Planning For Revenge

The principal and teachers marveled at Jack’s transformation and rallied around to help this prodigal son find a better life. He began to get good grades at school too. William and Susan watched this with approval and commended their brother, encouraging him in every way they could, thinking he’d turned his life around. Little did they know that a spirit of rage still existed in their brother that was bound to exhibit itself at some time in the future.

William graduated from High School and Susan and Jack continued looking forward to their own graduation. Joseph, who was beginning to feel the early onset of an aging process, was happy to nurture William into shop management and take life in a more relaxed way. The shop would be his one day and he could see William was quite up to the task ahead.

Jack continued to do well at school and developed a firm relationship with the children of the town store owners. Of an afternoon after school, he’d trek with them to town leaving his sister in the care of a young man Claude Price who had taken a fancy to her.

At first Joseph was antagonistic to this young man Claude but learning his parents were influential members of the town council and Richard Price likely to be the next mayor and being scolded by May he softened and eventually approved of the developing relationship. Under the influence of this prominent city councilor Susan found a job as a secretary in the Fairvale council office whose modest salary contributed to the finances of the Colthorpe family. Two years later, Susan married her suitor with the enthusiastic approval of both the Price and Colthorpe parents.

Jack had ingratiated himself with the Birch department store owners volunteering with their children after school to do menial tasks in the store and refused their offer of pocket money for his efforts. This surprised and impressed the store management. So, when Jack graduated with honors in high school to the surprise of all he was offered a full-time job with the department store as one of the store men.

Joseph was surprised and grateful his son had made the transition to becoming a good citizen after a rough childhood and congratulated him on his initiative in finding a job so quickly when jobs were in short supply around the town and eagerly competed for.

 Over time having established himself as a hard-working young man Jack asked if the store owners would allow him to use one of the unused storerooms as a living quarter detached from the main building on the promise, he’d work overtime for free to pay for the use of this room. Management fitted it out as a comfortable room and Jack worked long hours to show his appreciation. Overtime management gave Jack more responsibilities as they recognized his hard work and a quickness to learn the jobs assigned to him. But it was all part of his plan, and he could see some day he’d have revenge on his father for his stern discipline as he grew up and that frightful humiliating beating in front of his school principal and siblings.

One year after Jack’s employment at the Birch department store there was an unusual year of rain and toward the end of the monsoon season a deluge flooded the town reaching the basement of the store below the main street. Knowing from past floods the likely limit of the flood the men employees and children worked day and night clearing stock held in the basement where Jack’s room was and moved it to the upper levels closing the shop which was now crammed full of stock. Business partners Bruce, Graham and Andrew Birch then went to help other businesses threatened with stock loss and with the help of the Fairvale Council made available temporary accommodation for these affected business assets.

Jack, along with the Birch Department Store workers helped along with the citizens of town in this flood relief effort. It was during that time Jack’s organizing talents were noticed and he was singled out for special commendation by the mayor among other commendations for his diligent efforts.

Susan, who worked in the council chambers and was engaged at that time to the mayor’s son Claude Price was full of joy as she reported the commendation ceremony to her parents. William, Mildred and Nancy Colthorpe sought out their brother and offered their praise for this recognition.

Jack accepted their praise but deep inside he was still resolved to get revenge on them all. Why had his father brutally beaten him in front of the school principal and his own family? Why did none of them come to his rescue? Of course, he knew none of them could do that. They were not responsible for their father’s brutality but still he was determined to hold them all responsible, including his mother. Where had she been when this was going on? In fact, she was delivering clothing made for one of the families in their street to make money to help support her children’s needs and he must have known that. She’d not known about the incident that had turned his mind to revenge until after the event and the departure of the principal. And of course, she’d expressed her love and sympathy for him after learning his lingering feelings when she’d questioned him about his moods and heard his angry outburst sometime later. The rest of the family were totally unaware of his thirst for revenge and were therefore happy they’d trekked to town specifically to congratulate their brother on his public commendation.

Another year on and Susan’s marriage to Claude Price brought the Colthorpe and Price families together. Jack played the part of an expected supportive brother, and no one imagined there was any tension in the Colthorpe family. But for some time, the Colthorpe siblings noted Jack took every opportunity to keep his distance from family gatherings. They were surprised at his reaction when their father died unexpectedly six months after Susan’s marriage to Claude Price. May, who’d dreaded that time when a weakened Joseph could be prone to Jack’s revenge, was both sad and relieved. She was sad at the loss of her partner for life but relieved she’d not get to see the day when Jack, the son she loved, would do something damaging to get his revenge on his father. She’d been shocked at the depth of her son’s rage and nursed this apprehension through the years to follow. Now perhaps he’d settle down, find a wife and continue the successful career he was following in which she took great pride.

William was now head of the house and increasingly alarmed at the decline in business. Local suburban stores were closing one by one as the general prosperity of the community steadily improved. More people now had some form of transportation and for those who didn’t a more viable public transportation was now on offer with private bus services now going around the town bus routes on a regular schedule during each business day. There were more opportunities to make the trip to town to buy personal and household supplies where it was cheaper. Bread, milk and fruit and vegetables were still being taken by delivery trucks around the suburbs and the horse and cart had been phased out but even those services were beginning to be less profitable until eventually phased out.

Those who could afford it began to relocate their business from the suburbs to the central business district, making sure it was above the periodic flood levels affecting some in the main street. The business district was steadily expanding to accommodate a range of businesses and an expanding farming community now having improved roads and transportation began to be seen more regularly in the main street.

