Embracing Wellbeing Has Moved

Recently I started a series on changing yourbody shape, that is radical weight loss, using the Law of Attraction. I published the first installment to this web site. But now I have engaged in a bit of housekeeping and moved these posts to:  http://embracingwellbeing.blogspot.com.au

You can see the latest installment "Designer Bodies" there now. Check it out!

Practical Attraction will be where new chapters of "Radical Attraction: will posted. many apologies for the fact that "difficult chapter 12" is still baking in the oven. Hopefully it will be done soon.

Best regards,

Gray

Radical Attraction - A Novel- Chapter 1 to 3

           

Radical Attraction is a novel of a Steve's adventures which involve in the visitation of difficulty and disaster. Through these disasters, Steve meets the mysterious Gus. A gentelman of suspect fashion sense he takes Steve under his wing and introduces him to the Law of Attraction. 

Chapter 1

Another day, another disaster! The pressure had been on Steve for sometime. In the last three months he had been hauled into the bosses office on numerous occasions, where it was made clear to him that his performance had better improve or he was out of a job.

There had been a time where he was free of this kind of pressure because he easily and regularly made or exceeded his targets. The rounds of the Sales Manager’s office Speedeeway Freight, was an experience had by other people in the sales team, not Steve. But the last three months had been really difficult. No matter what he did his performance continually deteriorated and he was becoming overwhelmed by the fear and apprehension of losing his job. He just didn’t know what to do!

In frustration he looked for refuge in a nearby park at lunch time, hoping the companionship of the ducks and the swans that swam on the lake would give him some relief from the extreme stress he was experiencing. The fear of losing job and infiltrated into his daily work and things just didn’t flow like they used to.

He had found the park a great refuge in the past when he had to struggle with life’s battles. The ducks clucked away doing their daily business and the swans glided past in a picture of perfection giving some relief to his human predicaments. Somehow he always felt better for his little escapes here.

And so it was today. The fear of losing his job still reverberating inside him as he made his way to one the benches dotted around the lake, depositing himself on the seats teak slats.  He opened the lunch bag that he had brought with him to discover what delicacies his wife had bestowed upon him today. Some days it was a very pleasant surprise and others it was the dregs of the left overs from the previous night which were often a struggle to eat.

Today it was a pleasant surprise. His favourite roast chicken on some great sour dough and as he started munch, the delicious sandwich he began to dwell on the events of the morning. 

How had it come to this? Why now was he suffering all this difficulty, because to be truthful, work was not the only of his life where he was struggling. He was having plenty of ups and downs in his marriage, his doctor was giving him grief about him about his weight and health and money had become an issue as his sales results stumbled. It was like Murphy’s Law was running his life!

What was he to do? There just seemed to impasses in every aspect of his life. As the despair began to build within him he was startled by a figure appearing next to the park bench.

“Excuse me.” Said the very dapper looking gentleman standing next to the seat.

“Do you mind if I join you. This is my favourite seat.”

“Mine too.” Grumbled Steve. “You get a great view of the whole park from here.”

“You’re right. Best seat in the house!”

Steve managed to grab a glimpse of the gentleman who had just joined him on “the best seat in the house.” He was wearing a brown velvet suit with a violet coloured shirt and an indigo bow tie. Whatever was this gentleman’s calling, it certainly wasn’t fashion design and Steve chuckled to himself about the rather unusual fashion statement that was being made.

There was something else unusual about this man apart from his attire. His aged seemed to be indeterminable. From one angle he seemed old but different perspective there seemed to a youthful radiance.

“What’s the matter son? You’re looking a bit troubled there.”

Steve was surprised that his despair was so visible.

“Yeah. Life is serving a bit me a turd sandwich at the moment.”

“I can’t imagine that to be too pleasant.” The mysterious gentleman replied with a chuckle.

“ No, not at all.”

Steve wasn’t the type to burden others with his troubles but there was something about this gentleman that just made want to get it all off his chest and before he knew it he was detail all his life travails. The job. The wife. His health. His weight. Money. The whole shooting match. As he did the suffocating weight of his troubles gradually lifted. The helplessness he had felt when arrived at the park had eased.

“Well that does sound as though you have got yourself into to some kind of pickle.” Said the innovatively dressed gentleman as Steve came to the end of his tale of woe.

“Sure have and you know I feel a how lot better for you letting me talk about it and I’m a little embarrassed because I don’t even know your name.”

“Augustus.”

“Augustus!” Proclaimed a little surprised by the formality of the man’s name. “Please to meet you Augustus. My name is Steve.”

“Hi Steve. You can call me Gus for short.”

“Ok Gus it is!”

“You know Steve. One of the things I found in life is that when you get yourself in a pickle like you have, you tend to focus on the mess you’re in and the fear and possible disasters that could occur and focus on a solution.”

“You know you’re right. I’ve been in such a panic and fear. I have felt so overawed that I haven’t be able to see a way out.”

“That’s right. It’s very common for this to happen. So one thing I have found is that the solution has to be different to the problem.”

“The solution has to be different to the problem?[1]” Steve repeated.

“That’s right! You can’t create a solution by focusing on the problem.”

“That kinda makes sense.”

It does. So what it means is that you need to change your focus and thoughts to how you want things to become. Not how they are and all the difficulty you are experiencing.”

“Wow!” Gasped as he had some sort of epiphany.

“You were telling me about the problems you’ve had in making sales. All your focus has been on what will happen if you don’t make your target and how you might lose your job.”

“Yeah. I’ve been so worried.”

“What instead you focussed on the type of results that you want and worked at feeling good and expecting good results. Do you think that’s a better way to go?”

“ Yeah. I think it’s a better way to go but I always seem to get overwhelmed by worry and fearI find it really hard to feel good!”

“At first it can be hard, but if you just take a moment to refocus your thoughts until you feel better about your predicament, you will be amazed at the difference it can make.”

“Now you put it that way, focussing on your fears doesn’t make sense. Does it? If you focus on the solution things can only get better!”

“Now you’re talking!”

“So what would be the best outcome at work?”

“I could land a big new account and maybe a couple of my other accounts could give us work they are currently giving to other carriers.”

“So picture that in your mind.”

“Ok.”

“How does it feel when you land that contract?’

“It feels great!”

“That feels a little better than all that worry you’ve been carrying around?”

“Sure does!”

“Ok. So remember that feeling and if you ever start being overwhelmed again with the fear of losing your job just remember that feeling and see what happens!”

“Alright. I’ll give it a go!”

At just that moment a woman’s screams filled the air.

“He’s got my purse!”

There was a pounding of feet and a man sprinting for his life came into sight from around the bushes that were at the side of the park bench where Steve and Gus were sitting. He had a black purse in his hand and was scurrying for the exit to the park.

