The Election

Looking in the daily free newspaper, I noticed that the local elections were coming up which piqued my interest. I thought to myself that this could be a great opportunity to take, I always liked the people in my community, they all liked me, and I felt that I could return the favour by becoming a councillor or even perhaps their mayor. Politics was a relatively frequent job in my family so I was no stranger to the world of being a politician. Potentially if I was to become mayor in the near future , it would mean that I would be the youngest in my community by a relatively big margin. This meant that it was probably unlikely that many people would vote for me, and it also meant that I was inexperienced compared to the other politicians. Regardless of this inexperience, I decided that I would give it a go and see how I would do. 

Typing up a C.V. on my MacBook, I printed it out after going over it with a fine tooth comb and eventually being satisfied with my results. My next thought was how I would dress if I was to appear in electoral campaigns, obviously I couldn't appear in a t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, I would have to be more formal in how I presented myself in front of people. Looking through my wardrobe, I was rather disappointed when I struggled to find anything that was remotely formal, the clothes were either all casual or smart casual, but nothing that would be classed as formal. I knew that I would have to purchase some formal attires, but where to start and what to buy was the part of the puzzle that seemed to elude me. Being a councillor or even the mayor of a community was not an easy task and I knew I had to step up to the plate if I was to be successful. I knew that despite just being out of college a few months, I was going for a position that many of the councillors in the area were working towards for most of their life. If I were elected, I would be the youngest mayor in the community's history by at least twenty to twenty-five years, if not more. This was the time for me to show that younger prospects had a chance of rising to the top of the community political pyramid. There was also history, not much though, of corruption within the community political scene, and I vowed to stamp it out if I became a councillor, corruption had no place in politics and I believed that using political positions for personal gain was despicable. If I was elected, I would also be the first woman mayor in the community's history which shocked me as I felt there were some excellent female councillors in the area who should have become mayor in the past few decades.

Of course, some of them were set to be elected, but were pushed aside in favour of their male counterparts, clearly through corruption, but it seemed to be pushed under the table and forgotten about. It was a major issue that needed to be dealt with in the strongest possible authority. As previously mentioned, I thought corruption was a very ugly thing, I thought it was like a form of cheating, something which I never did in the entire of my school and college experiences. I wanted to become a politician through fair and honest ways, and to be a good politician who helps the people of their constituency or city. 

Sitting outside on my patio, I wondered about all the different things that would be required of me if I was to become a politician. The first thing that was on my mind was my attire, I knew that it would need a serious overhaul, I needed to make it a lot more formal if I was to become successful. I had to look the part for my potential new position. Something told me that I needed to visit a local tailor and purchase some suits and other formal items. Deciding it was time for action, I stood up, I was a woman on a mission and it was crucial that I carry out my self-designated mission objectives. Walking inside, I grabbed my car keys off the rack and walked outside where one of my neighbours and her baby daughter were walking past. She exclaimed, "Juliet, good morning. Off to town I presume?" I nodded, "yes, Natalie, I've decided to put my name into the political hat and become a fully fledged councillor, maybe even get elected as mayor, so I need to pick up some new clothes, suits and the like." With a look of awe on her face, "wow, that's amazing, Juliet, well you have my support and the little tyke here too. See you later." I watched as Natalie's daughter waved her little hand at me which brought a smile to my face. Getting into the car, I took a deep breath, it was go time.

After what seemed like an eternity, especially because of the Saturday morning traffic, I arrived in town, which, to no surprise, was full of people who were running and walking in all directions, some of whom were carrying several shopping bags at a time. Looking around me, I thought it was like something from a dystopian novel. I was just about to walk down the street when a woman bumped into me, and I was astounded when she didn't acknowledge me or apologise, she just walked down the street continuing her phone call, as if I was a phantom. I thought to myself that it was the height of rudeness, but I wasn't going to let something as trivial as that get me down or throw me off my game. 

When I eventually arrived at the tailor shop, the traffic lights seemed to add on countless minutes, I knew that I was ready to really up the quality of my day to day attire, and especially for how I presented myself in the workplace. Walking inside, I looked around me at the copious amounts of luxury clothes on the hangers and shelves, some of which I knew were definitely out of my price range. A woman with a tape measure draped over her shoulders walked over to me, "hello, welcome to Flare and Debonair, we're a new shop that only opened last week. We cater for our customers and help them to upgrade their attire. Take a look and see if there's anything you like. Give me a shout if you need any assistance."  

Nodding, I replied, "thanks, I'll have a browse and get back to you on my choices. I'm aiming to climb the political ladder and I need several suits and the like, to show that I can look professional in the workplace." Walking around the shop, I looked at the various suits on display, they all looked amazing. There were navy pinstripe suits, black two-tone suits and many others that caught my attention, it was like I was in some perfect suit induced dream.

Looking around, I set my eyes on a black two piece suit that had a white shirt and a powder blue tie with it. I had never worn a tie before so I wasn't sure if it would work for me. There was part of me that didn't want to, but about ninety percent of me did want to sample it. Deciding I would, I asked the girl, Kelli, whose name eluded me until I saw her name badge, to come over and help me. "You've made an excellent choice, it is a particularly wonderful suit, and the tie is a fantastic colour combination", she exclaimed. Taking it off the mannequin, she handed the suit to me and pointed to the changing room.

Walking into the changing room, I hung the suit on the railing and started to change my clothes. The slacks felt so snug around my waist, I knew then that they were my size. Putting on the crisp white shirt, it was so soft. Looking at my reflection, I felt a sense of pride in how I was dressing, I was stunned that I had never decided to be more sartorial before. Next came the tie, I had never worn one before, but I often saw my dad tying his ties before so I knew how to tie one. I decided on a four-in-hand knot, I always thought they looked so good. Pushing it up to my collar, I closed my top button and smiled once again at the figure in the reflection, she looked the part. Lastly, I picked up the blazer. Putting it on, my quest to upgrade my clothing was now complete. I knew I was appropriately dressed for the political scene and I was proud of how I looked, now I knew how businessmen and businesswomen dressed nearly every day.

Walking out of the changing room, I noticed Kelli walking over to me with awe on her face, "Juliet, it's so you. It looks absolutely fantastic, you were born to wear suits and ties, where have they been all your life? That's what we are here for at Flair and Debonair. You genuinely look gorgeous and very professional." Nodding, I replied, "I know, right? I feel fantastic and I look great. I can't believe I never wore a suit and tie before." 

Getting changed back into my casual clothes, I walked around the shop and picked out various other suits and ties until I was holding about five bags worth of suits in my hands. I was ready to step up to the plate and try to earn my job as a local councillor or even become mayor. I had the college experience and now I had the attire, this was my opportunity to show everyone that I was capable of being a councillor, of being a leader. Paying for the suits, I decided that I would wear one while going around town, just to sample it, just to see what wearing a suit and tie actually felt like. Changing, I put on the suit that I had tried on earlier. 

