The Patriarch!

[Karice]

This is my new Dave story. " (If it seems a bit messy, forgive me. I wrote this part while I was battling both insomnia and boredom. I wrote this part around 1:00 clock at night! )


Part 1


Uncle Joe Winston announced that he was going to retire in March as Winston Patriarch. He'd been the Patriarch since 1977, 28 years ago.


Uncle Lenny, Uncle Joe’s first cousin, automatically begun to think that he was going to run the family, as Patriarch, since he was Uncle Joe's Vice-Patriarch since the beginning.


Lenny was tyrannical and would probably not be the best choice for Winston Patriarch. He would be a damn dictator. We could all see the wicked gleam in his eye as he fantasized about ruling the Winston family.


Lenny said, “Yes! I’m going to be the Patriarch! Victory is mine!”


“Not necessarily,” Uncle Joe said.


“I’m your Vice Patriarch. I automatically become the ruler after you retire,” Uncle Lenny said to Joe, confused.


“No. I have another Patriarch in mind,” Joe said.


“Dave Alexander Winston,” Joe said, smiling at me.


“Lenny said, “Dave is a fu….ing…. child. He’s 16! How is he going to rule this family? I’m 50, much more experienced than he is to rule this family than he is.”



“Dave is loyal to this family, and has been, ever since he was a little child,” Uncle Joe pointed out. “I choose him,” Uncle Joe said, stubbornly.


I was happily shocked. I was going to be the ruler of this family?! Everyone would look at me as an authority figure! Yay!


I saw Ryan flash me a look of jealously. Ryan is my 20 year old brother. He was embittered that his little brother was going to run the family.


Joe said, “Dave, you’ve pulled us through some hard times, and I’m thankful for that. Enjoy your role as Patriarch.


Lenny gave me an embittered look. Then he said to Joe, “In order for Dave to be the family Patriarch, he has to be a father.” He smirked at me.


Uncle Joe’s face fell a bit as he realized Lenny’s point.


“I’m a Godfather,” I pointed out. “I’m Sammy Winston’s Godfather. (Sammy is my 1 year old cousin, who I babysit often.)


“That’s not an actual father,” Lenny sneered.


“I’m a Father Figure,” I shot at Lenny.


Joe said, “This is what you call a technical loophole. Dave being a Godfather to Sammy is sufficient.”


I smirked at Lenny.


Other Winston family members thought at 16, I was too young to rule a 1,000 member family.


“End of discussion. Dave is loyal, sweet, and nice,” Joe said firmly to the naysayers.


Uncle Lenny asked, “Who’s going to be your Vice Patriarch?” I was sure he was trying to bait me.


“Ryan Winston,” I said, smiling at my loving brother.



“No. Ryan is your brother. That’s against Winston morals. Lenny said, smirking. “That’s called family favoritism.”


“Derek Alexander,” I said, thinking of my sweet Alexander cousin.


“He’s an ALEXANDER,” Lenny pointed out. “You can’t pick him, because he’s not a Winston.” Lenny smirked even deeper.


I thought and I thought. “Timmy Winston,” I said, aloud. Timmy was shy, but had good family morals.


“That wimp? You’re gonna choose a soft punk to help you run our family?” Uncle Lenny asked, scornfully.


“Yes,” I said, firmly.


“Then it’s settled. Lenny and Timmy will be Vice Patriarchs,” Joe said.


“I’m going to be the boss! Even my parents will have to do whatever I say! I’m in control!” I gloated to myself happily.


Lenny said, “Dave is a criminal. He’s been to jail three times in less than three months. You want this dirt bag to run such a wholesome family? He’s the Black Sheep of the family.” Lenny snorted.


“That’s enough,” Joe said, in a warning tone. “We’re not perfect. We all make mistakes. Leave Dave alone.”


Lenny pouted. “I should be the head Patriarch, not this jailbird, Dave. I have a clean record. He’s got a dirty record,” Lenny continued to complain.


