“Good afternoon everyone, Senator Forbes reporting. Vice President Ariana Marie gave me the chance to speak with the Marauders last night, but they requested to do it privately. We have a few witnesses to testify that they came last night. The leader identified himself as Big Ira, and he was quite powerful.” Senator Forbes paused for a while as he remembered how fearful he was.
“As you can read on my file, listed are their demands. I am now opening the table for your questions and hear your thoughts.” Senator Forbes said.
“Section 1. New and better officials from their sector. We all know that it’s a risk to give someone from them a chance to sit on the Government.” The other Senator said.
“Section 2. Government’s Wealth. They want to get the entire wealth of the government. That is insane! We can never grant their demands. Not today, nor forever.” The other cabinet member insane.
“It’s clear that talking to them is useless.” The cabinet member who suggested Martial Law said.
“I still commend Senator Forbes for the courage to face their leader.” She smiled at Senator Forbes.
“So instead of mocking him or me with the decision we’ve made, all I heard was bawl instead of solutions.” The Vice President scolded each cabinet member like a mother.
“Now that we know that we can’t give their demands, I’ll think about the other solutions that you’ve sent including the Martial Law Implementation.” She continued.
“Please hold on Madam Vice President.” Senator Forbes said.
“I invited some visitors to our today’s meeting.” He continued. Everyone was shocked and left wondering.
“Let them in.” The Vice President said as a signal.
Five visitors walked in the entrance door going to the aisle, as they sit on their designated chairs that the senator had prepared. Everyone was shocked, except for the Vice President who was smiling in relief.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce the honorable leaders and representatives from different religious groups of our country. I apologize for I wasn’t able to bring in each religion, but I guarantee you that I called all of them the best way I can to ensure that the Government still got their support.” Senator Forbes said.
“How do we know that they are not a spy?” The Cabinet Member who wanted Martial Law said.
“If you talk to them, you’ll know it by heart.” Senator Forbes answered with pride and genuinely smiled on their guests.
“Moving forward, We have the Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Jews and The Muslims. Let’s hear it from them.”
“Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We do not wish to enter the world of politics. As we know, the church and the state are two different entities. However, with the current situation, we are all affected. We, the Catholics, would want to extend our support to the Government. We don’t wish to interfere with your decisions, but we hope and pray that you will always consider your people.” The Catholic Priest said.
“Al-salaam ’Alaykum. We are very much aware that some of our brothers and sisters in faith in Islam have declared war against the Government. However, we would like you to know that not all Muslims are the same. We still believe in peace and diplomacy. Good governance and help are what we all need. A lot of people are already dying, and we do not want to increase the numbers. If there is anything that we can do to help rebuild this nation, we are more than willing to help.” The Muslim Leader said.
The other religious leaders showed support to the Government as well and offered a short prayer after the last leader expressed his guide. The leaders along with their most trusted constituents still believe in the power of the Government to fix the country’s issue, but not all of them have the same mindset. Some of their members might have different perceptions based on what they feel, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
The meeting ended. Everybody was surprised, but somehow felt more light spiritually for an unexplainable reason. Vice President Ariana Marie congratulated Senator Forbes for a job well done but reminded him that they still have a long way to go. At her office, she looked at the picture frames of her family, her and the President, and the bible book. The Vice President thought that she never had such control and authority in her life. For some reasons, the Vice President wanted to steal the leadership away from the President.
CHAPTER SIX
Maxine and her sons are comfortably sitting on the bench on the patio of their farmhouse. It was a pleasant afternoon of April 13, yet it seems like everything that happened on their way to the farm just two days ago are still fresh to their minds. Her kids are staring beyond the fences of the farm, but their minds are flying.
Maxine remembered when they reached the farm. Her mother was running towards their car when they saw it from afar. To her family’s surprise, they saw lots of blood.
“What happened?” Maxine’s mother said in a panic tone.
“We got hijacked,” Maxine said full of tears.
“C’mon let’s come inside. Hurry.” Maxine’s father was worried.
The two boys rested immediately, while Maxine told everything to her parents that they almost died. She was so intense, and her heart was bursting with a lot of emotions that she needed to get everything off her chest.
“I am worried that my sons might get a trauma.” Maxine was worried.
“Give them some time, Max. It might give them a shock, but they should be fine. Let’s be there for them and provide for their needs. They are tough boys, like their parents.” Her mother said and smiled at Maxine.
“How’s Joseph?” Her father asked.
“He stayed in Southcrest. He has a lot of duties to his patients.” Maxine replied.
“Poor boys. Must be hard for them to without their father. Did Joseph already knew what happened?” Her dad asked again.
“Yea, he was guilty. But I told him that it’s not his fault. I don’t want him to be worried. He carries a lot of burden in the hospital.”
“What a nobleman.” Her father said in amusement.
Back to reality, Bobby saw someone coming and shouted.
“Mom, look! Someone is coming!” Bobby shouted in surprise that it might be another intruder. Maxine took a look at a sophisticated family going out of the Blue Hilux SR5. The man was tall with short spiky hair. He was wearing a tucked in striped polo tucked in with skinny pants while the woman was petite on a floral dress. They walked towards Maxine’s direction with two kids who were busy with their gadgets. Maxine looked at the family and recognized that it was her brother.
“It’s your uncle, Bob. Nothing to worry.” She assured her son. Maxine felt sad about Bobby’s reaction, but at least he heard him talk again after the incident.
“Mom, Dad! Tony’s here!” Maxine shouted inside their house as she ran towards her brother to give him a hug. They’ve been very close since they were kids.
“Hi Rashida, long time no see.” Maxine smiled at her.
“Hi, Max. You still look good.”
Grandpa and Grandma Carmichael, Bobby and his brother were waiting on the wooden stairs of their yard. Their visitors were approaching together with Maxine.
“Mom! Dad!” Tony shouted and waved his hand while the other hand was carrying luggage. His family was behind him. Tony and Rashida greeted and hugged his parents.
Grandpa Carmichael is a retired Army General. He’s still strong even at sixty-seven years old, but his doctors advised him to avoid stress and heavy work after he had a coronary bypass surgery three years ago. It was the time when he sold his animals except for some pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, and horses. Grandpa Carmichael also authorized farmers to harvest his crops for additional funds.
“Thank you for accepting us. We didn’t want to bother you here, but things are slowly getting out of hand in Memphis.” Tony said humbly.