Leaving the shop, I walked outside. I noticed numerous people looking at me with looks of awe on their faces and talking to their friends, saying things like, "wow, she looks amazing" and, "I love the suit, and the tie is just fantastic." I felt on top of the world and nothing was going to bring me down, not even if my former school rival would walk down the street and insult me on how I looked. As I say it, she did happen to walk past me with a stunned look on her face, "well well well, Juliet, I didn't think you were the cross-dressing type. I didn't think you could look more embarrassing than when I pipped you to the student of the year prize in school during our fifth year. Winning that prize and beating you in one fell swoop was single-handedly one of the greatest days of my school life." I looked at her and laughed, "Louisa, no matter how hard you tried, you were always behind me in school, the only reason you won that prize was because I was out for four months recovering from the ACL rupture when I was playing in that soccer match. You may have your decent job, but I don't care and I certainly don't care what your opinion on how I look is." A couple who were walking past exclaimed, "that's right, Juliet is it? You tell her. You rock that suit, girl, you rock it and don't let anyone tell you anything different."

Walking away with a satisfied smile on my face, I had watched my school arch-rival get told the truth by a random passing couple. Taking out my sunglasses out of my bag, I placed them on top of my head and walked down the street, I was so full of confidence that nobody could shatter even if they used a sledgehammer. 

My next stop was the local government offices, this was it, my entire life's training led me to this moment. Walking in, I looked around me, the main lobby was very well decorated despite the building looking rather decrepit on the outside. I was about to make my way to the front desk when a tirade of people went in seemingly all different directions, some carrying folders, others carrying pages of what I presumed were local business affairs. When the madness cooled, I walked over to the front desk where the secretary looked like he was typing countless emails at a time, his fingers were moving so fast they looked like they were going at supersonic speed. Looking up from his computer, he exclaimed, "you here to apply for a councillor position? Let me tell you something sweetie, it ain't an easy game to play." I glared at him with a hint of disgust, "look 'sweetie', I didn't train my ass off for years just to get some snide comments from you. I trained my ass off to become a respectable councillor and I intend to do so." A woman, roughly the same age as me, but not by much I was guessing, holding a clipboard walked over to me, "you must be Juliet, hello, I'm Cara, well Caroline but everyone called me Cara when I was young so it sort of stuck. I got your email including your C.V., I've been in contact with your college lecturers and they told me you had a stellar work ethic, and I was told you graduated top of your class. I only graduated myself three years ago, so I have a little more experience than you, but don't worry, I'm relatively new to this profession too. You'll learn so much in a very quick space of time. Don't mind Colin, he's a bit of a smart mouth and sometimes says things like the way he spoke to you. Come with me to my office and we'll talk about your career in politics." Following her, I waved sarcastically at Colin.

Going up the steps, we arrived at Cara's office which was lavishly decorated with expensive paintings and other valuable items. Looking at them, I was surprised when I saw Cara's signature on the bottom, in addition to her political career it seemed that Cara had a flair for painting. Being artistic was something I always wanted to do in my free time, but I didn't possess any decent drawing ability. Sitting down, Cara exclaimed, "time to get down to brass tacks. Juliet, from what I've heard from your lecturers and what you put on your C.V. you have the ability to make it in this profession. In a few days we shall have local elections and I want you to be in contention, but it'll take a lot of work and we need to get people to know of you, I'll deal with that part though, so don't worry." Like a lightning bolt, I knew that this was the start of my political career.

This is just a buildup to the main part of the story, I like to add a little introduction before I get onto the main event.

A few days later, my interest in becoming a fully fledged councillor had taken the city by storm, and walking down the main city streets, everybody that passed me gave me words of encouragement and luck in the job ahead. Despite my relatively young age, nearly everyone wished me luck and that they were excited to see how someone who just graduated from college would do as a full-time councillor. I almost felt like a famous celebrity. The only person who didn't have any encouragement for me, no surprises for guessing, was Louisa, who messaged me one evening when I was at home. She said to me that she was embarrassed and disgusted that someone so young and inexperienced was aiming to enter the political scene. I knew it was just jealousy because I had become well-known in the city and she was now just a regular person. I didn't care in the slightest, I was determined to show that despite youth and inexperience, I was able to handle the duties of being a politician. When my mum saw what Louisa had said to me in the message, she sighed, "that girl just doesn't know when to quit. Sweetheart, no matter how hard she tries, don't let her get you down, you're made of stronger stuff and you don't have to deal with her crap." Smiling, I replied, "thanks mum." Knowing that I had my mother's backing, I was ready to take on any challenges that lay in my path and knock them out of the park. All my training had led to this moment. 

The next day, I returned to the political offices where I met Cara in the lobby. She looked ecstatic about something and I was just about to find out what. Walking to her office, she sat down at her desk. "Juliet, your popularity and backing has gone through the roof, everyone is talking about you and they are emailing and ringing me to tell me that I made an excellent choice and that they are eager to see your political career take off. I have never seen a more outcry of support for a councillor in the two and a half years I've been in politics. You have reached the apex. Now, the elections are in a few short days and I have a gut feeling that you could go far. Dressing appropriately is a key aspect of appearing at the elections. You probably know anyway, but there are some guidelines that may help you. Dress formally, that's basic a formal dress or a suit and tie usually does the trick, don't go heavy on your makeup, don't wear anything that may cause backlash. Speak only when spoken to or when asked to speak to the audience. Don't use inappropriate language or make snide or controversial remarks, remember you are in an important profession and you don't want people to lose their popularity for you. Don't use your phone during the important parts of the elections. There will be plenty of time afterwards for that. Ok, other than that, I think you are ready." 

In what seemed like an instant, it came to the day of the elections. I had decided to wear a grey three-piece suit and tie. My friend Susie said I looked very professional and that I was ready for action. Arriving at the building where the elections were taking place, I got out of my car. Putting my keys in my handbag, I walked inside where I was met by a massive public outcry, people were wishing me the very best of luck which brought a tear of joy to my eye. The hotel manager walked over to me, she was wearing a black skirt suit and a red striped tie which she tied in a Windsor knot. "Good morning, you must be Juliet, Cara told me you were coming. I'm Helena, I am the manager here." Shaking hands, I replied, "it's a pleasure to meet you Helena." I was very slightly nervous but I also knew that there was nothing to fear, I had been onstage before when I was in school so it was nothing strange.

At that moment, a woman walked past me in a wedding dress. She smiled at me, exclaiming, "you're Juliet, I saw you in the paper,  I'm Summer, you have taken the city by storm. You look absolutely fantastic, and you're beautiful for your age, how has some good looking guy not asked you out yet?" I chuckled, "it's actually because I'm a lesbian, I came out last year which I got massive support from most people I knew, of course, my old school rival was the only one who didn't give me any support but that's small potatoes, I don't care about her opinion. If anyone is looking beautiful Summer, it's you. That wedding dress is gorgeous." She smiled, "thanks Juliet, and I wish you the very best of luck in the elections." Smiling, I replied, "thanks Summer, and keep up to date with my social media. Nice to meet you."

