Therapy yes no Maybe

"Yes, but." The Prosecutor cut him off. "Yes or no answers only please."

Did you help organise for your wife to be drugged?"

"Yes."

"Did you transport her against her will to an island where she could not escape?"

"Yes."

"Was she held there against her will?"

"Yes."

"Did she plead to be released?"

"Yes."

The prosecutor snorted derisively. "No more questions your honour."

The defence of course gave him a chance to explain his actions. It was all about how he loved me, all he wanted was a chance to talk. To undergo the therapy sessions. He loved me."

The Prosecutor tore into him again. "How can you claim to love somebody, and yet still drug them?"

Of course there was no answer for that.

The same happened to Evelyn. Then it was the turn of the doctor who administered the sedatives. He was roasted, he turned out to be a charlatan. His license to practice medicine had long since been revoked. He had moved into organic medicine, his whole business was based around herbal treatments.

The next day started the long procession of witnesses. There were hundreds to get through. There were heartfelt admissions from all of the character witnesses. The centre was a wonderful and trusted facility. On and on it went.

The prosecutor relied entirely on the plain evidence. The doctor, the boat pilot, the staff at the island. Some of the visitors who heard me screaming for help.

It took two weeks to get through. In the end The defence made there final plea. "Your Honour, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury. Granted, the actions of the defendants were misguided, and I think we can all agree. They were wrong. Totally wrong. However. We must also acknowledge, that no actual harm was done to Miss Delahunty. Her sedatives were administered by a trained physician. Her care was first class. These people, acted in good faith. They believed that they were doing the right thing. All they wanted was a chance to help Miss Delahunty. They wanted to put her in a position where she could work through the issues of her separation and move forward with her life."

He waved his arms, gesturing to the gods for salvation. "Members of the Jury. You have to ask yourself. Was it malicious? Was it done to hurt, or harm Miss Delahunty? The answer is obviously no. Misguided, errant, possibly, but never malicious."

The prosecutor, kept it simple. He just outlined the facts, the laws broken, the ethical decisions of people claiming to be acting in another humans best interests.

The jury were sent off to deliberate. Mum and Dad grabbed me and led me off to a nearby restaurant for food. "How did you feel pumpkin?" Mum asked.

"I'm not sure. I have my fingers crossed they go to jail, but I have my doubts."

"You don't mean that Button." Dad replied. "You are not that sort of person. They were wrong, and I'm sure they will be found guilty. I guess it is the sentencing that will be interesting."

It only took a few hours for the deliberation. We were ushered back into the courtroom.

The look of shock on Kent and Evelyn's face, when they were found guilty. Brought a look of joy to mine.

They were ordered to return the next day for sentencing.

Mum, Dad and I sat watching as the Judge read through the charges. He started his sentencing by outlining the severity of the charges. He did take into account, what he described as extenuating factors. As he read out the sentences I watched. Kent was first. "Mr Delahunty. You are sentenced to 1000 hours community service. You are to attend counselling. The non molestation order against you will stand permanently. You are to have no further contact in any way with Mr's Delahunty, or her family.

You will be on probation for twelve months. If during that period, you break any of your probation conditions. You will be re-sentenced and I warn you. It will include a term of imprisonment."

He then started on Evelyn. "Miss Myers. You have also been found guilty on all charges. You will also receive 1000 hours of community service. Your Clinics, if it can be called that. Is hereby closed for the purposes of counselling, or therapy. You are banned from providing any form of counselling, or therapy. You will additionally be issued with a restraining order. You must never contact Mr's Delahunty, or her family. Additionally. You will pay Mr's Delahunty a sum of ten thousand dollars as compensation for the pain and suffering you caused. If you break any of these conditions for the period of twenty four months you will also re-appear before this court. Hear me and hear me well, if you appear before me within those twenty four months. You will also be facing a prison sentence."

The judge took time before he added. "I was personally horrified by your actions in this matter. I cannot believe that somebody with your training and experience thought so highly of their own ability, that you placed this poor young woman in a predicament like that. What if she had tried to escape the Island, and drowned? You Madam are a danger to the people you claim to want to help. I plead with you to take a long hard look at yourself, and your actions."

The doctor, who administered the sedatives, did actually get a prison sentence. Two years.

