John went to the graveyard everyday. He stood in the same spot as the day before (and the day before that, at the funeral) and again wept by the gravestone.
He had never imagined he would have to live his life without seeing his beautiful wife’s face every morning. As Yana had lived a very healthy life, John had anticipated he would be the one (sadly) leaving her behind to carry on without him. But the tragic accident at the stadium had changed all of that and now John was left to pick up the pieces of his distraught family… If only he could hold himself together long enough to find a way to do that..!
The sadest part of Yana’s early departure was that she’d never quite achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a sports superstar. Her name was reasonably well known in the sporting world (and there had been a short piece on her life and career published in the local newspaper the week after her accident), but she’d never earnt the title she’d strived so hard for… …a fact that did not go unnoticed by the younger members of the family. Which in time made them work harder toward their own goals so the same thing wouldn’t happen to another Newbrook again.
Everyone was coping with Yana’s death in their own way. Besides John, Alice was the next person who was taking it hardest. The added burden of being a new mum was a lot for this young women to bear. And since her father was falling apart, Alice looked to her (favoured) uncle for support.

To a stranger looking from outside the family circle, Yana’s life may have appeared simple and unimportant, but to her family she had been the one holding the Newbrooks up. In her later years she had been a good counsellor and comforter. Lando himself had borrowed Yana’s ear on a few occasions. He’d once thought his life would become simpler as he got older, but in fact the reverse was true. And at the time of his sister’s passing he felt the loss more acutely due to a new worry, which he wished he could share with his primary confidant.
Karri was another who grieved the family’s loss. For many years Yana had not only been her sister-in-law but also a good friend. She’d supported her through her pregnancy and the difficult moments with Lucas after the birth, which had brought the women together in a united understanding.

Yana had been the only person who Lucas never upset directly, as secretly he had a lot of respect for his big sister because he’d never felt judged or a disappointment in her prescence. Now Lucas was expressing his grief… in his own unique way. Alas, it usually came at Imogen’s expense as her father found new reasons to argue and yell at her.


Lucas: “There were fingerprints of paint all over the staircase handrail this morning! I had to pay the maid overtime to stay and clean it off!! Also, I heard you whistling in the shower last week!.. have you forgotten I sleep through the day because I work hard at night to provide for the family!!! (Nemm: <sarcastically> How could Imogen ever forget what you do for the family?!..) AND I saw you on the front porch last week holding that boys hand! I won’t have any more illegitimate babies born under this roof! Do you hear me!? Stay away from that boy!!!”

If only the last remarks were just to protect his daughter from messing up her life… but in truth Lucas meant exactly what he said and didn’t want any more reminders of Imogen’s existence.
The fact that Imogen hadn’t actually done anything wrong wouldn’t make any difference to Lucas – the paint found on the banister had been accidently put there by John after painting more family portraits; the whistling was Karri whilst she’d been cleaning the upstairs bathroom and… well, it is true Imogen had been holding Joss Gee’s hand as he walked her home from school one afternoon, but that was all they did. Lucas’s grief forced him to find anything to get upset about.

The family was falling apart. And if not for the sake of Ellena, Alice probably wouldn’t have tried to sort their problems out.
For starters she rang Donovan. Greeting him on the porch, it was clear he was still upset.

On top of the fact that Alice would not agree to marry him and make the three of them a nice neat family unit, this was also the first time she’d invited him over since Ellena had been born. Of course, he had met his daughter the night she was born at the hospital, but then with Alice’s mum passing away, followed by all of the funeral arrangements… asking Donovan to come over to see Ellena again had just slipped Alice’s mind.
It was all clear now though. After apologising for the lack of communication and explaining the family’s recent loss, Alice said what she wanted to say.

Alice: “This isn’t the traditional way of doing things, but it is how it is and Ellena deserves the best we can give her. So you need to be a part of her life and be there for every birthday and every other special event. No matter what else, she should know both of her parents love her.”

Obviously Donovan couldn’t argue with that, so Alice invited him inside as it was time for Ellena’s first birthday.
The mood was still low inside the house, so the only people there for Ellena’s first cake experience were her parents plus John, Karri and Imogen. Alice nestled her daughter in her arms and carried her over to her birthday cake.

Everyone could not help the smiles that crept onto their faces (the first for some time) as they watched Ellena grow into a small toddler, realising there was still hope as life went on and had only just begun for this little one.


Besides her hair colour, Ellena looks very much like her father at this stage… well, maybe she has her grandfather’s nose too.
And although their proper introduction came a little late, Donovan and Ellena now spend plenty of time together. It came as no surprise that Donovan took to being a father naturally and came over most days to play with his daughter, who would always giggle with delight everytime she saw him arrive.

He was practically part of the family and it wasn’t long before Alice and Donovan’s relationship was on the mend and they were friends again. This pleased Alice no end as she really didn’t like to lose friends (she had more than enough bridges to mend since getting pregnant and disappointing so many people). She invited Donovan to Imogen’s birthday party, which took place two days after Ellena’s.
Imogen’s birthday was a big deal. Her family and friends had had their concerns about how this young girl would turn out after the issues (i.e. Lucas) she’d suffered through her childhood.

Anxiously Imogen took her place in front of the birthday cake. She wasn’t worried about the crowd of faces in the room cheering her on to blow out the candles, but she wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to be a grown-up just yet…

As the colourful, twinkling transition sparkles drop steadily to the floor, there was a slight gasp from every person in the room. To everyone there, they thought they could finally see the excess (emotional) baggage Imogen had been carrying around during her childhood years. Her appearance was unlike any Newbrook before her (although her grandmother had been on the slightly plump side).
But for the first time in her life Imogen felt more confident that she had ever before. The looks of shock and surprise did not phase or worry her now as she knew just what she wanted to do with her life. And the courage that flowed through every cell in her body was not going to allow anything (or anyone) to stand in her way!


Next: The Reality of Adulthood