Uncle Joe looked really fed up now. “Keep bashing Dave, and I will disown you from this family, and you won’t be Vice Patriarch,” Joe said, angrily.


That shut up Uncle Lenny. Lenny slinked off.


Uncle Joe told me in private, “I don’t want you to let Lenny push you around. I don’t care how young you are, or about your criminal past. You’re the one I want to be the Patriarch, not Lenny.”


I smiled at him.


The next day, word of my impending Patriarch spread through the family.


Turns out, the older Winstons were offended that I was going to have control over them, and the kid Winstons were upset that I was going to have control over them, since I wasn’t much older than they were.


It really was a damned if I do situation, and a sucky middle position.


Cindy Winston said, “I’m 12, and you’re 16. I don’t think that you should be ruling me.” She pouted.


Eddie Winston, a 70 year old Uncle said, “No way am I taking orders from a damned 16 year old. Boy, I am old enough to be your grandfather.” He looked peeved.


Uncle Joe talked in my defense. “I don’t want anyone talking bad about my decision to make Dave Patriarch. It’s my good decision, and I’ve decided to keep it. End of discussion,” Joe said firmly again.


The Winstons begrudgingly accepted that I was going to be the Patriarch.

 

[Karice]

Part 2

I soon went home and read some of the Winston Family History Book. That book is like 1,000 pages long. Every Winston born was included in this book, and each Patriarch added their own experience and words of wisdom. I studied that book like a school book. If I was going to be Patriarch, I had to do my studying.


Ryan came into my room. “Why are you studying that book now anyway? You can do that in March, when you become Patriarch. Let’s go to the mall and have pizza and ice cream. My treat,” Ryan said, trying to bait me out of obvious jealousy. It was like trying to bait someone who has lost a lot of weight on a diet, with their favorite junk foods, hoping to make them fat again, out of jealousy.


I stared at Ryan understandably. “Ryan, are you jealous of me being the next Patriarch?” I asked him.


Ryan blushed. “I’m not jealous,” he said, unconvincingly and in tangible denial.


“Ryan, it’s okay to feel jealous,” I told him softly.


Ryan looked at the bedspread. “It’s just that I’m the older brother, and should have the birthright of being Patriarch,” he said.


“Uneasy is the head that wears the crown,” I told him. “Do you want to rule 1,000 Winstons?” I pointed out.


“I don’t, but I don’t feel comfortable knowing that my little brother is going to boss me around,” Ryan admitted.


“Uncle Joe is a fair ruler and he doesn’t boss us around,” I pointed out. “Maybe I can rule like him,” I said.


Ryan said, “I think I’m more resentful than jealous. How would you like to have a 12 year old boss you around?” Ryan pointed out.


“It’s not about being a tyrant. No, that’s not what a Patriarch is about. It’s about doing what’s best for the family.” I smiled at Ryan.


Ryan said, “I actually feel better now.” He smiled back at me.


Ryan left.


I continued studying the Winston History Book. Man, the Winston Ancestors were so awesome! In 1928, my ancestor Sanderson Winston single- handedly provided food for 100 Winston families, getting them through a cold winter. He was only 20 at the time. He worked tirelessly to provide all that food.


In 1953, Sanderson moved his immediate family to the United States from England, to start a new life, after he found a car building job in New York City. He got it, and was able to provide his family for 20 more years, before he died in 1973.

I read more of the interesting Winston Family History book, and then I went downstairs. I saw Dad there. "So, Dave, you're gonna be the Patriarch, huh? How would you love to be in charge of EVERYBODY in this family? All that EXTRA responsibilty sounds great doesn't it?" dad was giving me a weird smile. I could tell he was jealous too and wanted me to not want to be th patriarch.


"Dad, I'm up to the challenge," I told him, unwavering. Dad said, "Dave, you're 16. You aren't even allowed to vote. How are you going to run a family?" Dad pointed out.


