9. Ethan
Chapter nine
Ethan
The next morning, the insistent knocking on my door jolts me awake, and I groggily stumble out of bed.
With a yawn, I hurry to answer it, wondering who could be so eager at this hour.
And there stands Ami. Of course. "Ami, what are you doing here so early in the morning?
" Before I even invite her in, she walks inside.
She looks stressed. "I don't know what to do, Ethan; help me out," she looks at me with eyes full of desperation.
“What is going on?”
"I have to tell Aunt Maggie about the whole thing.
I cannot hide this from her. This cannot go on.
When the truth is out, she is going to be so mad at me that I didn't tell her earlier, not just because her campaign would go to waste but also because I kept something so big related to her family. She’ll be so disappointed in me. " she paces around my living room.
"Okay, then tell her." I tell her what she wants to hear, but is this really what she wants to hear? She looks up at me.
"I don't know if I should. I mean, it can ruin her entire election campaign," she is clearly not sure which way she should go.
I advise her that she can tell Maggie, and then it is up to her aunt to let others know about it and possibly ruin her campaign.
"I guess you're right, but then again, I know her. She wouldn't want to keep this information hidden."
“Speaking of that,” I say, “I was also thinking we shouldn’t keep it hidden.”
She obviously startles and asks what I mean.
"I mean that this town deserves to bring back its old ways. We owe this place at least that much. So, I am thinking that we should reveal this," I hope she gets my point.
“But how are we going to do that?”
"Well, I was thinking I would tell my campaign people about this, and for starters, let's see how they react, and if we get more and more positive responses, then we can just tell everyone in town about this," I pitch in my idea.
Ami doesn’t say anything. She is thinking, I hope she agrees with me.
“Hmm, and I guess I can tell Aunt Maggie about this a little bit. Or just show her the documents.”
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she already knows something about it?
I mean, we did find the boxes in her bookstore," I pose.
“That could be the case. But if she knew, then why didn't she tell me before?
Or anyone else? Why did she keep it all to herself?
I don't think my aunt would do something like that.
" Ami doesn't believe it. I get it. I wouldn't either if someone told me that my aunt has been keeping something this big to herself.
So I agree that it’s best if she talks to her about this. She can get answers to all her questions. And in the meanwhile, I will let my campaign people know as well.
She asks me to drop by the bookstore later because she really doesn’t want to talk to her alone.
I agree and reassure her, and she smiles at me, mouthing the words "thank you."
I smile back and after talking about a few other things, we have breakfast together.
When she leaves, I head to my campaign office. "Good Morning, Everybody!" I enter and am greeted with laughter and smiles. "Ethan, I’m so glad you came in. We’re all waiting for you to explain your next campaign move," Todd, my party representative, says.
"Okay, well, it's good to know that everyone is already here. I do have some really exciting news that I want to tell you." I stand at the small podium and address everyone.
I break the news, telling everyone about the true history of Seabrook and how I plan to restore the old Seabrook when I win the elections.
There is silence in the room; no one is saying anything. I don't know if I am supposed to be glad about this. “What do you guys think?” I ask so that I can get some feedback.
“This is crazy,” one person from the crowd says. “Where did this information even come from? The Seabrook we have right now is the Seabrook we have known all our lives, our ancestors build this place.”
"Yes, but turns out that it was also our ancestors who erased the true history of the town.”
“Are you saying our forefathers lied to us?” another voice speaks.
"No, that's not what I mean. I think that now that we know what the founding fathers of this town wanted, we should bring it back.
I mean, this town was so cool, and it was progressing right, and then all of that changed," I try to explain.
"I think we need to bring back the art, history, and creativeness of this town.
There is nothing wrong with that; I mean, sure, some people thought it was wrong, but that was during ancient times.
In modern times, we need these things for this town to become a better version of itself. "
"I agree with you," finally, someone says.
"But calling our ancestors straight-up liars and cheaters is not the right way to do this.
"I know that, but it is not far from the truth either," I stand my ground.
"People can oppose you big time, and you can lose votes and the trust of the people," Todd tries to make me understand.
"I get what all of you mean. But we have lived in this town all our lives, and we didn't even know what it was actually like because of its history being erased.
We owe it to this place to tell its story, and I am going to do that.
I want to bring back the old Seabrook. I know it may not sit right with some of you because our forefathers were involved in this, but we still need to tell the story of this town to the world," I finally say my piece.
"And I am not going to change my mind about that," I make it perfectly clear.
I see people nodding and agreeing, but some are still skeptical about this.
"I give you all some time to think over this, and if you have any valid reason why I shouldn't do this, then you can get back to me with that," I say, leaving the room.
