It was an office of a powerful woman. At the top of the tallest building in town. She stared out the window. The people below her lived in her shadow. The king and the king maker. Her whole live she had wanted this one moment. Victory.
Grown men were known to huddle in fear.

When she started to read in Kindergarten. There was a drive in her soul deeper than anything else. This drive pushed her through the years like jet fuel. A pumping sensation in her heart. Her brother was two years older. Even at a young age though she felt protective of him.

Now she had the power to protect anyone. Or destroy anyone. With a snap of her fingers. And she was only 25 years old. Single and full of ambition. She’d never met a man who could handle her. The thrill lasted for an hour. The sex lasted less than a minute. The next morning came empty and alone. Morning after morning through the college years. And now she just gave up.

In school she was called The Ram. As single in focus as a bullet. And hard headed like a hammer. It was a fire inside which made her alive. It was a fire which burned all in its path. The fire was sometimes of lust. And maybe someday it would be a fire of romance. But the only love she had now was her brother.

Five years ago their parents had died. If there was a moment when she felt lost. It was alone in the moment she got the news. But soon it was a shared moment. As one by one the news spread. Like a mold. And one by one they came to her. But as much as they came to support her. They knew and she knew they needed her. Much more than she needed them. She was the child who slept all night as a baby. But she didn’t sleep for nights after she got the news.

And he brother was a wreck. He still lived in the family home. It was now his home. While she could live there, it was too full of the family. And she wasn’t in the family. Her brother broke when told of the deaths. He fell into so many pieces she wondered if he would ever be whole again. It took him three years to be able to live without the nurse.

But today the sky was full of sunshine. Looking down at the city she was happy. It lay around her office like a set of toys. And today was the biggest day of her career. It was the case which would put her in the history books. Sitting at her desk. With a glass of cherry juice in hand, she relaxed. It had taken almost a year.

The case isn’t a part of our story. But I want to share the details anyways. The case was against the biggest bank in town. It was run by the mayor’s brother. His name was Leo, and he had cheated his investors, attempted murder and bribed a city councilmember. Her role was representing over 500,000 investors. This was the biggest case of the year. The biggest case in the state. And brought her not just fame but a slate of new friends. And today is was over. As the phone rang she imagined herself on Necker Island.

“Salut,” she answered hitting the speaker phone button. It was her brother.

“Good job on your case,” he said. “I wanted to call and let you know mom and dad would be proud.”

But she didn’t really care about mom and dad. They grew up in a farm house. A small dusty farm house and they would have been proud of many things. This was a success they couldn’t understand. She had taken on this case alone. Many men had feared to handle it.

“Thank you dear Charles,” she spoke. Most people called him Charlie. But she loved to call him Charles. Most people also didn’t take him seriously. He was an artist and working on his first book of poetry. Alone on the family farm back in Montana.

She had another sister who was touring in Europe. A singer, musician and like Charles a poet. At times it seemed odd how the three of them were so different. Her brother was known as the bull. And while it was partly an unkind jab at his weight. It fit his loyal and strong personality. Their sister was like two people in one. With a love of fashion and art. People called her the third Olsen twin.

“I’d like to come visit you,” Charles stated.

“I’d really love to see you,” she started, “sorry I have to go the governor is on the other line.”

With the phone still in one hand. Charles stood alone on his ranch. The couch hit sat on was his mother’s. And the chair where his father sat. Still sat unmoved all these years. Outside the window he watched the rain roll into the small valley. He didn’t drive. But he couldn’t come to sell their car. Raindrops one by one washed dust from the windows. He looked down at the phone. He loved his sister. But wished she hadn’t moved so far away.

He picked up a sandwich with his other hand. Deep in thought about up coming events he still had the phone. His sister would know how to solve the problem. She had always known how to solve the problem. And this one would be no different. But he had to talk to her in person. So first he must try and gather himself. Get together enough focus to buy a plane ticket. Then take a nap.