Walking into the election hall, I looked around me, the hall was vast and there were seemingly endless rows of chairs out. It was very well decorated and it brought a touch of class to the event, Cara had told me that some of the previous elections had taken place in smaller events, but in a five star luxury hotel it was the crème de la crème. I was thinking to myself when I heard a familiar voice from behind me, "well, if it isn't Juliet, ready to get crushed in these elections? You're too young and too inexperienced for the world of politics and I can't wait to watch as you crash and burn up there. You know that you will lose." Turning around, I was not at all surprised when I noticed it was Louisa. "Louisa, when are you going to face the facts? I am more popular than you, and I have the backing of nearly everyone in the entire city, so the real loser is you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an election to take part in." As I continued walking, I turned my head to get one last look at Louisa, her face had gone scarlet with embarrassment. Laughing to myself, I had succeeded in embarrassing her and making her look stupid.

How am I doing so far guys?

Great as far as I’m concerned

Evol wrote:Great as far as I’m concerned

Thanks, I'm hoping to be an author someday so this is constant practice for me.

As I was walking towards the stages there were people in rapturous applause, which brought a smile to my face. At that moment the MC walked onstage, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today we decide whether some of our new candidates become councillors, and see if our current councillors get a new position. Today could also make history as we have a young woman who has taken the city by storm, she could become the youngest councillor in the history of this great city at just 22 years old. Juliet Rose, everyone." The rapturous applause filled the hall one again, I never knew I'd be practically famous. Nearly everyone was shaking my hand or wishing me the best of luck, it was always positive to me when people had your backing.

A rather stern looking woman glanced over at me, and turned her head towards the stage again. Cara, placing her hand on my shoulder, exclaimed, "That's Gabrielle, she's not exactly known to play friendly. For the last ten years, she's been trying to become mayor, but it's solely because she's power-hungry and doesn't care about what people think about her. The girls next to her are her daughters Alexandra and Anna and her niece Elizabeth, they attend one of the most prestigious private boarding schools in the country, of which Gabrielle is the chairwoman of the board of directors there too, so she's very big on promoting education." Cara was right, she did not look friendly one bit. 

At that moment, the MC spoke up, "time to get the main event started folks." If all the candidates would like to come up onstage." Nodding, I walked towards the platform, I was about to be on the verge of history. Gabrielle also walked towards the stage, "Juliet, listen sweetie, you're too young for this profession, leave this to the grownups, hmm?" With a smirk on my face, I replied, "Gabrielle, I may be young, but I have as much a shot as you do, so I'd frankly shut up and see how things unfold, and as an added insult to you, I can't wait to kick your sorry ass up there. Everyone knows you just want to be mayor for the power, you don't care about anyone but yourself." Her face went crimson red, "I don't have time for your nonsense Juliet, I have an election to win." Clearly satisfied with myself, I took my seat at the edge of the stage alongside some of my fellow candidates. "Time to get my game-face on" I thought to myself, I was young, eager and determined. This was the beginning of my political odyssey.

Taking a deep breath, I was slightly nervous but I knew I had the capability to be up here with the other candidates despite my youth and inexperience. The MC spoke up with a smile, "ladies and gentlemen, I am so glad you are all here today, it is an important part of how the city is managed. Today we shall see the naming of candidates and their positional changes, and also the naming of some new candidates. Ok, let's get down to business." I was watching as the MC named out the different position changes to existing candidates, and then he smiled again, "ladies and gentlemen, it's time. This young woman has seen her popularity soar in the last couple of weeks, I have never seen a more enormous public outcry of support for her, she has taken the city social media pages by storm. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our new mayor, Juliet Elizabeth Fiona Rose, the youngest mayor in the history of this city." At that moment the room erupted in applause, the noise was almost deafening. I couldn't believe it, I was now in a position that some of the other candidates had been working for since before I was born. The MC invited me to say a few words, and standing up, I was very excited to do so. 

Standing at the microphone, I watched the applause die down so I could speak. "Hello everyone, and thank you all for being here. The support really means a lot to me. You guys have been sending me messages, Snapchat's, Twitter tags, Instagram mentions on your stories and DMs too. As the MC said, popularity for me has soared, and I cannot thank everyone enough, your confidence in me is truly grateful. Despite my youth and inexperience, I shall strive to be the best mayor I can possibly be." This was met with enormous cheers and applause, and I was about to speak again when Gabrielle stood up. She was clearly outraged by the events that had just occurred. "This is a travesty, I've been striving to become mayor for the last twenty-five years, and now you're telling me that our new mayor is someone who just graduated from college. She's only twenty-two years old, she's got no formal political training, and she's clearly outmatched by at least half the candidates here in terms of experience." In my opinion this rant was like that of petulance, Gabrielle clearly couldn't take the fact that she had been beaten by someone half her age. I turned to face her, "Gabrielle, do us all a favour and sit down and keep your mouth shut." The laughing was deafening, everyone had watched as a fresh college graduate had beaten and embarrassed a candidate with vastly more experience.

Walking off the stage, I was surrounded by people hugging me and wishing me the best of luck in my new position as their mayor. Just as the crowd dispersed, I noticed Gabrielle marching over to me, she did not look even remotely happy for me which was no surprise after her rant. "Juliet, you won the position that I have been trying to win since before you were born, and now I'm told that some new and upcoming young woman is the new mayor of this city. For the last twenty-five years I have been striving to become mayor, and you come along, fresh out of college, and win the election as mayor." 

With a smile on my face, I replied, "Gabrielle, face the facts, you lost, and if you ever speak to your new mayor like that again, I shall have no second thoughts about firing you as a politician. Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I have a celebration party to organise." Walking back onstage, I asked for a mic to which the MC passed me one. Everyone turned to face me again, and I exclaimed with a smile on my face, my confidence was just radiant, "ladies and gentlemen, in light of my victory, I am holding a celebratory party and you are all invited, it's you guys who made this dream possible and for that I cannot thank you enough." I watched as Gabrielle walked out of the room in disgust, she was the biggest sore loser I had ever seen in my life, and she was followed by Alexandra, Anna and Elizabeth who were all in mutual disgust. 

Cara strolled over to me, she was clearly elate, ecstatic, and many of the other synonyms. "Juliet, I can't believe it, you won, congratulations! Only a few short days ago you had strolled into the government building and we sat down to discuss your future in politics, and now you are mayor, and the youngest in the history of this city. As your mentor, I am truly delighted." Overjoyed, I was delighted to hear my mentor speak so highly of me, she was instrumental in helping me enter the world of politics and now I set my sights on returning the favour. Walking along the auditorium, I was stopped by many different people who wanted to take selfies with me which I was very happy to oblige, the people of the city had shown their confidence in me and I was determined to show them that I would strive to be the best mayor I could be. I wanted to serve the people, not use my position for personal gains.

A few days later, I had my celebration party which went along without any hiccups except for the fact that Gabrielle had tried to crash the event, but I quickly dealt with it. I had a very slight nervous feeling, but nothing concerning, as today was to be my first official day as mayor. waking up, I had my shower, and then when I had dried myself, I wondered what I would wear to work, I knew that as mayor, I would have to be seen to dress appropriately in the workplace. Humming and hawing, I eventually decided that I would wear a cream coloured two-piece suit and a light navy tie. Putting on the shirt, the material was so soft and comfortable, it was a perfect fit. I always buttoned my shirt up to the top, including my top button. I pondered what knot I would tie my tie in, and after a couple of seconds I decided that I would wear it in a Windsor knot. Tying my tie, I felt a sense of pride, I was confident in my job and especially how I was dressing. Pushing it up to my collar, I smiled with approval. Next came the slacks, they felt so comfortable around my waist and then I added a Versace belt that my mum had brought me back from when she had gone to Italy last summer. There was one thing left to put on, the blazer, which would complete the look. I had decided to button the blazer which I felt looked more professional. Walking over to my dresser, I rummaged through it to find my accessories and eventually I had found some of the tie clips that I had bought when I was buying the suits. 

