Chapter 1
It has been about 138 years since Captain James Burrow's ship "The Silver Bird" hit a typhoon and shipwrecked close to what we now call Castaway Cove. Our little Island has grown since then and is still growing. We are the Dunlops, one of the branches of descendants from Captain Burrow. This is our story. One of many you will hear.
I met Carlotta at a disco. I was considered a bit of a "nerd" as they called people that were into books and technology in my day. My best mate dragged me from my computer and insisted that I accompany him and some of his friends to a disco that was a popular hang out for all the young men of the time. I was reluctant to go to begin with but with peer pressure and all that, I ended up going. Walking in the blaring music pounded in my ears and exploded in my head. The flashing disco lights made me squint; The song tempo changed and "Lady In Red" began to play...then I saw her. She was leaning against a column dressed all in red holding a punch glass in her hand. I knew then I had to meet her. Fate had taken over. That was it. I asked her out and then not long after, we married.
We began our life together here. Many generations had passed through these humble beginnings, we were just another branch of relatives from the legendary Captain James Burrow.
This is where we live now. Right next to the lighthouse which I maintain and keep in good working condition. It has been here for as long as I can remember and I am determined to keep it in working order and teach our children to continue the tradition.
This is me now and my work means a lot to me. I began as a coffee courier and am working my way up to become the next CEO. I am a bit of a workaholic, however and my Carlotta puts up with a lot. I have a tendency to be a perfectionist and a bit obsessive with neatness.
Carlotta loves reading. She always did. Whenever I wanted to see her I knew I would find her at the library. She didn't just read anything, however, she was a fanatic with recipes and menus from around the world. Her dream was to become a Culinary Librarian.
Our children, Christian and Marnie although very different are quite close. Marnie is a light sleeper like her mum but very adventurous. She gave me many a heart-attack when we were out and about. She would be the one hanging over the edges of cliffs and Christian would be holding on to her for dear life. Christian on the other hand was a bit of a party animal but loved being home and cooking.
Marnie also loved to read like her mum, but she was not a night owl like her brother. She needed to go to bed early every night and get at least 10 hours sleep. Unlike Chris whose most effective study time was between 8.30pm and 3.00am. As long as he had at most, 6 hours, he was fine.
Christian loved cooking and would try out his own creations, often getting a remarkable result. He is keen to become a chef so he is certainly heading in the right direction. His Gourmet salad is exceptional.
But teens will be teens and Christian was no different to any other teenager that loved upsetting his sister, even though they were close. Chris loved dancing and would often go in and put Marnie's stereo on full blast to wake her of a school morning. She never got used to his pranks.
Our children, Christian and Marnie although very different are quite close. Marnie is a light sleeper like her mum but very adventurous. She gave me many a heart-attack when we were out and about. She would be the one hanging over the edges of cliffs and Christian would be holding on to her for dear life. Christian on the other hand was a bit of a party animal but loved being home and cooking.
Marnie also loved to read like her mum, but she was not a night owl like her brother. She needed to go to bed early every night and get at least 10 hours sleep. Unlike Chris whose most effective study time was between 8.30pm and 3.00am. As long as he had at most, 6 hours, he was fine.
Christian loved cooking and would try out his own creations, often getting a remarkable result. He is keen to become a chef so he is certainly heading in the right direction. His Gourmet salad is exceptional.
But teens will be teens and Christian was no different to any other teenager that loved upsetting his sister, even though they were close. Chris loved dancing and would often go in and put Marnie's stereo on full blast to wake her of a school morning. She never got used to his pranks.
...and she would let him know that she wasn't happy. She threatened to tell us a number of times but Christian always got out of trouble by doing a favour for Marnie in exchange for her silence.
This time he offered to make her bed for a month. Marnie of course rubbed salt in the wound and insisted he do it for 3 months. What could he do? There was little choice. So the agreement was set.
Marnie would stand over him and watch, to make sure he followed through with his promise and she often chuckled to herself and smiled while he did knowing she had the upper hand.
Marnie was more athletic than Christian also and she loved to goad him into a race to the school bus, thus getting her revenge in her own way.
Their jokes were not always directed at each other. There were several people that became the butt of their jokes, who I heard them laughing and talking about. Of course I spoke to them about it but teens will be teens.
This time he offered to make her bed for a month. Marnie of course rubbed salt in the wound and insisted he do it for 3 months. What could he do? There was little choice. So the agreement was set.
