The Mayor

The whispers in the room were endless. They just wouldn't stop until the secret was cracked. Shelly leaned over to her sister, Dixie, and whispered too, filling up her ear and warming it with excitement boiling mildly. In the corner a fan blew around the steam from lukewarm coffee awaiting to be drank by the guests, but it stood motionlessly. Ripples were rigid, and broke the stillness of the liquid.1

"Dixie, I even heard that..." the talk continued.2

Two hours later, a black limousine pulled up outside. No one noticed but the young girl, and she quietly excused herself to see this man of wonder. Was he good-looking? Was he rude, polite? Was he old, young? Did he have a wife or children? Did he have butlers open the door for him? She paced through each question, in the same rhythm as her steps quickening and stopped just outside the glass door.3

She smiled.4

He opened the door himself, and swiftly stood up, closing the door behind him as the car drove off. He was quite big in general, his cheeks slightly bloated and a bit of a beer belly flopping out clearly in his tuxedo. The man fixed up his tie. Dixie giggled at this. His character seemed friendly, a smile already blooming on his face, even when he saw her hiding. He walked to her.5

Surprised, she stepped out and muttered a hesitant apology. She had never before been to one of the town meetings. This was her first time. He laughed.6

"You certainly are very young. What's your name, child?"7

"... Dixie, sir."8

He looked warmly at her and took her hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Dixie. And what are you doing out of your 'cage'?" He signaled the quote marks with two fingers.9

Dixie pondered at first, wondering what he meant, until slowly she understood. It was just a joke referring to the long hours of waiting and never leaving that room for days on end for this man. He was said to be able to change the world with one click; curiosity was what led her out. She smiled, and shook his hand. It was surprisingly cold.10

"Sir! Have you a cold? Do come inside - we have some coffee..." she trailed off noticing that he was shaking his head.11

"My hands tend to be cold quite naturally. But thank you for your concern..." he looked around. "Come, let us have a walk before people start to get frantic. Just for a while. Just so I can know some more about you, Dixie."12

The excitement was still left dry from Shelly's whispers, but soon it heated back up to the bubbling happiness. She took the man's hand and followed him into the garden. The sun was already high in the sky, shadows already shortened. He asked her a great many questions, each answer with the same enthusiasm, and Dixie felt proud to have known this Man of Wonders before anyone else; most especially before her sister. He was very easy-going on his questions, not too personal, but not too serious either.13

Eventually, after glancing at his watch, he came to realize it was time to meet his other fans and tell them the secret.14

"Dixie."15

"Mhm... ? I mean, yes sir?" she replied dazed.16

"I would like to share with you the secret. I would like to tell you before anyone else. But first I would like your permission, please." His eyes seemed to dance with sadness, the smile only seeming to be forced, but Dixie gave her permission all the same.17

"I am a so-called Man of Wonders, I have done many good deeds, everyone loves me, and I love everyone too.18

"But this is vital information, and today is the only day that people will ever be able to find out. Today is the last day they will see me."19

Dixie blinked out confusion. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't quite know what you mean. Are you resigning from being our mayor?"20

"I have been mayor since I was twenty-eight. Now I am sixty-two. I would never give up this job."21

"Then what are you trying to say, sir?"22

The mayor took a deep breath and knelt in front of her, cupping her hands in his. "Dixie, I have cancer. I am dying."23

---24

Disbelief shook the mourners of the mayor. The new mayor, the second-most loved man, a man name Matthew James and nephew, now took his place. The funeral was held at the garden, the same garden that Dixie had walked through with him and shared her secrets with him, and his with her. She was the only one invited out of the rest of the town, and now stood praying with his family and close friends.25

The mayor had cancer.26

He had died just a week after he told her.27

And now he was buried under the apple tree where a paved square was cemented to the ground. Tears escaped, knowing that he had only just met her, and was confident enough to tell her. And now she weeped with guilt that she hadn't told him HER secret.28

She had cancer too.29