Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Chapter Twelve: All About Andrew Coleman

Third-Person POV

Seven days after Hezekiah's death...

Andrew Nicholas Coleman.

Remember that name, gentle reader, as he is the son of state senator Michael Coleman and Blanche Coleman (nee Sullivan) with the former being the most-respected politician of the commonwealth while his wife was a former Broadway starlet back in the sixties. And despite their best intentions for their son with wholesome family values as practicing Catholics, their son Andrew wanted to live the life of the rich and famous and doing whatever it takes to go after the high life.

And when it came to the Chamblee family, Andrew admired their social wiles as much as he admired (and soon fell  in love with) one Mariah Chamblee, one of the youngest fashion models in the world alongside her twin sister Leigh-Anne. From the moment that they met when they were both in college, it was love at first sight and Andrew knew that she was not only his ticket to his dream life but also his true love.

Unfortunately for him, his father thought otherwise. "Her family are nothing but bad seeds save for two of their sons," the older man commented after Andrew brought Mariah for Thanksgiving dinner during his senior year at Boston College.  "She is not what we stand for in our family. Mark my words, boy. She will only bring you down and ruin your reputation and our family name."

"Your father's right," Blanche agreed, sending a sharp glance at the socialite in question who was busy on her phone. "Something tells me that the Chamblee family is going to be only trouble for you the longer that you stay with that girl. It's best to break things off with her."

Andrew was not to be denied. "Ma, I assure you that Mariah is an angel once you get to know her," the young man defended. "You'll see. Her family has high morals that-"

"They have morals that are deemed impossible to fulfill," his father interrupted. "If you continue to pursue after Miss Chamblee, you will surely regret it. I will never give you my blessing to marry her, Andrew. And if you continue to fight me on this, you will be disowned from the family."

Despite that threat, Andrew stood by Mariah's side and started abandoning his family for Mariah's, her parents Jeffrey and Adelle  immediately taking a liking to him right away during a family dinner after graduation. He was soon charmed by Mariah's twin Leigh-Anne and was idolized by their younger brother Alex. Cameron, however, didn't like Andrew one bit and was immediately cold to him. "You're not good enough for my sister," the pre-teen said when his sisters insisted that he spend time with Andrew during the dinner. "Though you do fit in with this family, there is no way in hell would I see you as my brother. I only have one whom I love more than anything and yet this family treats him like dirt."

That young man in question was none other than Hezekiah Chamblee, the middle child of the family who was kept in boarding schools and camps for the summer and put under lockdown while at home for the school year. "Hezekiah's the oddball in the family," Jeffrey had explained the following weekend. "He's only here because his maternal grandfather wouldn't allow his mother to abort him. He's only the product of a rapist's insatiable desires, though Hezekiah isn't like that rat. He's...well, let's just say that he's not what we stand for. It'd be easier if he was swiftly eliminated."

And when Andrew had the chance to meet the male wallflower when Mariah begrudgingly introduced him during a dinner party (as ordered by Minnie Jean, the head maid), he immediately disliked the young man's bookish appearance and quiet disposition. "He looks like someone who needed to be shot," the young man remarked. "And he still stays in this family?! He should've been done away with a long time ago."

"Trust me, Andy," Mariah replied as they headed back to the main party. "Everyone other than Cameron agrees with you. We all rather see him dead than alive. But as long as he stays out of the way, he'll be fine."