Chapter 1 - The Bennet
I look forward to our unplanned adventures,
even if we have a plan,
let’s always try to let our hearts guide our journeys
Eric Guilmette, Sex and oatmeal
***
Little Jane Bennet has been waiting for several minutes with her nose pressed against the window for her mother’s car to finally arrive. She glances intermittently at the playroom clock.
Her brothers, James and David, are passing the time by playing an endless game of chess. They stopped counting the minutes long ago.
Suddenly, the sound of an engine could be heard in the distance. A few seconds later, Ms. Bennet’s car approached the large park on their estate.
“Hurry up, they’re here! Let’s go welcome them!” Jane exclaimed, smiling.
“Calm down,” James said gently. “You’re going to scare him.”
“Come on! I want to see our new brother!” she said, leaving the room with a bounce in her step.
The three of them arrived in the huge hall, ready to meet their new adoptive brother. The door opened to reveal Brandon Conelly, their mother’s nephew and godson.
“Great, kids! You’re here!” he said, delighted that they had come to welcome him.
“So, where is he?” Jane asked impatiently.
“He’s outside with your mother. This is a big step for him. You have to be patient.” Right, Jane? They’ll be here soon. He’s shy and hasn’t opened up much yet. I’m counting on you to take it slow with him over the next few days. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes!” the children replied in unison.
The door opened again and their mother appeared, relieved to see them all there to welcome the new family member.
“Children, thank you all for being here,” she said. “Let me introduce you to your new brother, Taylor.”
Taylor’s face finally appeared before them. He was a handsome five-year-old boy with brown hair and a fearful look in his eyes.
He was now part of the Bennet family. The family would grow with the arrival of George and Emma. They were all children adopted by Mrs. Marianne Bennet. She was the wealthy widow of Mr. Henry Bennet. Mr. Bennet lost his life in a terrible accident, which changed the fate of his wife, leaving her a widow at the age of 25.
A few years earlier, Ms. Bennet’s infertility led to the adoption of James. Despite being a young mother and widow, she fulfilled her husband’s wish for a large family. With a heart full of love, she adopted five children for whom she could ensure a bright future. She alone could not run her late husband’s empire.
Thus, everyone in Greenwich knew the Bennets. They all had incredible destinies. For Taylor, however, his story was just beginning.
20 years later
“Nonsense, you’re wrong about the Wood case, James!” David retorted, chewing his salad.
“What? Come on. He didn’t stand a chance against Peterson,” James replied, quick as a flash.
The verbal battle between the older brothers had been raging for several minutes. It was what you might call a fraternal meal at La Fourchette restaurant. This was a regular occurrence for James and David. The two loved to contradict each other and debate the city’s financial activity. The other Bennet siblings knew the routine by heart. They were just starting their meals. Jane had tried to separate them so they wouldn’t be sitting next to each other. But nothing could stop the older brothers, not even a reshuffling of chairs.
So, the five Bennets gathered for their monthly meal at their favorite table to catch up on news. They were all very busy with family affairs. James and David had taken over the financial side of the empire. This led to numerous confrontations between bites of salad and rump steak, as they never had enough time at work.
Jane had taken charge of the entertainment division and was planning the acquisition of several multimedia production companies.
Taylor and George had completed their studies in arts and communications. Their choices naturally gravitated toward Jane and her project. George and Jane were, in fact, discussing the company Ink.Art.
Emma watched her older brothers while eating her fish. She was still studying law and foreign languages. Because the empire was international. And Emma excelled at learning five languages and was finishing her studies at Oxford in England.
As for Taylor, he was writing in his brown leather notebook. His reserve and shyness were still there. His discretion was legendary. Alone with his thoughts. Taylor loved to read, but above all, he loved to write. Poems. Absorbed in his thoughts, he forgot to eat what he had ordered.
George finally snapped him out of his reverie by nudging his arm.
“Tay, you gotta eat! Put that notebook down for two minutes, everyone’s finished except you.”
“Uh, sorry,” he replied, picking up his fork again.
He began to eat, glancing around the room at the other customers in the restaurant. His favorite game was finding people dressed in the same color.
White, he thought, before scanning the room like a detective. The waiter, a woman two tables away from him, a man to his left. Then, further away, his eyes fell on a pretty young woman with sparkling eyes and long blond hair. She was with two women with red hair. This puzzled him.
When, once again, George and Jane brought him back to reality.
“Tay, no time for daydreaming! We have to go to our meeting. There’s an emergency at the office. We have to deal with it first,” Jane said emphatically.
Taylor finished his last bite, took a sip of water, and hurriedly gathered his things. He stood up, kissed Emma goodbye, and said bye to his brothers.
He headed for the exit where Jane and George were waiting to catch the first taxi. He walked past the girl’s table and their eyes met.
In his haste, he didn’t notice that his poetry notebook had fallen. His precious notebook.
The noise caught the girl’s attention, and she picked it up.
“Here’s a notebook,” she said to herself. It must have fallen from the bookshelf on the wall opposite her.
She opened the notebook to take a look inside.
Poems by T.B.
