Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Calvin McConnell!

The first line said:

‘Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived‘.

After reading two paragraphs, Aneira was amazed by Neil’s literary skills.

When did he develop such spectacular writing skills?

Aneira was raised wealthy. She had read plenty of novels and could tell which ones were good.

The first two paragraphs were beautifully written and concise. It was descriptive and explained to the reader the type of people the characters were.

However, a bestselling novel didn’t just depend on the writing style. More important were the setting, framework, characters, and plot points.

She continued reading.

To her surprise, the characters were interesting and relatable.

Aneira felt her chest tighten.

The following few paragraphs describe the dynamics of the family and the family’s tolerance for weirdness.

Strange happenings in the form of a reading cat and owls flying in broad daylight escaped Mr. Vince Doyle.

It came to a boiling point when he heard a group of strangely dressed talking about his sister–in- law’s family and their son, Harold Patter.

Vince Doyle was rattled. He hurried home in search of some normalcy.

This was the turning point of the story.

Aneira read on.

He arrived home to find that his wife, Priscilla Doyle, had had had a completely normal day, absent from any of the strangeness he had experienced.

The evening news confirmed his fears. There had been a downpour of shooting stars and flocks of owls flying around in broad daylight. Vince had no choice but to broach the subject with his wife.

A strangely dressed man, Abram Davidson, and his strange device that turned off all the lights on the street were introduced.

The story ended here.

Maybe Neil stopped because he was too tired, or perhaps it was writer’s block.

The moonlight seeping in the window illuminated Neil’s sleeping face. Ancira stared at him in surprise.

How could he possibly have written such a spectacular introduction?

During the night, while she watched the children, Aneira would watch tv while mending clothes for customers.

She had watched plenty of fantasy shows.

Shows like these had similar plotlines–the fight between good and evil. The incredibly powerful protagonist would go on a quest to beat the main antagonist.

It was the same theme over and over again. Rinse and repeat. Aneira was bored with the stereotypical plot.

But Neil’s prologue was a sight for sore eyes..

Had he turned over a new leaf?

Aneira put down the manuscript.

She’ll keep an eye on him for a while longer. A cheetah never changes its spots, after all. Neil used to gamble, drink, and hit her. It would be impossible for someone to get rid of so many bad habits all at once!

Aneira found it hard to sleep that night.

The next day.

Neil got The two children were still sound asleep. His daughter’s legs lay across her brother’s belly.

Even though Yivi was a girl, she could not stay still in her sleep and liked to roll around.

Luca, on the other hand, slept without moving the whole night.

Aneira stayed awake until dawn before finally falling asleep.

Neil covered the children with blankets.

Air conditioners weren’t common in 1997 as global warming had not become an issue yet.

Summer mornings were still quite cool.

Neil changed into clean clothes and went downstairs for a run.

Even though he was in the best shape of his life after the rebirth.

Neil had achieved so much in his past life. He won many awards domestically and abroad in singing, film, and television.

He understood how important health and stamina was.

Without a healthy body, he might as well give up on his plans for the future!

He came to a small park and started running laps around it.

A lot of people had tuned in to yesterday’s singing competition.

There were murmurs at his appearance.

“Isn’t he that prodigal, Neil Grant?”

“Rumor has it he quit gambling and drinking after winning yesterday. He’s turned over a new leaf.”

“I find that hard to believe. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

“I feel the same way too. I’ll give it two days before he returns to his old ways.”

“I heard that he owes a million! You can count the number of millionaires in our country with one hand! He’s so poor. I find it hard to believe he’ll be able to pay it!”

Neil ignored their gossiping.

After his run, he went to the market for some groceries.

While the price for meat was only four dollars per kilogram at this time, they didn’t have a refrigerator, so he could not buy more.

Neil requested a small piece of meat from the butcher. He bought cheese, a loaf of bread, and some vegetables.

He took a shower as soon as he got home.

He made ham and cheese sandwiches before waking up the children.

“Papa! Hugs!” Yivi wiped her eyes sleepily. She flung her arms around his neck.

Neil lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek.

She tended to drool while sleeping. Her face still smelled of saliva.

But Neil didn’t shy away from her. He hugged her tightly and rubbed noses with her.

Luca was still wary of him. He got out of bed without a word, slipped into his slippers, and went to wash up.

He was only two and a half years old. He could barely reach the sink.

Standing on his toes, he grabbed the toothpaste and toothbrush. Filling his cup with water, he crouched in the corner and brushed his teeth.

Neil sighed. Aneira taught them well.

Children from the city could barely feed themselves at the age of eight.

But his children were already so independent despite being only two years old!

Yivi looked at Aneira, who was still sleeping soundly. “Papa, should we wake Mama?” She whispered.

Neil could see how exhausted Aneira was. “Let her sleep a bit longer. I’ve made breakfast for you.” He whispered back.

“Okay.” She smiled up at him.

There was nothing she feared more than Daddy hitting Mommy But right now, Daddy was so gentle and kind. She felt so much closer to him.

Neil brought Yivi to wash up.

They emerged from the bathroom to find Aneira awake.

Luca stood at her side.

He must have woken her Aneira climbed out of bed. “Neil, what do you think you’re doing?”

He felt as if he had been caught doing something wrong. “I made them some sandwiches.” He mumbled.

Aneira’s suspicions were dispelled when she saw the plates of toasted sandwiches.

She was scared!

She was scared that Neil would kidnap her children and sell them to human traffickers!

Aneira didn’t think she could continue living if something were to happen to her children!

Neil made Aneira another sandwich.

Knowing her worries had not been quelled, he made himself one and ate it before her.

While the rest ate their sandwiches, Neil went to the side to compose some songs.

In 1997, copyright laws were vague and were not regulated. Piracy was rampant, and artists were not as protected as they would be in the future.

Neil planned to write more music and register them with the copyright licensing agency to prevent future disputes.

With that in mind, Neil spent his days composing, writing his novel, keeping up with the chores, and sleeping on the couch at night.

Time flew by.

Aneira noticed him living the life of a responsible person, and he was focused on his music.

She didn’t want to disturb him, so she took the children out during the day. Sometimes when she was rostered to clean the magistrate’s house, she’d take the children with her.

The magistrate’s wife was chatty and very friendly with her.

Five days went by.

Neil realized that he did not receive a notification from the competition organizers.

The competition was on the tenth. It only made sense for them to send the competition details so that the contestants could prepare themselves.

But Neil only had the word of the magistrate to work on. There was no confirmation by letter or by phone.

He had no choice but to call the organizers himself.

To his surprise, the person who answered the phone told Neil that the county had decided to allow Calvin McConnell, the first runner–up, to represent the Cloubury in the competition.