Clipping it on, I looked at myself in the mirror. The figure in the reflection looked very professional, she was dressed for her first day as mayor. When I had finished, I made my way downstairs to have my breakfast, I knew I had to have a big breakfast to keep my strength up for the day. I had decided to have some cereal and a slice of toast. Finishing those, I made my morning coffee. I had decided the other day when I was shopping that I would try a coffee brand that one of my neighbours had suggested, and they were not wrong, the taste of the coffee was amazing. Washing my bowl and mug, I put them in the dishwasher for when I got home. Making my way out, I locked the door and turned on the alarm. I was just about to get into my car when a neighbour of mine noticed me and walked over, "Juliet, you look amazing, that suit is fantastic. You look very professional for your age, and I am truly delighted that you won the election, that Gabrielle is a nasty piece of work. Anyways, I'd better let you go, you must have a very busy day ahead of you, it being your first day as mayor. I wish you the very best of luck." This was always nice to hear, and I replied, "Karen, thank you so much. I'm looking forward to my work." Getting into the car, I drove to work while listening to and singing along to My Heart Will Go On, Titanic was one of my favourite movies and I would always cry at the end of it which I am not ashamed to admit. I used to watch it sometimes with an ex of mine, but our relationship, we both decided that it didn't work out for us and we went our separate ways, though we did end on good terms, there was no grudge or ill will from either of us. 

Eventually, I pulled up outside the government building. Parking my car, I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. Straightening my tie, I smiled with approval. I was ready to begin my new position and I was determined not to screw up. Walking in, I was met by Cara who exclaimed, "Madam Mayor, welcome." I chuckled, "Cara, you don't have to address me like that, we're work colleagues, you can address me by my first name, don't worry." I walked over to the front desk where Colin was sitting down typing emails, hardly looking up from his work. Cara looked disgusted by this, "Colin, you shall greet your new mayor and address her appropriately." Nodding, he replied, "um hum, sure." Hearing this response, I was even more disgusted than Cara. I couldn't believe that the secretary would speak to me like that. Cara, her face nearly crimson, exclaimed with anger, "Colin, you are always so rude to us, you never address us appropriately and you always have a back answer for everything we say. As a result, I am placing you on temporary suspension without pay. You shall return in a more professional and courteous manner. Luckily, I have a temporary replacement." I watched she turned to a guy, about the same age as me, with a bunch of papers in his hand, "Lucas, I want you to do me a favour, Colin is being temporarily suspended, and I want you to substitute for him." Lucas nodded, "of course, Cara, anytime."

Is there any angle you guys want me to go towards, or will I carry on as I am? Let me know in the replies

Just as I was about to make my way to my office, I watched Gabrielle storm into the lobby, she was still not happy about how events had occurred at the election. Without looking at me, she got into the elevator to go to her office, there was dangerous look in her eye, the look that gave me a slight hint of fear. I knew that somewhere in her head she was plotting to overthrow me and become mayor in my place, but I had a way to counteract this. Getting into the elevator, I arrived on the fourth floor where Gabrielle's office was. Humming to myself, I had a feeling of delight in my head, I knew where this was going. Walking down the long winding corridor, I eventually arrived at Gabrielle's office. Knocking, I heard her say, "come in." Her smile turned to disappointment when she saw it was me at the door. "Juliet, how wonderful to see the woman who stole the election from me. You got lucky." Chuckling, I replied, "Gabrielle, there was no theft in that election, the people voted for me fair and square, so why don't you quit being a big baby and accept that I won and you lost. I am now your superior and you shall treat me as such." Standing up from her desk, Gabrielle walked over to me with a look of fury. Grabbing me by my tie and pinning me to the wall with my hands behind my back, I could tell she wasn't joking around, "listen to me Juliet, I have been in this profession since before you were born, and now you're telling me that a freshly graduated college student is running this city instead of me. I warn you, should you ever cross me again, I will not hesitate in making your life here a living hell, I will make sure that you run out of this profession in tears if you raise my ire again, just remember that."

When she released me from her grip, I replied in anger, "Gabrielle, I am your mayor, and you shall treat me as such. You shall appear here every day in a properly dressed fashion and professional manner. If you ever lay your hands on me again, I will have you arrested for assault. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a city to run." Straightening my tie, I walked out of the room in disgust. I couldn't believe that one of my colleagues would interact with me in such a manner. When I returned to the lobby, I noticed Cara standing there instructing Lucas on the various secretarial responsibilities. Noticing the look of fury on my face, she looked up from the computer, "Juliet, sweetheart, are you ok?" Stuck for what to say, I replied, "Cara, could we talk in private, I want someone to talk to about something that just happened." She nodded, "sure, I know where we can chat. Lucas, I think that's about it, you've got all the instructions, let me know if there's anything you need help with." 

Walking upstairs, we found a little room to sit down in. Locking the door behind us, I sat down. "When I 
visited Gabrielle's office earlier, she was very rude to me, and then when I told her I was her mayor and superior, she grabbed me by my tie, pinned me with my hands behind my back and said that if I crossed her, she would make my life a living hell, and that if I raised her ire again, she would guarantee that I ran out of this profession in tears." At that moment, I could feel the aforementioned tears flowing down my face, I was distraught at how I had been treated. Placing my face down on the table, I was nearly shaking with the tears. Sitting down next to me, Cara gave me a hug and comforted me, "Juliet, sweetheart, Gabrielle is nothing but a bully. Hey, you are doing a fantastic job, and I am extremely proud of you. Let's wipe away those tears, I can't have my mayor crying, eh? That's it, you look better already. Juliet, you have taken this city by storm, you are the most popular person in the city, I constantly have people ringing to tell me how good you are, the amount of posters that are on top of poles, sweetheart, don't worry about what Gabrielle thinks. You dress appropriately, amazingly I may say so, you pull off a suit and tie better than most guys I know, and you are very professional in your job. Don't let her get you down, leave her to me."

Maybe more women start wearing a suit and tie because
Juliet has inspired them to do so. What if Gabrielle has to wear a suit and tie as well new dress code rules she can try to fight it a first but ultimately gives in

That's a very good suggestion Evol

A few days later, I made my way into the government building and looking around me, I was surprised at how many women were wearing a suit and tie. One of them walked over to me with a smile on her face, "Juliet, we were all so inspired by you wearing your suits and ties that I asked around what people thought of wearing them too and the reactions were ninety-nine percent in favour of it, of course there was only one person who was in disagreement with it." Looking at her, I replied, "no prizes for guessing who." At that moment Gabrielle walked past me with a scowl on her face, I knew she still was sour about the election. "I didn't realise that cross-dressing was appropriate in this profession Juliet." Chuckling, I knew that there was no getting through to her but I said I'd try regardless, "Gabrielle, this is the twenty-first century, people don't care about what is worn in the workplace as long as it looks professional, and after your actions the other day, you shall appear each morning properly dressed, I shall make sure of it. In fact, I have an announcement to make, everyone, please tell your colleagues that I wish to make an announcement in the auditorium."