All of sudden the thief was flying through air. He tangled with Gus’s foot, which he had been deftly extended, tripping the escaping man. There was a mighty thud as he landed flat on his face.

Steve instinctively jumped on his back, pinning him to the ground. A distraught woman then appeared panting from her pursuit.

“Well done!” She cried as she reached the place where Steve had the culprit pinned to the ground.

“I think you should call the police.” Advised Steve as deftly pushed the man’s face into the ground to suppress his continuing struggles to break free.

Soon the police arrived. Addresses and statements were taken and the would be offender was ushered towards the police divisional van for his transfer to the police station.

The owner of the purse, a tall attractive blond, thanked Steve and gave him a peck on the cheek, which made his day. Steve looked for Gus to thank him for his counsel but he was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared as mysteriously as he had arrived.

           Chapter 2

Once Steve was back in his car he felt energised, as some of the weight of all the turmoil in his life had been lifted. As he drove back towards the office he thought about how would like his job to be.  He let his mind wander enjoying the good feelings that arose as envisioned some big new accounts. He also saw a lot of is little small accounts growing to contribute lots of new revenue. He was feeling good about himself and the business just flowed.

He held these good feeling thoughts until he arrived back at the office. As he passed reception Susie was the cute little receptionist called.

“Hang on minute Steve! There is a message for you.”

He double backed and took the message slip that Susie was holding in her hand and gave a smile.

“Thanks.” And headed off to his desk where he glanced at the note. It was from Dave Preston, the Purchasing Manager at Metcom, a company whose business Steve had been chasing their business for months. He quickly rang.

“Hi Dave. Steve Watkins from Speedeeway Freight.”

“Oh, hi Steve. Thanks for returning my call. I’ve just been through those new rates you dropped off last week and I’m happy to say I think that we can do business.”

“Hey that’s great. Thanks Dave. That’s great news. Can I drop off the agreement tomorrow, say 2-30.”

“2-30 sounds great. See you then.”

“See you then.”

And just like that, Steve had hooked his biggest account ever. Almost skipping with joy he headed down to his boss’s office to give him the good news knowing this would take a lot of the pressure off him.

“Great stuff Steve!” Exclaimed his boss on hearing the good news. “I knew you could do it. This will do your figures no end of good.”

Steve enjoyed the glowing feeling of success. He couldn’t help thinking of the apparent coincidence between the advice Gus had given him to focus on the solution instead of the problem and a monster account landing his lap seemingly out of the blue.

On the drive home he felt happy, with the knowledge that something had finally gone right for him. He was looking forward to getting home to enjoy the kids and share a home cooked meal from his lovely wife Jenny. It had been a bit bumpy between he Jenny recently. She was constantly moaning that “all” her friends had new cars and were going on great holidays, whilst she still had to put up with her 5 year old Toyota, which wasn’t brand new but was still a nice little car. But it wasn’t a BMW or a fancy four wheel drive so it was apparently not good enough. As for the holidays, although they hadn’t been overseas to Bali or Thailand or such, they still had what seemed very nice holidays up the north coast but they just couldn’t quite keep up with the Joneses and this was a real problem for Jenny who valued social status. It seemed things had gotten a bit better recently and Jenny was mostly being nice to him and so Steve was confident they could get things back on an even keel again.

He had a good run through the traffic and soon he pulled into the driveway of his house. It wasn’t the biggest or flashest houses in the street but it was very comfortable and it was home. He came to the driveway and eased the car up towards the garage. But something was wrong. Jenny’s car wasn’t in the garage and the outdoor setting which sat on the paved area at the rear of the house had disappeared and there was only one light on inside the house where normally expect to lights to be on in at least a couple of rooms.

He got out of the car, taking his brief case with him. He made his way to the back door, opening it and stepping inside.

The scene that greeted him was a huge shock. There were his kids sitting in the middle of the family room, which was totally devoid of furniture including the wide screen TV which was Steve’s pride and joy.

“Mum’s left us.” They had wailed.

Apparently whilst the kids were at school and Steve at work, she had brought in the removalist and stripped the house of everything of value. There was a dear Steve letter on the kitchen bench that detailed her anger and frustration at the life of struggle with Steve. She had done her bit, deserved better and so it was Steve’s turn to take care of the kids and so she had take only what was rightfully hers. She went onto say that there was no point in trying to speak to her because as far as she was concerned Steve and the kids were now and in a past life and she was going to do whatever she wanted.

It was like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Any happiness from his success this afternoon instantly evaporated as the starkness of his kids sitting in the middle of any empty house hit him. Anger welled up inside him as the deviousness and swiftness of his wife’s actions dawned on him. Fury swirled inside him. 

“So Mum wasn’t home you got home?”

“No. She just left a note on the door saying the keys were under the mat.”

“So why didn’t you ring me?”

“We did! But you didn’t answer.”

Steve fumbled for his mobile phone in his suit pocket. He pulled it out only to discover that the battery had gone flat.

“Damn! Sorry kids. The battery’s gone flat.”

“Dad. We’re hungry!” Cried the kids, Joel and Stephanie. In spite of the disaster that had just exploded in his life, it was time for the day-to-day necessities. Cleaning up this mess could wait until rumbling stomachs had been silenced. So he bundled the kids in the car and headed of to the local burger place.  The kid’s chose their favourite meals and Steve went for the biggest burger they had. The young girl behind the counter totalled up the bill.

“$21-50!” She said with a bright smile.

Steve rummaged around in his wallet and pullout debit card and passed it over.

The girl swiped the card and keyed in the amount. Steve dutifully keyed his pin. A few seconds past as the machine whirred into life.

“Declined.” Announced the burger girl.

Steve was stunned. It couldn’t be. He had just been paid 2 days go and there should have been plenty of money in the account.

“Can we try again?”

“Sure.” Replied the burger girl.

The machine whirred once again.

“I’m sorry sir. It’s been declined again.”

Steve pulled out his credit card.

“Declined.”

He goes for his ‘emergency” credit card.

“Declined.”

Steve was confused. How could this be?

He found $15 in his wallet and asked the girl if it was ok if he went out to his car where he knew he had some coins, which he kept for parking meters.

Soon he was back, having scrounged up the required $6.50. He and the kids settled in one of the booths in the burger place and hungrily attacked their meals.

Steve’s head was spinning. What had happened to all his cards? There was no way he had “maxed” them out and a feeling of dread washed over him. In short time the burgers were demolished, Steve and the kids soon arrived home. Steve found that Jenny had left one other thing behind which was the small 25 year old TV that they used to use in their bedroom. He dug it out of the wardrobe and set up for the kids to watch while he got his head around what had happened.

Since the family computer had been taken, he found the charger for his smart phone and used to check his bank account balance. His heart pumped vigorously as a big fat zero stuck out from the statement where there had been a healthy $6000 a couple of days earlier.

