think I had got so used to  it, now even though I was no longer grounded I was not really in any hurry to go out and carried on amusing my self around the house.

As I wanted to become a Superstar Athlete I straight away applied for a job at the sports stadium, but had a few days to kill before I actually started work.

My phone started ringing the caller ID said caller unknown

so when I answered the phone I was quite surprised at who was on the other end.

  "Happy Birthday!!"

"Who's this?"

"Sorry - its Shantel"

"Shantel?"

"Yeah, surely you remember me?"

"Yes I remember you but ..........."

"Your wandering why I am phoning you I suppose"

"Well yes a little"

"Well, your Dad told me you will be starting at the stadium in a few days, so I thought I would get to know my new work mate a little better"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you worked there"

"So are you still that inquisative little boy I remember??"

"Eeerrr I don't think so!!"

"Good - all you used to do was ask 101 questions" she laughed
So what do I go and do - ask her a question!!

"So what job do you do at the stadium?"

"I'll be your team captain once  you get onto the team, and if you are anything like your Dad, I am sure it will not take you very long"

"Great!!"

"Maybe we should hang out"

"Eeerr I don't know"

"Oh come on - it would be nice to see you again, see how you have grown up!!"

"Maybe - I'll think about it!!"

"Why don't you come round now - I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day"

"I don't know where you live"

"You know your Dad's Uncle Nial?"

"Yeah"

"Well I live with him and his brothers - you know the address"

"Yes, ok, I will be round in a while"

So I went round to Shantels out of curiosity more than anything, I thought maybe I might find out what is going on between my Dad and Shantel if there was anything.  I got changed because I thought I would go jogging but once I got outside I remembered I could no longer go out into the sunlight like I had been able to when I was a child and teenager.  So I had to jump into a taxi.

She looked like I remembered her, but I think 

she was a little taken back by how I had grown up.

"OMG!! Well, look at you!!"

"What?"

"All grown up, the last time I saw you, you was this high"

She put her hand out level with her waist.

"I haven't been that high for a long time!!"

"And quite good looking too, I might even go as far as too say even an improvement on your Dad and I didn't think that was possible!!"

It was then that she started flirting with me.  I was not sure what to do,
but I could feel myself falling for it when I heard a voice behind me which made both of us jump.
"Shantel!!  The voice sounded angry

"Shantey what the hell do you think you are playing at??"

"Nial I was only messing about, no need for you to go off on one!!"

"Look at you - you idiot - you weren't messing about at all I am getting sick and tired of this!!"

"Who are you anyway?" he turned and glared at me
"I'm ...." he never gave me a chance to finish

"Hold on a minute, your not Paiges lad are you?"

"Yes Rio"

"Does your Dad know you are here?"

"No"

"So why are you here?"

"Shantel phoned me and asked me to come round, we will be working together at the stadium."

"Oh did she now!!"

"Shantey I hope you are not playing games with this lad?"

"Nial what are you on about?"

"You know - you can't get the real thing so you go for the next best thing!!"

"Don't be stupid!!"

"Well I wouldn't put it past you, or is this your way to get at him, 

because it won't work you know!!"

"You should go back to writing your books because your 

imagination is running away with you again!!"

"Is it?  Don't forget I know you now, and you have never bothered about any of your other workmates before other than maybe my nephew and his wife!!"

"Shut up Nial you are an idiot!!"  she said and stormed off

"I think you should tell me what's going on here?"

"I beg your pardon!!" he looked shocked
"I am not stupid you know - I know there is something going on with Shantel and my Dad, I have thought it for years but you two now have just kind of confirmed it for me!"!

 "I think maybe you should go home, your Dad is really not going to be happy about you coming here to see Shantel, and take some advice, you steer well clear of Shantel!!"

"No I think maybe you should tell me - my Dad is hardly likely to tell me the truth is he!!"

"It is really not my place to say anything, go home and talk to your Dad Rio"

"Please you might be the only person who can tell me!!"

"Look all I will say is that you really don't know your Dad very well if can even think that there is something going on with him and Shantel - he will tell you the truth because truthfully he has nothing to hide"

"I know Shantel loves him, I have heard them talking"

"As maybe but please Rio, go and speak to your Dad, trust me he will tell you everything.

"Why is she living here with you and your brothers?"

"Because we took her in as a favour to your Dad when she moved to Twinbrook"

"So why were you so mad at her when you caught her flirting with me?"

"Unfortunately it has not been so simple for me, I fell for her, if you go through to the next room you will find a little green haired toddler - our son.  Unfortunately, she doesn't love me enough to marry me because she is in love with someone else which I knew already before anything happened between us, so my problems are my own doing!!"

"My Dad, its my Dad she's in love with isn't it!!"

"Yes its your Dad, now go home Rio, you and your Dad need to talk!!"

When I got home my Dad was on the phone, and I was quick to workout it was Nial he was talking too and I think I knew exactly what about, I stayed and waited because I knew he would only come after me when he had finished with that call.

"I am going to kill her!!"

.....

"Thanks Nial, he has just walked through the door now"

.....

"Yes I will, ok thanks for letting me know!!"