After a few minutes the entire staff gathered in the auditorium to hear what I had to say. Standing onstage, I straightened my tie and spoke up, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have summoned you all here to make a special announcement. As of tomorrow, I am implementing a new dress code. Everyone, regardless of their position here, shall appear every morning wearing a suit and tie. Your ties shall be pushed up to your collar, top button closed at all times. You may carry on wearing your jewellery as long as it is workplace appropriate, and your makeup should also be appropriate." The whole room, minus Gabrielle of course, went into thunderous applause, and many people exclaimed, "awesome idea Juliet. It's time to look even more professional, and you are the master of drip around here." At that moment Gabrielle stood up in disgust, "you have got to be joking me, can't you all see Juliet is using her position for her own desires?" This was met by heavy boos from the rest of the staff, one interjecting, "Gabrielle, you ought to know about using your position for personal gain. Juliet is just trying to make sure that we all look the part around here, so shut up and sit down." In shock of this response, Gabrielle sat down without saying a word.

When the announcement had finished and we made our way back to our various offices, Gabrielle confronted me in the lobby, I knew that this was not going to be a good chat. "Juliet, you may implement your new dress code, but don't think for one second that I shall comply. You are an embarrassment to this profession." Noticing us talking, Cara walked over to us with a clipboard in her hand, "Gabrielle, your little vendetta against Juliet ends right now. She is your mayor and your boss here, and while you are working here, you shall comply with her rules and regulations, and if you ever lay your hands on her again, I shall have you stripped of all your positions and fired. I will not have you waltzing around here in objection to the authority that is in edict. Now, get to work. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, in light of your actions against Juliet, I have made an appointment for you to serve six weeks of anger management classes, they shall be twice a week sessions, you shall schedule a time with the psychologist and you shall attend each class on time and properly dressed. Juliet and I shall attend the sessions in person so that we can monitor your progress. If the behaviour you displayed against Juliet reoccurs, you shall be suspended without pay." 

I then noticed a girl walking towards us in a school uniform, it was Gabrielle's daughter Alexandra. Gabrielle looked rather peeved, "Alexandra, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be in school?" Alexandra replied, "we have a half day because a couple of the teachers got food poisoning from the school lunch." Gabrielle nodded, "ok, but where is your tie? As chairwoman of the school board of directors, I cannot have you appearing not fully dressed, now, put on your tie this instant! Anyways, I have a mountain of work to do, I'll see you at home, and don't ever drop in here uninvited again or there will be severe repercussions." Watching as Alexandra walked out of the building, I felt sorry for her. Cara could see my thought and stood next to me, "The poor girl. Her mother is a divorced workaholic who clearly has a lust for power, and her father lives on the opposite side of the world. She only acts the way she does because Gabrielle is a negative influence on her." This was clearly the case, I knew that Gabrielle only cared about herself.

The following day, I was sitting in my office looking out the window as the people on the street walked by, from where I was sitting, they looked like ants. There was a knock on my door and I was disappointed when I saw that it was Gabrielle, this was not going to be a good meeting. "Juliet, I was just on my way to my office to do some work when I saw your door was open and I thought I'd invite myself in. You probably already know this, sorry, of course you already know this, but I find your new dress code to be rather embarrassing. In my entire political career, I have never once worn a suit and tie to work, and now you expect me to waltz in here every morning wearing one? Sorry, that's not my style." Sipping my coffee, I wiped my glasses and then placed them back on my desk, "Gabrielle, you are in no position to tell me what to do, and you are in no position to disobey the rules I have in place here. Now, I am giving you one final warning, if you want a future in this occupation and certainly in this building, you shall toe the line with my rules and regulations, now I am a fair person but if you persist in challenging my authority, I will see to it that you shall never work in politics again. Here, this is the card for my local tailor, go to her and pick up some suits and ties. Now, tonight is your first anger management session and I want you appropriately dressed, that includes a suit and tie. The woman running the classes happens to be my older sister Karen."

Gabrielle did not look remotely happy at this statement, but she knew that the future of her job was in my hands, "fine, Juliet, I'll wear a suit and tie around here as per your request. You are young and inexperienced so there is a lot to learn in this profession. I know I've been rude and aggressive towards you lately and I've been kicking up a furore over the fact I lost, but now I'm turning over a new page. Juliet, you stick with me and you shall become the best mayor out there. I know that Cara is secretly jealous of you. Don't hang around with her, she's only holding you back. I know because she was my protégé when she started here, and she's just looking to be number one. In future, Juliet, you stick with me and you shall be ok."

Should Juliet believe Gabrielle's revelation and join forces with her to take down Cara if she does believe what Gabrielle says?

I don’t think Juliet is that naive. Gabrielle is up to something maybe cara secretly likes Juliet and Gabrielle wants to plant seeds of mistrust to further her plans

That sounds very interesting, and plus she already has negative history with Gabrielle so this could add to it.

I knew this was untrue, Cara was like a mentor to me. Like a psychic link, I noticed Cara walking into the room, and exclaimed, "Gabrielle, I couldn't help but overhearing your conversation. You're partially correct, I was jealous of you and I was determined to crush you from the inside. I only wanted to be numero uno so that I could embarrass you. I would never act that way towards Juliet, she is like a breath of fresh air around here." Clearly seething with rage, Gabrielle sat down at her desk again, she knew she was beaten, but this didn't mean she was throwing in the towel.

A few days later, I walked into my office and went to turn on my computer. I noticed that it turned on itself and that it was acting weird which was unusual because our building at top of the range internet security services installed, something smelled fishy. Trying to log into my account, I was shocked to find out that it said my password was invalid, this couldn't have been, only I knew my computer password. I was sitting down at my computer for an hour while trying to log into my account, and eventually I decided that I would try using my my phone's data to try and log into my emails. Logging in, I noticed an email that seemed to be from Cara's email address, but there was part of me that was unsure as Cara was off work today and she said she wouldn't be checking her emails or anything. The email read, "Juliet, I think deep down that you are nothing but a joke of a politician and that nobody really likes you, I created a false social media frenzy so that you would become mayor and then I would crush you from the inside like a cockroach. Your mentor, Cara." Welling up, I couldn't believe my mentor would talk like that about me. I couldn't believe that she would stab me in the back and call me a joke and that nobody likes me. This was surely not the case but I was determined to find out whether she truly felt this way. 

I made it my mission to confront Cara over her seemingly treacherous behaviour. Trying once again to log into my office account on my computer, I still couldn't access it, someone must have hacked my computer which as previously mentioned was unusual as we had top of the range anti hacking software installed, my firewall, my anti-virus security, the password, everything had been hacked, changed or turned off which left my computer open to any viruses. This was insane, nobody here knew my login information. How could someone have hacked my computer if they didn't know my passwords? 

Looking outside, I noticed Cara walking inside, this was strange, she was off work but yet she was coming in. Looking up, she noticed me looking out the window, and with a smile, she waved up at me to which I returned the salute. I still didn't feel entirely satisfied with her actions so I waited patiently for her to come to my office and then I'd get the truth from her. There was also part of me that believed that she was innocent of all of this, so there was still a shred of belief that she did not betray me.