Quickly checked his credit cards. They had both been used to their limit. $15000 on one and $10000 on the other.

“Jenny!” He spat out her name in contempt.

The credit card statements detailed a litany of wild spending. Clothes, shoes, jewellery, spa treatments and some very hefty cash advances. She had wiped him out!

The true magnitude of the situation dawned on him. Stuck in house with 2 kids with no food, no money or furniture except for three single beds and a 25 five year old TV!

Anger welled up inside as he thought of Jenny’s audacity to take everything they had, except for the house, leaving him to look after the kids with nothing. Then he had a gnawing thought.

“The house!”

Steve made a mental note to ring the bank and check that the mortgage was still ok.

By this time he was boiling with fury. What was he to do? He couple of deep breathes. The anger subsided a little and he decided to ring his Mum and see if she could help him out.

It was a difficult phone call as his Mum, Joy, had never liked Jenny and so she had taken the opportunity to drop in a couple of I told you so’s, which had really stung. In the end she offered some money to get him by and breakfast for him and the kids in the morning, but the payback would be the need to provide a blow by blow and suffer a few more I told you so’s.

It was getting late, so he began to herd the kids off to bed. Once they had brushed their teeth, amazingly Jenny had left the electric tooth brushes, he tucked them into bed and made his way to the remaining bed in the guest room and propped himself up on the pillows and let the amazing events of today to swirl around him.

He awoke in the morning, well he got out of bed, which is more accurate, as very little sleeping was done. He made the kids get ready to go over to his Mum’s, about 5km away, for breakfast.

His night in bed had been filled with a mixture of amazement at the goings on at the park and encounter with Gus, the big win at work and the incredible mess that Jenny had left behind.

His mind was filled with expletives as he masticated over how deceitful and selfish she had been. She hadn’t even said anything. Not even a, “I’m unhappy, what can we do?”. She had just left and taken everything she could get her hands on. He could understand her doing it to him. He was a big boy and could look after himself. But the kids! That was a different question. How could you just up and leave your own children? It beggared belief!

They soon arrived at Joy’s house and she was kind and conciliatory, with not even one gloat. In fact she was most worried about the Stephanie and Joel, and the impact of their mother up and leaving might have. Whilst Joy got breakfast organised, Steve rang his boss and explained he had a family disaster and would not be at work until lunchtime so he could get things sorted a bit. It’s amazing what a good sale can do, as he was most understanding and told Steve to take whatever time he needed.

Sitting at the breakfast bar of Joy’s kitchen, they all munched through a breakfast of fruit salad, cereal and some chunky toast smothered in strawberry jam. It’s amazing how this made them all feel a whole lot better after the ordeal of last night. Joy suggested that the children stay with her for a couple of days while Steve got things back on a even keel, which seemed a really good idea.

“You know I’ve still got the furniture from the beach house, when we sold it after your Dad passed away. It’s in the garage still and you’re more than welcome to have it. And you can take my old fridge too.” Judy offered.

“That would be great Mum. That will help us get out of this jam.”

He gave his Mum a kiss and got the kids organised to head off to school. Judy discreetly handed a bundle of $100 bills and Steve started to feel little better. At least he could survive until the weekend when he could get himself a bit more sorted.

He and the kids jumped in the car and he drove the short distance to the school. Finding a parking spot to drop the kids was always fraught with danger and as a number of parents treated it like some sort of demolition derby. The use of indicators seemed to be optional and radical u-turns across the paths the regular stock in trade.

As Steve approached the parking area in front of the school he strangely had a flash of what Gus has said to him, “you need to change your focus and thoughts to how you want things and not how they are.”

Steve changes his thought from the usual chaos he expected to easily sweeping to a just vacated spot. Beautiful!

This thought made him feel a lot better and was a significant improvement on the apprehension he was previously feeling.

As he approached the first car in the long line of cars outside the school he could see a vacant spot about half way up the line. Steadily they approached the spot. They were 30 metres away. Surely it was theirs. All of sudden there was a screech of tires and all of a sudden a big black BMW SUV performed a radical U-turn right in front of them, roaring into the vacant spot.

Steve held his cool. No swearing or cursing today as was his usual practice.

 “It mustn’t be the one. “ He thought calmly holding his thought of sliding into the perfect car park.

He continued to glide up past the line of cars. The end of the line was only 20 metres away.

“Stay calm.” He thought. “I’m gonna get the right spot.”

Then like magic the indicators on the first car in the line turned on its indicator and slid out in front of Steve, allowing him to drive into the first spot! Something that had never happened to him before!

“What was that?” he thought to himself as he sat in the number one spot waiting for his Stephanie and Joel to get out.

“What’s happening there?” He continued to think.

“See ya Dad!” cried the kids as the alighted from the car.

“See ya! Have a great day!”

And with that, the kids ran off towards the school date to begin their day.

He watched Stephanie and Joel disappear amongst the throng of kids in the schoolyard, put his indicator on, looked up in his rear vision mirror checking every was clear, he eased into the traffic. He’d gone a mere twenty metres down the road when Steve heard an almighty crash!

Looking in the rear vision mirror he could a Mercedes SUV had “T-boned” a Toyota sedan as they competed for the prime spot that Steve had just vacated. He shook his head in amazement as he glanced at the mayhem that had occurred as a result of the competition for the car space he had recently vacated. He could see a cloud of steam pouring from the Mercedes as the view disappeared from his rear vision mirror.

The story continues. Steve's life gets wilder and more complicated if that's possible. And his relationship with the mysterious relationship with Gus develops.

            

           Chapter 3

Steve had decided that he would head to the park to get some quiet time to contemplate what the hell he was going to do with his life. He made to a short detour to his favourite café to pick up a jumbo latte from his favourite café, the “Lazy Dog.” The proprietor, Phi, handed it to him with and happy smile and wished a great day.

He was hoping to get some fresh air in the park to clear his head, which was somewhat  congested with the mess Jenny had created. As he entered the park, he once again made his way to his favourite park bench. All of sudden he was startled by the revving of an engine and the screeching of tyres. He turned to where the sound was coming from. To his surprise he saw a Mercedes SUV, apparently the same car that had been involved in the “T-boning” at the school. It was now sporting a huge dent in the front bonnet. It swerved off the park access road, mounted the footpath and was now charging towards him!

For a moment his feet were stuck to the spot. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car he froze. He waived his hands to try and get the driver to slow down and turn off the footpath. Instead the SUV seemed to speed up, heading straight for Steve. Suddenly he felt somebody career into his shoulder, propelling him off the path and into the adjoining shrubbery. His jumbo latte flying into the air. Just as he hit the ground, the charging Mercedes flew past in a cloud of dust apparently heading for an exit on the other side of the park.

Steve began to lift himself from the ground and was startled to see that the person who had pushed him out of the path of the SUV was none other that Gus!

