not a social one. I expected the maid who answered
the door to be summoned to bring the drinks. Instead, Sarah walked
toward the kitchen and suggested a tour if I wanted to follow her. I
definitely wanted to see more and was very curious about the kitchen.
She appeared to be at home in the domestic environment as she opened
the expansive stainless steel refrigerator door and then placed three
tall etched iced tea glasses on the counter. While the ice clinked, I
gaped at the pristine kitchen which opened into a casual dining area.
"It is all very beautiful," I said.
"Your view is stunning." I said.
She smiled and picked up the tray with three
glasses of raspberry tea and we returned to the living room. So far I
had not noted even a hint of a dust particle. If I knew anything at
all about reporters I knew they spent a short time on chit-chat
before getting into the meat of the subject.
"I hope I am not taking too much of your
Sunday," I said. "I have a few questions I want to ask
about your brother, Michael." I observed the Senator’s face.
"Of course. I expected that once I knew you
came from the West River Daily News. I will answer anything I can."
"What kind of person was he? I mean I want to
know more about his personality," I said.
The Senator leaned back. "Michael had a good
heart when we were growing up. He always went for the underdog and
wasn’t afraid to work for their causes. As a young teen he could
play poker as well as any expert that made a living that way."
James smiled. "He used to make sure he won and then took his
winnings and gave the money to someone he thought needed it most.
Usually, it went to someone who was trying to raise a family on
minimum wage, but on occasion he simply handed bills to the homeless.
He told us it was appalling that in America working families still
went hungry."
"I am very surprised at that," I said.
"The rumors I have heard from reliable people tell a very
different story."
"I am telling you what he was once like. In
later years, he became very cynical. Poor people were forgotten and
he seemed no longer to care about them."
"He told us he was tired of trying to get
people to move upward in their jobs and earn enough for their
families to live on without hand-outs," said Sarah. "We
were surprised but I agreed with him. If people want to have families
then they should first be sure they can afford them."
James gave her a quick look and then turned to me.
"Sarah and I don’t see eye to eye on that idea but I was very
surprised to see Michael change so much. He used to be right in there
with me on my campaigns until we started arguing more and more. Then
he pulled away and we had little in common after that."
"What caused him to change so drastically?"
I asked.
"It is a mystery to me," said the
Senator. "In fact, we barely spoke to each other and before his
untimely death we hadn’t spoken for the past few years."
"I regret that now," said James. "I
should have made more of an effort to see him."
"Did Michael have enemies?"
"Without a doubt he had enemies. He became
arrogant and ruthless when he dealt with other people. It was almost
as if he baited them so they wouldn’t like him. It is beyond me how
he managed success with that coffee house of his. He had a vendetta
when it came to any competition. He was bent on running others out of
business in hopes he came out on top, I suppose. When he hurt someone
or when anyone crossed him he lashed out and was unapologetic. He
just didn’t care."
I could relate to some of those statements. We
talked for a few minutes longer but no new information was learned on
my part. I thanked them for their time and stood to leave, expressing
my condolences.
"I hope I have helped with your article. I
don’t want you to put Michael in a totally bad light. He had his
good side and that’s what I try to recall most."
In the foyer I noticed a framed photo of Michael
and James. The silver frame with what I was sure was onyx stones
the door to be summoned to bring the drinks. Instead, Sarah walked
toward the kitchen and suggested a tour if I wanted to follow her. I
definitely wanted to see more and was very curious about the kitchen.
She appeared to be at home in the domestic environment as she opened
the expansive stainless steel refrigerator door and then placed three
tall etched iced tea glasses on the counter. While the ice clinked, I
gaped at the pristine kitchen which opened into a casual dining area.
"It is all very beautiful," I said.
"Your view is stunning." I said.
She smiled and picked up the tray with three
glasses of raspberry tea and we returned to the living room. So far I
had not noted even a hint of a dust particle. If I knew anything at
all about reporters I knew they spent a short time on chit-chat
before getting into the meat of the subject.
"I hope I am not taking too much of your
Sunday," I said. "I have a few questions I want to ask
about your brother, Michael." I observed the Senator’s face.
"Of course. I expected that once I knew you
came from the West River Daily News. I will answer anything I can."
"What kind of person was he? I mean I want to
know more about his personality," I said.
The Senator leaned back. "Michael had a good
heart when we were growing up. He always went for the underdog and
wasn’t afraid to work for their causes. As a young teen he could
play poker as well as any expert that made a living that way."
James smiled. "He used to make sure he won and then took his
winnings and gave the money to someone he thought needed it most.
Usually, it went to someone who was trying to raise a family on
minimum wage, but on occasion he simply handed bills to the homeless.
He told us it was appalling that in America working families still
went hungry."
"I am very surprised at that," I said.
"The rumors I have heard from reliable people tell a very
different story."
"I am telling you what he was once like. In
later years, he became very cynical. Poor people were forgotten and
he seemed no longer to care about them."
"He told us he was tired of trying to get
people to move upward in their jobs and earn enough for their
families to live on without hand-outs," said Sarah. "We
were surprised but I agreed with him. If people want to have families
then they should first be sure they can afford them."
James gave her a quick look and then turned to me.
"Sarah and I don’t see eye to eye on that idea but I was very
surprised to see Michael change so much. He used to be right in there
with me on my campaigns until we started arguing more and more. Then
he pulled away and we had little in common after that."
"What caused him to change so drastically?"
I asked.
"It is a mystery to me," said the
Senator. "In fact, we barely spoke to each other and before his
untimely death we hadn’t spoken for the past few years."
"I regret that now," said James. "I
should have made more of an effort to see him."
"Did Michael have enemies?"
"Without a doubt he had enemies. He became
arrogant and ruthless when he dealt with other people. It was almost
as if he baited them so they wouldn’t like him. It is beyond me how
he managed success with that coffee house of his. He had a vendetta
when it came to any competition. He was bent on running others out of
business in hopes he came out on top, I suppose. When he hurt someone
or when anyone crossed him he lashed out and was unapologetic. He
just didn’t care."
I could relate to some of those statements. We
talked for a few minutes longer but no new information was learned on
my part. I thanked them for their time and stood to leave, expressing
my condolences.
"I hope I have helped with your article. I
don’t want you to put Michael in a totally bad light. He had his
good side and that’s what I try to recall most."
In the foyer I noticed a framed photo of Michael
and James. The silver frame with what I was sure was onyx stones
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