Time: Present Day

Location: HereAfter

Carter watched as his movie skipped again. He watched as Father Dan married Amanda and Roger. His Mum looked amazing, her dress was gorgeous with a long satin trail that flowed along the aisle like a wave of foam on the dark blue carpet. Carter turned to see his real Mum had returned, he could see that she was glowingly happy for her twin sister.

Jean had spared no expense for the wedding, since Amanda had joined her mother, Monique, as a junior reporter at the Telegraph, his family had come under even more media scrutiny. He had an argument with Amanda about little Carter's proposed involvement in the wedding as the ring bearer. He had argued that having a child involved introduced a number of risks of disrupting the occasion especially if that child was to play an integral role. Didn't she realise her wedding would probably get some media attention because of her mother's and now her, standing in the media. Her mother appeared regularly enough on TV segments to be recognised by the public wherever she went and Amanda being determined to follow in her footsteps should be mindful of the scrutiny. After all, this was the real reason he had spent so much money on the wedding, to allay any suspicions that he was anything but happy about how both his daughters had turned out, and was completely happy with Amanda's decision to take on a readymade family in little Carter.

He lost the argument when Amanda turned this part of his argument back on him. She was already an expert negotiator at her tender age of 21. Her wedding coincided with the twins 21st birthday. He secretly hoped that Amelia was looking down on the proceedings from wherever she was though he didn't believe in such things, but if there was such a thing as heaven, she surely would be there.

The movie now went into a type of fast forward, zipping through his early life and schooling, making a number of pit stops along the way. He recognised most of them. How he was bullied at a new school when Amanda and Roger moved into their new house nearer the city in Paddington. The bully was a kid called Malcolm. They had a fight in the playground of St Francis Primary. They were both brought up before Brother Daly and disciplined. Afterwards as they were leaving Mal said well that's our Daly Discipline. They both laughed out loud. Brother Daly put away his strap and walked away in a huff. After that they became fast friends, Malcolm became his best friend, and was so till the end.

The only major falling out had come when they were 20 years old. Malcolm introduced him to a girl from his theatre group, a girl called Layla, she was the most gorgeous creature Carter had ever seen. Carter had followed in his Mum's footsteps and joined the media, but he had concentrated on TV and secured a job as a reporter on a start up current affairs show called After Dark. He had been to some wild media and show business parties and had had his fair share of beautiful girls, including a stunning blonde called Sue, who was a go-go dancer at Whisky a Go-Go night club in King's Cross, a seamy part of Darlinghurst the adjoining suburb to where he lived. Sue had been married and divorced and broke his heart by returning to her husband while they were dating. What followed was a binge of late night parties and drinking sessions and a succession of beautiful one night stands with everyone from barmaids to actresses. That was until Layla. He knew Mal had a crush on her, who wouldn't, she was exquisite, beautiful, lively, funny, intelligent, a rare combination. Mal confided in him that he thought she was out of his league. Carter remembered asking him, "have you told her yet, how you feel?" Mal just shook his head. "Then you'd better, Mal, or I will."

Annoyed at Mal's inaction Carter had rung her and invited her out for a drink about a month later. He got her number off a list of contacts in Mal's room. I'll surprise him he thought.

The movie slowed at that point and showed that night.

"How do you feel about Mal?" he asked. His media training had taught him the direct approach was usually the most fruitful.

"I like Mal a lot, in fact I've dropped a number of hints. I don't think he's interested, does he already have a girlfriend?" she asked. Carter was about to say no when he looked in her eyes and did something that later he wasn't proud of. Carter squirmed in his seat as Teacher joined him in the seat next to him. He looked down and was a little embarrassed that his cord had extended towards the part of the screen that Layla was on, and was glowing a fiery red and yellow.

Teacher said, "Watch and learn Carter Cheval, how the things we do hurt other people. How they sometimes have dire consequences, most importantly look and see how tardily we treat those we should care about the most. Those that love and adore us, those that would do anything for us, people like Layla and, of course your best friend, Mal."

