My name is Imogen Flynn. I am 21 years old Irish-Australian. I was born in Bangor, a small village located in County Down on the southern side of Belfast, and came to Melbourne when I was too little, around one year young and few months. I guess that's the only reason to barely remember anything of my place of Birth. Well who am I kidding, I in fact remember nothing of that place.

Australia became my home now. After my father been killed during the conflict between the protestants and the nationalists year of 1998, my mother moved to Australia and settled down in Melbourne, and this was where I grew up.

I have never returned to Ireland, so obviously I have no feelings or sentimental attachment to that place. Merely because I was still blaming those Irish people who were the cause behind my father's death. Those dumb people who have the same blood but they preferred to spilling it , same culture but half were calling to get belong to another state, sharing same country but tearing it to parts, speaking same language and even having same accent but insulting each other , how can you forgive them while they were fighting each others, ending lives of so many innocent beings who had done nothing but walking on the opposite pavement. Just like my dad, when a loyalist paramilitaries shot him dead in one warm afternoon of April.

There was nothing Irish in me. I spoke very little Irish language but I can understand it very clearly, the only occasion to speak Irish was when I was obligated to communicate with it. English is my language like any other Australian citizen. I as well have an Aussie accent!

My mother and I have survived the diaspora when we fleed from our home, thus we have never felt strangers in Melb. Few time later, mom has managed to make friends with few families of the Irish community in Melbourne. It was not hard to find those families anyway since my mom worked as high school history teacher. We were heartily welcomed in this small,southern and faraway continent.

We have as well survived a lot of struggles along the way as one team, such like the finance difficulties, and even the parenting issues although I have always been a good girl. I never tired her with my problems and always tried to do beyond my best to make her proud of me and happy, while in her turn she'd never failed to fulfil any of what I craved and wanted , even when she's got married for three times.

My life has its ups and downs just like anyone else. Short after my return from Vienna where I have studied abroad for a year , as a scholarship I've got from Melbourne Music Conservatory , one of those downs in life struck. My mom's third husband 's departure gift was enormous and huge! That bastard!

About a year ago, mom was thinking to invest some of the extra money she has been making in recent months to hide it from Edward since he was hell of a husband. He was not abusive .No, far from it. He was not assaultive like mom's husband number two, funny I even don't remember his name! Edward actually never lifted up his hands on my mom's face or at me, he just was not that typical physical assaultive stepfather and husband. In fact, I can't recall if he did something bad but he has his flaws like anybody else. To me his biggest flaw was the result of his bad habit with poker. He was a gambler. He has always loved to play poker. It was his kind of passion. He has explained the game to me once. I found it kind of intriguing and I compared it to chess, it only differs with it with money, often with lots and lots of money. The both games need concentration and intelligence and of course a hit of luck. But I never liked it. I don't like chess so it's obvious poker and gambling don't interest me simply they're not my thing. I don't like to throw my money I have worked to gain just to see it get raked away after. I love music. Music is my passion.

Edward has always been a gambler. He has played poker for years , since he was a kid as he bragged, so when Texas Holdem became a worldwide sensation, he was caught up on the wave. He was 50 by the time and successful in real estate. Mom has met with him three years ago , he was widowed too but with no children. And after short time they got married. Mom as a hopeless romantic kind of woman, she thought Edward would be the one who can well not quietly replace but perhaps can fill in the gap, my father has left since he passed away.

Funny and awkward at same time . Edward was mom's third husband and fourth if we count my father among them , while I was at age of twenty one and still untouched or been kissed! Simply because I was betrothed to someone I didn't even know his looks.

Over the years Edward improved his playing skills and techniques beside his luck. As you see, poker's lover is money to me. It has an eternal love relationship with money as I define it. You can't play poker without money,  and if you have money you would absolutely and definitely love to  gamble for at least once. Well I'm talking about  a habit for those who play, I cannot generate this thought, though.

Anyway, as everything has an ending,  the last 18 months of success came to an end as well. Although Edward was successful and smart, he didn't have the commun sense to get out those games when he couldn't buy a good hand and his cards couldn't fell the way he wanted. He recently according to mom , was literally throwing money like a novice. At first, he didn't really worry about the few  big losses , but when the losses kept continuing he began to sell off some of his properties, starting with the grey Audi sport car that he loved it more than himself,  to his flat in Sydney and his beach house in Mornington island, Victoria. He even asked my mother to loan him few of her jewels and her money. He was like fire , coming on everything.

So in order to not take all her money,  mom decided it's time to buy some more property secretly so her husband wouldn't be able to touch her incomes. She has been already putting plenty of money into mutual funds. After looking around at several places, she decided upon a nice townhouse in Adelaide,  feeling that house would be easy to rent.

Now here is the big shock mom has received. When she found the house she thought to ask for a loan from the bank since it was her first time. She has never had any kind of deal with them. She went to the bank one morning after I arrived from Vienna , willing to write up the purchase agreement,  subject to financing of course, but the surprise was the bank refusing my mother's request since she already has a loan on her debting to the bank , a huge loan in fact , 50 million Australian dollar,  and the trial to returning the sum already passed two weeks , they said they already sent notifications,  demanding to pay the mortgage's credit or else our property and all what we have would be sold to the auction in 24 hours. But we had nothing received by the mails.

With long sessions of questions and answers , it has cleared up that Edward has taken a huge loan under my mom's name due to her procuration she trustfully gave it to him.

Edward back home and tried to talk with mom , asking our forgiveness. I didn't let him in , with his pleading and the melodrama scenes he made at the porch, mom allowed him only to know the reason and why he betrayed her trust.

He -ashamed- told my mom that poker in last eight months took everything good from him when he sold off his luxuries before. Well there's  nothing new in that, gambling ruined thousands and thousands of homes and tearing up lots of families because of it.

He said the real estate market was in decline and he knew it already, there was not much of value left so he thought of only one last way left that he -as he thought- that could recuperate what he has lost when he has taken the loaned money from Jimmy Smith. A business man known only by his powerful reputation. There were a lot of gossiping about him , some said he was associated with the mafia but no one know for sure. The only knowing truth about him that he definitely was not legit and at same time he never been charged with anything. Someone from the club he played at , assured him that Jimmy would loan him the money he debt until he got back on his feet. And like a fool Edward believed them and went to ask money from the mafia baron. He has trapped in their nest and the only way to get out alive from there was by returning the money so he would never deal with them anymore. He looked at mom feeling ashamed. He told us the only chance he glimpsed was to take a loan from the bank with mom's name since she has clean sheet add to the money left from his luxuries , he has paid Jimmy to not come after him or 'us' , according to his words.

Before leaving he promised that he would get the money and give it back to mom  but that for sure won't be  any time soon.

Today is the auction. It's too late. We couldn't collect the 50 million dollar.  That's in fact way too much since our home in the real estate market can reach to only 30 millions.

We are losing everything we have because of that bastard!  Including my precious violin.