Bellatrix

Hello there, Mr Mayor!

CHAPTER 9

Gabriel

My family reunion and business meeting with Uncle Joe and Aunt Brie went very well. They are very excited about the new project and agree that the expansion of the mall will be beneficial to the town’s folks and tourists. Before wrapping things up, I asked them if they knew of any houses for sale. They didn’t appear to be surprised at my question and probably thought I was looking for properties to invest in, and Uncle Joe told me about the Miller’s Mansion on the outskirts of town. It would apparently have to take a lot of work to get that place looking good again as it hasn’t been maintained for a few years. After Mr Miller passed away a few years back, his son moved Mrs Miller into a retirement village and put their land and mansion up for sale as he wanted nothing to do with it. There hasn’t been any show of interest so far for the place as the asking price is rather high but only fair it should be as it’s a lot of land.“How about you and me take a drive out there tomorrow morning and take a look at the place? “ Uncle Joe asked me, and I agreed.

As I was leaving, the town’s mayor was making his way to the door. “Well, now if this isn’t a surprise? What brings you to this neck of the woods, mayor?” Uncle Joe asked him. “Come on now, Joe, do I need a reason to pop in to check up on my town’s folks? I'm just going around doing house calls to make sure everyone is okay “ he answered. “Alright then, Mayor, if you say so. Whatever helps you sleep better at night. Anyways, allow me to introduce you to our nephew Gabriel Knight. Sure, you heard he's in town?” Uncle Joe said the last bit with a dose of sarcasm. The Mayor stretched out his hand towards me for a handshake which I ignored and uncle Joe who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the show, laughed mockingly and told him that I don’t touch people I don’t know. Not exactly true, and yes, returning a handshake is the polite thing to do, but I did not find any reason for politeness with this man. I just stood there towering over him, put both my hands in my pants pockets, and gave him a blank stare.

He nervously cleared his throat and said, “Yes, Mr Knight, I did hear you were in town, and it’s an honor finally meeting you. I was hoping to set up a meeting with you to discuss some business opportunities, and I am sure that you will be very interested, considering the important roles your family here plays in our town. I want only the best for our town and with your help we can make a huge difference in the lives of our people.” This man was so full of himself. My people managed to dig up that this good old Mayor and his family were living a lavish lifestyle not just from the profits of their business but also from the funding he was getting for ‘fake’ upcoming projects . There were other interesting discoveries which if brought to the town’s folks attention, will have the Mayor packing up and running as far away from this town as he could cos they will make him suffer the consequences. “Your concerns for this town and it’s people is commendable, Mayor, and when I first got to town I too was looking forward to meeting with you to discuss some business ideas” his smile grew from ear to ear hearing me say that. “but you see, recently some interesting information was brought to my attention and I am confident you know what I am talking about! So enjoy what’s left of your term as Mayor, as you are definitely not going to be voted in for the next one!” And with that, I said my goodbyes to my aunt and uncle and walked away. As I got into my car, I could see the mayor just standing there in shock while my aunt and uncle looked overjoyed like little kids who unwrapped gifts to find that they received exactly what they wanted!

I couldn’t wait to see my Bella, and I silently prayed that she said yes to being with me. Before we had our talk as earlier planned, I wanted to speak to Jacob. I want to make my intentions clear to him as he is the most important person in my Bella’s life and who knows, he may be of help if she doesn’t want to be with me out of fear of her past. When I reached the B & B, Jacob was out front shooting hoops by himself. “Hey there bud, mind if I join you?” I asked him. “That’ll be great, I am bored of playing on my own” . I told him to give me a few minutes to change into something more comfortable. I changed quickly and rushed back. This was my chance to speak to him about everything. We got into casual conversation as we played, and it didn’t take me long to discover that Jacob was really good at basketball.

My Bella did well in raising him. He is a great kid. I was trying to figure out how to bring up all I wanted to say into our conversations but then lucky for me Jacob beat me to it when he said “I know you really like Bella, Who wouldn’t? My sister is super awesome! You seem really nice, and you are Ari’s brother, so if you promise to never hurt her and never let anyone hurt her again, I am okay with it. I am not a little kid anymore, Gabriel. I understand the ‘grown up’ things I hear and see better than some may think . Bella went through a lot to protect me, I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for her. I want to work hard in school and make her really proud of me, and someday I want to be able to give her the best life ever cos she truly deserves the best” I was not expecting such deep words from Jacob and would be lying if I said I didn’t feel all emotional and get all teary eyed. “I feel you, bud, trust me, I feel you!"I said softly.