Chapter 6
Lee galloped toward the House of Burgesses, determination pulsing through his veins. (Upon examining the poor excuse for an animal that Lee is presently riding, I, the narrator, feel obligated to note that it really is not much of a gallop, but perhaps could be called a powerful trot.). It took him half the time he expected it would take to arrive there.
It was 9 o'clock in the morning when Lee first took those fateful steps leading to the building where he expected to find each member of the House of Burgesses sipping their coffee, nibbling on cookies, and "piddling," as John Adams would describe it.
As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a countless number of eyes all staring up at him in silent shock.
"Mr. Lee," one gentleman by the name of Horace Taylor began, approaching him slowly. "I believe the issue you brought forth was settled."
"Perhaps you think it's settled. I, however, do not." Upon hearing this, a gentleman in the back of the room began to choke on a biscuit.
"Please, Lee. We are all very busy."
"Oh! I can tell!" Lee retorted. "Am I interrupted your never-ending contest to see who can shove the most grub in his face at once?" Lee immediately realized that this was something that he would never have had the heart to say in the past, even in his most tactless of moods. If it had been Adams, however… "You all sit here day after day making absolutely no decisions about anything important. It's bad enough that you're on your way to turning Virginia, the most highly acclaimed colony in America, into a penniless wasteland. Do you have to destroy the entire country in the process?"
"Lee! Calm yourself!"
"I will NOT calm myself, Mr. Taylor! As of now, you all are going to sit down, shut your giant mouths, and listen to me!" Taylor fell into his seat, dumbfounded. "You all manipulate me, you abuse me, you make fun of my burnt orange breeches- DON'T DENY IT, MR. SAWYER!!!" The crowd turned nervously to a man who revealed himself to be Mr. Sawyer. He was about to protest, but ended up reluctantly nodding. "I don't deserve any of it!" Lee continued. "I'm not claiming to be anyone important. I'm not even a real Lee. I'm the bastard son of a steward!" The room remained awkwardly frozen. "But I am intelligent…despite what you all obviously must believe. I would never suggest independence if I truly thought we could not acquire it. I know this country would win. No British army, no matter how large and well-trained, could ever measure up to the spirit residing right up there in the Philadelphia Congress. Each and every person living in these colonies deserves the chance to live free from the oppression of a tyrannical madman. If all of you think that we would be better off under the British crown, the same group who have taxed us and even have gone so far as to deny us of our very rights as human beings, I will walk through that door right now. But if you all are making decisions based on your own individual cowardice, I implore you to resign, for the people deserve better." Though Lee, on his way, had thought of many more cutting statements to make, the ghastly expressions on the gentlemen's pale faces clearly signified that there was no need for any further addendum. After mumbling a brief, "Make your choice wisely," he turned from the stupefied congregation and briskly made his way to his mule.
As he trotted down the dirt road, a light breeze ran its chilling fingers through his hair. Even if this meant that he would never be given another opportunity again in Congress, he was filled with pride and joy each time he reflected over his own words. A shining grin formed on his lips as he began to quote himself pompously. By doing so, Lee might have appeared to be quite the egotist. But it was not arrogance at all that led him to this new state of self assurance. Rather, it was the knowledge that whether he had completed his simple task for Mr. Adams or not, he knew that he had, in the end, redeemed himself. This being said, he suddenly became pleasantly aware that whether or not he was ever able to regain all that he had lost in the past week, his fortune was most assuredly going to change for the better.
Quick author's note- When I first started this chapter, I had no intention of ending it here. But while writing, it almost seems like a good place to stop. So now I need help from my readers: Should I continue, assuring all that Lee's luck did change for the better and he was somehow able to regain everything that he'd lost? Or should I just end it here? Thanks for any input you may want to give!