The Rise of Jerry Hawkins

Episode 2

Missy stormed into her mother’s room, clutching her night robe to avoid it from falling off her. She was furious to see her senior cousins rummaging through her things in her own room. “Mother, what’s going on? Tell me why my senior cousins are all over my things in my room!” she demanded, slightly raising her voice.

Her mother, on the other hand, seemed undisturbed by the intrusion. She had a handful of beauty personnel doing her makeup and attending to her needs. She looked at Missy with a smug smile on her already makeup-beaten face. “And who are all these people? What’s the occasion?” Missy asked, confused because it was unlike her mother to plan to go out without her.

“Missy, dear. Go and get dressed. Your uncles are coming and some are already here,” Mrs Johnson said casually, as if it was nothing to worry about.

“What?!” Missy yelled and stepped closer to the table where her mother was having her makeup done. “Mother, I didn’t know this meeting was holding this soon,” she whispered violently to her mother, while her mother shot her a very stern stare.

“We had to do what had to be done as soon as possible. The family business had a massive fall last night and it brought everyone to their senses. They all fixed an impromptu meeting!” Mrs Johnson said, sounding very frustrated. She waved her hands in the air and then rubbed her temples to calm herself down.

“Mother! You know I don’t like surprises and things like this. My senior cousins are here. What the hell am I supposed to wear?” Missy said, sounding even more frustrated. She gestured with her hands in the air and then placed them on her hips.

“Shut up, girl! You think it’s easy for me too? We don’t have any money and we are expected to cook a whole kitchen for our guests!” Mrs Johnson said, expressing her discontent with everything.

“I’ll see you soon,” Missy said dismissively and hurried out of the room to make sure no one was in her business. She got to her room and looked around the hallways. She shut the door behind her after noticing that the halls were clear.

“Hello, cousin,” she heard a soft macho voice behind her and she jumped in fear. “Ah!” she screamed, clutching her chest. She turned around and saw who it was. It was her big cousin, Charles.

He was very annoying and was never seen without his twin sister Cheryl, who of course was also right beside him with a wicked grin on her face. “Relax, it’s just us,” Charles said with a wicked grin that matched his sister’s.

“Could this day get any worse?” Missy muttered under her breath and the twins let out a shrewd laugh. Missy thought they were very creepy and hated hanging around them. “Oh, the day is about to get really really bad, especially for you,” Cheryl said in her annoyingly loud voice.

“Has anyone told you that you are so annoyingly loud?” Missy said to annoy her back, but Cheryl gave her a sneer instead. “We hear your father has crashed the family business by taking out a large amount of money,” Charles proceeded to speak.

He moved closer to Missy and leaned against the wall next to her door. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with a smug expression. “And we also hear that he has run away with his mistress, leaving you and your mother in debt,” he added.

Missy was slowly losing her self control at his words. She knew that her father had been having an affair for a long time, but she didn’t know that he had taken money from the family business and fled.

She pushed him away from the wall and tried to open the door, but Cheryl blocked her way.

Missy dismissed them with a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. She walked to her wardrobe to find something more appropriate to wear. She ignored the twins who were whispering behind her back.

“Oh, I don’t think she knows, brother,” Cheryl whispered to Charles, but loud enough that Missy could hear. “I don’t blame her. It must be really embarrassing to let his pretty girl know that he has gone broke and fallen into huge debt!” Charles said, while they both laughed out loud.

“Gosh! You two are so annoying. Do you ever shut up?!” Missy yelled in frustration, holding her hair like she was going crazy. She hated how they always mocked her and her father.

“We talk for a living, remember?” Charles said, referring to their job as news anchors. Missy scoffed. “Yeah, right. On the news channel that no one watches and pays you meager money,” Missy clapped back, silently praising herself for a beautiful comeback. She saw the look on their faces change from amusement to anger.

“At least we don’t have to steal our money!” Cheryl said with a pained look on her face. “How dare you?!” Missy yelled in annoyance. “My father is not a thief. You guys are just making things up,” she defended.