He put down the phone and turned to face me and just stood staring at me,
it felt like I waited forever for him to speak.  I was really not sure how he was going to be with me!!

"Well?"  was all he said

"Well?, maybe that is what I should be asking you!!"

"Don't get cocky with me son!!  First I think maybe you should explain to me what you are doing going round to see Shantel and just exactly how you managed to be found flirting with each other?"

"I was not flirting with her, she was flirting with me and I went round because she asked me to because of work but if you had been truthful with me then I would have known I was walking into a spiders web, wouldn't I Dad!!"

"So how long have you suspected something to be going on with me and Shantel?"

"Since I was a teenager, when you made me move rooms, I went to go into my room and you was in there having a sneaky phone conversation with Shantel"

"So why not come and speak to me about it then?"

"Well how was I supposed to know what to do with it - I was a kid, I was confused, I was scared my Mom would find out and that you and Shantel would ruin everything!!"

"As far as your mother is concerned, she knows all about the situation and any sneaking I might have been doing was just to spare her from getting any more upset than she has to be, she knew Shantel was stalking me but just not how much!!"

"She was stalking you?"

"Yes and for years she has driven me nuts!!!"

"Oh"

"Look let me start from the beginning"

"I knew her in Riverview, she was married to my Uncle Nial, well he was my moms Uncle.  She also worked at the stadium, when I started she was the Team Captain.  I was young, just a very young adult and on my first day of work straight away she started.  She used to flirt with me all the time and we did actually start to become good friends.  Then she started to tell me she loved me, but you know me and my principals, she was married and it didn't matter that I did actually like her at that time, I was not going to let anything go on between us because she was married.   She said she would leave her husband for me but I didn't want that!!  I moved to Twinbrook for other reasons, but it also helped me to get away from her too, because I did fancy her back then and if I had stayed in Riverview I don't think it would have been long before she cracked me - I was getting weaker!!"

"So how did she end up here in Twinbrook?"

"Well it was great when I moved here, I even forgot all about her and fell in love with your mother.  Life was great until she suddenly appeared here in town.  I had already told your mother about her, and that came out because we had a game against the  Riverview Llama's and I worried she would be in the team.  We found out she no longer worked at the stadium in Riverview and would not be turning up for the game - but just when me and your mother started to relax, she suddenly turned up in town."

"Did she come here looking for you?"

"Partly me and partly because she made a right mess of her life in Riverview.  Her husband knew how she felt about me but he knew how I felt too.  Apparently he went off the rails and so did she, she went off the rails when I left her in the lurch and she ended up sleeping with her son in law, who just happens to be my brother Perry, her marriage broke up and her daughter has not wanted to have anything to do with her since.  Her grandchildren are my nieces and nephews, none of them she has ever seen and I doubt she even knows about half of them!!"

"I was really upset when she stayed in town - I ended up going to my Uncles here for help, I did not know what else to do.  I told them the situation and asked them if she could stay with them and keep an eye on her, I was scared she was going to try and ruin my marriage.  I secretly hoped she might fall for one of them and this would get her off my back.  She did fall for Nial sort of but not enough to keep her off my back!!"

"But I heard you say in the one conversation that you had met her somewhere and you had not told Mom every detail because she would get upset."

He had to think for a minute

"Oh yes, I met her at the hotel bar, she said she wanted me to help her talk to my brother and Codie her daughter, but she was drunk and had other idea's all she was really interested in was flirting with me and getting me upstairs, she even said she would not tell your Mom if I didn't tell"

"And did you?"

"NO!!!  I DID NOT -  and it insults me that you even asked me if I did!!!"

"Sorry!!"

"Rio this is important - she admitted to Nial, eventually, that  she only slept with Perry to get to me.  She has tried to become good friends with your Mother to get to me.   Now Nial worries that she might try the same thing with you - and I tend to think he might be right!!!  You seriously need to keep away from that woman Rio - for yours and everyones sake!!!"

"Is Nial in love with her?"

"Unfortunately, but he knew the situation he was getting himself into, he knew exactly how she felt about me and what lengths she can go to - he knew all this but still he went ahead like a fool and fell in love with her and had a child with her.  He was angry with what happened this afternoon because it upset him obviously, but as it was you, he is not so angry with you but with her because he thinks she might be playing games with me through you!!"

"Well you don't have to worry about me, I won't be going round there again!!!  Besides I have a girlfriend remember which is something else we need to talk about!!!"

He smiled a little when I said that but then his face dropped

"Oh yeah, Raven - I am sorry son but even her name spooks me out!!!"

"Tomorrow maybe, I am tired and need sleep!!"

"Ok, and I am sorry I never told you about the situation with Shantel but me and your mother never thought there was a need for either of you to know - does Rhia know about any of this"

"Not as far as I know!!"

"Oh well, Ill have to speak to your Mom and see what she thinks about telling Rhia just in case"

"I won't say anything, I'll leave it to you!!"

"Just remember I love your Mother and would never do anything to hurt her intentionally!!"

So I went to sleep that night feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders, a weight I had been carrying around for years.

There was nothing going on between Shantel and my Dad
and I believed him!!!


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