Reggie

A Story by sheila K

a fictional story about a young man whose life changes beyond his imagination.

Once upon a time, in a country far beyond the great ocean stood a big pointy hill, below the pointy hill, lay a small town called pointy hill town, its people were a kind and cheerful people, the mayor of the town was the happiest man you ever saw, his people loved him and he loved his people, but like any other story, a few unscrupulous people who are the villains of this story also lived in pointy hill.

Reginald Bryan Culkin, who was also known as Reggie, a striking young man of seventeen was the step son of the village drunk Ronald Conall Culkin. His father had died before he was a week old in his mother’s womb, when Lucia, his mother discovered she was pregnant with him ,Ronald Conall Culkin had convinced her a baby should never be born without a father, Lucia found out to late that Ronald had married her because of her large fortune, which she had inherited from her father ,Ronald was running a successful family business of wine making but the business went bankrupt after his father died and he had most of the money on betting and women. On her sick bed, Lucia had realized her son was in trouble but she couldn’t move or say anything, a few days after, when Reggie was only six months old, she died. Sixteen years on, Ronald had misspent all of Lucia’s money, Reggie lived on the little money he got from menial jobs and charity from the towns people, he sometimes dreamt of a different life, one he would also be important, Reggie dared not to step out in faith,” you are nothing but a failure” his step father would repeatedly tell him.

One fine morning, the town messenger announced that the circus was coming to town, everyone was excited but Reggie was especially excited because he planned to go away with the circus, he would beg them for a job as a servant for two, even a meal per day, anything to take him away from Ronald, he lay down in the stable behind the stack of hey he had brought in from bob the farmer. “If they don’t let me come, he thought, I ill hide somewhere in one of their caravans and will only show myself when it’s too late for them to bring me back. What a most dishonest way of dealing with people, Reggie sternly said to himself but he smiled when he thought of being away from Ronald, a most pleasant thing it would be.

A splash of warm smelly water washed over Reggie’s face as he lay down day dreaming, he shot to his feet in a rush, Ronald stood in the door way with the bucket Reggie used to wash the mops that morning.

Lazy laddie, wat you day dreaming for, Ronald said in his Irish accent, prepare one of the horses quick, a buyer will come by today, am going to get myself a beer. “don you think you’ve had enough fer today dad?. Don you call me dad laddie, I decide what goes on here. Prepare tha horse now while I go get meself a wisike, you here me boy. Lazy good for nothing lassie, Ronald said as he staggered away from the stable. He had sold almost all the horses Lucia had left and spent it on betting and beer, he had married an English woman once from among the locals but she had left him after a few years, Bridget would have loved to take Reggie away with her to save him from Ronald but she had nothing to offer a child, she had told herself.

A fortnight later, Reggie had only one day to prepare to go away with the circus, he had put away in an old dirty bag some bread and a jacket that had belonged to his father. He hoped with all his heart that Ronald would not find it. That night, Reggie thought he wouldn’t be able sleep but he was so tired from working he slept like a log, the next morning he was awakened by the noise from the excited crowd, they were all in a hurry to get to the circus, Reggie quickly rushed to check if Ronald was still awake, he found him fast asleep with a bottle of whisky on his chest, Reggie quickly dashed and got his bag, he squeezed through the crowd but from a distance, he saw that you had to have a ticket to get in, the young man was lost in thought, why hadn’t he thought of the tickets, he thought to himself, still buried in his thought’s, Reggie turned to go and buy a ticket for himself ,the ticket stand was at the other end of the crowd, as he was about to start off, he noticed a log that was hanging loose over the mayors head, it was used to make a shade were the mayor stood every time he addressed the towns people, Reggie wondered why no one else had seen it, it would knock him out if it hit him on the head. But Reggie had to buy a ticket quickly before they all sold out and before Ronald woke up, he wouldn’t allow anything to stop him, he wanted to get in so Ronald would not be able to find him, besides, maybe that log wasn’t going to fall today, it had probably been like that for a while, Reggie thought to himself, he breezed through the crowd as fast as he could, when he got to the ticket stand, he glanced back at the log, it seemed to hang a little lower, Reggie even thought he saw it move, he stared at it intently to make sure it just wasn’t his eyes playing tricks on him, he was sure now that the log would fall, he dived in the crowd and started running back, he got to the stage and quickly pushed the mayor out of the way, Reggie lost his balance and fell on top of the mayor, the police quickly got a hold of Reggie, the mayor was at a loss for words, he dint understand why Reggie had attacked him, he was furious and ordered the police to take him away, Reggie looked at the log and it was still up there, looking at from up close, it dint seem to hang lose anymore, Reggie tried to explain but no one listened to him.

I always knew you would come to this, Reggie heard Ronald say, what business you got attacking the mayor like that. Dirty rug like you mixing with authority, lock em up and let me keep the keys.

Reggie had never been in a jail cell but it looked a lot like his room, except it had a better bed and was much colder. He could not believe what had just happened to him.

Five days later, the mayor was sitting on his bed at five in the morning, thoughts of Reggie and how he attacked him came to him, oh my, he thought, that lad is still in confinement,

he had not intended for him to stay that long but he had forgotten all about it, he got up to send a message to the guard on duty, then he decided talking to Reggie would be better .

When Reggie woke up and found the mayor standing in front of him, he imagined the worst, now he was never going to get out of here.

I’ve heard from the town’s people that you and your father are in a bit of a brawl, that true boy?

No sir

You mean to say everything is alright at home?

No sir

Tell me boy, are you alright in the head.

Yes sir.

That should have been a no sir.

Yes sir.

The mayor chuckled: listen boy, would you like to tell me what happened that day, when you attacked me?

Reggie told the mayor everything that happened that day, from when he picked up his bag to leave, to when he dived on the mayor.

So you were trying to save me?

Yes sir.

Gallant gesture you tried to do but next time be sure to warn me before you do a “surprise attack”

Then it wouldn’t be a surprise sir

Oh c’mon boy, let’s see if we can go speak to your father.

Are you letting me go sir?

What do you think laddie?

I think that I don’t want to go back to that house sir.

Don’t worry boy, you don’t have to , I’ve been thinking about it and I need a personal assistant, you can come and live with me, would you like that?

Yes sir, but I have no education sir

Don’t you worry about that laddie, will fix it

Reggie was not sure how to respond, it was the best news ever, more than he ever expected, he stood still and bowed his head as tears rolled down his face. The next few weeks came and passed fast, Ronald had been arrested for fraud, he had swindled some town folks

Life had changed for Reggie all too suddenly, he was slowly adjusting and trying his best to learn how to manage what little had been left from his mother’s wealth, Erin, the mayor’s daughter was helping him out with the accounting in the study. He thought she was pretty but had dared not speak of it, he got especially nervous because the mayor was watching them from outside. The window is too big for a study, Reggie thought.

In the garden, the mayor sat watching Reggie and Erin with a big grin on his face.

Splendid couple aren’t they, said his wife.

Very splendid