The Island Therapist, Maria. Was also banned from operating as a therapist, or counsellor.

Mum Dad and I sat as everybody streamed out of the building. Kent gave me a sad glare as he passed. Evelyn, looked like she wanted to say something but didn't. Whatever it was she kept it to herself.

At least it was over. "Are you happy with that?" Mum asked, it wasn't accusatory, but she obviously wasn't happy.

"No, not really Mum. I was hoping for imprisonment. Especially for Evelyn. God knows how many people she has screwed up with her bad advice."

"Come on Button." Dad sighed. "She can't be that bad. Look how many happy clients she had."

"Yeah, but how many of them, were helped, and how many were brainwashed?"

"That's a bit harsh Honey." Mum added.

"No Mum, I'm serious. The place is so heavily weighted on helping the cheaters. She thinks that it's all okay. Just accept and move on. Forget that the victim was cheated on. Forget their pain, just forgive and move on."

"You don't know that Honey." Mum said.

"All you have to do is read their propaganda Mum. It's there in black and white. No crime is to big to forgive, it's all about forgiveness. What about paying for the damn crime? Nowhere in there does it talk about that. It's all about the poor dear who made a mistake. It's just a little mistake. Not even important."

Dad tried to quieten me down. "Button, it's not like that. Yes, I suppose that it has to be weighted that way, otherwise. How do you move on? How do you start again? Look at yourself. You haven't been able to move on with your life. You are trapped in this cycle of hating Kent."

"That's because he won't let go. It's him. Not me who is making this difficult."

"No Button. You are wallowing in self pity, and I believe the reason you can't move forward. Is, you don't want to. You still love him. Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wr....." I couldn't finish. The words seemed stuck. "Okay wise guy. Yes I do love him. But I can't forgive him."

He hugged me. "That's all right Ashley. You don't have to. All I ask is that you be honest. You love him. Accept that fact and move on with your life. If you can't forgive him. That's okay as well."

Mum just hugged us both. "Honey, all we want is what's best for you. I still think, if you could have gone through the counselling, you may have found a way to forgive him."

Life went on. The hate mail slowly stopped. I may have only got ten grand from Evelyn, but I got a hell of a lot more for my story. A NZ women's magazine wanted an in depth interview and article. They paid a lot of money for that story. Not enough to retire on, but certainly enough for the deposit on a nice house.

Kent slowly but surely became a thing of the past. A memory. I admit that life was lonely without him. I admit, The good memories far outweighed the one bad one. But that life was gone.

Moving on from that was difficult. I was a minor celebrity for all of a month. Radio and TV wanted interviews, my life story. I did a couple, always managing to paint Evelyn's resort as a horrible place to stay. It didn't help, with the publicity came interest. I'm sure a lot of people went out there, just to say they had been.

It was Dad's fifty fifth birthday that created a problem. It came in the form of Mum's announcement. "Pumpkin, I want to have a party for your fathers birthday."

"Sounds like fun, can I help?" I wanted to help, because, Mum and I were now distant. Ever since she told me about how she cheated, I viewed her differently. She certainly fell from the lofty heights of the pedestal, I put her on. Working together might provide an opportunity to mend the rift.

It went well, and we did have some fun. Some laughter crept back into our conversations. A little banter. I remembered why I loved her so.

The shock came when she said. "Honey, Kent's parents, Jo and Mike, would like to come to your fathers party. Will that be okay?"

I wasn't over the moon happy. But figured. They were friends before Kent and I became an item. "Yeah, why not. Invite them. What the hell."

"Honey, it wouldn't be fair, if we invited them, but left out Kent. I would like to invite him."

"Like hell. No way Mum. If you invite him. Then I'm not coming."

"Honey, it's been almost twelve months. At some point you have to let go."

"Like bloody hell. You do what you want Mum, but if he walks in. I walk out. Christ. He still has that non molestation order. He can't come."

"Ashley, we won't tell if you don't. I just want to put all of this behind us. I don't expect you to make up. He was a close friend of the family, and like it or not. We still have a place in our hearts for him."

"You do what you want Mum. But you choose."

"Don't be ridiculous Ashley. We want you there. If you still feel that strongly. Then we won't invite him."