“Hi!” Gus chuckled. “It seems you’ve upset someone!”

“Yeah! Got no I do who, but they seem t have a hell of a temper!” Steve stuttered, being somewhat dazed by what had just transpired.  “That was some tackle you laid old fella!”

“I used to be a pretty good footballer! And who you calling old.”

“Certainly not you! Thanks for the great tackle! You saved my life! Thankyou so much!”

“You’re welcome.”  Replied Gus with a smile. “So why would someone being trying to kill you?”

Steve shook his head. “I’ve got no idea. But life has gotten a bit weird in the last day.”

As they moved to the bench they both favoured, Steve explained to Gus about the events of the last day. The great sales result after he had held the vision and feeling of sales success and then the devastation of arriving home to find his kids sitting alone in the house, which had been stripped of everything of value. Steve went on to detail the discovery of the bank accounts having raided of every cent that he owned and how angry he felt with Jenny and what she had done. He finished with getting the number one car spot and the ensuing car accident apparently involving the car that had just tried to kill him.

“The SUV hitting someone in the car spot you’ve just left doesn’t seem to be a coincidence, does it?” Steve questioned.

“No it doesn’t.” agreed Gus. “It seems that the attempt in the park might have been their second go.”

“Wow!” Steve exclaimed. “Who the hell would want me dead? I mean. I’m just a nobody.”

“Someone thinks their life would be better off without you around.”

“What do I do? Do I go to the police and tell them that I think someone is trying to kill me? They’ll think crazy!”

“Yes. It all seems a little implausible. They might just laugh at you.”

“And Jenny. I’m just so angry that I could kill her! If she were here, you’d have to restrain me. What she has done to me and the kids is just terrible.”

“You’re right it’s awful. You have every right to feel that way. “

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive her.” Confessed Steve.

“But soon enough you’ll have to work through your anger. Other wise you’ll just be consumed by it and that doesn’t lead to a happy life.” Advised Gus.

“You might be right, but at the moment I don’t see how I could forgive her” Grumbled Steve.

 “I have always found that it’s better to focus on the things I want now, than focussing on the bad things that have happened,” Gus advised

“You know I’m sure I’ve always done the exact opposite. I get so worked up about all the problems that I have and worry about how I’m going to solve them. I always feel overwhelmed by how bad I feel about problems. It often makes me feel stuck.”

“And then what happens? Do you find the problems keep on coming.”

“Yeah. Like with my sales. I’ve been so consumed with the fact I was not making sales and that I might lose my job, Their didn’t seem to be a way out. My results just got worse and worse.”

“Then it’s seems as though you keep re-living the same stories over and over again.” Agreed Gus.

“Yeah like with my marriage with Jenny. Money always seemed to be a problem.  Every time it looked like we might be getting somewhere, some sort of disaster would strike or all these unexpected bills would arrive and we would be back struggling again. Even when things looked good, all I did was worry about money. Just waiting for the next problem”

“Of course. That’s how most people operate. They feel money is scarce and so they’re seemingly always focussed on whether they have enough. They scrimp, they save, they worry thinking their never going to have enough. And you’ve been the same and so you keep falling back. You’re focussing on not having money instead of thinking and feeling about what it would be like to have lots of money and being prosperous. Remember! Think what you want!”

“So that’s why yesterday I took your advice and focussed on how I wanted it to be and not worrying about not making sales and getting sacked it all. And viole! I’ve even got a meeting this afternoon for what will be the biggest deal of my career! That can’t be coincidence. Can it?”

 “No I don’t think so. Congratulations!”

“Thanks.” Said Steve.

“So, Think what you want! Don’t focus on how bad things are. Instead focus on how good you’d like things to be. Notice how good this feels, then the good things can only come into your life.”

“How does that happen?”

“Well I have always found when my thoughts and feelings were good, good things happened. I also found that if allowed myself to wallow in misery, it only seemed to perpetuate things.  Things just always seemed to get worse.”

“Really?”

“So along time ago I decided to focus only on the positive things in my life. Hence, ‘Think what you want’. I found it helped keep my thoughts positive and once I started it didn’t take long for things to go well for me.”

“Wow.”

“It wasn’t easy at first. Like you, I had learnt in my early life to constantly focus on problems and trouble. Always on the look out for the next disaster and wondering when my money would run out. But slowly I learnt how to maintain a positive outlook on life and so have enjoyed many great things.”

“No joke.” Exclaimed Steve.

“No joke. Some people call it the Law of Attraction. Some call it positive thinking. Others call it prosperity conscious. No matter what you call it, I have found that the universe responds to your thoughts with like conditions in your life.”

“I’ve heard of the Law of Attraction. It’s been on daytime TV! Jenny was going on about at one stage.”

“ Yes it’s certainly made the talk shows. It just means ‘like is attracted to like life’. Hence ‘think what you want!’ ”

“That’s amazing. So to get what I want I should think about what I want, not about the hell I’ve been through or how bad people have been to me.”

Steve starts to get it.

“That’s right!”

“So instead of plotting revenge on Jenny and being furious about the position I am I need to focus on where I want to be.”

“Now you get it.”

“But revenge and retaliation can be so satisfying.”

“I know it’s hard not to be vengeful. You want others to suffer as you have suffered. But this will only hold you in a negative place and it becomes difficult for joy and happiness to come into your life.” Replied Gus

“I reckon it can be difficult to move past the hurt and anger.”

“Nobody said it’s easy, but the results can be stunning.”

“How do you know about this stuff?” Quizzed Steve.

Gus laughs. “I’m an older man who has had many teachers and many experiences.”

“So I need to focus on creating positively and not focus on the negatives of my past.”

But he was talking to himself. Gus had disappeared, as if into thin air.

---

[1]           Lester and Me. Lester Levenson.

Radical Attraction - A Novel- Chapter 4 to 6

            

In this chapter Steve enjoys the fruit of his creation and determines some of the things he desires and unbelievably more adventure enters his life!

           Chapter 4

It was Gus’s second mysterious disappearance in two days and for the second day in a row Steve headed off to get one of Phi’s latte, hoping it might give some relief from the drama that he had just endured. He thought he might even pick up a sandwich to have for lunch, before he headed off for his big meeting to seal the deal with Dave Preston at Metcom. The thought of this made smiled and he amazed at the way the deal appeared magically after he thought about the sales that he wanted, instead of the fear and worry of losing job due to poor results, which was he had been doing for a number of months.

“Amazing!” He muttered to himself. “Think what you want.”

What a simple approach he thought. He then vowed to himself, that from now on this what he was going to do.

Arriving at the Spotted Dog Cafe', Phi was shocked by Steve’s story of the last day.

“You think someone’s trying to kill you?”

“Well two near misses in one morning. What would you think?’

“Steve you’re a good guy. Who the hell would want you dead?”

