Homo homini lupus…
Thomas Hobbes
"I say, we accept her offer. You all know the desperate situation we're…," the mayor declared in front of the important town people. "Moreover we don't have any other choice, but to…"
Whispers growing louder and louder could be heard everywhere.
"Gentlemen, you forget…Mr Hockley is no oblation…"
"Shut up, parson!" one growled.
The priest looked behind himself, trying to detect the one shouting. He had thought that he was sitting in the midst of decent Christians…obviously he had been wrong.
"We're starving…," another one yelled.
"He's right. We don't have any clerical means."
The mayor held up his hand to silence the crowd. Frankly he had thought that this meeting would go easier.
"I say we wait until the next elections. When Mr Roosevelt is president then he…"
"Bondslave!"
"Communist swine! We're solving our problems alone. We don't need a Mr Roosevelt or any other damn political mob…"
"Gentlemen, please…we're here to decide what's best for our town, not to quarrel with each other."
Indeed they had serious issues to deal with, among them the aftershock of the Great Depression, the still increasingly low income rates, the unemployment…in short all of them could need the money offered.
"Why don't we talk again with Mrs Calvert? Maybe it was all a misunderstanding…," a man in the back suggested being half-heartedly supported by a few others.
"Alright this could be a way to begin with. I say we count our incomes first and then list up what we really need. Supposedly we don't even require all her money," the mayor proposed.
….
"I fear, Sir, you're mistaken. I said you get rid of him first and then you get the money. Not the other way around," Rose told him sternly playing around with her pearl necklace.
The mayor starred at her somehow dumbfounded.
She had taken up in the most exclusive hotel in Chippewa Falls and tomorrow she would visit the grave of Jack's parents. Rose knew it must be here in this graveyard.
"Mrs Calvert, maybe we could…," he started again.
After the council board he had come up here, informing her of their new plans, which had been bespoken there.
Rose turned around, gracefully, like only a real actress could do.
The mayor was totally smitten.
"Mr Clayton, Sir…I completely understand the situation you're in now and…to tell you the truth I don't want to be in your shoes…," she told him. "…but you see, Mr Hockley and I…he's a dangerous man, you know. That is even without me offering you cash in exchange you should see to it that he isn't able to do any more evil…"
The mayor looked at her, gulping, about to ask her, what kind of issues existed between her and Mr Hockley.
To him Cal had seemed quite accurate. He was more or less engaged to Mr Lovett's daughter, a respected man in town, you surely wouldn't accept Cal as son-in-law, if he had any second thoughts…after all his Lucy was the apple of his eye.
He must've stood there with his mouth open for quite a while as her face turned from anger to amusement.
Was she laughing at him?
He would've been annoyed, if it hadn't been for her beauty and her generous proposition.
"Something else, Mr Clayton?" she asked him sounding suddenly very short tempered.
He shook his head.
"Fine then, I would like to ask you to leave me alone now."
….
In the meantime Cal was meeting up with Lucy his would-be-bride. Since the running away off Julia and their ill-fated divorce due to domestic abuse on his part, her disappearing with their son's overnight and then the even more humiliating split-up followed almost immediately by the downfall of his company - his lifework so to say - he had never become close to anybody again.
Cal would see his son's every first in a month and they would stay with him for three days. That was at least written down in the divorce contract. He had already heard however from Julia's side, her father to be precisely – that he didn't think Cal – the fallen businessman – to be a very respectable company for his grandsons.
In short Cal hadn't seen his children in months. Although he had never taken much interest in their wellbeing, while he was still living as a family with Julia, he found that now he was surprisingly missing them dearly.
Lucy trailed after him, careful not to take a false step on the slippery stones. She had put on her Sunday dress and didn't want it to be ruined by the water.
Her mother would surely scold her, if she did.
She wondered what Cal had up on his mind.
Should she question him about Mrs Calvert?
"My father has nothing against me being together with you, you know, Cal," she shouted after him hoping that he would understand the proper sense of her verdict.
He did.
However, he wasn't about to let her know.
He just continued walking and Lucy tried to follow him as best as she could.
"Cal, wait…"
Just as she wanted to tell them that he should move more slowly, he suddenly stopped, causing Lucy to bump into him from behind.
"Phew…," she got out. "Are you always going so fast, Mr Hockley?"
Cal glanced back at her.
'This is my daughter, Rose.'
'Pleased to meet you, Mr Hockley…'
He took a deep breath.
How long ago that evening had been. It seemed a lifetime away…he still remembered her smile, her shyness though…he would never forget that smile.
Now she was only looking at him with contempt in her eyes.
"Cal, is everything alright?"
"Yes, sure…come here," he took her hand pointing with his other in the direction of the bird's flying above their heads. "Look! Isn't it beautiful?" he got out.
"One must wish to be able to fly like those," Lucy commented. "I certainly do."
Every young girl does –Cal thought bitterly. Surely Rose had as well.
Lucy must be around twenty. He daren't asked. You didn't ask a woman such a question. It would be inappropriate.
"I'm glad that my father allowed me to come here with you. I mean thinking of her proposal that is…"
"So you know?" he asked.
"Yes, my father told me…but don't you worry," she let going of his hand, taking a few steps ahead and then turning back to him, grinning brightly - added "….I still love you."
Cal wished that he would be able to just return her smile, like he had done all those years ago with Rose, without any ulterior motives, just for the sake of an innocent laugh.
But his face remained stern.
…..
When Cal got home it was already dimming and he stumbled over a box lying on the stairs leading up to his house.
Cal picked it up, wondering.
It was a small package with a card attached to it.
He decided to read the card, before tearing up the box.
One must realize, when it's better to go –signed a friend.
Marvelling even more, he opened up the present.
It contained a pistol and bullets.
