All the plans near fruition and I can't deny feeling a certain level of excitement that years of waiting on the sidelines will soon end. Watching and waiting became talents of mine that I'm happy to set aside. Though, I also can't deny my pride in watching her becoming a woman, meeting the world without any help from me.
The way I wanted. The way it needed to be. The instructions I left George years ago couldn't have been clearer - everything must wait until she is ready. The money. The estate. Our meeting. I knew her last as a child, to tell the truth. A broken child that sparked something in me that lives to this day.
What will I find when I meet her? I hear many rumors on the television, but I've learned to disregard most of that as noise. However, some of it must be based on a version of the truth. The question is, how close of a version does the media portray?
I see my old friend, Marcus hovers over her like a fawning schoolboy. He seems quite smitten with her if I can judge by his appearance when he goes to visit the mansion. The man brings flowers, that's all I need to say. What part is he playing here? Is he really under some spell or is it a ruse to draw me out of the shadows? Well, no matter what happens or what Marcus thinks, I am not returning to see him.
The one I must see before I return is my brother. He hasn't answered my texts or calls or e-mails of late and has fallen in with a political group, much as we did all those years ago. They say history repeats itself. Can it be true he intends to protest with these people? On my desk, next to this notebook I write in, I see a flyer for a planned event. A group opposing tax breaks for the rich or some such thing like that. Perhaps I should seek him at this rally.
For now, I wait. And watch. I see you, Ella. I'm not far away. And I will return soon.