“That’s the problem. I‘ve got no idea and I must say I’m starting to feel more than a little paranoid.”

“Well you take care.’ Said Phi as he handed Steve his latte and sandwich. “I can’t afford to lose one of my best customers.” He finished with a chuckle.

Steve headed back to his car and headed towards Metcom, which was 5km away. Fifteen minutes later he eased into a car park at the front of the company. He was thirty minutes early so he sat in the car and enjoyed Phi’s BLT sandwich and latte.

The meeting with Dave Preston was one of those, that is one of the pleasures of business. Sealing the deal. Dave initialed the agreements and Steve confirmed the operations department would be in touch to arrange pickups and all the other logistical matters.

Steve skipped down the stairs, a big smile on his face. The glow of success replacing the dramas of the last 24 hours. Jumping into his car he headed back to the office where he submitted the paper work for the deal he had just sealed. He heard his bosses' voice in the office, who searched him out for a congratulary pat on the back. He gave Steve a leave pass from the regular Friday sales meeting and so he headed out planning to tidy up some of Jenny’s mess. Before Steve left he headed down to the Finance Manager’s office to see if he could have some of the 6 weeks annual he had accrued over his career, paid out in cash, so that he had some money to buy some necessities for the house and also keep his head above water financially for a little while.

After hearing Steve’s tale of woe about Jenny, the finance manager quickly agreed and told Steve he could pick up a cheque on Monday.

“Think what you want. “ Echoed in his head as exited the office and headed for his car.

In the car, Steve rang his Mum to remind her to pick up the kids from school and ensure she was happy to have the kids stay with her for the weekend, so he could focus on getting things back on track. After hanging up from talking to his Mum, he rang Mike, his best mate to see if he could borrow his trailer to bring his Mum’s surplus furniture back to his house. This would help make things a little more comfortable.

His conversation with Mike was a bit weird. Steve feeling he was somewhat on edge, insisting that Steve not to come to the front door. Telling him just to pick the trailer up from the front lawn, as his kids had a virulent strain of diaherrea. This struck Steve as being somewhat strange, as Mike was divorced and rarely had his kids over.

After hanging up, he decided not to think any more of it. Starting the car and easing it out of its parking spot he headed off to the bank, intending to freeze his credit cards, close his bank account and open a new one, so that Jenny could not help herself to anymore of his money.

“Think what you want” He again thought. What did he want?

As he headed towards the bank he began to think about how he wanted his life to be.

Prosperity.

“A great flow money. Enough to pay all my bills and mortgage and plenty left over to do the things that I that want.”

Relationships.

“A mutually positive, loving relationship in which he shared joy and happiness.”

Steve chuckled to himself when he compared this thought to where his marriage was right now!

Health.

“Yes. You’ve got to have health and fitness.” He thought how he’d like to be trim and fit and still be able to do some off the things he could do when he was a little younger.

Friends.

“I’d loved catch up with some of my old mates, build on my current realtionships and meet some great new people.”

The kids.

“Just want to give the kids the best life I can.”

He also thought about new clothes, getting a great new TV to replace the one Jenny took, overseas holidays………

As he wondered through these thoughts and the images they brought, he felt the happiness and wellbeing they inspired and now felt significantly better.

It took him an hour and a half at the bank to reconfigure his finances so that Jenny could no longer help herself to his cash. He was very thankful to discover that she hadn’t managed to help herself to any of the equity they had accrued in the house. He left the bank and headed towards his car.

All of a sudden there was an almighty explosion! His air drums felt  as they might burst as the might of the explosion ripped through the air. It came from the direction of his car. An enormous fireball rose into the sky. The sound of shattering glass filled the air as shop windows imploded depositing shards of glass all over the footpath.

Instinctively Steve ran towards the fireball. He turned a corner and could hardly believe the sight that met his eyes. His car was engulfed in flames and bystanders stood around open mouthed as the intense heat singed their hair and beat them back as they searched the wreck with their eyes, to see if someone was entrapped in the inferno. The enormity of the situation overwhelmed him! What was happening to his life? Who would want him dead? None of this made sense!

In Chapter 5 Steve attempts to conslidate his life after all his "adventures" and begins to learn how to create his desires.

Chapter 5

Soon the fire brigade arrived and quickly extinguished the fire, revealing a totally destroyed car. All Steve could do was stand there and shake his head. This completed the total devastation of Steve’s life as he knew it.

He spent about an hour speaking to police at the scene and there was a gaggle of reporters poking cameras in his face, but such was the shock he was feeling, he didn’t feel able to face their barrage of questions. After a while he had calmed down sufficiently to talk to the police. They listened intently to Steve’s description of the early incidence and like Steve, were trying work out why a mild mannered guy like Steve would be subject to such violent attacks. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity?

Soon Steve’s mobile phone was alight with calls and text messages from friends, business associates and assorted sticky noses. Steve rang his Mum to let her know what had happened and that he was alright. Then he rang his boss, also to tell him what happened to the car the company owned. He too was stunned by calamities that had descended on Steve’s life and told Steve that there had a spare car in the lot, which Steve could have, as long as he promised he didn’t get it blown up. After Steve completed his statement, the police kindly dropped him back to the office so he could collect the car.

Everybody at the office was concerned for his safety, hoping there were no further attempts on his life. One good thing did come from this. The cheque that the finance manager had promised for Monday was already drawn and ready to pick up. So Steve quickly headed bank, making it just before closing time and cashing the cheque so he had some money for the weekend. He had felt the pangs of paranoia as he parked the car outside the bank, fortunately things went smoothly and he was soon safely back in the car heading towards Mike’s house to pick up the trailer.

True to his word, Mike’s trailer was sitting in the front yard ready to go. As Steve entered the front yard, there was something eerie about the house, as it had all the curtains shut. He quickly attached the trailer to his newly acquired car and set off to his Mum’s to collect the old furniture.

When he arrived at his Mum’s, she was sorting out what she was going to order from the Fish and Chip shop for her and the kids. Joy, Stephanie and Joel were all relieved and pleased to see Steve home and safe. Joy’s face was marked with lines of worry and stress.  Steve explained the events of the afternoon to her and admitted he had only just stopped shaking. She too was bewildered as to why someone would want to do away with her darling son.

The dramas out of the way, they phoned through their order to the Fish and Chip shop. It was a busy night for them and so Steve had enough time to raid the garage of his Mum’s surplus furniture and then head on down to the fish and shop and pick up the 2 large packets that were waiting.

Soon he was home sitting at the dinner table with his Mum and his kids tucking into the mother load of hot steaming fish and chips, accompanied by his favourite potato cakes and battered scallops. It was amazing how simple hot food could sooth the anxieties of such a dramatic day.

