by Brian
Samantha stuttered “Bu…bu…but… you said you didn’t get along with your father that he told you to leave.” Tears started falling from her eyes.
“I know I said that, but I need to fix things with him before he dies,” Wilmot said through tears. Jayson didn’t want to act like a baby and tried to stop the flow of tears before they fell. He bravely said “He does have to go. I understand that he must fix things with his father. We are going to miss you so much.”
Kathryn stood up and knocked her chair over. “I don’t want you to go. If you go, I’ll hate you forever!”
Samantha also stood up. “I understand, but I still don’t want you to go. I am going to miss you so much. Can you come back?”
“I don’t think so,” Wilmot said sadly.
Samantha ran to him, hugging him tightly. She then turned and walked out of the room, tears still flowing down her face. Jayson walked over to Wilmot and stuck out his hand. “I too am going to miss you.”
When Wilmot shook his hand, Jayson hurriedly hugged him and let him go.
“I had better go since I have to get ready to leave.” He walked over to Martin and shook his hand.
“Thank you for everything, Martin,” Wilmot said quietly.
“No, it is I who should thank you. You’ve been a worthy employee. I’ll miss you.”
He then walked over to Talitha and grabbed her hands.
“I’ll miss you deeply my friend, please take care of yourself.”
Talitha understood precisely what Wilmot was telling her. She knew that she had to be careful about falling in love with her family. She hugged him, and together the three of them walked to the door of the house.
“Perhaps someday we will meet again.”
Martin was about to close the door when a little whirlwind ran out.
“Wait, Wilmot, wait!” Kathryn ran to him.
“I won’t hate you. I know you got to go, but I’ll never hate you. I’m just going to miss you.”
“I know,” he said hugging her again. He looked up to see Talitha at the door. Kathryn stood at the foot of the stairs watching him leave. Then to her surprise, he was just gone. “Mama, where did he go?”
“He’s right over there,” Talitha said, ushering Katheryn into the house.
Following Wilmot’s departure, Martin was unable to find anyone qualified enough to replace Wilmot and became overwhelmed. He needed to see Salvador, but if nobody was there to take Wilmot’s place, he was unable. It had been nine years since he had last seen or heard from Max, and he kept wishing that his brother had not gone away. His mood would alternate between missing him terribly and being extremely mad at him. As he sat looking out the window, he got an idea to write Salvador a letter. It would take a week or two to get to his father-in-law, but he knew he had to explain his absence.
Early one morning a few weeks later, he heard a stagecoach approaching, and although it wasn’t unusual to see a stagecoach, for some reason today, it caught his eye. He watched as the driver parked the coach at Grady’s Restaurant, and when the coach door opened a giant smile erupted across his face as he saw his father-in-law step out, accompanied by another man. He had hoped that his father-in-law would come to him since he couldn’t go there.
Excitedly, Martin ran to the coach and hugged Salvador.
“¡Mi Amigo! How are you? I am happy to see you.”
¡Hola! Martin! I hope you are better! I came as soon as I was able. Mira, I want you to meet Marcos, he is the son of my friend Diego and has been helping me with my books for the last few months. I brought him, so he could help you.”
Martin took one look at him and immediately dismissed him. He was much too young. He looked at Salvador and arched his eyebrows.
“Con permisso, please Marcos. I need to have a word with Salvador.”
“Si Señor, please go ahead,” Marcos answered quickly. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go sit in your office for a moment. I am exhausted.”
Martin agreed and pointed the way.
He and Salvador talked as they watched Marcos walk across the street and into the bank.
“Por favor Salvador, I mean no disrespect. I thank you for your trying to help, but he is just a boy. I need a man, someone who understands the banking business. There is too much at stake to leave it in the hands of a child.”
Salvador looked at Martin and smiled.
“Do you think that I would put someone whom I didn’t trust into your hands? You must understand, that although he is only seventeen years old, this young boy is brilliant. He has changed much of how I do my business and has better ideas. I’d hate to lose him, but I believe you need him more than I. Also, perhaps, he will be the one to marry one of my beautiful granddaughters.”
Martin let out a loud laugh.
“Ay, Salvador, they are much too young to even think about marriage. Samantha is ten years old, and Katherine is just seven.”
Martin’s head was spinning. He didn’t want to insult his father-in-law, but he honestly felt that Marcos was too young. As they walked into the office, he saw Marcos writing something in his ledgers.
“What are you doing?” Martin cried. “Don’t touch that! I can’t seem to get the numbers right, and I still have much to do in there.”
“I am sorry Mr. Gohlican.” He said with near perfect English. “I was sitting here and started looking at your books. I saw that you had added these numbers wrong, which caused everything else to be off. If you had submitted this, you would have lost much money.”
Martin looked at Marcos, then at the books, and finally at Salvador, and back at the ledger where he saw his error had been. Sheepishly, he looked up at a now beaming Salvador and groaned, knowing he would have to admit he had been wrong. Composing himself, he smiled at Marcos, stuck out his hand, and offered him a job on the spot, which Marcos gladly accepted.
