I could have told him everything I went through, but what would be the point? It is over now. There have been many a day I wanted to throw it back in Flynn’s face, but I love him too much to lay guilt on him when really it was my parents’ choice to keep so much from him. They didn’t think he was mature enough to handle things when he was so far away. Or on the the other hand, my mum didn’t want to upset or worry him if she wasn’t near to coddle him.

When do parents stop being parents to adult children? Mum’s answer is never, but surely there has to come a time where they feel we don’t need protecting anymore. I mean, Flynn is now forty and I’m forty-four years old. I’m sure neither of us need to have her hovering. I love my parents dearly, but there is a time when she needs to let go. Hopefully now that Felisha is in Flynn’s life, that might happen.

I guess because I don’t have children then I don’t truly understand, and the truth is I’m running out of time to become a father at my age. Maybe I just get to become the uncle to Nic and Rem’s kids and maybe Flynn’s if he ever has them. I can’t even say I will be the fun uncle because that’s not me. I’d be the one who would be buying stocks from the day they are born and investing wisely with money I would gift them for their future, as well as a trust fund that I would make their parents set up for them. So even if they don’t have memories of me being the one running around the farm with them, they will appreciate me when they turn twenty-one and have enough money that they will never need to be dependent on anyone, not even their parents. Then I could teach them how to manage it, because let’s be honest, I’ll be heading into my seventies by then and won’t live forever.