CHAPTER: 1

It was a hot March afternoon in Sydney, Australia. The temperature was hovering around 26*C. Cherry David and her 11-year-old son Andrew Thorpe, rode in the front seat of an ancient pickup Toyota truck, which had no air-conditioning. They would have to travel for ten hours to reach Melbourne. They had started their journey at 10 am, so by the time they reached Melbourne it would be about 8 pm, Cherry calculated. Her straight blonde hair blew around her damp face. Because of so much sweating her clothes, brown slacks, and a suede yellow shirt, stuck to her skin. Andrew was crying as he was not used to the heat having led a life of extreme comfort.

Andrew was also crying because of Henry Thorpe. Because Henry was dead. The only father that Andrew had known, had been in prison for his involvement with a Crime Syndicate. He had been murdered while in prison.

Cherry spoke to her son without any worry, because the truck driver was probably, Korean or Chinese and did not have proper knowledge of English, which she had learned during the journey. "Andrew please don't waste another tear on him," Cherry said to Andrew. She said this, as she herself was also very irritated because of the sweltering heat, and they were almost traveling for two hours. She also wanted to add, don't mourn for Henry. But she restrained herself, and just added that "It is Henry's fault, that we are facing so much problem, and we have to move away from home, we have to change our city so that we are not hounded by the police, nor by the press. You will also have to go to a new school. You will also lose all your friends. She looked at Andrew, and then at the driver. Andrew sat between Cherry and the driver, whose name was Chan which she had asked him.

Andrew's hair was blonde, and he had hazel eyes. He was wearing a football jersey and had a football on his lap. He dreamt to be a professional football player someday. He had picked up football from Henry. Cherry had never discouraged her son's dream, but now they would have to become very practical. She felt sorry that Andrew would have to experience all of this in a very hard way. But it would definitely not be as hard, as she herself had learned as a child though.

She reminded Andrew that "At the place where we are going, you will give your last name as David."

"But Mom it isn't David, it is Thorpe" Andrew replied back.

Cherry burst out, "This is not some fun. Look Andrew the place that we are going, is full of people who would never mind dying for their horses. It would not in any way help us, to share the last name of a man, who has been involved with the doping of horses. Am I clear?"

"What does doping mean Mom?" Andrew questioned Cherry.

"Giving drugs to the horses so that they lose or win, it is something of that sort," She replied. She also said that "One thing I am definitely sure about is that with the name Thorpe, we will not be allowed to enter 'Mayfair Stables and Estates' do you understand that Andrew?"

"But Dad did not have anything to do with those horses at the race track. He told me so," Andrew replied.

"I know Andrew that he was not involved in it personally, he was a part of the bigger Syndicate. But Henry was a criminal. He stole people's money through betting. He has also cheated, the Australian Government. He was involved in many more business, which you need not know" Cherry replied.

She sincerely hoped that Andrew would stop hero-worshipping Henry. If it would have been possible, she would totally have blotted out Henry's image from her son's memory. The man that he regarded as his father.

Cherry kept thinking, how they had lost their home, cars, planes, luxury yachts, their bank balances were seized, by Australian enforcement officers, as they kept untangling the web of the betting syndicate and many other activities, which also involved Henry. She didn't hate Henry, nor did she mourn him. She did not have the leisure of mourning at that moment. They were penniless. She had sworn to herself that come what may, but she would never be poor again.

Cherry was in a way happy, as right now, she was neither married nor did she have to obtain a divorce. She would no more be required to fight court battles, because at a point after Henry's arrest, the thought of divorcing him did cross her mind, but then she had remembered her wedding vows, in sickness and in health, in deceit and....., so she had dropped that idea. But she was tired of having to reply for so many days, to Andrew's questions, "Why is my father a criminal? Why did he do bad things, Mom? She barely had money to feed herself and her eleven-year-old son.

"I know that you hate it Andrew, but you have to trust me. Changing our last name is the only way to keep ourselves safe. I know you loved Henry, but we need to be practical darling."

"But Mom it means we have to lie," Andrew said.

Cherry knew that Andrew was probably becoming cynical, day by day. She told him "Take this as an adventure Andrew, You will like it I promise." She knew as much, that she had been repaid for her deception. She then thought to herself, which was the biggest betrayal? Maintaining double standard as a Gangster, or not letting your husband know that he is not the father of the child, who looked a true copy of Stuart Jackson, right from birth. She knew that Andrew was Stuart Jackson's son and not Henry Thorpe's.

They stopped about every two to three hours, at the roadside inn, so that Andrew could use the restroom and also freshen up. When Andrew was hungry they had stopped by, to buy him sandwiches and Juice.

Then Cherry spotted the white fences, and horses, the lush greenery, the horse country Melbourne, and finally their destination, Mayfair Stables and Estates, home of Lucy Mayfair, and present residence of her great-nephew, Mr. Stuart Jackson.

Cherry called out to Andrew, "Come look at the horses, look how beautiful it is here, look at the lush green grasses. You will like living here."

Andrew replied "Mom but I don't like horses. But would they allow me to play football in the grasses? Mom, will you ask them?" Sarah nodded to that.