Page 44 of The Pacifist
“No, I should have thought of that.” It was in my nature to try and cheer up my friends. “I’m so sorry all of this is happening, but I have some good news for you.”
Jonah took my hand and moved over to a soft chair in the living room. It was a tight squeeze with both of us in it, but that was how we had done things from the first day we met. With him and me everything was tactile and we loved to be close.
“I talked to my mom and something amazing has happened. My dad finally decided to get the operation.”
Jonah lit up. “He did? I knew it! It’s not in his nature to stay down.”
“We’ve been telling him that too, and yet my mom seemed to think it was a conversation with you that gave him the last push.”
Jonah squeezed my body. “The reason isn’t important. What matters is that your dad is doing it.”
“But I would still like to know what you told him.”
“I told him I was the strongest man in the world.”
I blinked my eyes. “You mean the most powerful.”
“No, I said the strongest and it bothered him… a lot.”
“Because it’s what people used to call my dad before the accident.”
“I know that, but a while back, he admitted that Solo was younger and becoming stronger than him. Magni was the strongest of his generation and it was a huge part of his identity. That’s why being a cripple hit him much harder than it would most others.”
“Of course it did. He is Magni the Magnificent.” My mother had lovingly called our dad that nickname in front of us kids and we’d taken it up quickly, adoring him as our hero.
“No, Mila, he’s just Magni. A mortal with limitations like the rest of us. The thing is, strength fades with age. Same with beauty. You can mourn it, but it changes nothing. I’ve been trying to make Magni see that losing his limbs was in no way the worst that could have happened to him.”
“Jonah…” I pulled back and used a blameful tone.
“Don’t Jonah me. This is year 2449 and he can have robotic limbs that will make him walk and run again. He could have lost his memory or the ability to communicate with others. Magni’s scars make him look fiercer than ever before and when he gets over his vanity, he’ll see that.”
“Still, it’s like you don’t appreciate how severe a loss it was to him.”
“I do. But as I see it, your dad has depended on his strength for way too long. There’s much more to him and when he gets back up again, he will be a better man for it.”
My face softened in a smile. “Is that what you told him?”
“I wrote him a quote that I hoped would push him to get over himself.”
“What quote?”
“It said, ‘True leadership isn’t about being the best, it’s about bringing out the best in others.’”
I marinated the words in my head and repeated them slowly. “True leadership isn’t about being the best, it’s about bringing out the best in others.”
“That’s right.”
“You think that’s what motivated my dad to get the operation?”
“Could be. Or maybe he was just ready. He said that an attack on the Manor is likely, so I questioned why he didn’t get up to make sure his soldiers are ready for it. Magni might not be the best fighter any longer, but he can still be the best leader."
Leaning my head against Jonah’s shoulder, I sighed. “Either way, I’m so relieved.”
The weight of Jonah’s head leaning down on top of mine made me smile. Even when the world was in turmoil around us, he made me feel safe.
CHAPTER9
Arson
