Beach Walker: Chapter 21
Follow the Money
Big, puzzled brown eyes in an old-man face. A moist mouth agape in constant wonder. Tight curls of black hair atop a round skull. ‘Welcome to the world, little man,’ I murmured as I cradled Billy against my breast. ‘I wonder what your life’s journey will be?’
He was off to a good start, that was a fact, I reflected as I handed him back to his mum. He wouldn’t be short of love, to judge by the adoring expressions of his parents, his aunties and uncles — and, of course, his three besotted grandparents.
Neither would he lack for material comforts and the many advantages that money brings.
Melissa and Josh had moved in with her parents, Barb and Ted — into their airy, architect designed, hardwood-clad farmhouse, nestled in the Byron Bay hinterland with views out towards the coast. The long-term plan was to convert the derelict dairy, turn it into a home with the charm of the old and the comfort of the brand-new, where Melissa could conduct her IT work and bring up Billy, while Josh travelled with his busy agronomy practice.
As I sipped my mineral water, gazed at the laughing, chatting groups dotted across the immaculate lawn, smiled at the little kids, Billy’s cousins, racing around heedless of parental admonitions, watched smoke rising from the barbecue, smelled the rich…
