Page 20 of Kissing the Beach Town Fire Chief
There is silence in the room; no one is saying anything. I don't know if I am supposed to be glad about this. “What do you guys think?” I ask so that I can get some feedback.
“This is crazy,” one person from the crowd says. “Where did this information even come from? The Seabrook we have right now is the Seabrook we have known all our lives, our ancestors build this place.”
"Yes, but turns out that it was also our ancestors who erased the true history of the town.”
“Are you saying our forefathers lied to us?” another voice speaks.
"No, that's not what I mean. I think that now that we know what the founding fathers of this town wanted, we should bring it back. I mean, this town was so cool, and it was progressing right, and then all of that changed," I try to explain. "I think we need to bring back the art, history, and creativeness of thistown. There is nothing wrong with that; I mean, sure, some people thought it was wrong, but that was during ancient times. In modern times, we need these things for this town to become a better version of itself."
"I agree with you," finally, someone says. "But calling our ancestors straight-up liars and cheaters is not the right way to do this. "I know that, but it is not far from the truth either," I stand my ground. "People can oppose you big time, and you can lose votes and the trust of the people," Todd tries to make me understand.
"I get what all of you mean. But we have lived in this town all our lives, and we didn't even know what it was actually like because of its history being erased. We owe it to this place to tell its story, and I am going to do that. I want to bring back the old Seabrook. I know it may not sit right with some of you because our forefathers were involved in this, but we still need to tell the story of this town to the world," I finally say my piece. "And I am not going to change my mind about that," I make it perfectly clear.
I see people nodding and agreeing, but some are still skeptical about this.
"I give you all some time to think over this, and if you have any valid reason why I shouldn't do this, then you can get back to me with that," I say, leaving the room.
Todd follows me “Ethan I don’t know if you should take this route,” He warns me.
“It's too late, I am already taking this route,” I smile at him and leave.
I need to go to the bookstore now so I can see what Ami and Maggie are up to.
Outside, Seabrook is waking up, and seagulls cry out as they circle the shoreline, and a gentle breeze carries the scent of saltand seaweed. The town is peaceful, but my mind is anything but peaceful.
As I enter the main area, I see Aunt Maggie standing behind the counter, her back to me. And Ami is already there, talking to her about something.
Her silver hair is neatly pinned up, and she hums a tune softly, arranging a new display of books. I hesitate for a moment, biting my lip.
"Hey, Maggie!" I greet her as she looks at me.
"Hey there, my favorite opponent," she says, and we both laugh.
"Uh, Aunt Maggie. I wanted to talk to you about something," Ami immediately decides to get to the point and rip the band-aid off. “What is it, Sweetie?” Maggie turns to Ami.
"So, you know how Ethan and I were trapped here because of the storm. We came across some old boxes that were hidden at the very end of the last row of the books," Ami begins and Maggie listens attentively.
"Those old boxes about the Seabrook history?" Maggie asks. And both Ami and I look at each other. Does Maggie know about those boxes already? Does she know what is inside them? "Yeah. Did you know what’s inside them?" Ami asks, and I take a step forward towards both of them.
"I mean, yeah, those old papers have been here from the very start. And I saw they are related to the old Seabrook, but I never really got the time to sit and ready every single thing," Aunt Maggie tells us.
Oh, so she has no idea what is inside those boxes. “So, you never read any of those documents?” I ask her.
“I read a few but the writing and stuff was so complicated, I couldn’t decipher them. Why? What is in them?” she gets suspicious. I look over at Ami. I think she should be the one to tell her.
“Ami? What is inside those boxes?” Maggie asks Ami. “Aunt Maggie, I want to tell you. I really do because it is important for this town. But I think it’s going to affect your election campaign and not in a good way. “
Dusty leaps onto the counter and starts pawing at a loose piece of paper, oblivious to the tension in the room. "Do you think I care more about my win than this town? If you have any information that is necessary for this town, then I need to know. You know I will always put Seabrook over me winning the elections," Aunt Maggie states.
I smile; I like her mindset.
"Yes, but I care about you, and I know how much this election means to you," Ami tries to explain. "Well, it's too late now. I know you're hiding something important from me, and now I need to know what it is. It’s better if you tell me outright," Aunt Maggie insists, picking up Dusty and giving her a gentle scratch behind the ears.
"Okay, but you have to know that you don't owe anyone any explanation, and it's not your fault for what your family did." “Honestly, you're now just adding more to my stress. Please just tell me,” Maggie looks at both of us.
I look over at Ami and give her a nod. And she takes a deep breath and explains everything. After everything is out in the open, Aunt Maggie sits on the stool near her. She doesn’t know what to say. “Are you okay?” I ask her.
"I don't know. I mean, how do I process all of this? The fact that all of this information has been rotting in this bookstore for decades now, and I had no idea. My maternal family was involved in something that erased the real Seabrook, and I had no idea," she is in disbelief.
