"Hey... man..." Drew gripped Rob's hand, a smile lit up his whole face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Time off." Rob nudged his head as he completed the handshake. Heturned to acknowledge the hockey team seated on the ground.  "Hey guys."

"Rob!" Carl jumped to his feet and rushed toward him with the rest of the players who were part of the old team. "Are you back for good?" Carl asked as he high-fived him.

"Nah, mate. Home for a week," Rob said as he greeted the other boys with fist taps and hand slaps. "Am I gonna see a win today?"

"You bet!" the boys cried. "We're on the top of the ladder this year."

With eyes wide Rob said, "Really?" He turned to get conformation from Drew.

"Yep." Drew nodded, and then focused on the team. "We can't lose today. I'll accept a draw but that's it." He clapped his hands and added, "Okay. Hop to it, lads. Warm up time. Let's show Rob what a great coach I am."

Rob chuckled and gave Drew a playful thump on the shoulder. "I'm impressed."

A loud shriek came from behind them. "Rob... Jarvis..!" Trin dove at him, nearly knocking him off his feet. "What the hell!"

"Trin." Rob's face was starting to hurt from smiling. He had the feeling that good things were going to come from the mistakes he'd made and felt confident his family and friends wouldn't judge him when he spoke to them about the goings on in his life.

"What are you doing here?" Trin asked as she hooked her arm through his.

"Long story," Rob said. He looked down at her, and then over at Drew. "Maybe we could get together tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it."

"Sounds good to me," Trin cooed as she let go of Rob and sidled over to Drew. "What do you think, baby? We could have a barbeque lunch."

"Baby?" Rob chuckled and stared at them in shock. "Are you two together? No one told me."

"Yeah." Drew grinned and patted Trin on the butt. "Though I'm starting to regret it," he said with a laugh. "She's so bossy."

"Drew...!" Trin made to clip him over the ear but he ducked.

Bobbing back up, he planted a smacking kiss on her lips and laughing said, "Leave me alone, woman. I'm in, very-important -coach mode, at the moment." He winked at Rob and added, "Meet my gorgeous girlfriend, Trin Walsh."

"That's great, guys." Rob kissed Trin on the cheek and shook Drew's hand again. "I'm really happy for you both."

"Thanks, man." Drew beamed. "I gotta go. The game's about to start." He tapped Trin's backside once more and added, "How about you organize a time with Rob for tomorrow, Trin."

"Yes sir, Coach." Shesaluted, and then kissed his cheek. "Good luck."

They both watched Drew jog to where the team waited on the field, and then Trin turned to face him. "So... you and Becky. Is it really finished?"

Rob swallowed as he nodded. He should have known Trin wouldn't hold back.

"Have you told Linc yet?"

"No. Not yet." Rob shrugged. "Mum thought it was best not to when it first happened but I'm going to tell him later on this afternoon. He looks pretty settled so I hope he'll be okay with it."

"Well." Trin raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "I hope so too but, to be honest I think you should have told him sooner. Imagine how he's going to feel when he finds out he's been lied to for three months."

Rob sighed, he didn't know what to say so remained silent as he ran what she said over in his mind and waited for her to say more.

"I know it's none of my business." Trinunfolded her arms and placed a hand on his forearm. "It's just that he's missed you both so much and he's kinda latched onto Drew because you've not been around. When he comes over to the house all he does is talk about you and Becky so I think it's going to hurt him more than you think."

"Yeah." Rob scratched his head. "I guess Mum just wanted him to settle without us around before crashing his world at the beginning of the school year."

"He's got a girlfriend," Trin said. "Has he told you about her?"

"Emma, isn't it?" Rob chuckled. "She's all he talks about when he rings. Her and hockey." Rob looked earnestly toward the field. "I miss this. Drew's doing a great job."

"Yes. He is." Trin nudged him with her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go get a seat and watch the game."

*****

Sheila opened the fish and chips they'd bought for dinner and left it in the paper on the centre of the table with the tomato sauce and pepper. No plates or cutlery tonight, fingers and a corner of the butcher's paper made for a quick clean up.

"Okay." Michael placed a stubby of beer in front of Rob and pulled out a chair. "What's this news you have to tell us?" he said as he twisted open the cap on his bottle of Corona.

"Yeah," Linc added as he cracked his can of coke and stuffed a chip in his mouth. "Whatsyanews?"

Rob laughed and shook his head. "Are you still talking with your mouth full?" He grinned over the table at his mother. "You're not doing such a great job with this one, Mum. I think your parenting skills need fine tuning, he needs more training."

"Ah... I don't know." Grinning, Sheila rubbed the top of Linc's head, and then focused on Rob. "Nothing wrong with my parenting skills," she said. "Ican pick when you're trying to dodge your father's question, now spill, son."

Rob nodded, sucked in a breath and looked at each of them. "I've quit the air force." Before they could say anything he held up his hand. "Let me finish. The truth is," he said looking from Michael to Sheila, and then at Linc. "I got a dishonourable discharge."

"What?" demanded Mike.

"Rob!" Sheila gushed.

"You done fucked up," said Linc with a grin.

"Linc!" Sheila scolded.

He shrugged and added, "Well... sounds like it." Linc looked over at Rob. "Right? Dishonourable doesn't seem like a good thing to me."

"It's not," Rob said as he clasped his hands in front of him and took in a lungful of air. "I went a bit stupid after Becky and I broke up." He focused on each family member's face, and then went on to tell them the whole story omitting certain sections that he felt they didn't need to know.

Sheila and Michael cut in with a question here and there but Linc sat silent staring at the pile of fish and chips that were going cold.

As Rob finished telling his story he added, "I'm not a complete loss. I've enrolled to go to La Trobe University to do teaching. Aunt Helen helped me out a lot. I start next Monday week."

"Right... Well... not much we can say, Rob," Mike said. "What's done is done I suppose."

Sheila said, "I guess something good has come out of it. You'll make a great teacher. I honestly thought teaching is what you would have chosen when you were deciding at the end of last year."

The conversation went quiet. Mike, Sheila and Rob lifted their drinks simultaneously and took a mouthful.

Linc raised his eyes from the table, peered over at Rob and muttered, "You broke up with Becky?"

Lowering his drink, Rob put the bottle quietly onto the table, glanced at his parents in horror and said, "Shit. I forgot that he doesn't know?"

"Ah, we..." Sheila murmured. "Haven't..."

"Of course I don't fucking know!" Linc hissed. He jerked to his feet knocking his chair over. "You broke up with her three fucking months ago and no one told me!"

"Linc." Sheila put her hand on his arm but he shook it off.

"Linc." Michael growled. "Don't treat your mother like that."

"She's not my mother," Linc spat as his lips lifted in scorn. He stepped away from the table glaring at each of them in turn. "None of you are my family. How can you be when you treat me like a baby keeping something that concerns my sister, my real sister, a secret?"

"We didn't want to upset you," Sheila pleaded.

"Too late for that now," Linc hollered as he stormed to the door. "Fuck you all and fuck Becky too!"

Oh no!! Not good :(

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