17
Percy
Ifelt like I was walking into an execution. The last twenty-four hours had really destroyed me. The emotional highs and lows had been extra high and low. But now, after a long day in the bakery, it was time to see what the city of Foggy Basin was going to do about the resort and their insistence on removing the businesses on our side of town.
The word on the street was not good. The mayor and city council really felt that the resort was a necessity, and the tourism that it would bring in would be important enough for them to threaten eminent domain for the building of the megalopolis that would soon destroy the view of the lake. Two words that could destroy everything that we had built.
The other owners met me outside in front of the hall, and it was glaring when some of them didn’t show up. They had signed the agreement, and the money had been too much for them to ignore. I got it. Small businesses were a lot of work, and the struggle could be painful. They had decided to rip the band-aid off. Maybe they would rebuild on the other side of town, ormaybe they had decided to retire. Either way, it only hurt our cause.
“Looks like Roger and Paul have thrown in the towel. I have to say that last offer really made me think,” Susie sadly shook her head. “I guess this is it, kid. You did a real good job, though. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t win.”
“Thanks, Susie.” I glanced around at everyone and was shocked to find Tim in the group. “I’m glad you could join us.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he grinned. “I think we’re all going to be surprised.”
“You think we’re gonna win?” Susie huffed. “We all know that George wants this to go through. We’re fucked.”
“We’ll see. I think I have hope, Susie.”
“Hope you have enough for us all,” Tammy Sue laughed. “Because I am all tapped out.”
“Let’s just get this over with. If they’re gonna take it away, I want them to tell me to my face.” I walked up the stairs and turned around to face my friends. I hadn’t known most of them very well at all when I moved back. But we had banded together, and I was glad to be facing the firing squad with all of them. “Remember that no matter what happens, we don’t have to let it be the end.”
“This is it for me, kid. If they force me to sell, I’m not going to try to rebuild. I’ll just retire somewhere else. I don’t think I’d want to stay here,” Susie said sternly.
“Well, let’s see what they have to say.” I turned and opened the door. Everyone followed me into the small auditorium, where the city council had their monthly meeting. I was shocked to see so many other people sitting on the benches. I had only ever came to one of these things when the first offer arrived, and it had been practically empty. Only Evelyn seemed to ever be here.
That wasn’t the case today. Ben’s mother, Nancy, was sitting in the front row. Most of our town had filled the benches, except for the front right row. That must be the greedy corporate monsters in their very expensive suits. They stood out like a sore thumb amongst the town’s people.
“Give them hell,” our resident burly lumberjack, Nate, said as I walked by. Ezra waved, and Ken Johnson looked angry. He was usually so pleasant at the gas station.
“Looks like almost everyone is here,” Mayor George Nelson stood up and looked down the dais where the other seven members of the city council sat. He didn’t look very well. I guess telling your friends that they were losing everything they had wasn’t very good for his disposition.
“Sorry, I’m late. I was… uh… looking at those numbers, and…” The mayor's assistant started whispering something in his ear. He pulled out a folder and handed it to the mayor. Everything stopped as the mayor passed the folder down the line to the rest of the council members. They nodded one at a time, and eventually, the folder was sent back down the line to the mayor.
“Alright. We only have one order of business today: the land lease and business acquisition by the outside firm Boyd, Hollman, and Brooke, as well as a few Foggy Basin business owners who I know would like a chance to be heard. We will keep to the schedule as prepared for this meeting.” He looked at his watch and glanced around the auditorium as if he were looking for someone. “Shall we begin?”
“The first person on the agenda is Susie Stanton of Susie’s Dress Emporium.” The mayor’s assistant read from the agenda.
“You got this, Susie.” Tammy Sue patted her on the back as she stood up and made her way nervously to the microphone.
“My name is Susie Stanton, and I know everyone in this room except for the gentlemen sitting to my right in the very fancysuits. They look very expensive and well-tailored. I have had the pleasure of selling upscale clothes in town for the last twenty-eight years. Almost every high school senior has bought their formal attire at my store. Many of the ladies in town wear what they acquired in my store to church or out to eat at one of our fantastic local restaurants.” She cleared her throat.
“After I graduated high school, I went off to find myself, and when that didn’t work, I eventually came back to my home – to Foggy Basin, and I have never left. When my grandmother passed away, I used the money that she had left me to start this store. A nest egg that was given in love which allowed me to become a proud Foggy Basin business owner. I have enjoyed watching the joy on your faces when you found the right dress in my store. I have felt like a part of your families over the years and have developed many friendships during that time because of the service that I provided to the town. It has been one of my greatest pleasures. I am not ready to retire. I enjoy what I do. But if I am forced to move because my business is being taken away from me, no matter the payout, I will not reopen. This town will have told me how important I am to them, and I don’t think I would have the energy to rebuild.” She cleared her throat again. “That’s all, George.”
The mayor smiled at her. “Thank you, Susie.” He glanced back around the room. “Who’s next?”
“We only have one more business owner to speak to before we get to the rest of the business, Sir.” The assistant said quietly. “How much time do we…”
“Percy Armstrong, we would all like to hear from you, please. It’s your turn, young man.” George abruptly stood up and glanced again around the auditorium. He frowned and sat back down.
“You got this, Percy,” Tim put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Speak for the rest of us.”
I stood up and made my way down the aisle. Tammy Sue moved her knee so I could slide by, and I walked up to the microphone.
“My name is Perseus Armstrong, and I have had the pleasure of being a part of the business community of Foggy Basin well before I was ever born. My parents visited Foggy Basin on their honeymoon and moved here shortly afterward. They began a business called Don’t Go Bakin’ My Heart well before I was ever born. They baked cakes for the special occasions in everyone’s life. They made cupcakes and cookies for little league games, as well as a thriving storefront that people visited often to get their sugar fix.”
“When they told me they wanted to retire, I left my job at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France to come home. That’s how much this place meant to me—not just the bakery but the town itself. Foggy Basin has been and always will be my home. Its people will always be my people because that is the joy of living in a small town. We stick together and do what is right for each other.”
