CRYSTALLINE - 12. A Police Discovery

While Cook was preparing coffee for her and Thomas, she asked “This resort that’s going to open here, does that mean I’ll be expected to cook for all the guests?”

“No, not at all, we’ll have professionals for that”

The hands went to the hips again and Cook retorted “So I’m not a professional?”

“Cook, sit down please”

As she did, Thomas put his hand on hers and said “I don’t know anyone that I would rather have prepare a home cooked meal for me than you”

“Oh that‘s sweet, but....”

“What I meant is we will have a chef and a restaurant for the main meals”

“So I will still cook for the staff?”

“Yes and no”

“Thomas, we’ve worked together for many years and always understood each other and what goes on around here”

“Yes of course. But what’s your point”

“My point is, yes and no is not an answer”

“Let me explain. As I said the restaurant will cater for the main meals and then there will still be staff meals, but a lot more staff than now”

“So how many will I be expected to feed?”

“A lot more than now, but we’re not sure of the number yet. That will increase as the resort grows from the soft opening. Then there will also be tea, coffee and snacks available for the guests between meals. We’re not sure what form that will take, but probably not served in the restaurant.”

“So are you saying you want be to do that as well as cook for the staff”

“Sort of”

“There you go again”

“Let me finish. I have seen the way you have taken Carol under your wing since she started here as a young girl straight out of school. You have directed her in household duties, even though housekeeping is not your responsibility”

“Thank you, I do my best and someone had to take charge of her. Mrs P just took her in with no real experience”

“That is what I mean, you took responsibility without being asked to. I would like to harness that energy and attitude by giving you a supervisory role in this new project. The main meals will be a la carte in the restaurant as that is what our guests will expect. But we want them to have a different experience for the rest of the day. We want the casual refreshments to be home style cooking. You know what I mean?”

“I think so, like a big pot of leaf tea in the middle of the table, not tea bags and milk in a jug, instead of powdered coffee creamer. Plus a big plate of home baked biscuits and boiled fruit cake. Am I on the right track?”

“Perfectly, and speaking of boiled fruit cake....”

“Yes I know, I’ll get one on the go after we finish here. Now you said supervisory role?”

Obviously there will be more work than one person could do, so I want you to supervise and train the new staff in your ways. We won’t interfere in any way as long as they produce the results”

“Mmm, looking after one scatterbrain girl is one thing, but a number of staff, I’m not sure, Thomas”

“I am sure you could do it. We won’t dump a whole lot of people on you at once. How about we start with one, see how that goes and then build from there. The resort isn’t going to open with a full complement of guests and staff. We are going to have to grow as our reputation spreads. How do you feel about that?”

“If you have confidence in me than I’ll give it a go, for you”

“Thanks Cook, and it goes without saying that with increased responsibility goes an increase in salary”

“Mmm, icing on the cake”

“Precisely, but not on boiled fruit cake, hey”

“No Thomas my boy. Some things are still sacred and a purist like me would never ice a boiled fruit cake”

“Love your work Cook” concluded Thomas as he leaned over and gave Cook a peck on the cheek.

Cook blushed and said “Enough of that young man. Don’t you have work to do?”

“Of course, now do you know where Carol is?

“Haven’t seen her at all this morning, do you want me to call her phone?”

“That’s alright, I’ll do it”

“Good chat” Thomas said as he left the kitchen.

***

“I’m in the laundry, do you need something” Carol answered

“I’ll come and see you there”

“Morning Thomas, is there a problem?”

“There may be, cook seems to think you’ve been slacking off recently, especially since you and Patrick have become an item”

“I know and that is why I was up early this morning had a quick cuppa and a bite of toast before Cook even came to the kitchen and I’ve been doing laundry since then”

“Excellent, so we don’t need to talk about that?”

“No, but there is something else I need to talk about, just with you” said Carol

“Yes, I have something also, maybe it’s the same subject. Is it Patrick and Dante?”

“Yes, Patrick told me a lot of stuff about his family”

“Dante did the same and I believe they decided to tell us both at the same time. I was a bit concerned you might be having some difficulty or some confusion. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it”

“Thanks Thomas, that’s a lovely thought, but I’m ok. In fact better than ok I feel closer than ever to Patrick. Now that he has entrusted me with his family secrets I feel....well it’s hard to explain, especially to a man, even a gay man”

“You feel an extra bond has developed between you and Patrick, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s it and I wondered if you felt the same about Dante?”

