The ferry pulled away from the dock. The departure horn bellowed into the night sky. The thick plumes of smoke were barely visible. A few stars speckled the darkness. Anton stood by the railings of the deck looking down at the few people waving goodbye to their loved ones. He was not so lucky. His mother had died when he was six years old. His father was still alive but he didn’t see very much of him. It felt like he’d passed away with her. His Dad had appeared for Anton’s twentieth birthday party the previous week, all of his four siblings stayed away. They were busy with their own lives and had long since made it clear that they didn’t want to deal with Anton’s troubles. Anton was the eldest boy and subconsciously felt that he had an alpha male responsibility to his group. This attempt at care had been misread for aggression. In the end, frustration and aggression was exactly what came to the fore. His older sister had stepped in and taken over the mother role and Anton had been dismissed. Failure had become an intrinsic part of his life.
London Calling (Extract)
