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Fiction Historical Fiction Contemporary

It is not a surprise to me that the man sitting in the royal red velvet chair was making history.  At the stroke of 12:00 pm, John Ross Utterly would be sworn in as the World Federation Leader.  Everyone knew his name, knew what he stood for and overwhelmingly approved of his leadership.  People all over the world were waiting with faded breath for the ceremonies to begin.

There were at least two hundred men and women sitting in the auditorium.  Every news room would have access by relay screens and even bars and restaurants opened early for patrons to watch the inauguration.

But not one person in that room, or spectator really knew anything about John Ross Utterly.  So it is my duty to tell you about him.

He was born on August 12, 2020 in the suburban town of Port Washington, New York, with a shock of blond hair, blue eyes and peachy pink cheeks.  He was the first son born to Margaret and Johnathan Utterly.  He was born in the middle of a pandemic and came out of his mother’s womb in perfect health and with a healthy set of lungs, weighing in at eight pounds and 10 ounces.  He was always a very content child and did not easily give way to temper tantrums or colic, but he made it clear when his diaper had to be changed.

Until John (also referred to as pooh) was four years old, he reached all the milestones on time …. From crawling, to creeping to walking and standing.  His first word was mama and his favorite toy was Pooh Bear.  He had a healthy appetite and he loved the spaghetti-os that his mother made for him almost every night.

His parents were readers and they hoped John would like to read as well and so they read to him every night, pointing to the brightly colored pictures of the cat and the hat with his little striped hat.  He caught on to the tone of the story and started mimicking his mothers voice.  That is when his mother knew it was time to teach him all the letters of the alphabet.  He gobbled them up like candy and was the smartest kid in his kindergarten class.

There was a housekeeper who was hired to take care of the cooking and clearing that was required in a large home.  The housekeeper was from Mexico and her english was very poor, but John used to follow her around the house and she would talk to him in Spanish.  Before anyone knew, John could speak fluent spanish.

John also had a delightful personality and made friends with everyone he met.  The store owners all over town loved when John would stop by with his mother and was given lots oftreats --- from gum at the candy store to fresh baked cookies at the most famous bakery in the center of town.

Now you need to understand that while John was quite admired by everyone he met, he was not exactly squeaky clean and got into trouble when hanging out with his friends.  One day, he and a couple of the boys from his class found a pack of cigarettes that had been dropped by a school bench near the track and field.  The boys decided to grab the pack and went behind the boys gym to see what it would be like to smoke a cigarette.  None would have been the wiser for their prank, but one of the coaches was on his way back from lunch when he smelled the smoke.  He cursed, thinking about how he hated all smokers and caught the boys just finishing the last hit on the cigarette.  The rest of the school heard about the infarction within 15 minutes and the ruffians were suspended for a whole three days.  I don’t believe that John smoked any more cigarettes after that day.

When it came to dating, all the popular girls chased after him.  His head of thick golden hair and his brilliant blue eyes were a chick magnet.  But John was quite shy and had been taught by his parents to be respectful of girls and not find himself in any precarious position that would end up in an unhappy marriage.  John flirted, laughed and had a good time with most of them, but met his one true love while a student at Columbia University.  They went out steadily for three years and married.  He and his new wife Helen would not have any children and that would be the only sore point of their marriage.

When war broke out between the United States and the middle east, John enlisted in the Navy.  Since he had completed his studies in Business Administration and since he was unsure of what he wanted to do, his friends encouraged him to sign up for a few years.   He was given the rank of a lieutenant general and was assigned to a non-combat unit as a Technical Security Threat Officer. His duties included determining where and when enemies might strike next.  

After he had completed service, he and his wife traveled throughout the world, visiting third world countries and began volunteering at shelters and hospitals, feeding hungry children, teaching simple work skills to the older adults so they could provide for their families.

When the couple returned to the states, a friend of John’s suggested that he run for the state senate; “they need good men like you in Congress” and your liberal thinking would make you a great leader one day.”  So John ran for Senator in New York State and won over the incumbent.  His charisma and charm captured everyone who met him.

Let me fast forward his life to the present.  He gathered his family together, his elderly parents, siblings, nieces and nephews and told them that talks were going on in various countries around the world.  These countries wanted to become unified and have one world leader and they had nominated John to fulfill the role and responsibilities.

“Excuse me, the ceremonies are about to begin.  Please take a seat as I welcome….

My brother 

John Ross Utterly to be your first First World Federation Leader of 2045.

Band plays in the background and loud cheers are heard all over the world --- 40 million viewers and counting.

February 13, 2021 02:48

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