“She really doesn’t know. Well, let me update you on the latest,” Cheryl said, getting up from the bed where she sat with her brother. She started walking closer to Missy, who backed away from her.

Cheryl looked stunning in her red stiletto heels and blue bodycon dress. She had the perfect facial features that made her look fierce and powerful, especially when she was angry. Missy had almost forgotten how gorgeous this lady was.

“Your father, Carol Johnson, ran into debt with his own business and has been taking out money from the family’s general business for his own personal gains!” Cheryl yelled, staring at Missy deep in the eye with a fierce expression. But Missy refused to budge.

“You don’t know that,” Missy said firmly, but Charles quickly chipped in.

“It’s true. We have all the records and last night, he withdrew an outrageous amount of money that led to this meeting. It’s bad for the family’s business and it’s safe to say that your family is in serious trouble,” he explained and Missy felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“Could it be that father has been using money from the family’s business to fund mother’s treatment?” Missy thought out loud, but quickly recollected herself. She realized she wasn’t supposed to disclose such information.

“What do you mean?” Cheryl asked, obviously hearing every single word that came out of Missy’s mouth. “It’s nothing. You both should leave me alone,” Missy dismissed them, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. She needed to think clearly and calm her head.

“It’s a very unwise decision, what your father did, but if this is the reason, then luckily, he may be considered at the meeting,” Cheryl said in a sympathetic tone, but Missy wasn’t having it anymore.

“Leave!” She snapped at her cousin and her twin brother Charles, who were sitting on her couch. M

“Jeez, relax. We were just feeling sorry for you, that’s all,” Cheryl said defiantly, while walking back to where her brother sat and sitting down beside him.

“Look, Missy, I know we don’t really get along, but we do feel sorry for you and we want to help you. For all I know, they planned on collecting your father’s birthright and putting him in jail for theft,” Charles explained in a sincere voice and Missy’s ears rang at the news.

It wasn’t a pleasant one and she started wondering how her life became that bad. She had always been proud of her father and his achievements. He had taken over the company after his father’s death and made it one of the most successful in the country.

“But they offered a solution,” Cheryl said eagerly, but her brother hushed her.

“Don’t say it, Cheryl. It’s not going to help matters right now,” he said in a regretful voice.

“What’s the solution?” Missy asked, fearing for the worst but she was very curious. She hoped there was a way out of this mess.

“We’re sorry. We’re not in the best position to tell you that, but if there’s a way you can vindicate your father and this business, please do,” Charles said nicely and Missy wondered why.

“Why are you nice to me suddenly?” Missy asked suspiciously. She remembered how they used to bully her when they were kids. They would call her names, pull her hair, and hide her toys. They would also mock her for being a nerd and having no friends.

“We’re grown-ups now, Missy. We just put up that whole drama for old times’ sake,” Charles said with a smile.

“We miss you, cousin,” Cheryl said sweetly, opening her arms wide for a hug and Missy hesitantly walked and enveloped herself in a hug with her.

“Okay, this feels so weird,” Missy said and they all burst into laughter.

They broke the hug and sat down on the couch again. Missy felt a pang of nostalgia as she looked at them. They had grown up so much since she last saw them. Cheryl was still beautiful as ever, with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a designer dress and jewelry that showed off her wealth and status. Charles was handsome and charming, with his brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a suit and tie that made him look professional.

They looked like they had everything they wanted in life, while Missy felt like she had nothing left.

“What about your husband? Still struggling?” Cheryl asked casually but Missy didn’t take any offense because she knew Cheryl had a smart mouth and a sour attitude.

She shrugged and said, “He’s fine. He’s working hard as usual.”

Missy didn’t want to talk about her husband. He was another source of disappointment in her life. She had married him out of love, but soon realized he was not the man she thought he was. He turned out to be poor and even after all the promises he made to her about his inheritance.

“What about your husbandless self? How are you coping without one in your thirties?” Missy clapped back with a victorious smile.