“Yes I do. It was a sad story they told us and must have taken a lot of courage for them, but in the end I feel it was worth the effort and has strengthened both our relationships”

“Thomas, you always seem to know the right words to say. No wonder you’re so loved around here”

“I’m a little embarrassed but thank you”

“You’re welcome. Was there anything else Thomas?”

Just then the dryer beeped to signal the end of its cycle. “I’ve got to get this lot out and the next load in”

“Let me help you while I talk to you about some changes there will be around here when the resort opens”

<>

When Thomas noticed Carol struggling with folding a large bed sheet on her own, he said “Let me show you how that job is so much easier with two”

“Two sheets?”

“No, two people”

They each took one end of the sheet and folded and folded until they came together. “How did you learn that?”

“From my Mum, I used to help her”

“But you’re a boy, mothers don’t teach boys housework”

“They do when you’re an only child, at least my mum did”

“And being gay you need to know these things, if you don’t have a wife to do it for you”

“That’s another way of looking at it. Now I’ve spoken to Cook about the resort, so I need to fill you in about the changes”

***

That night after both couples retired to their bedrooms, Carol said to Patrick “I spoke to Thomas today and he told me Dante and he had the same talk as we did. Do twins do everything at the same time?”

Patrick laughed and said “We agreed that we should do it so there could be no misunderstandings. It was best that you both hear our story at the same time. Just in case you wanted to swap notes. Dante says this is a very close household”

“Well it is, but I wouldn’t tell anyone what you told me without your permission”

“Thank you, now what else did you do today?” Patrick asked

“Unless you’re interested in laundry, not much else happened. Oh wait, there was something. Thomas told me about how my job will change when the resort gets going. It all sounds very exciting”

***

Meanwhile Thomas said to Dante “There is one more thing I want to ask you about your mother, if that’s ok?”

“Sure, what?”

“You said she has been committed to a mental hospital, but you didn’t tell me how that happened. Do you mind telling me? It’s ok if you don’t”

“It is painful to talk about, but I should tell you since I’ve told you so much already. Mum was seeing a therapist even before she sent us to our aunt’s and we assumed she continued even after that.

After we’d been with Aunt Maria for a few months, it became obvious she wasn’t going to ask us to come home, so Aunt Maria decided to go over and get more of our stuff. We didn’t take everything because we thought she’d get over it in a few weeks. Anyway, we told Aunt Maria where everything was and gave her our key just in case Mum wasn’t home. We were actually hoping she wasn’t home so there wouldn’t be a scene. Although she didn’t ask us to come home, she still might not want Aunt Maria to take our stuff. Don’t know why we thought that, but Mum seemed a bit unstable so it was hard to predict her reactions.

When she arrived there was no answer so she used our key and went in. She called Mum’s name as she walked down the hall but got no answer. But as she passed Mum’s room she heard a moan and looked in to see her on the bed. Not in a sleeping position, but like she’d collapsed there. Maria went to her, checked her pulse, which was slow. Then she saw empty tablet blister packs on the bed and a few tablets loose also. When Maria checked the tablet packets she recognised some of the names as being tranquilisers and anti-depressant. Fearing the worse, she called 000. An ambulance came and rushed Mum to hospital”

“Was she ok”

“She recovered physically and was released a few days later on the condition that she continued her therapy. The psychologist changed her meds to something less dangerous, but they didn’t have the same effect as the stronger ones and her mental condition deteriorated. Maria pleaded with her doctors to hospitalise her so she could be supervised, but they said they couldn’t force her if she refused to go. We didn’t see her, but Maria checked on her every few days and tried to convince her to check into rehab. But Mum was pig headed and the more Maria and the doctors tried, the more she refused.

One afternoon the police came to our school and took us home to Aunt Maria’s. On the way they said our mother was in hospital and our Aunt would explain when we got home.”

“How come the police were involved?”

“It seems they went to our home to talk to Mum about a traffic incident, they called it. There was no answer when they arrived so they went around the back and looked in all the windows to ensure she wasn’t there and just avoiding them. Mum always like to keep the bathroom window opened to let the steam clear from the shower and to keep the room smelling fresh. Anyway, one of the cops thought he could see her lying on the bathroom floor so they broke in and discovered she had slashed her wrists. Again a 000 call and a rush to hospital saved her life. She survived the attempted suicide, but was never released from the hospital, until she was scheduled and transferred to permanent mental care”

“Fuck, maybe it was better that you weren’t living with her at the time”

“But then again maybe we could have stopped her”

“Not if she chose to do it when you were at school”

“Maybe it’s just wishful thinking”

“So why did the cops go to the house about a traffic incident?”

“They didn’t tell us then and we still don’t know”

***

There was much more the brothers didn’t know.

*****