Six months later, Martin was elated with the changes Marcos had implemented at the office, and he now understood what Salvador had meant about him changing things around. He had devised a new way to keep the books and had also taken over making sure that all the loans were current. Because of the orderliness of his office, Martin was now able to spend much more time with his wife and children and couldn’t believe how quickly they were growing. Samantha was a beautiful social butterfly who loved to be around people, and although she was not yet eleven years old, she already had the young boys looking at her.
Then there was Jayson, his tall, good-looking son who always had his head in a book, and when his head wasn’t in a book, he was at Doctor Morgan’s office, helping him with his patients – both the two and four-legged kind.
Sadly, Martin was reasonably sure that Jayson wouldn’t want to take over the bank when the time came, especially since Jayson had never honestly expressed interest, despite multiple attempts to broach the subject.
Finally, his baby, Katherine was a happy child who was fiercely attached to her mama. When she had first met Marcos, she had taken an undivided interest in him, even though she was just seven at the time. Now, when she was near him, she would be at his feet, wanting his attention. It reminded Martin very much of a younger Susanna when he would travel to the hacienda on his business trips. Martin was continually teasing Marcos about marrying one of his daughters, just as Salvador had for so many years. Marcos would turn bright red and insist he was much too old for his young girls, which made Martin smile even more.
Chapter 22
Business was brisk and steadily growing, and there were times when Martin felt overwhelmed with the amount of work it took to make sure that all was secure and that he followed the rules he and Max had set up when they first opened their doors for their business, The First Bank of Killeen. He wanted the farmers and business owners to know that their loans and repayment options were fair and that everyone had the opportunity afforded by the bank. Clients came from different cities all over the US because of his fair business practices. Now and then he would think of Max and wondered what had become
of him since he had never heard another word from his brother since that night that he and his family had left in such a hurry. It hurt Martin that his twin had not sent any correspondence to him in over ten years, but he knew that if he allowed it to bother him, it would gnaw at him and the hurt to seep right into his heart.
One morning as he was at work, a man whom he didn’t know walked in. Martin looked up warily as his hand began to reach for the gun mounted under the desk, the barrel aimed toward the door. He noticed that the man wasn’t armed, so he relaxed and removed his hand from the rifle.
“Yes, may I help you?” He asked, smiling at the man.
“You are Mr. Martin Gohlican?”
“Yes. May I help you?”
“I am Simon Freeland. I represent the office of Joseph & Brand. I have been searching for you for quite some time and am glad I finally found you.”
“A Solicitor’s office? Have I done something wrong?” Martin asked nervously.
“Oh my, no. I am here to deliver a letter that was left in our office many years ago. As I said, we have been looking for you for a long time. You see, there was no address for you.”
Martin was suddenly very nervous. Why would somebody be looking for him? Surely, he would be easy to find if somebody wanted to. A feeling of foreboding came over him as he reached for the envelope that Freeland was holding for him. Martin motioned for him to sit.
“I have more to tell you, Mr. Gohlican, but first you must read the letter, sir,” Mr. Freeland told him.
Studying the envelope, he recognized Max’s scrawling. Dread began to overtake him. Finally, after holding it for several minutes, he tore open the envelope.
Dear Martin,
If you are reading this, then it must mean I am dead. I am sorry if this is the first time you are hearing of my death. I know you must be very angry with me, as I told you I would let you know how I was, but never did. Before you tear up this letter, please understand, that the men who were after me were very bad men. If they even suspected they could get to me through you, they would have. From reports I last heard, they kept an eye on your mail and your office. After I left Killeen, Collette and I and my two boys, (yes, I had another boy, Aaron) settled in the town of Philadelphia. I finally braved up enough to tell Collette everything. She wasn’t very happy with having to leave her family, but she stood by my side. We started living off the money I had taken, as it was much more than I ever suspected. Knowing I could no longer be a gambler, (let’s face it, I never was very good at it), I decided to become the loaner of funds to those poor saps. I couldn’t believe my luck; I not only doubled but also tripled my money within a year. Every year my business just seemed to grow more and more. The notoriety got to my head, so did the wine and the women. We were living in style. We didn’t have a care about money whatsoever. I must admit I didn’t treat my family the way I should have. I lied and cheated on my wife, and my children didn’t even know me. When Aaron was two, Collette could take it no more and left me. I begged her not to go home because I knew they would find her and hurt her. So, I kept her comfortable in her own home, but we didn’t see each other. As you are reading this, I know you must hate me. Please don’t. Know that you were an important part of my life. My ways have ruined many lives and I doubt if I’ll see you in heaven. I am sorry you had to find out about my death this way.
Your ever-loving twin brother,
Max
Martin could feel the tears burning as they streamed down his face. He knew the day Max died many years before because he had felt it deep within him. He knew that a part of him had died that day as well, but until now, he hadn’t understood the feeling.
“I’m sorry. I should not have reacted this way.” Martin answered quietly.