Trying again to login to my account, I was still trying to no avail which angered me a little. At that moment Lucas happened to pass by my door, "Juliet, are you having the same login issues I am? I can't seem to access my account or anything. I've asked around and everyone else's ones are seemingly ok. Whoever it is who is hacking us is seemingly targeting us." Shaking my head, I replied, "I know Lucas, it's odd, why would they target us?" Lucas was just about to speak again when Cara walked into the room holding a cup of coffee in her left hand, and she had a smile on her face. "Juliet, good morning." Without replying, Cara could see that I was angered by the 'email' she sent me earlier. "Juliet, whatever's the matter?" Sitting down, I replied, "the matter is this insulting email you sent me this morning." 

Stunned, Cara was shocked to hear this, "Juliet, I couldn't have, I wouldn't. You are my mayor and I stick by you through thick and thin, through easy or hard, through rain, hail, or shine. It may be from my email address, but look at the bottom, it usually says what phone make it is sent from, this is from an Android phone, I use an iPhone so it couldn't have been me, I didn't even turn on my laptop this morning, I spent the morning reading my book. They even targeted poor Lucas, whoever it was clearly wanted to send a message to you, they clearly wanted to use me as bait in their efforts to take you down. Juliet, from the bottom of my heart, I would never betray you, you are my protégé, I helped you here on your very first day, I was eager to do so because you were roughly the same age as me so we could learn from each other. Juliet, I was slightly nervous to admit this, but I have a crush on you, I have since I met you on your first day here. You are beautiful and kind, you treat everyone here so nicely and you are not a ruthless leader. Whoever is it targeting us seemingly knows it and they will not stoop to any lows to keep us or our love apart." Lucas looked at us, "I can come back later." I could tell that he thought he was caught in the middle of an awkward situation as he walked out of the room.

Walking over to Cara, I brushed her hair back with my hand, "Cara, is that how how truly feel about me? You love me?" Cara nodded, "yes, I have been trying to pluck up the courage to tell you before, but I couldn't do it, I thought it would be awkward." Putting her cup of coffee down on my desk, I wiped my glasses and then put them back on. "Cara, truth be told, I have a crush on you too. I have never been so attracted to any other girl in my life, I knew from the moment we met that we could potentially have a future together and I'm not talking about working together. Cara, I am proud of the fact that I get to work alongside someone so beautiful and kind, someone who puts the needs of others ahead of her own. Cara, my love, it'd be my pleasure to be your girlfriend." 

I was just about to kiss her when Gabrielle walked into the room, "isn't this precious? Juliet, a pathetic person like you falling in love with my former protégé. Cara, you can do so much better than Juliet, I was hoping you would settle down and marry Lucas, after all, he is my son. Juliet, you have a lot to learn about me, you see, I was groomed by my mother to be mayor one day, but I got thrown away like garbage. After that had happened, my parents cruelly disowned me and I was left to fend for myself,, my entire family turned their back on me, nobody wanted to talk to me. I decided that the only way to win back their trust was to become a person of significant social influence and status. Uh oh, it seems that there is a bit of ruckus outside, I'd take a look out your window Juliet."

I was horrified to see a crowd of people gathered outside the front door of the building with protest signs in their hands and shouting, "Juliet out, Juliet out." Gabrielle cackled, "it seems, Juliet, that your people aren't exactly happy with you at the moment. Guards, escort Juliet out of the building." I was scared stiff and then I noticed two guards pinning my hands behind my back. Walking out of the office, I shouted, "Cara, my love!!" I got one last look in the office and I watched as Lucas walked over to Cara and kissed her passionately and then linked arms with her. Gabrielle and Lucas smiled with an evil look on their faces and I watched as Gabrielle straightened Lucas's tie, exclaiming, "very well done darling, you played your part magnificently." Now, let's get to work, I have a city to run." When I was escorted out of the office building, I had furious people walking up to me, some slapped me in the face and others spat at me. I couldn't understand what had happened for them to turn on me and make me seem like a power hungry leader who only cared about her own needs. Driving home, I walked into my house and sat down on the couch where I burst into tears, something made the people turn on me. I was now considered the most hated person in the entire city. 

Looking at my Twitter page, I saw that it was filled with offensive tweets which was mad because I was always very careful in what I would write on Twitter, or the other times I would just be retweeting football tweets, especially Chelsea tweets, they were my favourite team of all time, something which I had inherited from my late father, whereas my mother was a Liverpool fan. I then noticed an email from Twitter in my gmail account that was a warning about posting future offensive remarks. This was peculiar because I hadn't used my Twitter account in the past five days.

The following day, I was doing my grocery shopping and while I was walking around, I noticed everyone either spitting at me or calling me something offensive. Having enough of this, I paid for my groceries and went home. I decided that now was the time for action, I had spent the last few hours feeling sorry for myself, and now I was determined to get to the bottom of it. I took my keys and got into my car, this was where I would get down to brass tacks and take back my city and their approval and admiration. 

Arriving at the office building, I was approached by the security guards who had escorted me out the other day. They walked over to me exclaiming, "you are trespassing, please leave this instant." They went to escort me again, and in this, I flipped them both onto the floor, "don't mess with a girl with a black belt in karate, muay-thai and and an expert in mixed martial arts and capoeira. You'll only get hurt." Making my way upstairs, everyone was so delighted to see me, they knew I was the victim of a heinous act and wished me luck. This brought a smile to my face, as for the past day and a half I had nearly everyone in the city spitting at me and insulting me. 

It seemed Gabrielle predicted my arrival and had guards set up on each floor as I made my way up the complex. As with the guards in the lobby, I dealt the same punishment, I took down every single one without breaking a sweat. I was met by Cara in the staff room just down the corridor from Gabrielle's office. "Cara, my love, I'm back." Kissing me, she replied, "Juliet, my love, I knew you would return, I just knew it. Now, let's get to the bottom of this whole thing." Nodding, we walked down the corridor to what was previously my office. Not even knocking, I kicked the door in with serious aggression. Gabrielle looked stunned, "Juliet, how dare you!!!! How dare you storm in here, assault my security guards and kick in my door, I could have you arrested." With a smile on my face, I replied, "not today Gabrielle, you see, I had an inkling that you had some genius plan to get me out of my job as mayor. I had my best friend Susie, who is a genius level hacker, to determine where the hacking of my computer was coming from, and it led me straight to you. You made one fatal mistake, you forgot to delete what model phone you were using in all your interactions on my various social media accounts, and it also tells what time you posted the tweets from my Twitter page. It was you who used those tweets and remarks to turn the city against me. Susie informed me of where the hacking was coming from, it was from your computer  and she managed to hack into my computer and fix my passwords so that you would again be locked out of my social media pages. At this very moment she is correcting all the wrongdoings that you have caused me. She even emailed Twitter from my account to say that I had been hacked by you and that that I would never use offensive remarks which they were very generous in apologising for claiming I would. Plus, you're also live on YouTube and the views are skyrocketing. Let's just say, I have a hidden camera in each of my earrings. Say hi to everyone." 