They all tucked in and ate more than they should, but Steve felt great pleasure in sharing this simple moment with his kids and his Mum. They told silly jokes and stories and laughed and joked and until their sides hurt. Surely this was what life about. Simple, joyful moments, full of fun and laughter.

After clearing the remnant wrapping and empty soft drink bottles, they took to the couch and settled in for a Harry Potter movie. The dramas of the last day soon drifted away.

After the movie finished, Steve tucked Stephanie and Joel into bed and decided he would go back to his house, just to make sure everything was safe, despite his Mum’s protests.  Soon he was pulling up outside with the trailer load of furniture in tow. Everything looked calm. He unhooked the trailer and pushed into the garage for safety. Parking the car next to it, he locked the door with a padlock and headed inside looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Morning came too soon and Steve dragged himself from bed and started a hot shower, under which he stood for more than 20 minutes, enjoying the warmth of the water on his body. He had a lot planned for the day, but the house was devoid of any food or basic appliances with which to make breakfast. Once dressed, he headed to Phi’s for a load of bacon and eggs and a very stiff cup of coffee.

“Was that you on the news last night?” Asked Phi, deep concern emanating from his voice as Steve entered the café.

“Yeah. Unfortunately it was.” Replied Steve.

“What on earth happened to your car?”

“The police said that someone had planted some sort of bomb in it. Your saw the result.”

“My God Steve. First the rogue SVU. Then a bomb. What is happening?”

“I don’t know. Who knows what have I done to make someone want to kill me? The police have got no idea either. So I am hoping that the car blowing up is the last of it. I’m not sure I can handle anymore excitement!’”

“Wow. I mean. You never think these things are ever going to happen to you.”

“ No you don’t. You always expect it to happen to someone else. Anyway, thanks Phi. The way the breakfast is great.”

“You’re welcome anytime. Just make sure stay safe.”

With breakfast hungrily consumed, Steve jumped into the car planning to head to an electrical store to use the money from his cashed in annual leave, to buy a decent TV, toaster, kettle and other miscellaneous items so he could make some decent meals. But as he started the car, he had this nagging feeling he should head to the park. With the day he had planned, he really didn’t think he had time for the park today. But the feeling was persistent and so he headed there. He felt a little stupid for doing such a reactive and apparently frivolous thing on a day when he had a mountain of stuff to do. Regardless, he headed to the park not knowing why he was going there or what to expect.

It was a beautiful morning in the park. The sun was shining, the ducks were making their usual cacophony and there were many people exercising and generally enjoying the beautiful day. Steve made his way to “the bench” and wasn’t really surprised to find that Gus was already ensconced, enjoying the goings on in the park.

“Good morning young man! I thought I might meet you here.”

“Good morning Gus! And strangely enough, I thought I might meet you here too!”

“It seems you’ve become somewhat of a celebrity since I last saw you.” Referring to the bombing incident of the previous day.

“If that’s what it takes to become a celebrity, then I want nothing of it!”

“On a more serious note, how are you?”

“I am OK I think. Apart from a little paranoia creeping in.”

“That’s good. What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking why the hell is somebody trying to kill me?”

“That’s a fair question.”

“So what do I do Gus? I’ve lost my wife. I lost just about every possession I have and somebody’s tried to kill me 3 times in the last 24 hours! How do I make sense of all of this?”

“What do you want? I mean deep down in your heart, what do you want?”

“You know it’s funny I was thinking about this when I was driving to the bank before the car blew up!”

Steve went on to tell Gus about his thoughts of prosperity, relationships, health, friendship and the kids and escribe how good these thoughts had made him feel.

“So there’s your answer!”

“We’re back to “think what you want”, aren’t we?”

“ Sure are. Many people believe that the universe allows us to create our lives by matching what we receive to what we think and the vibrations this emits. It answers “like with like”. That’s why we say ‘think what you want’.” Replied Gus.

“I think that’s starting to make sense.”

“So do you want your life to be filled with strife and trouble?”

“Of course not.”

“Well then, to deliberately create the life you desire, you need to manage your thoughts so that you are “thinking what you what.” Explains Gus.

“So what does is it mean for all the things that have just happened in my life. I mean I haven’t been thinking about being murdered or my wife leaving me and taking just about all we possessed!”

“No I am sure you haven’t! But what’s been the overall tone of your thoughts? Have you're thoughts been fearful? Or filled with worry about losing what you have. Or resentful of your wife?”

“Yeah. I’ve been stressed and worried about everything. About my job. About losing the house and the kids I have also been extremely resentful for Jenny and all the stress she put me under. I mean, nothing was ever good enough.”

“So maybe the universe is just returning what you’ve been thinking about!”

“Wow! That’s scary!”

“It can be scary if you create your life by default.

“Default?”

“Default means you’re not conscious of the types of thoughts you’re having.  Then universe delivers to you what ever the content of your thoughts have been. As the thoughts can often be random and negative, this can be a bumpy ride. As you’re finding out!”

“It’s sure been bumpy.”

“If your not conscious of what you are thinking, it can be like living in a game of Russian roulette!”

“That’s why, when I focussed on getting a great sales result instead of all the fear and strife if I didn’t make my budget, things changed for the better.”

“That’s right. That’s a great example. The thoughts you were offering came into alignment with that which you desired and looked what happened!”

“Yeah I had my best result ever! And it was like magic!”

“It can be like magic.”

“So how do you do it? How do you control your thoughts? I mean they can be pretty random. I am sure I hav some negative thoughts I hold habitually. Fear and worry seem to have a way of sneaking up on me and overwhelming me.”

“I agree. Thoughts of fear and worry can be very pervasive, but they can be managed.”

“You think so?”

“Well over my life I’ve developed a bit system which has helped me create a life which has given me great joy and happiness.

“A system?”

“Yeah. A system that I’ve found has helped me create the life I desire.”

“Wow!”

“Would you like me to tell you about it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well it has three parts.”

“Yep. Three parts.”

“Yep. That’s why I like to call it The Three Stages of Creating

“A grand title!”

“You’re right! It is a grand title indeed! It will help you set the type of thoughts you  have. ”

‘So I am no longer creating my life default?’

“Exactly! Now the first stage is. ‘Intend’.”

“Intend?”

“Yes. Intend. Most people hope, wish and want for the things they desire. Hoping, wishing and wanting shows they don’t really think these things will happen. You doubt the universe will answer your desires. Do you think you’ve done that?”

“Sure.  It seems that you’re never going to have the things you desire. So you hope and wish that you have plenty of money or can take the family on overseas holidays or buy nice cars. Sure I’ve hoped, wished and wanted plenty!”

“So if the universe returns like with like and you’re hoping, wishing and wanting what do you experiences do you think you might receive?”

“Huh?” Steve was a bit confused.

“I know it might seem a bit confusing. But it’s important. If you are wishing, hoping and wanting for a new car are the thoughts of having the car?” Gus patiently asked.

