2 Chapter 1

It has almost been a year since the end of the hegemony, on this specific day I feel ecstatic, giddy, overwhelmed with joy. The grass around me is green, like millions of emerald blades in the light of the sun. Upon those emerald blades sits rows upon rows of white chairs, hundreds of them expanding towards the large white house in front of me. I release a sigh, it truly is beautiful, and to think the house is mine. Although it is much too big for my liking, I could not turn it down, especially with it being named specifically in my uncles will. I am sitting down on the shore of a glistening lake, the cool wind blows against my face, my cane sets upon the ground beside me, how much I wish I could walk unassisted by that despicable device. It makes me look handicap, uncapable, but unfortunately the world is not a wish granting factory. I will never again walk on my own without it. One of the many drawbacks of having been shot in the back. I hear the footsteps approaching, the breathing of the one producing them, and then finally my name "Joseph I have been looking everywhere for you!" it was Alex, I had assumed as much. "I have not exactly been hiding have I?" I replied with a roguish grin towards my soon to be brother-in-law, he smiles as I knew he would. God he could be one of the easiest people to set at ease. "No, I suppose you have not been had you" he laughs aloud "maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough" he takes a seat beside me, falling with a grunt on the soft grass. "Grunting already? Have the years been catching up that quickly ." He looks at me with yet another smile "look who's talking grandpa, sixteen, and you are already using a cane" I throw my hands up in defeat, he does have a point at least "so what has you so determined to find me?" I ask. He opens his mouth to speak, and closes it quickly, he is thinking what to say I can tell, but I merely smile politely as he tries to peacefully navigate a topic he thinks may result in an outburst. He abandons the attempt, and I can see him searching for an alternate subject to talk about "so today is the day" he says with a pat on my shoulder. I let out a sort of nervous sigh "yeah I never thought I would be this anxious!" I said with a chuckle. He smiles in a self-satisfied way, having successfully changed the intended topic of discussion without me noticing, or so he thinks. "There is no need to be anxious my friend, she looks absolutely stunning, and she is positively overflowing with anticipation" he said in a calming tone, a sympathetic smile on his face. "Doesn't she always look stunning?" I ask him, of course I am only being playful, but I see the genuine alarm at my question and barely keep from laughing at his desperation "of course she does I ... I never said she did not. Just that she looks even more stunning today!" I reached out and gave his shoulder a friendly pat "a joke Alex, a joke" he looks as if he might strangle me, as comprehension sinks in "why you played me..." he said with a start, but I raised my hand to interrupt him "my friend who haven't I played into a joke" I said disarmingly sending his anger away with a wave of my hand, and a smile. "Yes, you are rather notorious for your jokes, aren't you?" he replied begrudgingly I laugh "no I am not really Alex when have I had time to joke? I spent nearly a year fighting a war, and this whole year I have not been left alone by this incompetent government of ours! Constantly will you lead us, give us advice, okay will you at least write a constitution, surprise the people want you to represent them in the senate. It never ends one thing after another and does anyone stop to think that maybe I don't want power, I don't want them to run to me for advice, I want for even just the smallest amount of time to be normal!" I surprised myself with the outburst, and immediately I regretted it, it gave him the opening he had been looking for "But you are not normal! You are extraordinary in every aspect of the word. Do you know just how many people would turn down what you have been offered? Very few that is how many, and not to mention you are an absolute genius, I have never seen anyone work out problems the way you do. Nor have I ever seen any one capable of playing the mind like you can, the way you seem to anticipate someone's thoughts, you were doing it just now I know you were" he said full of enthusiasm, and vigor. "You see even you are doing it, and this morning it was our beloved district governor telling me he wanted me to be the districts canadate for premier, but I refused" I said this with an unusual poison, it never really occurred to me just how much I despised politics. Alex unfortunately did not seem deterred by my behavior, quite the contrary his face grew even more determined, and his eyes lit up. "Do you have any idea just how bad things have gotten, riots in the streets, buildings burned, our capital building was seized! The fascists, and the commies are gaining ground every day, and if they win the premiership, we