"Good." The preparations went well. The invites were sent and all the food was ordered. A couple of weeks before the party. Dad asked me if I would help him descale his yacht. He had a small twenty foot yacht he kept moored down at the marina. Once a year, he dragged it up onto dry dock for a clean up.

I actually loved helping. Yeah I complained a but, but that was just me. I loved spending time with him. This was our thing. Mum never got involved.

I'm a bit of a Tomboy at heart. I mean my job as the marketing and entertainment manager at the local Mall. Meant I had to dress up all the time. Business suits and chic trendy clothes were the order of the day, and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that. I love fashion, I love being a girly girl. I am honest enough to say, I'm attractive. I have never failed to get men's attention. But there is the flips side. The jeans and T-shirt girl who was soaking wet, operating the water blaster, blowing barnacles off Dads boat.

During one of our many breaks. Dad sat me down. I realised I was going to get one of his famous father daughter chats. "Button, Mum tells me. You refused to let Kent come to my party."

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a surprise Dad. You know how I feel about him."

"Ashley, that was a year ago. You need to move on with your life. While you harbour all this hatred towards him. It will stop you from moving forward."

"So you do want me to forgive him?" I hissed.

He frowned, sighing. "Yes, I do actually. I want you to let go, to say. I forgive you."

"Christ Dad. How do you forgive somebody for breaking your heart?"

He gave me a sad pleading look. "It's not easy Ashley. Let me tell you. It's not easy, but when you do, a whole new world opens up."

"Easy to say Dad. You talk a big game."

"Yeah, well I walk the walk Ashley. If I can, you can."

It was then that I realised what he was talking about. "You knew?"

"Of course I bloody knew. I might be a fool, but, I'm not an idiot."

"Does Mum know?"

"No. I never told her."

"How did you find out?"

"A friend told me, I had suspicions, but the evidence was unquestionable."

"Oh my god, and you forgave her?"

"Yes, a long time ago."

"Dad, I'm so sorry. That must have been hard."

"Yes it was, but we had just been delivered this wonderful little package. And there was no way I was missing out on having her in my life."

"What, you forgave her because of me?"

"Yes, partially. It was deeper than that though. I loved your mother. We had our issues, and she made a mistake. I realised that it was nothing more than a stupid fling. Honestly. When I first found out. I could have killed her, and gone to jail happily, but life's not that simple."

"So what happened?"

"It didn't happen overnight. We had you, and you were still a baby, and you changed everything. God, you were such a gorgeous remarkable little creature. We both fell in love with you. That was the reason I stayed. Time, and life move on. Your mother changed. The arguments stopped. She went out of her way to make sure I wanted for nothing. She never questioned me, she never fought over anything. I knew it was her way of showing me she loved me."

"But how did you forgive her?"

"Button, I was hard to live with at that time. I was drinking to much, way too much. I was nasty to her. She never pushed back, never complained once. I am no saint."

"But how did you do it?"

"It was easy really. In the end, it was so simple. I talked to a friend. He said to me one day, when I needed a shoulder to cry on. "Mate, you can't live like this. You have to either forgive her. Or move away."

"That's when I asked him. So how do I do it?"

His response was short. "Say to me now, you forgive her."

"What, and that was it?"

He laughed loudly. "Christ no. I tried. God I tried, but the words wouldn't come. It happened when you contracted whooping cough. I came home from work. Your mother had you in her arms. She was sitting on the edge of the bath, you in her arms, the room full of steam as she tried to sooth you."

"I heard her sobbing her heart out. She prayed, she cried. I could see the emotion on her face."

When she said. "Please god, take me. If you have to take somebody, let it be me. I know I have done a bad thing, don't punish me by taking her. Right then I knew."

With a deep sigh he continued. "We took you too hospital, and we sat by your bedside the whole night. She never once let my hand go. Yours neither. I knew she was trying to say something. I think she was going to confess, but I kissed her. I knew she didn't have to."

"So that was it?" I said weakly.

"No, it was one day when I was mowing the lawns. It hit me like a flash. I stopped, looked up at the sky and said. "I forgive you." Once those words were out, I felt it. A huge weight was lifted. Okay, it wasn't all beer and skittles. But the trust did come back."

We went back to cleaning the boat, and as we were about to climb in our cars and head for home he asked. "Can I tell you mother Kent can come?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk to him."