Small private hospitals felt the pressure when the government opened a public hospital able to handle more complicated cases, so patients did not have to take the long rail journey to the capital city Eastport though gravely ill.

The rail link to the capital was now functioning efficiently and production from the rich river valley was finding its way to the capital increasing the wealth of rural communities who expanded their stock and cultivation to meet an increasing demand in the expanding capital city. Some farmers were becoming wealthier and spending more of their wealth in town.

The department store belonging to the Birch brothers found it was now competing with others in town displaying their traditional wares and they responded by modernizing their store, adding an additional story and revamping their model of service delivery to make transactions faster and cheaper offering a much wider range of products than their competitors who lacked capital to match the Birch Brothers. Jack had been earning enough to rent his own place now and carefully saved his money. Someday he’d own his own business. He’d impressed the owners so much due to his hard work and aptitude for the trade that he was now the head of a department, and it was prospering under his management. Work was all he knew, and he avoided any form of socializing.

Susan had attempted to keep in regular touch with her brother but eventually gave up trying. She was now expecting her first child and looking forward to leaving her job and just concentrating on delivering her hoped-for brood and loving them to maturity. She was very happy at her marriage and Claude pulled out all stops to show his wife she was valued.

Susan wanted to see her two sisters equally happy in a marriage relationship and because William was struggling to make ends meet now, she arranged for her two sisters Mildred and Nancy to join her in their spacious home. Claude was more than happy to have his sisters in law as part of the household and He and Susan began a search for a suitable match for Mildred who’d now taken Susan’s place at the council office.

May and William were now alone running their diminishing business and received just enough to make ends meet.

Claude Price had an elder brother Samuel who’d married the daughter of the Birch family’s younger brother Andrew. Her name was Mary. Mary had been managing one of Samuel’s businesses, which was a profitable news agency in main street, but Mary was now going through some health problems making it necessary for her to stop work and Samuel Price was looking for a solution unhappy with the employee he’d given temporary management to. He was suspicious that money was being siphoned off into this man’s pocket but needed to find a new manager quickly rather than shut the shop.

Nancy Colthorpe, who heard the news from her married sister Susan, asked Claude if they’d consider William, who they all knew by now, was struggling to stay solvent. Nancy was concerned about her mother’s future. Claude consulted his brother Samuel who did a quick background check on William before approaching him at his suburban store.

William was surprised and grateful for Samuel’s visit as he knew he couldn’t hold on to business much longer. He quickly agreed, learning that there was an apartment above the store that went with the management contract. If William was interested, he could buy a share as a managing partner.

May stayed on to sell the rest of the Colthorpe shop stock and furnishings and place the shop on the market for sale. It would be suitable for someone to convert to a home. With the sale of that shop William was able to make a deposit on a partnership arrangement in the news agency and the rest he’d pay off overtime out of his share of the profits generated. It was indeed a profitable business and William conducting a thorough audit of accounts and stock soon found Samuel’s fears about a syphoning out of money into this ex-employee’s pocket was a reality and the man was apprehended by the police and jailed. The ex-manager had assets that could be sold, and Samuel was able to recover the bulk of that money stolen.

Samuel was very happy with William for helping him recover his money. He decided to move to the capital city where his wife Mary would receive the health care she now needed from specialists and began to sell off his assets in Fairvale to make the transfer and buy into businesses in the capital. He offered an outright purchase of the news agency to William based on regular pre-negotiated payments to be mutually agreed on to cover the expected purchase price interest free. William gratefully accepted. The business continued to prosper, and William and his mother frugally lived their life putting every energy they had into this business to make substantial payments each month. While Samuel had required a five-year payout. William and his mother were determined to repay much sooner but they had to live frugally to do that, and this had been their way of life.

 Jack was prospering and considering his options for the future. He took note of the fact that the elder Birch brother Bruce was a bachelor. The second brother Graham was married to wife Fay but had no children. The third and youngest brother Andrew was married to Claire and had two children. His daughter Mary was married to Samuel Price, and they were moving to the capital city. His son Alex was then the heir apparent of the department store. Jack had met him at school briefly as Alex had been in the upper grades. So, Jack cultivated this heir apparent and made sure nothing was too much trouble for him to do for Alex.

Alex Birch was an astute businessman and had a keen insight into human nature having watched the large force of workers serving the store as he worked his way up to an administrative position. Alex had spent some time working with his cousins in the Birch enterprises in Eastport to get some experience there and was the primary force in modernizing the Birch brother’s enterprise in Fairvale. Alex viewed Jack as a potentially useful administrator in their business but one to keep an eye on.

Jack had watched the demise of the Colthorpe shop with satisfaction. He wanted the shop to fail primarily to level scores with his father even though Joseph was dead and William the successor to his father in the business had to pay the price now his father was dead. At times he’d feel sorry for his evil intent knowing the mother he loved would be affected by the failure of this business. He’d cut off contact with his sisters who were safely in the Price family orbit now.

So, it was a shock to Jack when unexpectedly Samuel Price came to the rescue of William and his mother May facilitating their migration to a profitable newsagent business. He watched as William and his mother ably managed the business and learned that over time, they were purchasing this asset, and it would be theirs exclusively in future. The Colthorpe shop and house had been sold in the process, and he felt some of that money should rightfully have been his even though Joseph’s will had given that business to William. Jack was prospering and didn’t need that money but the fact he received nothing added to his anger. He was beginning to feel apprehensive about this consuming anger as it was ruining his social life and health and making him miserable, but he didn’t seem to be able to get that beating his father had given him publicly out of his mind. In his dreams he’d be doing all kinds of things to his father to get even and now it was William’s face in his evil dreams.

To be continued.

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