are done for!" Alex said with utmost urgency. I scoffed aloud at what he had said of course I knew "what do you think I have gone recluse or something, of course I know all of that stuff. In fact, I have not had one waking moment I have not thought about it, worried about it, and you know what, I should not have to, it's not my job!" I nearly shouted. I had underestimated my own self-control, I never meant to start the conversation, and now it seemed I could not escape it, it absorbed everything, sapped the beauty from the day, and left an unfavorable flavor in my mouth. "You need to act, the people listen to you, they follow you, even the ones who don't like you know well enough to stand in line with the rest" Alex said pleadingly a look of sympathy on his face. He really did not want to do it, did he, he wouldn't ask unless he believed it important, I sighed in defeat "I am not running for office, I already hold a seat in the senate, involuntarily I might add, I will however issue a statement condemning rioters, fascists, and the communists. I will urge union, remind them to work together, etcetera" I said with a frown. He smiled and then punched my shoulder clearly elated at having won the argument, however little the victory would accomplish. Then he grew serious "oh and by the way I was sent to come and get you" I nearly asked why but my question answered itself Edith. An elderly woman came down the lawn in between the middle row of chairs, a scowl upon her face, she had light blue eyes, smooth grey hair tied back in a bun, and a dreadful temper. "Have you any idea how long I have been looking for you, the inconsideration, the absolute disgrace, the ...." She said as I raised my hand, something very few could get away with "yes I know Edith, Alex was just chastising me for my tardiness, I really am sorry, but let's not waste any more time, let us go." The complete lack of argument pulled her up short, as I knew it would, so instead of continuing her rant she spun on her heel muttering unpleasantly under her breath. I turned a smile towards Alex who was grinning back at me, amused at the way I escaped almost certain doom and did so in a way that helped him in his standing with the unpleasant women walking in front of us. I retrieved my cane from the ground beside me and took the hand offered to me and used it to pull myself up off the slightly moist grass, I set it on the ground and used it to lean against with every step a slight pain in my back reminding of just how lucky I am to be able to walk at all. I watched as workers up ahead scrambled to get out of the way not wanting to be subject to Edith's next lashing out, I nearly laughed at how quickly the path ahead cleared, it really was amusing, and slightly baffling how much they feared her. The large white house could easily have fit hundreds of people the high roman like columns outside towered over you, and the high vaulted ceiling was painted gold like the dome of a church, the walls on the inside sported paintings from all variations of painters from Da Vinci, to Van Goh. The stairs had two sides both adorned with a long white carpet, and a gold railing, there were three stories, thirteen bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, a kitchen, a large dining room, and a living room the size of a gym. I do not like the size, I feel as if I am being self-important, and snobbish by owning it, but I could not turn it down, because it was my uncles. As we made our way towards the room in which I would dress, I could not help but feel dwarfed, by the size of the house, the weight of the expectations put on me by the people, it was all overwhelming. The world unfortunately is a very unfair place, that is not well known for being merciful, and it seemed in my case its mercy amounted to nil. I realized that I was lost in thought when Alex cleared his throat in front of me beyond the door to my room. "you are coming?" he asked a look of understanding on his face as he looked at me "yes I am coming" I said slightly embarrassed at having been caught unaware of what was going on around me. I walked into the room which had a full wall length window look out over the lake, you could see everything from the workers, to the birds, even the fish jumping out of the water. It was truly beautiful, but most things are when you stop to appreciate them. The tux was sitting on the bed, black and somewhat stiff, the bow tie was a clip on, because I could never figure out how to tie one. I turned to Alex desperate to be alone "I am going to take a shower" I said pointing towards the door to the bathroom "oh yeah okay I will leave you to it then" he said turning to leave. "Alex" I called out as he made it through the door "yes" he replied peeking his head back through "did you mean all of those things you said earlier?" he smiled widely "of course" and then he was gone. I was not going to take a shower, but the appeal was too much to resist, I grabbed the stiff tux, and the bow tie that went with it, and made my way to the shower.