Someone To Remember

Chapter 4. The Family Down The Lane

Summer was about to end and University was around the corner, I was even more nervous than before. I heard a lot of stories about university it sounded amazing as well as intense. I was in my room listing out the pros and cons of being in university, like doing my major I've chosen I couldn't wait to do it, I wanted to see the campus, I've seen it before from a distance and it looks wonderful. And I hope I could make some new friends, but because I had my highly timid personality I doubt it would be possible. I'm very nervous about being around so many people, university is much bigger than high school, and high school was already a hand full to get by. I wasn't so keen on the idea of staying in a dorm, I found it to be very uncomfortable, I was planning on telling uncle Ben if I could stay at home.

After I made my list, I felt a little better that the things I was looking forward to were more than the things I was worried about. I had also made another list, it was a list of the stuff I needed to prepare myself for university. I ran downstairs to shop for the stuff for university.

"Where are you going?," aunt Sue asked.

"I'm going to get my stuff for university," I answered.

"Oh okay then, before you go I have some things I need you to buy," she said as she walked towards me and gave me the shopping list.

"Oh yeah and here," she gave me a letter too.

"What is it?," I asked.

"It's a letter for your uncle, give it to him after you finish the list he's at the McNamara's estate the heads of the departments are having a meeting with the president of the corporation."

My first stop was the stationery store, to buy my pencils, notebooks, erasers all that stuff. It usually took me a very short time to grab all that stuff I need but I took quite awhile to get them, I guess I wanted to get things that would last longer. I finally got what I wanted and paid for them. Afterwards I walked in the book store I hated going in there because it always smelt like rotten fish and Mr Johnson who owned the place looks like he hadn't eaten or slept in years, and he wondered why the local kids called him ghost man. As I was in the store getting the books I needed, I saw Mrs Jacobs approaching me.

"Hello Isabella getting your books for university."

"Yes I am."

"I still can't believe your aunt agreed to send you to university, you know how she's like."

"Yes I do," I smiled.

"Anyway tell your aunt I'll be stopping by later, see you soon Isabella."

"Bye," I waved at her as she exit the book store.

Mrs Jacobs was aunt Sue's closest friend, she came by the house almost everyday. Herself and aunt Sue always had their little tea talk ever since I moved in, there wasn't a day Mrs Jacobs came by and didn't have tea and biscuits with aunt Sue.

I went to the clothing store next, the person who ran the place was Mrs Graham she was a mid age sassy woman also a widow, she had quite a reputation around Lockmore. Every holiday she sends gifts to uncle Ben and often flirts with him when they bump into each other somewhere, my aunt called her the town tramp. I was scanning through the clothes picking out the ones I liked, until I saw Mrs Clark and her daughter Annabel Clark, they were at the dressers area. Annabel was trying on a dress. Annabel Clark was one of my classmates, she came from quite a wealthy family in Lockmore. I didn't really know her, I just saw her around the school with the other rich kids, she's the type of person who didn't really associate with the lower classes.

"Oh that dress looks beautiful on her, what's it for," Mrs Graham asked.

"Oh I know she's going to look stunning when she meets him," Mrs Clark answered.

"Who?," Mrs Graham was curious.

"You obviously heard the news that one of the McNamara's sons is turning twenty one you know what that means," Mrs Clark replied.

"Ah yes, it's these days I wish I was young again," Mrs Graham laughed.

So one of the McNamara's sons was turning twenty one, so that's the news everyone was talking about around town, that means every girl in town was going to get dolled up. I picked out the clothes I wanted, I went to the counter and paid for it.

"Hello Isabella," Mrs Graham greeted.

"Hello."

"How's your uncle?," she asked.

"He's doing well," I answered.

I walked out of the clothing store, I looked at my list and realized I finished it, so it was time to start aunt Sue's list. I went to the grocery store, as I was at the grocery I was very cautious. I had to make sure everything I got was on the list, I even got the things that weren't in the house. Once I paid for all the grocery's, It was time to head to the McNamara estate.

During my Journey there I stared at the McNamara estate as I came closer and closer to it, I always wondered why they chose to live in a little town like Lockmore, was it because it was a peaceful town were everyone knew each others names and their was no conflict or was it to make them look modest, their huge estate was at the end of Lockmore, just down the lane from my house.

The McNamara's were a billionaire Irish American protestant family, they were the owners of the McNamara foreign trade corporation, an international industry that is known throughout the world. The president of the corporation was Shamus George McNamara his wife's name was Mary Jane McNamara, they have five children all of them were boys, George McNamara the first born followed by Matthew McNamara, Eoin McNamara, Eric McNamara and Sean McNamara, I didn't see them around Lockmore much and when I did there were always busy.

I arrived at the McNamara estate I told the Guard who was standing at the gate that I had a message, I even showed him the letter, he let me in, the estate was amazing so beautiful, it looked like a place only a king would live. I approached the door and grabbed the huge golden door knocker and knocked three times, a maid opened the door.

"I'm looking for Ben Marshall."

"Oh yes Mr Marshall, just go to the third floor and turn left you'll see a large double door that's were he is."

"Okay thank you," I walked upstairs to reach the third floor, inside the mansion it was even more elegant. It was rich golden with fine furniture that seemed highly expensive and a large chandelier in the middle of the hallway. When I was at the second floor I saw a woman talking to one of the maids she was wearing a beautiful red dress and her blonde hair was tied up. Once she turned around I recognized the woman right away, it was Mary Jane McNamara. She was staring at me, next thing I knew she was approaching me.

"What a beautiful flower we have here and who are you?," she asked.

"My name is Isabella, Isabella Swanson and I'm just going to give something to my uncle, Ben Marshall," I answered.

"Oh so your the niece he's mentioned," she smiled.

"Yeah that's me," I replied.

"Come on I'll take you to him," I followed her to the third floor. Once we got to the double doors, the meeting was already over and the men were leaving, uncle Ben was the last person to leave, I walked up to him.

"Hello uncle."

"Oh Isabella what are you doing here?," he asked.

"Aunt Sue wanted me to give this to you," I handed him the letter, he looked at the letter with uncertainty and put it in his briefcase.

"Ben why did you not tell me that your niece was this gorgeous young woman?," she asked.

"I don't know Mrs McNamara," he answered.

"How old are you darling," she asked me.

"I'm eighteen ma'am," I answered.

"Well mannered this one," she smiled.

"Yes she is," uncle Ben giggled awkwardly.

Myself and uncle Ben had to leave, Mrs McNamara invited the family for tea on Wednesday, the invitation surprise uncle Ben and I accepted the offer and left the McNamara estate. Tea with the McNamaras uh wait until aunt Sue hears about it.