“No. Their thoughts of wishing, hoping and wanting a car.” Steve replied.

“They’re not thoughts of having the car are they?”

“No.” Steve replied hesitantly.

“The difference is subtle but key. Thoughts of hoping, wishing and wanting maybe about your desired car but they will only perpetuate your separation from your desires because the experience you will receive will be one of hoping, wishing and wanting! Not the experience of having the car.”

“Ok.” Steve seems to be grasping the idea.

“So instead of wishing and hoping we can ‘intend.’ ”

“That's right. Now we can say, “I intend to have a great new car.’ Can you see the difference in tone? ”

“I think so.” Answered Steve.

“When you intend there is no doubt that the universe will respond. By “intending” we are announcing to the universe our desire.”

“An announcement to the universe……which is free of hoping, wishing and wanting?”

“Yep.”

“And this is thinking what I want?”

“Well it’s the first stage.”

“That’s the first stage? Excuse me while I’m not overwhelmed”

“Ok.”

“It doesn’t seem very dynamic.”

“You shouldn’t be so easy to judge. Over the next few days try it and then come back and tell me what you think.”

“Ok. I will.”

Gus continued. “You see most of us have think about our desires in terms of “wishing, hoping and wanting. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“So The Three Stages of Creating will help you change this habit type so you can get to where you think what you want free of wishing, hoping and wanting.”

“That’s sound great! When do I start?

 “Right now! Ask yourself “What do I intend?”

“What do I intend? Yep,” Nodded Steve.

“So what I want you to do is look at what you’re doing in you life and ask, ”What do I intend?”

“I intend to mend my life.”

“Not bad.”

“Ok. I intend to……have my kids back and safe.”

“Better.” Responded Gus.

“Alright. I intend to…..re-build and renovate my house.”

“Good!”

“I intend to make great sales at work.”

“Fine.”

Steve was warming t the task.

“I intend to be highly paid for my work!”

“Great!”

“I intend to be abundant and prosperous!”

“Excellent! How does that make you feel?”

“Really positive. Really Good!”

“And that’s what we want! When you are feeling good, your thoughts and desires are in alignment!”

“Wow! That’s heavy! So feeling good is good!”

“Really good! So I think we’ve covered enough for one day.” Announced Gus.

“I think you’re right! When can I see you next? Can I ring you on your mobile?”

“You could if I had one. You’ll know when to come and see me.”

And before Steve could protest Gus had disappeared once more!

Steve was starting to think all this sudden disappearing was becoming a bit annoying! He “intended” to let Gus know the next time he saw him. He also intended to have a good day.

 In this episode Steve continues to work at getting his life back on track and starts to explore Gus's mysterious system. It looks  like it's onwards and upwards!

Chapter 6

Steve headed back to the car the ducks were still in full voice. Starting the car, he pointed  it in the direction of the local electrical store so he could buy all the things on his list.

The salesman thought it has lucky day as Steve went round the store selecting all the things on his list. Curious as to why Steve was buying so much stuff, he was shocked when learned it was Steve’s destroyed car on the news the previous night.

“I think you need every bit of help you can get!” He announced as he totalled up Steve’s invoice. “I’ll give you some extra discount. The boss won’t like, but you need al the help you can get!”

“Great!” Thought Steve as he headed around to the loading dock to pick up his stuff. He could hardly believe the deal he had just been given!

Heading back home. After making a call to his Mum to make sure everything was OK with her and the kids. He confirmed he would pick up Joel for his basketball game at

2-00pm and he settled into unloading the electrical goods followed by hand me downs from his Mum. With in a couple hours the house was started to look like a home again. Surveying the fruits of his labour, Steve felt a pang of satisfaction.

Locking the house he connected the trailer back up to the car so he could take it back to Mike. Arriving at Mike’s, the house looked eerie and he swore that he saw the curtains move as though some was watching him. Thinking he was becoming paranoid, he disregarded it and disconnected the trailer and put it back on the lawn where it back where he had a found it.

“Now to the supermarket and get some food.”

As he drove he began to think about the “mysterious” Gus had talked about.

“What do I intend?”

For a while he thought about this.

What did he intend?

“I intend to be a great Dad.”

“Yep.” He thought. ”That’s important to me.”

“I intend to be happy and positive.”

He started to get into a groove.

“Yep. That’s important too.”

Steve noticed how good these intentions made him feel and how they to seemed to give a positive direction and a feeling of forward momentum.

“I intend to be wealthy…No…I intend to have lots of money…No ……I intend to be  prosperous and abundant...Yes, yes...I intend to be prosperous and abundant!”

Moving on.

“I intend to do well in my job….No….I intend to excel in my work!….Yes that’s it.”

Then.

“I intend to be paid well for my work…No, no.. .I intend to be highly paid for my work….. Yes that’s it! I intend to be highly paid for my work!”

“I intend to find new friends…No, no…I intend to have great friendships….Yep. Want to have lot’s of great friends.”

“I intend to be a good person…No….I intend to have a great life. Yes! I intend to have a great life!”

 These thoughts both buoyed and empowered Steve and made him feel really good, even after the terrible events of the last couple of days.

Before he knew it, he had reached the supermarket. He pulled into the car park, quickly finding a spot near the door. Entering, he grabbed a trolley and went about loading it with groceries for him and the kids for the next week. He enjoyed the freedom of being able to select the foods that Jenny wouldn’t let him buy, because she didn’t like them. Man’s food! A celery free zone! Yeah! Soon he had enough and headed towards the cash register. Paying with cash, he exited to the car park and loaded the groceries into the car and headed home.

As he packed the groceries away in the kitchen cupboards, he continued to think,

“I intend to be trim, fit and healthy. Definitely! Maybe I should have bought the celery.”

“I intend to be strong at this time. Yep.”

“I intend be the best person I can be! Oh yes!”

Steve was enjoying himself intending great things into his life. It was becoming a game and it was fun.

“Maybe I should write them down. No I’m going to put them in my phone!” He thought.

Knowing he wasn’t the best at putting pen paper. So he fired up the kettle he had just purchased and made himself a sandwich whilst he waited for the kettle to boil. Once it was bubbling, he made some coffee and settled in keying his intentions into his phone so he could review them anytime.

Feeling quite chuffed with himself, he packed everything up, locked the house and headed off to pick up the kids to take them to Joel’s basketball game.

Life was starting to feel a little more normal as he and Stephanie enjoyed watching Joel’s team eek out a 34 to 26 victory in what was a hard fought game. Then it was off to Dolce’ Dominica’s, the best gelati shop in town, for a victory cone. The kids both opted for the double chocolate option whilst Steve had his favourite French vanilla and blood orange

As they sat out the front of the ice cream shop, Joel and Stephanie asked him about Jenny. They wanted to know where she was, why she had left and were they ever going to see her again?  They were really worried about what was going to happen?