"Dad, don't be a naysayer. Just be happy for me," I said.


Dad took a deep look at me. "Dave, do you know how hard it is for me? My SON is going to end up controlling me. It's CREEPY," Dad confessed.



"Like I told Ryan, being a Patriaarch isn't about being a tyrant. It's about doing what's best for the family," I said.


"Okay, Dad said. He left.


I wondered how I was going to run a whole family..... No time for doubts, I told myself firmly.


Uncle Joe called me to his house. I took my car and drove to Uncle Joe's house. When I got inside, Uncle Joe smiled at me. "I'm glad that you're going to be my preceding Patriarch. He gave me a gold medallion. "This is a Winston Family heirloom. It's been passed from Patriarch to preceding Patriarch for decades. I want you to wear it." He took it from my hand and put it around my neck.


"But, I'm not even the Patriarch yet." I said, confused.


"It doesn't matter," Uncle Joe said. "Where it proudly," he said, tenderly.


I smiled at him happily. "I will. Thank you," I said, beaming.


"You're welcome," he said.


I went home. I played with the medallion, proudly and impressed. This was a sign of respect! I blushed happily inwardly.


The weeks flew by, and everyone begun to pile their problems on me, confessing their crimes to me, and asking me for my adevice, like I was the Patriarch. I wouldn't be the Patriarch until March 2oth. They should have been talking to Uncle Joe about their problems, not me. But, i grinned and beared it and gave them advice. Sometimes, it was Too Much Information. Like when Uncle Shawn confessed to me that he had been having a sexual affair with a 20 year old college student, cheating on his wife, my Aunt susan. Uncle Shawn is 45! He's old enough to be the young woman's father! Gross! He asked me what he should do. I said, "Break it off with the young woman. Aunt Susan is your heart and you have two kids by her. The college girl spells trouble to me," i advised him.


He seemed to listen intently, but he continued to sex the college girl. Lo, and behold, Aunt Susan found out and she seperated from him, and then tried to divorce him. Shawn cried to me for advice on how to patch things up with Aunt susan. I said, "You fu... up royally. Stop seeing this girl and beg susan to take yo back and that you realize that this college girl was a mistake. Shawn finally came to his senses and dumped the college girl, and told Susan that the affair was a mistake and that he loved her and was sorry for cheating. She slowly forgave him.


Family members kept mistakenly calling me, "The NEW Patriarch", when I was just the NEXT Patriarch. So, more family problems were hurled at me as if I were some kind of genie or some psychologist. I was just a 16 year old kid! Leave me alone! I mentally willed them. But, I decided to keep my mouth shut about it and politely listen and give them good advice.


I kept giving out good advice. They all looked at me gratefully, as if I had just given them GOLD!


Why were they asking ME for advice? I wondered again. I touched my Medallion again after they left. I wondered if this was why they kept asking me questions and kept calling me the "New" Patriarch. I looked in the Winston History Book, but found nothing about Medallions.


I asked Uncle Joe what the medallion meant, and he told me the same thing before. It was just something that the leaving Patriarch gave to the following Patriarch.


I wasn't sure if I belived him.


"Okay, Uncle Joe," I said.


He smiled at me. I smiled back.


I soon saw uncle Lenny glare at me coldly. He clearly disliked that I was going to run the family. I looked away.


Unlce Joe said that he planned on retiring on March 20th. It was February 18th now. In just a little over a month, I would be the Patriarch! It was so exciting to think about!

 

[Karice]

Part 3

Uncle Joe told me that the Patriarch gets to run a factory that is already in the Winston Family. I asked him, "Which one will I get?"


He told me that he wanted me to run Winston Chocolate facotories. I smiled at him. We Winstons LOVE chocolate, but The Winston Chocolate factory had been slumping for a while. People were just not that much into chocolates anymore. Haha, I'm lying, people LOVE chocolates, but Winston Chocolates were still in a slump. Maybe with my touch, we'd make Winston Chocolates better than okay!


