Ambrose Hambridge should have been a happy person

Ambrose Hambridge should have been a happy person. He was living on a quiet section of Lindau, had a beautiful wife in Rosa Marie Masters and an adopted daughter Parker. Not only was he becoming a very famous candy maker but he was also expecting a second child in a few months. Ambrose should have been happy. However, it was as far from the truth as you could get. Ambrose Hambridge was very upset.

“I can’t stand it any longer! I can’t teach a child to make candy!” he shouted at his best friend Jessica late one morning.

Ambrose had come to Germany from Bristol. He was very foreign in Lindau at first as he only spoke English. After meeting Rosa Marie and falling in love, he decided to stay at the island and spent years perfecting his German speech. His short sandy brown hair often looked to be in a bed head style. In fact, it was. Ambrose often spent long days in his inventing room, never combing his hair because he never left the house. His clothes, as he told people who asked, reflected his mood for the day. This morning, he was wearing a bright purple t-shirt and neon green pants. No one could figure out his mood of the day was on this day.

“I’m in the middle of a crisis Ambrose. I need the money from my show. Now your saying that you dragged me all the way to Lindau to tell me that you can’t teach a small boy?” Jessica said outraged.

“This is more important than your circus show! If I can’t teach him, people may look down on me. I’m trying to preserve my father’s legend. I can’t insult my father’s memory by failing and then losing this job.”

“You won’t lose your job. You’re going to do a great thing for this boy. He could be the next legend.”

“Or the next epic failure.”

Ambrose sat down at the kitchen table, followed closely by Jessica. She was still dressed in her ringmaster outfit, a bright shade of pink that seemed to complement her rare violet eyes. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall past her shoulders, the top of her head overtaken by a glittery purple top hat.

She leaned in close to him.

“You are the luckiest man I have ever had the fortune to know. You have a beautiful daughter who I wish I had. Do you know what I wouldn’t give to get Terrence back? I had to give him up to be adopted because I couldn’t take care of him. But you have everything I don’t have and more. What better a man to teach an aspiring candy maker?”

“But she’s adopted. And she won’t even listen to Rosa Marie because she’s not her real mother. Parker is a rebellious child and I feel like I’m torn between trying to stop her from going down the wrong path and doing my job! You’ve seen her. Rosa Marie is far too pregnant to run after her anymore. Then there’s Julian…”

Ambrose broke off.

“What about Julian?” Jessica asked.

“Well, you know he teaches her how to play the guitar? He’s getting older. He’s nearly thirty-two and he keeps going to bars. Parker is almost seventeen and she’s started to go drinking with him.”

“Can’t you stop Parker? You’re her father.”

“Step father as she constantly reminds me. I don’t know Jessica. Maybe I’m doing something wrong as a father.”

“You just have to find time to talk with her. It will all work out I promise you.” Jessica said, putting her hand on Ambrose’s shoulder. She took a deep breath and got up from her chair.

“Isn’t the boy coming tomorrow?” she asked.

Ambrose nodded. “With some other boy. Apparently he decided to come at the last minute.”

Jessica shrugged.

“Well, I think it’s time I rejoin my troupe. We’re heading to Munich next.” She said proudly.

“Good luck with that.” Ambrose said rather unenthusiastically.

Jessica kissed him on top of his head and pat him on the back.

“It will all work out somehow. The boy will be someone. I just know it.”

This is the first chapter I wrote that doesn’t involve William. It felt a bit strange but I really wanted to introduce some of the new characters right away. If I wrote this from William’s perspective, some of these characters probably wouldn’t be seen until about chapter eight. This is also hopefully going to be the end of my shorter chapters. Just think of these first three chapters as the preamble for what’s to come.