Marnie would stand over him and watch, to make sure he followed through with his promise and she often chuckled to herself and smiled while he did knowing she had the upper hand.
Marnie was more athletic than Christian also and she loved to goad him into a race to the school bus, thus getting her revenge in her own way.
Their jokes were not always directed at each other. There were several people that became the butt of their jokes, who I heard them laughing and talking about. Of course I spoke to them about it but teens will be teens.
I often caught a ride to work with friends and we would always exchange stories about the history of Castaway Cove and every day I learnt something new. It seemed very fateful that the mix of people that originally landed here had such diverse skills and varied in gender.
Every night Carlotta and I would assist the children with their homework. They were encouraged to get jobs by their school, but we had agreed that they needed to focus on their studies and not worry about trying to support their college tuition. In any case money was put aside for this very early in the piece.
After studying and completing their homework they would spend time on the console and compete against each other while I worked on the computer from home and Carlotta prepared yet another fascinating recipe she had created.
Most nights we tried to eat together, but often Christian was on the phone to his mates and most nights he was late coming to tea. He constantly wanted to have parties and invite several friends over. We banned them through the week but ocassionally let him have a few friends over on weekends and in the holidays they had many sleep overs. At least we knew where he was.
One thing I have to say, for teenagers, surprisingly, they were always willing to help out. Often Christian would clear away the left overs and clean up the benches while Marnie organised the dishwasher and cleared the dishes. They seemed to know when I'd been working overtime and how tired I got. So they would send me off to bed while they cleared up. Carlotta and I must have been doing something right.
Every night Carlotta and I would assist the children with their homework. They were encouraged to get jobs by their school, but we had agreed that they needed to focus on their studies and not worry about trying to support their college tuition. In any case money was put aside for this very early in the piece.
After studying and completing their homework they would spend time on the console and compete against each other while I worked on the computer from home and Carlotta prepared yet another fascinating recipe she had created.
Most nights we tried to eat together, but often Christian was on the phone to his mates and most nights he was late coming to tea. He constantly wanted to have parties and invite several friends over. We banned them through the week but ocassionally let him have a few friends over on weekends and in the holidays they had many sleep overs. At least we knew where he was.
One thing I have to say, for teenagers, surprisingly, they were always willing to help out. Often Christian would clear away the left overs and clean up the benches while Marnie organised the dishwasher and cleared the dishes. They seemed to know when I'd been working overtime and how tired I got. So they would send me off to bed while they cleared up. Carlotta and I must have been doing something right.
In fact, we have a very good relationship with our children and are reassured that they will take over the lighthouse business willingly and ensure that the traditional stories are passed down to future generations.
I feel particularly close to Marnie, we are one and the same in our ideas and our thinking. Carlotta and I feel very privileged to have been associated with Captain James Barrow and will always be grateful to him. If it weren't for him settling in the Cove so we could have our wonderful children, things may never have come to pass.
Well I hope you enjoyed a day in the life of the Dunlops. I will go to bed now and no doubt dream of moving up the business ladder while Carlotta dreams of more exquisite recipes.
Christian sleeps soundly in his bed and dreams of the many parties he will throw when we are not around...or when we are. I don't know how a chef will have too much time on his hands for partying, but maybe if he gets it out of his system whilst still young and free of responsibilities, he won't miss them anyway.
Since we all went to bed this particular night together, Marnie will be pleased to get an undisturbed sleep for a change and not be in fear of Chris jumping on her in the middle of the night to have a chat. Whether she will have the same luck when it is time to get up for school, however, is anyone's guess.
to be continued....
I feel particularly close to Marnie, we are one and the same in our ideas and our thinking. Carlotta and I feel very privileged to have been associated with Captain James Barrow and will always be grateful to him. If it weren't for him settling in the Cove so we could have our wonderful children, things may never have come to pass.
Well I hope you enjoyed a day in the life of the Dunlops. I will go to bed now and no doubt dream of moving up the business ladder while Carlotta dreams of more exquisite recipes.
Christian sleeps soundly in his bed and dreams of the many parties he will throw when we are not around...or when we are. I don't know how a chef will have too much time on his hands for partying, but maybe if he gets it out of his system whilst still young and free of responsibilities, he won't miss them anyway.
Since we all went to bed this particular night together, Marnie will be pleased to get an undisturbed sleep for a change and not be in fear of Chris jumping on her in the middle of the night to have a chat. Whether she will have the same luck when it is time to get up for school, however, is anyone's guess.
to be continued....
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