It was the summer of 1999 when Michael got a strange call. The person speaking from the other end informed him that he needed to go home immediately since something had happened to his mother. He was shocked and confused – with different thoughts and emotions running through his mind. Michael had not returned home since his 25 th birthday, and now he was 35 years old and working as a prestigious lawyer in the city. He wondered whether he needed to go and what the urgency was for – his hometown bore fond memories about his childhood but also had the worst memory in his life. Thinking about home and the people he had left behind in that small town was nostalgic for Michael, and he did not know what make of his thoughts and emotions.
Michael had grown up in a nurturing and loving home with both of his parents always there to provide for him and his younger brother, Scott. Scott and Michael were inseparable as children and would always be spotted together playing on the streets. Michael always took care of his younger brother and was always ready to protect him from bullies while in school. When Michael was ten years old, and Scott was eight years old, their father had a heart attack while at work and died. This was a major setback for the family as they had always depended on Michael's das to provide for them. Mrs. White had never worked a day in her life and mainly stayed at home to take care of the household duties. As a housewife, Mrs. White was mainly concerned with ensuring that the domestic affairs of the home were well handled – while her husband worked in the town's milling company.
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The death of Mr. White was the beginning of all the changes that Michael, Scott and Mrs. White would have to adapt to. Mrs. White had to raise the boys by herself as well as look for a source of income to manage the family’s financial and economic needs. The boys were still young and required a lot of support from their parents to ensure that they did not lack the essential resources that would enable them to grow up and be successful young men.
Mr. Smith had left behind insurance policy money that Mrs. White would claim after his passing. However, the money was only enough to support the family for just a year. Thus Mrs. White knew that she would need to find an alternative source of income. Michael and Scott would often come to their mother and offer her emotional support whenever they saw her sad or crying over the loss of their dad. Despite their young age, the boys seemed to understand how much their mother struggled emotionally and financially.
One evening as Mrs. White was going through the local daily newspaper; she came across an advertisement that required someone to fill in an assistant position in a reputable law firm in the neighboring town. Mrs. White knew that this would be a great opportunity for her and her two sons. However, this would mean that she would have to commute for forty-five minutes every single day in the morning and in the evening to make it on time for work. Who would take care of her children once they got back from school - Mrs. White could not afford to pay a baby sitter every day to watch her boys for her as she drove off from work. As Mrs. White sat there staring at the newspaper, she knew that she had to take the job and figure out how she would manage the boys while working. In addition to this, she had not worked in a formal setting for the past ten years – this made her anxious as she wondered whether she would be able to fit in the current work environment. Things must have changed, she thought.
The next morning Mrs. White drove the boys at school went back home and applied for the position she had seen the previous night. She received a call back from the law firm which requested her to go to their offices for an interview the following morning. As Mrs. White drove to her possible new workplace, she could not help and reflect on all the happy days she had spent with her late husband. They would take road trips every other weekend before the children were born. Such memories filled were with determination as she knew that it was necessary for her to do her best to provide for her family. At the law firm Mrs. White sat and waited for her turn, she did her interview and pleaded with them to give her an opportunity as she was desperate. The lawyer that Mrs. White was expected to work for was impressed by her determination and resilience and decided to give her an opportunity.
Michael and Scott would stay at Mrs. Jill's library after school and wait for their mom to come and pick them. Mrs. White had organized with the school for the boys to be dropped off at Mrs. Jill every evening. Mrs. Jill was a widow who had lived in the town for thirty years; she ran the library with her husband before his passing. Everyone in town knew Mrs. Jill and were fond of her; thus it was not hard for the boys to get along with her. As Michael grew older, he would work at the library during the summer breaks, and most of his summer memories since the age of twelve were built from spending time in that library.
Mrs. White worked hard within a year she had enrolled herself in a real estate course. She did not want to continue spending a lot of his time at work and desired to work closer to home. After five months into her course, Mrs. White was a certified real estate agent. She invested her savings from the previous year to purchase and renovate an old and rustic house at the top of the hill- which he would later renovate and sell for a profit. Once her first real estate project was a success, Mrs. White began investing in old homes, renovate them and sell them at a price. As a result, she managed to work from home and occasionally go out for appointments; this allowed her to spend more time with the boys and help them with their homework.
Once Michael completed his high school, he went off to college and studied law whereas Scott had the adventurous spirit. Scott travelled the world seeking new adventures every other season. During his time in college, he studied International Relations and Diplomacy – and would often participate in foreign exchange programs that enabled him to spend a semester studying abroad.
During Michael’s 25 th birthday, he drove home to be with his family and bring his girlfriend Stephanie to meet them. Michael's mom and brother were excited to meet Stephanie. Besides each of them had longed to spend time together after being away from each other for five months – Scott had been in Paris for three months, and Michael had been busy with his studies. Once Michael and Stephanie arrived at Mrs. White's home they were welcomed with a lot of love and happiness from Scott and Mrs. White. They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up and sharing the memories that they had created separately.
That evening, Stephanie and Scott went out to buy a few groceries and drinks for dinner. Earlier on, Michael had prepared a surprise for Stephanie, and this was part of the plan. Michael and Scott agreed that they would distract her, while he prepared on how to propose to her. Mrs. White and Michael prepared dinner as Scott and Stephanie were away. This is the moment that Michael had always been waiting for, to ask his college sweetheart to marry her. They had been dating for three years now, and Michael had anticipated making Stephanie his wife once they graduated from college. This night would mark the beginning of their future together. Scott and Mrs. White were more than happy to hear of the engagement plans that Michael had. AS Mrs. White and Michael organized the house in preparations for the main event, Scott drove Stephanie through town showing her of all the places that he and his brother spent time together playing. However, as they approached the local store, a lorry rammed into their car from the right side - forcing Scott and Stephanie to swerve into the roadside lake.
The lorry driver was drunk and failed to control the car brakes when Scott and Stephanie were approaching. Scott attempted to sway away from the lorry, but it was too late. Back in the house, Michael and his mother grew anxious as Scott and Stephanie took long to come back – they were not answering their phones, and this made them nervous. As Michael was about to leave the house to look for them, two police officer came and informed them of what had happened. Scott and Stephanie were involved in a car accident and died on the spot.
Michael sat at his office desk reminiscing about all these events, and he could not help but tear up. Immediately after the funeral arrangements, Michael left Smallville and has never gone back there – he has never come to terms with the idea that it is in this town that he lost his brother, father, and love of his life. Occasionally, Mrs. White would visit him in the big city, and they would take trips across the country, but Michael had never wanted to go back to Smallville. Now he was confronted thought of going back; he could not refuse. The only person he had loved and cared for in the world was there, and he was required to go back for her sake.