"He did tell me he fell for a girl, a girl he met on the bus," Carter replied. He had also learnt that the best lies of deceit had to contain some elements of truth.

"We first met on the bus, he's the one who introduced me to the theatre group. If it wasn't for Mal I would never have tried acting in amateur theatre. I absolutely adore it now. I remember that I only let him prattle on about his theatre group because he looked so cute in his bus driver's uniform," she pulled herself up as she realised she was gushing. Do you think it could be me he has fallen for?" She reached over and placed her hand on his, "has he told you it's me, did he put you up to this? I hope so, he's so handsome, so funny, not that you're not good looking Carter, you are, very good looking, not that funny though," she laughed.

Carter remembered how good it felt as her hand touched his, it was electric. It was love at first touch for him. He had to have her, he couldn't help himself."

He said, "Sorry Layla, no it's not you, it's a girl he met at work on the buses. I think she works at their head office in town. Sue, I think her name is," he lied.

"I don't suppose you'd like to go out to dinner, say Friday night?" Carter asked.

"You suppose right," she said with a smile.

"Oh, okay then," he said taken aback.

After an awkward silence, she broke it with, I'm fucking with you Carter. I'd love to go to dinner with you, where will you take me, no, surprise me, pick me up at seven?" she said.

He offered her a lift to her place but she declined gracefully, "A girl has to maintain the illusion of mystery. I'll grab a cab. Besides, if you drove me home not only would you find out where I live, I'd have to kiss you goodnight."

He smiled, got up and went behind her to pull her chair out, and he whispered in her right ear, "You could kiss me goodnight here,” he said.

"Not on the first date," she laughed.

"So, this was a date," he feigned surprise. He walked her to the taxi rank. He opened the rear door of the first cab and helped her get in. She wound down the window and said, "Goodnight Carter, I enjoyed our little talk, we should do it again, sometime."

"But, I thought," he started to say, then he saw her flash him a smile. "You're fucking with me again . . . aren't you?"

"See you Friday Carter, don't be late," she said.

"But I don't know your address!" he said.

"Then you'll have to ring me again won't you, poor you, give my love to Malcolm!" she laughed as the taxi pulled away from the curb.

Carter remembered how he had felt that night, his cord turned a brilliant gold. He had awoken the next morning feeling like a lovesick schoolboy.

The movie jumped to a lunch he was having with the guys at Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Football Club. After they had eaten, Mal was left alone with Carter while the others adjourned to the gaming room to play the poker machines.

After bringing back two beers, Mal sat down, handed one to Carter, took a sip from his and said, "Saw Layla last night, she tells me you called her and went out for a drink. She thinks you were fishing to find out if she liked me or not, were you Carter?"

"I guess I was, what did she tell you?" Carter asked apprehensively. "Nothing really, just that I should ask you, she probably thinks I put you up to it. Well, what did she say, does she, you know, er . . . like me?"

"She cares about you a great deal, she is grateful to you for introducing her to acting, she thinks of you like a brother, the brother she never had, her words not mine," he lied.

"You mean she really doesn't have any feelings for me?" Mal asked.

"No, not in that way, I'm afraid Mal, in fact she asked me out. We're having dinner Friday night." Carter watched as Mal excused himself went to the toilet block, entered a cubicle and broke down and wept.

Carter looked down at his cord it was dark and green. He experienced an emotion close to total desolation or that's how he would describe it later. "I feel awful!" he said out loud. Teacher chimed in, "This is as close to hell as you will get Carter Cheval, realising the hurt you caused from your self-indulgence."

The movie skipped again. "Why is it doing this, why have I missed most of my life?" he asked no-one in particular.

Teacher said, "It's doing exactly as you requested Carter Cheval, remember, you said you wanted to know two things. Everything else in between is available to you anytime you like but for the time being you have only been shown segments necessary for your understanding of the answers to the two questions you posed at the beginning. Necessary for your advancement. Watch your movie Carter Cheval, watch closely and the answers will become clear as will your future role in the advancement of the All."

Chapter 39 - Wedding Pains.

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