Past imperfect

A resourceful fourteen year-old, Freya Dunbar accepts responsibilities beyond the norm. Family is paramount. She has no regrets – she’d do anything for Mama, but she frets at being the odd-one-out in every part of her life. Always alert for clues about family mysteries she yearns for a sense of belonging until she meets soul-mate Alexander Marcou. Identity issues matter less then; they’ll forge a life together.
Reluctant to travel to Glasgow because of a vague premonition, Freya is distressed when the reason becomes clear. The intended four-week absence to help her grandmother pack up her home to migrate turns into a long separation from Alexander in Australia and from family support because the old lady suffers a severe stroke. Coping alone with a roller-coaster of difficult decisions and an uneasy connection with Gramma, Freya’s questions about personal identity resurface to haunt her.
Before Gramma’s discharge from hospital Freya starts training as a nurse with a view to completing the qualification in Australia when her grandmother is fit to travel. Her caring load is shared when Gramma invites another student, Kirsty McKinnon to live with them, and the housekeeper takes up her job again. Freya’s deep friendship with Kirsty saves her sanity.
As Gramma’s rehabilitation stretches to years, Freya and Alexander fashion long-distance dreams for the future and continue their studies to qualify them for work and the adventures they plan.
Unaware of the malevolent chain of events escalating under their radar they are shocked by the betrayal that tears them apart permanently. Both battle bewilderment and heartache for years.
Alexander marries eventually, starts a family and builds a satisfying life that combines teaching with his love of flying.
Relationship shy and unable to completely banish the questions and grief that bubble just below consciousness, Freya is resigned to a future without marriage and children. She immerses herself in a career and takes on increasingly responsible and varied positions as salve for the ache of loss.
Many years later when she meets Reg Prentiss, an Australian IT expert on a temporary contract in Glasgow, her life changes unexpectedly.