“Mr. Gohlican I would have been surprised had you not acted that way. Last year I too lost a twin brother. Now that you’ve read the letter, I have his will to read to you. In it, he has left all his money to Collette and his sons. She remarried soon after your brother died. Her new husband, too, is a very wealthy man, and a good man, who has taken to raising your nephews as if they were his own. They are all settled and living comfortably. Your brother has left you his half of your business. He knew you never took his name off the business papers and wanted to make sure it stayed in the Gohlican family.
“Do… Do you know how he died?” Martin asked suddenly, not sure he wanted to know.
Unfortunately, I do. From the letter, you know what kind of business your brother had. It wasn’t for someone with a light stomach. A few days before he died, he received a visit from the father of one of his former clients whose son had recently killed himself and he was trying to find out why.
The trail finally came back to Brian, uh, Mr. McCray. That is the name that your brother went by and was one reason it took us so long to find you. It so happened that this client owed your brother too much money, so he had cut him off and threatened him. The father was overwhelmed with grief and confronted him. Your brother told him it was just business. Then, a few days later, as Brian was leaving the club, this man shot him down from behind. Your brother died instantly. “
“Oh...no… no… no,” Martin cried and put his head down again.
“I am truly very sorry for your loss, sir. I must go now, as my business is complete. Thank you for your time.”
Mr. Freeland got up, tipped his hat and walked out. Martin followed him and locked the door behind him with a heavy heart. It was the first time he had ever closed the bank early. Martin walked back to his desk and began to cry uncontrollably. He mourned his brother and how their lives had been torn apart. Then, he heard a knock on the door. Seeing it was his wife, he got up and let her in.
“Oh, my love, whatever is the matter?” she asked with concern.
She had felt his pain from the house and knew she needed to be close to him. Talitha began softly stroking his head as it rested on her chest. He told her of the letter and what had happened to his brother, and although Talitha had not known who he was, she still mourned his loss.
Later that evening, as Martin sat quietly in his home office, Samantha came to him asking him what was wrong.
“Papa is very sad tonight. Don’t worry,” Martin told her.
“You tell me that when I have a problem, I should speak to you or mama about it, but you won’t tell me when you’ve got a problem.”
Martin thought for a moment about what she had said and made the decision to tell the family. He asked Samantha to bring the other children in, so he could talk to them. When they were all there, sitting at his feet, he told them about his life as a child, and about his twin brother whom he had loved very much.
“Billy and Molly are twins at school. They fight all the time,” Jayson responded.
“My brother Max and I looked just like each other, we acted like each other, and we loved each other a lot. Even so, we also had many arguments.”
“Papa, where is your brother?” Katherine asked quietly.
“I am telling you this tonight because I just found out my brother died. I wanted you to know about him because I am sad.”
Tears began to fall from his eyes as he said this. All three children looked at him in shock, as they had never seen their papa cry before. Then Samantha got up and hugged her father, followed by both Jayson and Katherine. With all this love surrounding him, Martin felt better.
After the children were all in bed, Martin locked up the house and walked to his bedroom where he found his wife laying on her side on the bed, her hands over her eyes, as if she was crying.
Talitha had been visiting the Inner Council at that moment, giving them an update on her progress. She knew they were anxious to get her target’s approval to follow her below, and their collective patience was growing thin. Talitha knew that if she failed, her fate would be worse than anything she could ever possibly imagine, even with all her time below.
“My love, what is the matter? Martin asked.
Shocked at the sound of his voi
ce, Talitha breathed deeply, as she quickly returned to Susanna’s body. She had not expected him to come to the room so soon. Jasmina and the council had just informed her that she was taking too long to get Martin to go below and that she had to get this done as soon as possible. Talitha truly loved Martin and didn’t want him to be subjected to the horrors of below, even as she was close to completing her task. When Talitha finished an assignment, she never saw her victims again as it was part of the Council’s plan to keep things orderly. She knew that she must bring Martin as soon as possible or they would call her back, as they had done to Wilmot.
Thinking quickly, she answered, “I too am grieving for your brother. He didn’t deserve to die like that.”
Martin was very touched by her response and gathered her tightly into his arms, where their embrace began a smoldering fire once more. They quickly got undressed and climbed into bed, sharing their bodies in a wild, abandoned way. Lying in each other’s arms, thoroughly spent, Talitha looked at Martin and asked the question she had been dreading.
“Martin, I have to ask you something. You may not fully understand, but it is important to me.”
“Then ask.”
Taking a deep breath, she blurted out the question. “Will you follow me wherever I go, no matter where it is? Even when we die, would you follow me?”
“I don’t understand your question Susanna. What do you mean?” Martin asked, perplexed by the look of terror in his wife’s eyes.
“I mean, if I didn’t go to heaven when I died-- if something happened that I went--below-- would you follow me? Would you stay with me forever?”
Confused, Martin looked at Talitha and knew that she was completely serious. To settle her nerves, he said, “of course my love, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
At those spoken words, those below rejoiced with a celebration rarely seen. With a collective sigh of relief, the Inner Council knew they were close to ensuring that the prophecy would not come to pass.
Martin felt the tension go out of her body, and even though he had not truly understood the question, he was happy that he had answered how she wanted him to. Talitha felt relieved, and now fully realized Wilmot’s feelings when she had completed the takeover.