"I accept the challenge," I told him.


"Good. You get the run of the factory March 20th. Would you like to go there now?" Joe asked.


"Sure! I told him!


We went to Winston Chocolates Factory, and it was a magnificient place, full of beautiful chocolate batter and chocolate mixtures.


It was busy with lots of busy workers, all fervishly making chocolates.


I ate a piece of a finished chocolate bar. The bar was delicious, and really creamy and smooth, but there was something missing. I could see why Winston Chocolates were in a slump! It was HONEY! Honey would make this bar taste REALLY good! Maybe our sales would go UP and UP if we added HONEY to the mix!


After a fun filled day at the factory, Uncle Joe asked me how I liked the factory.


"I LOVED it! I told him. "but, don't you think there's something missing from the chocolates?" Ia sked him, pointedly.


"Our chocolates are very creamy and smooth and tasty," Joe told me, looking baffled.


"So, are many other chocolate facotories chocolates," i pointed out.


"What do you have in mind?" Uncle Joe asked me.


"Bring me to the factory tomorrow, and I will test my theory there," I said.


"Okay, Uncle Joe said.


I later bought a bottle of honey, and when Uncle Joe brought me to the factory again, I discreetly put some honey in a chocolate batter and stirred it in when no one was watching.


I smirked, cockily at the batter.


When the batter was done, and soon turned into a bunch of chocolate bars, I ate another piece of it , and it was DELICIOUS! The honey was the PERFECT touch to the chocolate! I was in chocolate heaven with the honey chocolate! I asked the workers to try some of it, and they did!


"This is really good," they all said amongst themselves. "Something is better with this chocolate today, a chocolate mixer said. Everyone was smiling.


"Yes!" I thought! Maybe the customers would love this mixture too! I smiled happily to myself!


I asked Uncle Joe, "Why don't we try to sell this new batch to customers?"


Uncle Joe looked skeptical. "Just because the workers love the new batch, doesn't mean customers will," he reasoned. I gave him a piece of the chocolate and told him to try some of the new bar. he skeptically tried it, and I could see his eyes lit up. "This bar IS good!" he said, happily! Maybe customers WILL like it!" he smiled at me very happily.


I smiled happily at him too.


My honey bar was going to be a BIG hit! I could feel it!


Uncle Joe told me he would allow me to help wrap up the "new" bar, to sell it to customers in supermarkets.


I suddenly had a bad thought. "What if some of our customeres were allergic to honey? Could we be sued? "Uncle Joe, do we have to list all allergens in our candy bars?" I asked him.


Uncle Joe looked at me strangely. "Of course we do. If we don't list allergens, and EVERY ingredient in our bars, we'd be liable for lawsuits if someone eats something they are allergic too," he answered.


"Oh," I said, looking at the ground, and then at the honey bars, and then at the ground again.


"You wanna tell me anything, Dave?" Uncle Joe asked me.


"It would be fun to have a "secret ingredient," in the candy bars, that something that is our own secret, the ingredient that makes customers fall deeper in love with our chocolate bars," I said. "But, not if it makes us liable for a lawsuit because we didn't include it in our allergens list or ingredients," i said, reluctantly.


Uncle Joe looked at me deeply. "What is the secret ingredient? What did you add to this batch to make it taste so good(don't worry, the workers all had no allergies).


"It's honey," I reluctantly told him. "I put honey in the batter to make the chocolate taste extra good." I didn't WANT to tell Uncle Joe that.


Uncle Joe smiled at me. That made the bars taste really good, Dave! Now, all we have to do is print out a label with honey in the allergens and ingredients lists! Thank you, Dave!" He hugged me.


"You're welcome," I told him, soullessly.


"You really wanted to keep it a secret, didn't you?" Uncle Joe stated, looking at my downtrodded expression and hearing my tone.