I walked over to the window and looked out, the shouts of "Gabrielle out, Juliet in, rang around the main parking lot. I knew the city people were back on my side.

A couple of days later I had been restored was mayor and everyone who had insulted me or spat at me were ringing, texting, and the like, to issue their sincerest apologies for how they treated me. I decided that despite her actions, I would give Gabrielle one final chance and I warned her that if she did anything like what she did again, she would be out of a job faster than her head could spin. 

Sitting in my office writing emails, I noticed Gabrielle skulking past, she had a rather dismayed expression, she was clearly upset that her master plan had failed. At that moment Cara walked in with a clothes hangar in her hands, "Juliet, your tuxedo for the gala performance tonight. You're new to the political scene and especially being the mayor, but every time a new mayor is elected we hold a gala performance and then a black tie party, we usually wait a couple of months so that the mayor can settle into their offices. Don't ask how much it cost, it's a present from me as both your colleague and your girlfriend. You will look amazing, my love, truly amazing, and consider this necklace as an added bonus." I watched as she took a rather expensive looking necklace out of her bag, this was not a necklace that would be bought easily, "a cousin of mine, semi-distant, he and his wife own a jewellery shop so he always gives me a 20 percent family discount." The necklace was in the shape of the letter C which I thought was very classy indeed.

Clearly delighted that Cara would be so kind, I stood up and walked over to her with my eyes gleaming, "Cara, darling, it's beautiful. Thank you, we'll go back to my house, and get ourselves prepared for the performance." When we had finished work, we went to my house to prepare. Getting dressed in my new tuxedo, I felt on top of the world, I felt so confident in how I was looking. Cara had elected for a long red tube dress that spanned down to the floor. Arriving the arena where the gala was being held, I walked inside. As I walked, I was met with rapturous applause and celebratory remarks, I had the love and respect of the people again. I noticed from a distance that Gabrielle was in attendance which meant that this would not be good news, and I was going to be keeping my eye on her. I was slightly suspicious when I saw her walking towards the direction of the kitchen, but I shrugged it off. A few minutes later a waiter brought out some drinks for us, I had ordered a martini, I had tasted one last summer and I liked it, so that was my social drink. Taking a sip, I suddenly felt faint. There was something put into my drink, I knew it. About thirty seconds later, I collapsed on the floor, the whole room was shocked and in concern of how I felt or what had occurred. Cara ran over to me and exclaimed, "Juliet, my love, speak to me, come on love, speak to me." I was very sluggish in replying and then next thing I passed out. 

I woke up a few hours later in a hospital bed, and a nurse walked over to me with a clipboard in her hand. I didn't know how to react, the nurse looked rather austere and I figured this would not be a friendly conversation. "Hello, Juliet, I'm Nurse Sonya Collins. You thought I looked rather austere I presume, I get that a lot, but truth be told, I'm very nice." A little hazy, I replied, "nice to meet you, Nurse Collins. What happened to me?" Sonya and Cara looked at each other, and Cara exclaimed, "you were poisoned Juliet, Gabrielle put something in your drink and then you passed out in the main room. Luckily we got you here in time to get the poison out. You will need to rest for a few days, I'll run the proceedings. Gabrielle is going on trial for attempted murder next week, until then she has been arrested. The arena staff and caterers were deeply upset with what had happened, and they said they would find a way to apologise for Gabrielle's behaviour."

When I had fully recovered from my spell in hospital, I returned to my office to find various presents around the room. Something that caught my eye was a card on my desk that read, "Juliet, our mayor, we are all wishing you a very speedy recovery, and looking forward to welcoming you back soon, best wishes, the entire staff here." This made me well up, my colleagues were so kind to do all this for me. I was reading the card again when Cara walked into the room rapping her nails on the door, "hello gorgeous." Wheeling around, I excitedly exclaimed, "Cara! My love, I've never been more delighted to see you!!" 

Despite the fact that Gabrielle was out of my life and my profession, I knew that there would be other enemies to take her place, so I had to watch my step. This was not the end of the list of foes, more like just the beginning.

After a few months had passed, I has settled into the mayoral work, and despite it being busy, I was determined to do my very best in the position. Cara and I were still happily dating, I had never felt more attracted to anyone else in my life, even before I came out to everyone. It was too early to tell, and we were only dating a few months, but I felt that she could be the one for me. Gabrielle's trial had occurred and she was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for what she had done. This would mean she would miss her daughters graduation, but her business was none of mine so it didn't bother me that much. 

I had decided to take a fortnight's break, and Cara and I decided to go to Italy. I had been to Italy several times throughout my life as my mother was half-Italian on her father's side, this also meant I spoke fluent Italian, and I had learned French, Portuguese and Spanish in school, so these, in addition to my native English and Irish, it meant I was fluent in six languages. This made it very easy to get around, especially when I visited Italy. We planned to visit a few different places, such as Rome, Matera, Sicily, Florence and Venice. It meant a lot of travelling, but that meant nothing to me, I loved to travel regardless of how long it might have taken me to get there.

Walking around Rome, the sun was shining high in the sky and there was not a cloud to be seen anywhere. The sights were absolutely incredible and best if all, I was with the woman I love. I had decided to bring a few suits with me so that I would look appropriately dressed in the possibility that I was in anywhere that I felt I needed to dress formally, especially when I went to mass,  I came from a very devout Roman Catholic family and we would always go to mass every weekend so I wanted to see the Vatican while I was in Rome. I decided that this would be our next destination, and I walked over to Cara who was taking some photos of the area. "Cara, fancy going to see the Vatican?" Cara had also come from a Roman Catholic family, so she replied, "yes, of course, though we'll have to put on a suit and tie, we need to look appropriately dressed." I nodded, "no doubt, come on, we'll go back to the hotel and get changed out of these jeans and t-shirts." When we returned to our hotel we walked upstairs to our room. Opening my suitcase, I rummaged through it until I found my suits. Pondering for a moment was to what one I would wear, I eventually decided that I would wear my powder blue suit, a white shirt and a yellow polka dot tie that Cara had bought me. Getting changed, I felt so confident in how I dressed. Putting on the crisp white shirt and buttoning it up to the top, it felt so smooth on my skin. Next came the trousers, and tucking my shirt in, I smiled, I was halfway through the process. Picking up my tie, I turned to Cara, "sweetheart, what knot should I wear my tie in? I'm thinking a Windsor knot, but what do you think?" Walking over to me, Cara took my tie in her hands, "perhaps a four-in-hand knot. Let me do it, I'd be honoured to tie your tie for you, my love." Watching as Cara tied my tie, I smiled, it was so nice of her to see that I was dressing well, not just for her, but in general. I was always told by my mum that dressing well went a long way in the professional world. Lastly came my blazer. Putting it on, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, I was proud and confident in how I was dressed. Straightening my tie, I nodded at my reflection. At that moment Cara walked over beside me, she had decided on wearing a navy pinstripe suit and a red tie which she wore in a Windsor knot, it looked amazing. 

