Being an only child in a moderately wealthy family had not done Lex any harm. Well that’s the way he saw it.
His father, Tim, was a professional actor and had got into the game early. He had joined a theatre when he was young and had been in countless stage shows before joining the cast of the famous soap “Runway Place”. It was here he met his wife to be, a young writer on the series, Rose.
They’d locked eyes the first day they met but it would be weeks before they saw each other again. The writers only met with the cast occasionally to discuss characters and plotlines and then the scripts would be written up for the next 2 months.
Tim was never shy, how could he be. He asked Rose out at the next opportunity and she couldn’t help but say yes to this strong, charismatic man. He had a self confidence that was mesmerising and she’d often wonder how someone so confident didn’t end up being stuck up.
They had a romantic year with fine dining and going to the theatre. They got an apartment overlooking the harbour and enjoyed the nightlife that hustled and bustled below them. For his birthday they splashed out and they went for an island holiday for two weeks. Not long after they got back Rose she realised she was pregnant. Although it wasn’t planned it couldn’t have come at a better time. Tim was thoroughly enjoying his role as Dr Martin on Runway Place and Rose was able to keep writing through her pregnancy.
With six weeks to go until the new arrival, Tim and Rose bought a house in a little valley out of the city. A big wooden home with a large country garden, it was the perfect little place to bring up a family. And much better for a family than the apartment they’d been sharing in the central city.
Rose dreamed of a life that was perfect. She was constantly writing about dysfunctional families and dramas and all the juicy things that made up a soap opera – she wanted her life to be something to be proud of – something she would look back on when she was 70 and feel warm fuzzy feelings about.
Lex arrived in the early morning of a Saturday. He was certainly healthy weighing 10pounds 1 ounce, with all ten fingers and toes and Rose and Tim were extremely proud of their new little bundle.
Life carried on and Lex was given almost anything he wanted. Tim’s salary was growing and Rose still had time to write a few scripts here and there. They were certainly not short of money and to show their son how much they loved him they showered him in gifts and praise as he grew into a confident little boy.
For his 4th birthday Lex was thrown a huge birthday party with all the cast and crew bringing along their children and all his pre-school friends were invited too.
The theme was Cowboys and Indians and Lex insisted on being a Sheriff for the day. There were ponys to ride, horse-shoe throwing, and bales of hay had been brought in to make the kids a mini maze. Late in the afternoon the kids had tired themselves out so much they were falling asleep and were loaded into cars covered in hay and driven home to bed. But Lex and his little friend from pre-school were found to be missing. They were finally found curled up in a bed of hay behind the house, fast asleep.