These were hard questions and Steve had to be honest and say he didn’t know all the answers. He did tell them that he loved them and he would do his very best to sort things out. They seem to accept this well enough.

Once the ice cream was expertly consumed, they headed back to his Mum’s house. He had decided the kids should stay with her one more night. Then they could come home and settle in.

Joy, his mum, was pleased to see them and very happy that Joel had had a win. It was fine with her for the kids to stay one more night and suggested they have a BBQ for dinner. The weather was good and so it was a good opportunity to enjoy it.

Soon, Steve had fired up the BBQ and began cooking the sausages, kebabs, chops and his favourite ribs. Joy made salads and baked potatoes and it wasn’t long before they were sitting at Joy’s outside dining setting, thoroughly enjoying the spread of food. Steve ate a little more than he should because it was so delicious. He was starting to feel a little more relaxed about his predicament and was beginning to feel optimistic that he could make a go of looking after the kids by himself. Whilst he and Joy washed the dishes together, they talked about the logistics of getting the kids to and from school and to the after school activities they had. Joy had told him she was happy to help out wherever she was needed and had told Steve that it was important to her that kids did not suffer.

When all the cleaning up was done they sat to watch  “Toy Story 3” on DVD that Joy had rented. They all laughed together and enjoyed themselves as life’s troubles drifted away and some normality started to appear. Then kids went to bed. Steve kissed them goodnight, kissed his Mum good night and went home and flopped into bed, tired from a busy but successful day.

He awoke. Startled by the sound of a tin can hitting the pavement. He rubbed his eyes and saw that the clock radio was saying it was 2-43. Then he heard the side gate rattle and he bolted from his bed. He ran down the hall and grabbed for the light switch next to the door. As it clicked it down, he could see the glow of all the lights outside going on through the window.  He fumbled with the deadlock of the front. Finally he got the chain to slide off. He turned the handle of the lock and charged outside.

His eyes were met by the glare of flames flickering up the side of the house. Then he heard the scuttle of feet running up the road, followed by the slamming of a car door and the screech of tires, as a car roared of into the darkness. Steve shook his head, trying to clear the sleepiness from his head. He could see flames licking up the side of the house were now reaching the guttering. The acrid smell of burning paint and wood tore at his lungs causing him to cough and splutter. He put his hand over his mouth and nose and ran to the tap. Grabbing the coiled garden hose that was lying on the ground, he screwed the tap to maximum and started spraying the base of the flames, which were growing in intensity.

All of sudden another spout of water joined Steve’s next door neighbour also trained his garden hose on the flickering flames. Yells filled the air as people from the surrounding houses spilled out onto the street to see what all the commotion was about. Then a wail of sirens could be heard after someone had alerted the fire brigade. Soon the flickering of the blue and red lights from the fire trucks reflected off the surrounding houses creating an eerie sight.

Steve and Tom had done a great job restricting the penetration of the flames on the house. Very quickly the fireman unfurled their hoses and trained two intense streams of water onto the house. Steve and Tom stood back as the experts quickly extinguished the remaining flames.

Once the smoke had cleared, a large black scar could be seen up the side of the house. As Steve thanked the fireman for their quick action, they told him it was quite apparent that an accelerant such as petrol had been used to start the fire. The police soon also arrived on the scene. Once they realised that Steve was also the subject of the car bombing the day before, their concern increased, suggesting that Steve might want to move elsewhere for his own safety. After making a statement and answering the polices questions, Steve decided he would stay for there rest of the night, as there would be police stationed there until the arson squad arrived in the morning.

It was 5Am before all the excitement died down and Steve trudged inside to catch a couple hours of sleep, unable to believe that another attack had been on his life. Whoever it was very persistent but not very effective!

At around 8Am he woke feeling groggy and very uptight. He headed for the shower where he spent a good 20 minutes waking up and enjoying the massaging of the hot jets of water. After drying himself, he dressed in the first jeans and t-shirt that he encountered in the wardrobe and went outside to check out the damage to the house. As he made his way outside the two policemen who were on duty, nodded their acknowledgement to him.

The air was still thick with the acrid smell of smoke. The right hand side of the house was charred but the damaged seem superficial and Steve counted himself to be very lucky to still have a house. A feeling of paranoia was building within in Steve as he wondered where this was all going to end. The police had offered little advice other than to be careful, which Steve thought wasn’t very original.

After spending about 20 minutes looking at the damage, he decided he’d head over to his Mum’s to let her know what happened, before she saw it on the news. Steve told the policeman where he was going, reversed the car out of the garage and made his way to Joy’s.

Gus’s advice rung in his head. “Think you want.”

But his nerves were jangled at this stage, it was difficult to envisage his desires because of stress and fear that emanated from someone making a fourth attempt on his life.

He tried a different tack. “What do intend?”

He started….

“I intend to be…..I intend to be ….calm?…Yep. I intend to be calm!”

“I intend to be positive. Certainly. I intend to be calm and positive. That’s it!”

It was funny how just making this intention made Steve feel alot better.

“I intend to build a great new life.”

“I intend to be happy!”

Now he felt really good!

Joy was surprised to see him so early on a Sunday. But her face filled with the lines of worry and shock as Steve recounted the events of last night. She begged him not to go back. Whilst she made him some breakfast and a strong coffee, they discussed what to tell the kids. They decided it would be best they stay with Joy for time being and Joy finally relented on Steve staying the house. He told his Mum he believed that who ever it was that was wreaking havoc with his life, wouldn’t dare to have another attempt to burn down the house. Especially now that the police said they would be patrolling the street very regularly.

Not long after, Stephanie and Joel woke up and came into the kitchen looking for breakfast. Steve told them as gently as he could what had happened at the house and that were now going to stay and Joy’s for a while until things settled down.

The kids were stunned by the story and were disappointed they couldn‘t go home, even though they did enjoy being at Joy’s. To overcome the gloom that had settled upon, Steve suggested they go out for the day. They all agreed that a ride on “Puffing Billy”, the steam train that runs up in the hills outside the city, would be the best things to do.

When Joy and the kids were ready they all jumped into the car and set course for the little trains station an hours drive away. The sun shone and everything was set for a fun day.

The little station from where the steam train departed was nestled in a valley among some gum trees, presenting a very pretty setting. The platform was teeming with people waiting to catch the little train, which took a winding and hilly route through beautiful scenery.

This train ride had always been one of the kid’s favourite treats and today’s ride proved to be no different.  They hung their legs out of the open carriages and waved at all the people they passed at the level crossings and houses that dotted along the route. When they arrived back at the station after three hours of fun, Stephanie and Joel hassled their father for an ice cream cone. Joy volunteered to pay and so for the second time in two days they munched on delicious cones before returning home from a day where they had forgotten about the dramas that had visited their lives.