"I agree with Joyce," Maria responds, "Boy, I don't want to imagine what those guest house owners must be thinking?
Especially since they know we have a very popular guest house. And they are supporting someone else's business rather than the hand that has been feeding them for so long."
"Sid, I can't believe Uncle, who claims to love Shawney so much, was the first to leave, and his family. I am proud of you two."
"Thanks, honey, I know that we did a lot of stupid things," Sid said.
"You all seem to forget a very important thing," Maria said.
"What is that?" Curtis asks.
"Shawney is your sister, and when Aunty Joan misbehaves, you two should have put a stop to her immediately. She had every right to get angry with Aunty Joan when she said Torren is her lunatic friend. Remember, he was the one who stopped Aunty from hitting her among all those people. So, who will you support if you were in a situation like that? Would you stand by and hear someone abusing me, Curtis?"Maria asks.
"I really don't want to think what Torren must be thinking about our family now, and Shawney must be so ashamed and embarrassed," Joyce responds.
"I suppose you are right, Joyce. We were just spectators, allowing Aunty to do what she wanted, and all Shawney ever wanted from us was to stand up and give her some moral support. I know she didn't say it in plain words, but we never took heed of anything she said. But I never thought she would have put us out." Curtis said.
"I too," Sid said, "That's because we took her for granted, and being the eldest, I should have known better, but I keep asking for more. I wasn't much better than Aunty Joan."
"Look, Sid, we all did our fair share when it comes to hurting her, and now it's too late to correct that mistake. I am sure she didn't return to Aunty Paula; in fact, I believe she is hurting more than us."
"You are right, Curtis, if only I could get to see her and say how sorry I am, but I know it is too late. Who knows where she is now?" Sid replies.
When Curtis said, "We had so many opportunities to amend our ways and mistakes.
Uncle Ken had warned us so many times. Even Uncle Robert and Mitch warned us, and all we thought about was ourselves and what she could do for us."
"Yes, I agree, Curtis, and what a fool we were, we followed everyone else, now look at us, everyone went their merry ways. And not one of them stopped for one moment and asked us, Where are we going to stay?" Sid said.
Hearing Curtis laugh, saying, "Now look how things are, I can't believe that we have really come to this place where it's every man for themselves?
Meg, never look back. She just went her way with Lance. And Linsey follows fast behind with Tony.
Aunty Joan finds her family, and the only person who saw that we were going to be on the street was Shawney, even though we ill-treated her."
******
Train, was worried about Torren seeing him not eating. Since the night of the dinner, when Shawney left, Torren haven't eaten a complete meal.
Hearing dad telling Torren to try and eat something, when Jeff whispers. "Dad, please leave him alone. When he is ready, he will eat."
Informing his family of his decision to search for Shawney, Train said, "I am going to look for Shawney."
"Dad, please," feeling Torren hold his hand, "No one is going anywhere, Shawney is free to visit whenever she wishes, we didn't drive her out. She left on her own free will, and whenever she wishes to visit, she is also free to do so."
At that moment, Torren knew he could not disclose how he felt for Shawney.
Carl listens to everyone quietly, and what Torren just said is almost the exact words Careen said. Knowing that Dad is a bit concerned and is also worried about her whereabouts.
When dad said, "But Son, she gets hurt in our home, she went to the hospital to get treated for the injury, who knows where she is now? I thought, maybe after a week, she might return, but she hasn't visited Robert. And Joseph hasn't even seen her at the clinic for the week. And didn't you tell us that Joseph called and cancelled your appointment, because he was going out of town?"
"That's what he told me, Dad."
"Well, if I know Shawney, she might have returned to her village."
"Dad, why would she do that? She hates her family for the way they treat her, "Torren responds.
"Yes, that might be true, son, but her Aunt attends to her business, and the way she was angry with what she did to her; she must have returned home to disinherit the whole lot of them."
"Are you saying she has a business dad?" Jeff asks.
Knowing this was the opportune time to reveal the little he knew, "Something like that, some of you think she is a gold digger, but she has a little money put aside."
"I don't quite understand what you are saying, Dad," Jeff queries, wanting to know exactly what Dad wasn't revealing to them.
"I suppose you won't, you thought if Shawney marries Torren, you would be robbed of your luxury. It would be nice for you to see what her family lost out on Jeff? Her life is not too different from our family's. You see, when Shawney's mother died, she left an inheritance for Shawney, just as Torren's grandparents did for him.
"Wait, one minute, Dad, you knew she had an Inheritance?"