"Yes," I admitted. "It would have been great to have a leg up on the other chocolate factories. We won't have that leg-up anymore," I lamented.


Uncle Joe said, "But, now, we won't get sued." He smiled even wider. "Dave, you've done a good thing with the honey chocolate. it's a really good bar, better than our regular bars. Thank you, Dave." He added again, sounding eternally grateful.


We printed out the nutrition, allergens, and ingredients label wrapper . We wrapped up some chocolates in the label wrapper, and got them ready to go to supermarkets. Uncle Joe happily put his arm around my shoulder. "Good job, Dave," he said, sounding proud. I smiled a real smile at him.


The next day, I saw some Winston Chocolates Honey Bars at the local supermarket. I felt a huge swell of pride. THESE WERE WINSTON CHOCOLATES HONEY BARS! You could tell how excited I was. My creation was on the shelves, ready to get sold. I had on a disguise, so no one would on who I was. I had a black hair wig, and blue eye contacts on. I picked up 7 Winston Chocolate Bars, and bought them for 75 cents each, plus tax. I tried to get other customers to buy some Winston Chocolates, by saying how tasty the bars were, and they were tasty!


"This Winston Chocolate bar is one of the best I have ever bought!" i truthfully gushed to the woman in back of me. "You should buy one and taste for yourself."


She reluctantly said, "I don't know. Chocolate is bad for me, but that bar really does look tasty. I really do want it." She looked torn.


I said, "I'll sell you an unwrapped bar for 50 cents, I told her. She eagerly accepted it, and we made the deal. She hungrily ate the bar, and looked extremely happy when she was eating it. I made my first customer! I felt happy.


I bought the candy for 75 cents, and sold it for 50 cents. That would normally lose profit, but it was just a 25 cent loss. The point is, maybe she'd buy more at full price, and that would drive up the profit. Maybe she'd tell her friends about it, and they'd tell their friends, and so on, and so on.


It's called the word of mouth, and it's been a proven and effective strategy. I smiled at myself knowingly. I left the tore, but I peeked my head back in, and saw her buying 10 more bars at a time at full price! My theory was a success.


I ate a Winnies Honey Chocolate Bar, smiling to myself again. This candy bar was going to drive up Winston Chocolates profit! I'm a business genius! i thought to myself happily. I went home and put the other Winnies in my refrigerator.


I went to Uncle Joe's house. "Hi, Uncle Joe," I said, looking at him rakishly.


"The Winnies Chocolates are a HUGE success!" I exclaimed to him happily.


He smiled at me back.


"I went to the supermarket, and I bought some Winnies for 75 cents, and I sold one of them for 50 cents, and the customer was happy!" i said, smiling excitedly.


Uncle Joe looked incredulous. "You sold my Winston Honey Chocolate Bar for 50 cents? Why did you do that?"


"It's just a quarter loss, Uncle Joe. You can find a quarter on the floor," I said, dismissively. "Don't be penny wise, pound foolish."


Uncle Joe said, "But, you caused me to lose profit." He looked upset.


"No. You didn't lose profit. I lost profit. I bought the candy bar at full price, and sold it for 50 cents. I'm the one who lost a quarter," I pointed out. The woman I sold it to bought 10 more Winnie bars, equaling 8.53 cents, including tax. If she tells 10 of her friends to buy a Winnie bar, and they each end up buying 10 Winnies, our profit will be through the roof! " I said, smiling excitedly.


Uncle Joe looked at the medallion around my neck. "I made the right choice in Patriarch," he said, softly.


I smiled at him again. "These Winnies are going to be a HUGE hit!" I said, excitedly. "Why don't we change the name from Winston Chocolates to Winnies Chocolates?" I suggested to him, excitedly. "winston chocolates sounds generic and blah. People love cute puns like Winnies. It'll make people think of not only a cute pun to our name, but also the word "win". It's a great idea, Uncle Joe."


