THE RISE OF THE CONGRESS MAN

004

004

Mr. Harthaway cleared his throat.

“Malcolm, meet me at my office tomorrow morning,” he said, his tone calm but firm. “We’ll talk about your future there.”

Malcolm nodded gratefully. “Yes, sir. I’ll be there.”

But the moment felt too peaceful. Too good. And as expected, it didn’t last.

Anthony, the man Aurora had once wanted to marry, scoffed loudly. His face became angry as he pointed a finger at the whole family.

“You all will regret this,” he spat. “You think he’s better than me? You’ll see. Don’t come crawling back when he brings shame to your name!”

With those words, he stormed out of the living room, slamming the door behind him.

Aurora’s brothers, clearly alarmed, exchanged glances and chased after him.

“Anthony, wait! Calm down, let’s talk about this!” Alvin called out.

“We’ll sort it out, man!” Belvin added as they disappeared through the door.

Malcolm stood still, piecing things together. It now made sense. Anthony must have been close to the family.

Maybe even like a brother to Aurora’s siblings. That explained their anger and hesitation.

Aurora stepped closer to Malcolm with a small smile. “Can I give you my number?” she asked softly.

Malcolm’s heart skipped. He wanted to say yes immediately, but then he remembered the state of his phone.

It was old, scratched, and had a cracked screen. Most times, it didn’t even ring properly unless he hit it twice.

He hesitated for a second, embarrassed, but forced a smile and pulled it out of his pocket.

Aurora didn’t seem to care. She reached for the phone gently and typed in her number before handing it back to him.

But just as she did, the front door swung open, and her brothers came back in, both of them visibly angry.

“You seriously gave him your number?” Alvin barked at Aurora.

Then they turned to their father.

“Dad, are you sure about this?” one of them said, gesturing to Malcolm. “You really want this guy in our family? He can’t even afford a decent phone!”

The other one added, “Look at him! His clothes look so worn out to the extent that they are begging to be changed!”

Malcolm’s face turned red with embarrassment. He didn’t say a word. There was no need to defend himself because it was clear what they thought of him.

“I think I should leave now,” Malcolm said quietly, putting the phone in his pocket.

He didn’t want to speak disrespectfully to Aurora’s brothers because they were her siblings and also Mr Hathaway’s children.

He didn’t blame her brothers for acting like that. They knew Anyhony way longer than they knew him so their actions were justifiable even though they were going about it the wrong way.

Mr. Hathaway nodded slowly. “Alright. Be at my office by 9 am,”

Without another word, Malcolm walked out of the house.

He took a long bus ride back to his tiny apartment, staring out the window the whole time.

His thoughts were heavy, but deep down, he was still hopeful. At least Mr. Hathaway still believed in him and so did Aurora.

Also he wasn’t going to be jobless and would be able to afford three square meals.

The next morning, Malcolm got ready early. He had no other work clothes to wear because his other work clothes were torn and needed repair but he didn't have the money to fix it yet, so he wore the same outfit from the day before which he washed and dried overnight.

He brushed his black suit off, trying to look as neat as he could. He couldn’t afford to be late or messy for the opportunity of a lifetime.

When he got to Mr. Hathaway’s office, the receptionist looked up and quickly showed him to the top floor.

Mr. Hathaway was already at his desk, reading through documents. When he looked up and saw Malcolm, he smiled, but his eyes scanned him from head to toe.

“You wore the same clothes?” Mr. Hathaway asked gently.

Malcolm nodded. “Yes, sir.” He blushes in embarrassment.

Mr. Hathaway sighed and stood up. “Let’s go shopping. We’ll get you a few nice outfits. We can’t have you looking like this when you’re starting a new life.”

Malcolm’s heart warmed at the offer, but he raised his hand politely.

“No, sir. Thank you so much, but I’ll have to say no.”

Mr. Hathaway raised a brow, clearly surprised. “Why not?”

Malcolm took a deep breath. “Giving me a job is already more kindness than I ever expected. I want to work hard and earn money to buy new clothes. I want to look at them and feel proud, knowing I bought them with my own effort.”

There was a pause.

And then, slowly, Mr. Hathaway smiled.

“With every passing hour, you make me more sure that I made the right choice,” he said.

Malcolm smiled too, feeling a sense of pride he hadn’t felt in a long time.

For the first time since the fire that ruined his life, Malcolm didn’t just feel like a survivor.

He felt like someone building something new but he couldn't stop himself from having doubts.

Would his marriage with Aurora work? Would all this good things that had started happening in his life last?