"That's all right. Nobody expects you too."

"Then, why invite him?"

"Because he is my friend as well. Ashley, I miss him. I always got on great with Kent. He was always good fun. As a parent, you can't help but wish your children find a wonderful partner. When you brought home Kent. I was as happy as any father can be. Especially when I saw the way he looked at you."

"If he felt that way, then why did he cheat?"

"I can't answer that, question. That is something, you will have to ask him."

On my drive home, I tried to consider what Dad said. The fact he was able to forgive my mother, astounded me. My father had always been such a hard man. He was respected, but people knew not to cross him.

I wondered, if it really was that easy. I tried as I pulled up at a set of traffic lights. "I forg..." That's as close as I got. The words wouldn't come out.

With only a few days, to go. A young guy I worked with, who had been flirting relentlessly with me, asked. "What are you doing this Saturday night?"

"My Dad's birthday." I responded.

I could see he looked a little disappointed. "Why do you ask?"

He sighed. "All right. Cards on the table. I have been trying to build up the courage for two months too ask you out. There's an awesome band playing at the Central Saturday, and I was hoping you might like to go."

I was a little surprised. "Zach, I would love to, but this is my Dad's Fifty fifth. It's sort of special."

He sadly shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. No biggie."

I think he thought I was putting him off. He looked very sad.

Sitting watching him, I took in his appearance. He was handsome, a little young, but good looking. His browny hair had highlights, he was trendy. He dressed well, and he was polite. Thinking about the way we had been flirting. I accepted, there was a little flicker of interest.

"Okay Zach, you want to go out, why not come to the party with me. You can be my date."

He brightened quickly. "Awesome, what do I have to bring?"

"Nothing, maybe a bottle of Jamieson's, that's Dad's favourite."

"No worries Ash. What time should I pick you up?"

"Six thirty."

I must have spent two hours in front of the mirror, trying to find something to wear. There was a pile of clothes spread over the bed. I hated everything I tried. The colour was wrong, it didn't fit properly, couldn't find shoes to match. I was like a girl on her first date. I giggled stupidly as I finally found something I liked. It was a little powder blue taffeta dress. It fit snugly, the spaghetti straps, meant the only a bra, that worked, was was a little black lacy demi bra.

When I tried it on, I was quite pleased with the look. The cleavage was nice, the low neckline meant there would be plenty for Zach to admire. The thought made me tingle with delight. My first real date since the breakup.

That thought cooled my excitement. I had forgotten Kent would be there as well. Ha, he would be there to watch me on my first date. Oh well, he might also have a date.

For some reason that thought turned my tummy. Not in a good way.

I found a pair of silver open toed sandals, with a nice three inch heel. As I twirled in front of the mirror, I asked, "Pantihose?" With a final whirl I decided. No.

My hair I pulled up into a ponytail. I didn't like the way it hung on my shoulders with the blue dress.

Zach arrived, exactly on time and he gave me a very big grin as I opened the door. "Wow, gee Ash, you look sensational."

He had dressed in a semi casual style. Jeans, and a nice dress shirt. The apricotty coloured check pattern looked great with my blue dress, so I was happy.

Pulling up at Mum and Dad's, we were early. Most of the guests weren't arriving until seven thirty, to eight. I barged in calling out. "Hello, we're here!"

Mum came hustling out to meet me. "Hello my love." Her face dropped when she spotted Zach. "Who's this?"

"Oh sorry Mum. This is Zach. He is my date."

Mum looked confused. "Date? You never mentioned a date?"

Giving her a quizzical glare I replied. "Sorry, I didn't think it would be an issue."

She softened. "Sorry Honey. It caught me by surprise. It's not a problem. There's plenty of food." She reached out her hand. "Hello Zach. Welcome to our home."

We wandered into the living area where there were a few of the close neighbours who were giving Mum a hand, and Dad was in a group chatting. Grabbing Zach's hand I led him over too introduce him.

"Dad, this is Zach. He is my date."

Dad's face tightened as he mumbled. "Date, really?"

They shook hands, and I could see Dad giving him the once over. It only took a second before he took over. "Come on Zach. Let me introduce you to everybody. Ash Honey. You might like to go and help your mother."