I said all of this, barely taking a breath.


Uncle Joe said, "Winston Chocolates sounds so more familiar, sophisticated, and close to home. Winnies sounds like something a five year old would come up with."


"That's great! Parents would love to eat a bar that reminds them of something their five-year old would come up with!" I said, excitedly.


"I don't know," Uncle Joe said, reluctantly.


I decided to make him a deal. "Why don't we have two names? Some bars Winnies, and some bars Winston Chocolates?" I negotiated with him. "Let's see what name sells more."


"Deal," Uncle Joe said. He and I shook hands, in a good-natured way.


We went to the factory and made a bunch of Honey Chocolate Bars. 1,000 Winnies, and 1,000 Winston Chocolate bars. They were wrapped up and sent to supermarkets again.


I went to the same supermarket, and I saw the Winnies and the Winston Chocolate Bars.


I picked up one of each. "Sir, which would you rather buy out of the two?" I asked a customer shopping in the dairy section.


"I would rather buy the Winston Chocolates," he told me.


"He's middle aged," I thought to myself, dismissively.


I went to a young adult in her 20's.


"Maam, which one out of the two would you rather buy?" I asked her.


"Definitely the Winnies," she said, pointing to the Winnies.


"She's a young adult," I thought, biasedly happy.


I asked more customers about the two candy names, and my study concluded that younger people wanted Winnies and older people wanted Winston Chocolates. It wasn't a surprising study.


I bought both of them and put them away.


I saw the customer I had seen yesterday.


"Hey, there's a new one called, "Winnies"! She exclaimed! she looked and sounded excited. "Maybe I'll buy them too!"


She bought some Winnies along with the Winston Chocolates. She ate a Winnies.


"Hey, I remeber you!" She said, to me. "You're recommendation was one of the best chocolate I have ever tasted! Are there any more Winston or Winnies Chocolates available anywhere else?" She askede me, hopefully.


"Winnies and Winstons are available at most supermarkets you set foot in." i answered her.


"Yum!" She said, excitedly. She handed me a business card. "I'll pay you 5 million dollars if you can sell me the recipe to this wonderful chocolate."


I uncertainly took her business card.


5 million dollars for sugar, cocoa, Allerson's Honey, milk solids, cocoa butter, soy lechtin, emulsifiers, and alkali?


I wasn't sure if I should sell our recipe to this woman. If she had five million dollars, should I sell it to her? I asked myself internally.


I bit my lower lip. Five million dollars was a lot of money. But, I couldn't sell the recipe to her without Uncle Joe's knowledge or permission.


"I said, "Thanks for the business offer," I told her. "I'll have to sleep on it."


"You're welcome," she told me.


I left. I went straight to Uncle Joe's house.


I told him about the business offer and the card.


Uncle Joe looked at me solemnly. "Do NOT sell the recipe to the Honey Chocolates. I do not want the recipe to be sold!" He looked deadly serious.


Whew.... I made a good choice....

 

[Karice]

Part 4

I left Uncle Joe's house. I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to sell the recipe without Uncle Joe's permission. I went home.


Dad told me that he actually thought that I would be a good Patriarch, even though I wasn't even old enough to vote yet. I smiled at him. Mom said she had no idea she had given birth to the next ruler of our family.


"Ick. Can you guys stop calling me "Ruler?" That sounds a bit creepy," I said. "Ruler" seemed like a Tyrant or something.


"Okay, "boss," Mom said, winking.


I laughed wryly.


After that, I did my studying for my Marshall Johnson Academy School. You see, I'm on a very extended vacation break. When you get straight A's for a LONG while, you get to go on a three month vacation, as long as you still do your homework assignments and other assignments over your vacation. It's an incentive for us students to do well in class. So far, I am one of about 3people who get to go on a three month vacation from school as a "good" grades reward.


I did some homework and some assignments, then I took a nap.


