“What’s wrong with that?”
“I was afraid that I would shoot myself in excitement.” I said.
He laughed at that. I suppose he must have thought I was an exceptionally calm person.
“Nonsense!” He said. “You’ll learn to shoot a gun inside a minute. I’m gonna teach you how too.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Ain’t no such thing as too much knowin’. Remember that.”
It was a verse in a book of Bible verses said by my dad.
That night, he showed me how to shoot a gun. I was very impressed with it. He explained well that my mind should focus on the scent of the gun as well as the feel of the wood and trigger. He explained that I should practice at home until I was very familiar with them. Before he left, he told me that it wasn’t uncommon for bandits to try to rob banks with guns. He then told me that he should be back the next day.
Then it was the next day. My belly was very full and I was very excited. I went out of the house with a light heart. I was so happy to be on my own, no longer an orphan to be shuffled around and directed towards my father. I was a 21 year old man and I didn’t know much about the world, but I knew that I had to find out more.
I was walking down the road towards the bank when I noticed a man driving a cart up the road towards me. I stopped and waited for him to get close. I was sure I recognised him. When he came closer, I was sure of it. It was Sheriff McCready. I hadn’t seen him for a long time and the memory of his gentle face and twinkling eyes filled my heart with joy. We greeted each other, the same friendly ceremony.
He told me that he had just left the bank for the day.
“I’ve been meaning to come talk to you for a while, but it’s really not convenient. I hope you don’t mind that I made it a priority, though.
He made me a proposition. The town was expanding. With the new settlers, more business was being done. The Sheriff, with my father’s permission, had been given a letter of recommendation to open a bank in the town. He had been able to make a good deal, and was happy to have a local shop owner open up a bank in the town in exchange for it. I smiled and told him that it was a great honour to be trusted with the responsibility. He smiled with me, and then asked if I would be willing to open it.
He told me that the man who was to open the bank had already signed it and had checked out the building. There was also a rough draft of a charter he had drafted out. We would have to correct a few things but a bank would indeed be opening in that town. I was very happy and I thanked him effusively.
“I’m glad to hear that, because it means a raise. I’m a man of my word, and I made a promise to you.” He said as he raised himself to his full height. “I promised that I would be back to tell you after the full moon and that the bank would be ready for you. I just finished the final details.”
He handed me the rough draft and a bank statement. I was very excited to learn that it would be a three storey bank. It even had several storage rooms where I could store the large documents that would be associated with it. I was very proud to have such a large building built for me. I had immense pride at my wealth. This was the richest bank in all of the New Empire.
I liked it though. The feeling of opening a bank was very grand to me. There were a lot of bandits out there, and I didn’t know enough about guns to usually defend myself. Opening a bank was the sort of thing I could do to protect myself.
I asked what was being done to protect the town.
“I thought we might as well make some money off of it too, since it's a pretty small hole in the wall. I haven’t exactly heard any rumblings but it would be stupid to push it. I already have men posted around the town. I’d recommend hiring some more guards but we’d have to get the bank open to do so. It would kill me to have to buy more guards. What do you say?”
He asked. I was happy to hear that he was probably looking at a 30% profit margin.
I very enthusiastically agreed and shook his hand once again. There was something wonderful about this man. He seemed to understand me. He seemed to understand my thoughts. I almost felt like he was in my brain.
We went back into his cart and he drove me to the bank. It was a very impressive building. I was very pleased to see that it was three storeys. I knew that I would have a lot of work ahead of me to keep the place running.
He told me that the bank was already fully stocked and ready to go. But he said that some finer details were still needed to be completed so I could formally open the bank.
He was my first customer as my second manager. He hand signed and left the bank. There was something so simple and unobtrusive about the bank. It was almost a picture perfect picture. It was like they pictured it in a Manhattan building.
I walked around the building, making sure it was ready to go. I made sure everything was set correctly, making sure that the desks were leveled, the books put in the boxes as they should be, and the candles were plugged in. I was so proud to have done all of these things so well. I tested the water system for leaks and found it to be everything it should be. The men I had hired were pleased with their own progress.
I knocked on the door three times, my signal to be let in. The Sheriff told me that he needed to talk to me for a moment. He asked me to come inside before he put it in writing. I looked out of the door and saw him fumbling around in his bag. He was a little nervous but he was also very polite.
“I have one last thing that I need to do and then the bank can officially open. Your father told me that you had the acting qualities of a natural banker. That you already had all of the instincts needed.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a key. The key was very shiny. It looked as if it was oiled. There was a signature at the front of it. The signature was exquisite. Artistic. Perfect. It was probably his sister’s.
“Your father told me that he would be willing to invest everything into your bank. That it would be your bank. He told me I had time to think about it, but I didn’t. I took this key and went to the accountant and convinced him that this would be the best deal. He was a bit resistant to the idea, but I was persuasive.” He smiled the same smile that he always gave me. The same smile he always gave me made me feel welcome. At ease. “Have a good job and a great night. I’ll see you soon.”