Todd follows me “Ethan I don’t know if you should take this route,” He warns me.
“It's too late, I am already taking this route,” I smile at him and leave.
I need to go to the bookstore now so I can see what Ami and Maggie are up to.
Outside, Seabrook is waking up, and seagulls cry out as they circle the shoreline, and a gentle breeze carries the scent of salt and seaweed. The town is peaceful, but my mind is anything but peaceful.
As I enter the main area, I see Aunt Maggie standing behind the counter, her back to me. And Ami is already there, talking to her about something.
Her silver hair is neatly pinned up, and she hums a tune softly, arranging a new display of books. I hesitate for a moment, biting my lip.
"Hey, Maggie!" I greet her as she looks at me.
"Hey there, my favorite opponent," she says, and we both laugh.
"Uh, Aunt Maggie. I wanted to talk to you about something," Ami immediately decides to get to the point and rip the band-aid off. “What is it, Sweetie?” Maggie turns to Ami.
"So, you know how Ethan and I were trapped here because of the storm. We came across some old boxes that were hidden at the very end of the last row of the books," Ami begins and Maggie listens attentively.
"Those old boxes about the Seabrook history?" Maggie asks. And both Ami and I look at each other. Does Maggie know about those boxes already? Does she know what is inside them? "Yeah. Did you know what’s inside them?" Ami asks, and I take a step forward towards both of them.
"I mean, yeah, those old papers have been here from the very start. And I saw they are related to the old Seabrook, but I never really got the time to sit and ready every single thing," Aunt Maggie tells us.
Oh, so she has no idea what is inside those boxes. “So, you never read any of those documents?” I ask her.
“I read a few but the writing and stuff was so complicated, I couldn’t decipher them. Why? What is in them?” she gets suspicious. I look over at Ami. I think she should be the one to tell her.
“Ami? What is inside those boxes?” Maggie asks Ami. “Aunt Maggie, I want to tell you. I really do because it is important for this town. But I think it’s going to affect your election campaign and not in a good way. “
Dusty leaps onto the counter and starts pawing at a loose piece of paper, oblivious to the tension in the room.
"Do you think I care more about my win than this town?
If you have any information that is necessary for this town, then I need to know.
You know I will always put Seabrook over me winning the elections," Aunt Maggie states.
I smile; I like her mindset.
"Yes, but I care about you, and I know how much this election means to you," Ami tries to explain.
"Well, it's too late now. I know you're hiding something important from me, and now I need to know what it is. It’s better if you tell me outright," Aunt Maggie insists, picking up Dusty and giving her a gentle scratch behind the ears.
"Okay, but you have to know that you don't owe anyone any explanation, and it's not your fault for what your family did." “Honestly, you're now just adding more to my stress. Please just tell me,” Maggie looks at both of us.
I look over at Ami and give her a nod. And she takes a deep breath and explains everything. After everything is out in the open, Aunt Maggie sits on the stool near her. She doesn’t know what to say. “Are you okay?” I ask her.
"I don't know. I mean, how do I process all of this? The fact that all of this information has been rotting in this bookstore for decades now, and I had no idea. My maternal family was involved in something that erased the real Seabrook, and I had no idea," she is in disbelief.
“Trust me, I was shocked too when I read about this.”
“All of the documents are in the bookstore. The end of last row, you can see them for yourself when you get the chance,” Ami tells her and she nods.
“Thank you for telling me this,” Aunt Maggie takes Ami’s hand and smiles at her.
Dusty weaves between Maggie’s legs, sensing her unease, and she absentmindedly strokes the cat's back, lost in thought.
"What are you going to do now, Aunty?" Ami asks her.
"I don't know. It’s a lot to take in. What do you think, Ethan?"
I hesitate. Should I tell her I already told my campaign team? Maybe not. She's my opponent, after all.
“I don’t know. My campaign people weren’t happy about this either,” I say.
“You told them? Everything?” Maggie asks.
"Just some bits," I admit.
"I think you should tell everyone. It was your ancestors, not you. Many people here have ancestors who played a part in this," Ami tries to explain.
"My darling, I love your thinking, but I know this town and its people. Suddenly, you tell me my family destroyed the nature of this place? I don’t even know how much of it is true. Who knows how those documents ended up here? Maybe someone planted them to bring me down," Aunt Maggie says.
“But Aunt Maggie, this is the true history of this town,” Ami argues.
“I am old, and I know the history of this town. Whatever you found is not relevant. Stop discussing it now,” Aunt Maggie says, slamming her book on the shelf and leaving.
Ami looks at me with shock, we are both speechless and don’t know what to do now. Dusty, sensing the tension, leaps onto the counter and settles on a pile of papers, her purring the only sound in the room.