When I awoke, I was told that I would be having a head-to-head debate with Uncle Lenny the next night, since Uncle Lenny still believed that he should be the Patriarch, and not me.


I went through the next day, uneventfully. When the night came, I dressed up in a professional three piece suit. We were going to have the debate in a ballroom at Sarasota Finest, a sophisticated lounge hall.


At the ballroom, I saw lenny, and he smirked at me, condescendindly.


We went up to the two mike platform and podioum, and our family greeted us.


I smiled self-consciously at the family. They smiled at me back, eagerly.


Uncle Lenny and I shook hands, and the debate began.


Uncle Lenny was allowed to speak first. "Dear Winston Family, I think I should run the family as Patriarch, because I am the Vice-Patriarch, and the Vice-Patriarch should automatically be the Patriarch after The Original Patriarch retires."


A few families agreed.


I was allowed to speak now. "I was picked by the Original Patriach, Uncle Joe, so I get to be the Patriarch. it's only fair whoever he picks to be the Patriarch, becomes patriarch."


"What do you plan to do to make this family better as Patriach?" Uncle Sammy Winston asked me.


"I plan to bring up the family fortune by making more Winnie Honey Chocolate Bars. These are great bars, so sweet and satisfying." I saw Uncle Joe smile with pleasure.


Uncle Sammy asked Lenny what he planned to do to make this family better. He replied, "I plan to make us billionaires by the end of 2005! We will have 5 billion dollars in our names by the end of the year if I am Patriarch!" He finished. Notice, he didn't say HOW he was going to make us worth 5 billion dollars at the end of the year.


Uncled Sammy asked, "Lenny, how do you plan to make us 5 billion dollars richer?"


Uncle Lenny said, "All I have to do is buy more winning stocks, and sell them when they are high. We can make 5 billion dollars that way." CROCKPIT!(I thought). That was RISKY as hell!


A few other Winstons murmured.


Uncle Sammy asked me, "What do you think of Lenny's plan?" I saw expectant Winston eyes turn to me. I had to choose my words carefully. I didn't want to be a jerk in front of all these Winstons. "I think that plan is not realisticly possible," I said, politely.


Lenny was allowed to speak again.


"Dave is a criminal. Why would we want a criminal running our family? He's a a jailbird, look at him.Plus, he is way too young to run an entire family. he cannot even legally live on his own yet our vote. Do we really want this nasty, baby criminal running our family?" Lenny was mudslinging at me.


I was getting angry, but I decided to hold my tongue in. I needed to appear to be professional and mature. Not go emotional at every mud Lenny was throwing at me. I wanted to go upside Uncle Lenny's head at what he said to me. but, i held myself back.


I was allowed to speak in response to what Lenny said. I spoke in a lower, controlled calm voice.(most people don't know this, but when I speak in a low, controlled, calm voice, that is when I am REALLY angry. I put my anger into controlling my tone.) "I'd like to say nothing in response to what Uncle Lenny has said.


"So, you agree to what I said, huh?" Lenny smirked at me, evilly. "What a jerkass you are, Dave."


My anger was boiling over, but I remained calm and said, "Thank you, Uncle Lenny. You are a very bright and articulate man." (I said that tongue in-cheek).


Uncle Sammy asked, "Dave, what do you think a Patriarch is?"



I answered, "A Patriach is someone who is humble and will do whatever is best for the family. A Patriarch should run to the valley, not run to the mountains. Being low is the best way to connect with family."


"Lenny, what do you think a Patriach is?" Uncle Sammy asked Uncle Lenny.


Uncle Lenny said, "A Patriach is someone who is old and wise and is not a criminal, like Dave." I would be a wonderful Patriach who can bring this family straight to the TOP(Hmm, wouldn't that be the MOUNTAINS), I thought.


There were murnurings again.


Uncle Sammy asked if I had anything to say to Lenny's response.


I answered, "If you fall down in the valley, you will hurt, but you will still be alive. If you fall down off a Mountain, you will most likely die." I said, calmly.


Uncle Lenny sneered at me. "Dave cannot even make a decent comeback. How is he going to make this family better? Will you want this flaky teen running our family?"


Uncle Terry winston asked, "Lenny, you seem to be saying the same thigs about Dave in a circle."


I smirked internally. Uncle Terry noticed it too.


Uncle Lenny stammered.


"Can't you add anything new? Terry challenged Lenny.


"uh, uh, uh, Lenny said.... "Dave is a criminal that shouldn;t be allowed to run this family."


Terry said, "That's basically all you've been saying in a loop about Dave. can't you say OTHER reasons why Dave shouldn't be a Patriarch?


Uncle Lenny tried to speak, but no words came out coherently.


Terry smirked.


Sammy said, "Dave, what do you have to say about what lenny has been saying about you?"



I answered, "I've made some bad mistakes in my life, it's true. I am But, I am NOT doing the mistakes now, so that's what really matters."


I got a few cheers from the family. I smiled internally.


Uncle Lenny STILL tried mud-slingling me a little while later, calling me spineless punk.


I was livid on the inside, but calm and collected on the outside. there's two "Yous," the way i see it. There's the "you" on the inside, where no one can see but yourself, you can be inner angry, selfish, embittered, and no one knows but you, since they only see the outside. On the outside you can be the other "you." The one everyone else can see. On the inside, you can be boiling over with rage, but on the Outside you, where everyone can see, you can be standing calmly and nonchalantly. I was being my "Outside Me" looking calm, as to not look like a jerk. On the "Inside me," I wanted to bang uncle Lenny's head against the podium.


I gave Lenny a sweet smile. "You're a wonderful candidate for Patriarch," I said, tongue- in-cheek again).


Lenny had NOTHING nice to say about me. I was hoping our family would notice that he had not said ANYTHING nice about me, not even in a tongue-in-cheek way.
We did some more back and forth debating, and soon the debate was over. I left the podium. So did Lenny. I was cheered by Mom, Dad, and Ryan.


"You were great up there, Dave!" Mom said. She hugged me.


Dad and Ryan said, "We're so proud of you!" Uncle Lenny gave me an embittered look again.


I looked away again.


We went home, and I took a nap. When I awoke, I watched some T.V. I ate dinner of mashed potatoes and meatloaf, and drank orange juice. Uncle Joe called me for an emergency at his house. I sped over to Uncle Joe's house, at 70 miles per hour.



Uncle Joe told me that he was ready to retire right then, as Patriarch at that moment.


"That's what you called me for? I asked him, incredulous. I sped at 70 miles an hour to come over here. I thought you had a REAL emergency." I was angry at Uncle Joe.



"Yes, it is a real emergency. If you don't become Patriarch right now, Lenny will become the Patriarch, since he IS my Vice-Patriarch, even though I picked you. I don't want Lenny to be my Patriach. You have the full responsibility of Patriarch now. He gave me a proud look.


I felt overwhelmed. I was the new Patriach? "I accept," I told him, numbly.


"Good." We chatted for a while.


The next day, Uncle Joe announced at a family reunion that he was retiring today as Patriach and put another gold medallion on me. "Here is your NEW Patriarch," uncle Joe said, proudly. The SECOND gold medallion meant that you were now the new Patriarch. I felt proud again. He also gave me a small trophy as an award for New Patriarch.


The family didn't expect me to be Patriarch so soon. There were murmurings. I said, excitedly, "Thank you, Uncle Joe! This is so awesome! This rocks!" I was so showing my 16 year old age!....



I heard a few snickerings in the family. Most new Patriarchs before me accepted their "New Patriarch" status in sophisticated and mature manners . Not me.


"I am thrilled to be the new Patriarch, I said.... I was grinning from ear to ear. I sat down, touching both of my medallions and the trophy.


Afterwards, we went home.