Making our way downstairs, we were greeted by a waiter who I knew from my years of coming to Rome with my parents. "Julieta, it's so good to see you, it must be about five years since I saw you last. You've grown into quite the beautiful young woman, and I heard that you won the mayoral election back home. I have your table reserved for you." I was just about to follow him to the table when I heard a voice from behind me, "Juliet?" Turning around, I exclaimed in surprise, "Caterina?" Walking over to her, I gave her a hug, "I haven't seen you in seven years, wow, that dress looks gorgeous." Turning to Cara, she exclaimed, "You must be Cara, I saw you mentioned when I saw the live video of when Juliet took down that Gabrielle character. You are dating a great woman Cara, Juliet and I were best friends back home for years, and then my parents got a job here so I had to move."

Turning to Caterina, I replied, "that was the longest day ever put down. Tell me, how are your family doing these days?" Caterina wiped some dirt off her glasses and replied, "well, my mum got remarried, my dad is still as active as ever, he's working in Athens at the moment, Blaire is living in Atlanta so I often fly over to see her, and she just opened a tailor shop there, and Sarah got a job in London as an executive director in a five star hotel called La Parisienne so she loves it." I had heard someone speak of La Parisienne, but I had never been there, so I decided that the next time I went on holidays that I would stay there. After we ate our food, I said bye to Caterina, and Cara and I made our way around Rome. As we were walking around, the sunlight was shining high in the sky, it always made for such perfect scenery, I will admit that it is usually a lot rainier back home, but it's always nice to come to Rome again and days are nearly always sunny. Most mornings when I would be making my way to work, the weather would be atrocious, it rained more often than not which made it difficult for me to meet a friend for coffee or some lunch where we could sit outside in the fresh air and chat, whereas I would normally have to eat indoors with said friend and we would nearly have to speak over each other to try and drown out the other multiple conversations that were going on in the background.

While we were walking around, I often had people come to say hello to me, some of whom I knew through my parents, and then others who knew me through my YouTube videos from when I used to ado song covers when I was seventeen which had gotten over a million views and likes. Many of them commented on my suit and said that it looked extremely professional for someone so young as me. Hearing all these comments brought a smile to my face, it was nice to hear what people thought. 

Arriving at the Vatican, I looked around me, it was always such a beautiful place to visit, I had visited it on many an occasion with my parents when I was younger, and I was always captivated by the surroundings around me. At that moment I noticed an elderly priest with a stick walking towards me, and I watched as he cleaned his glasses. "Julieta? Is it really you? I haven't seen you since you were five years old, bambina, you came back to Rome." Hugging him, I nodded, "Father Tobias, it's fantastic to see you after all these years, yes, I'm here on a fortnight's holidays, this is my girlfriend Cara, Cara, this is Father Tobias, he was our parish priest back home for a year, and then he moved here to Rome." Shaking his hand, Cara exclaimed, "lovely to meet you Father." Returning the acknowledgment, Father Tobias replied, "and a pleasure to meet you Cara, you are dating a beautiful young woman, I remember her when she was little, I often used to visit her family and Juliet would always sit on my lap and listen to some of the stories I have of my years of travelling."

When we had finished in the Vatican, we returned to the hotel and when we arrived at my bedroom, I opened the door to find a bouquet of roses and a bottle of wine in a cooler on the desk. There was a card next to it, and opening it, I read, "Dear Juliet, I am truly proud to have you as a friend, and I am even more delighted that you have found love, you deserve the woman of your dreams, and you deserve to be happy. The wine and roses are a little present from me, sincerest regards, Caterina. P.S. I'm moving to Atlanta to be closer to my sister, but hopefully I'll see you there soon. Hope the relationship works out for you, x, Caterina." At that moment Cara walked in with a smile on her face, "that from Caterina? Wow, she is a really nice friend you have." 

In what seemed like an instant, our holiday was finished, the fortnight had passed by nearly instantaneously, and it was time for Cara and I to return home. When I got home, I walked into my house and sat down on the couch. Exhausted, I said I would take a little nap to help recharge my energy. Before I knew it, it was the following morning, luckily the clock on my phone woke me up. Getting showered and dressed, I decided that today, instead of a suit, I would wear a dress and see how I felt. I decided on a floral print dress and a pair of navy pumps. Putting on a navy blazer over it, I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt extremely proud of how I looked so professional in the workplace.

When I arrived at the office, everyone was looking at me with looks of awe, and as I made my way to my office, nearly everyone commented on the dress and said that I looked gorgeous. At that moment Cara walked in with a clipboard in her hand, "Juliet, my love, you look gorgeous. I have come here to ask you an important question." Having a gut feeling, I think I knew where this was going, and my affirmations were correct when I saw Cara take out a box from her pocket. I watched as she got down on one knee and held a diamond ring in her hand, "Juliet Elizabeth Fiona Rose, you are the kindest, most caring, most beautiful woman I have ever met, you make me laugh every day and your smile is simply radiant, nobody makes me feel happy like you do, I ask you this, will you marry me?" Despite a radiant smile on my face, I did not know what to say, I wanted to say yes because I had met the woman of my dreams, but I also felt that I was rather young to be getting married, my mother didn't marry until she was thirty-two. I didn't want to break Cara's heart and say no to her. I was truly conflicted on one of the most important decisions of my life and I froze up. Cara could see that I was hesitant to respond, and putting the ring back in the box, "Juliet, I'm sorry, I sprang it too early, my apologies." Walking over to her, I brushed her hair back with my left hand, "Cara, no matter what, I still love you. I see our future together, but I just think we're a trifle young to be getting married right now. My grandma would say that twenty-two is too young for marriage, she was married firstly at eighteen and it didn't work out, she was divorced six times by fifty, and my grandad was her seventh husband. That's why seven is my lucky number. Let our relationship blossom a bit and we'll definitely have a clearer view of things."

Finishing work, I was absolutely exhausted, being the mayor of a big city tends to take it out of someone, but I loved my job, I loved the people of the city and they loved me, they returned their support for me when I was going through a tumultuous time, and they renewed said support when I was there to take Gabrielle down. 

Waking up the following morning, I had to be very disciplined. Today I had to give a speech at the opening day of the local secondary school, this was an annual tradition for the school, and it gave me a great sense of pride as I would also be returning as a former student. I sat on the end of my bed and pondered what I would wear, I had to look the part for it on both behalf of myself and my role as mayor. This was a long debate, but eventually I decided to wear a cream coloured two piece suit and a light navy tie. Putting on the shirt, I buttoned it up to the top, including my top button, I never left my top button open. Next came the slacks. They felt so snug around my waist and then I attached a Versace belt that Cara had bought me. Picking up my tie, I walked over to the mirror, draping the tie over my shoulders, I debated on what knot I would wear, and after taking a minute to decide, I chose to wear it in a trinity knot, I had learned how to tie that only recently so I wanted to try it out. Pushing the tie up to my collar, I smiled, I looked and felt amazing. Walking over to my dresser, I picked up a box with different accessories in it and after rummaging through it, I eventually found a tie pin. It was an expensive tie pin that I had bought when I was in buying suits a few months ago. Attaching it to my tie, I nodded with approval. Lastly came the blazer, and picking it up off the bed, I walked back over to the mirror. When I had put it on, I glanced at the figure in the reflection, she looked very nice. Rummaging through my sock drawer, I picked out a pair of navy socks, and when I put them on, I reached down to get my loafers which I kept under my bed for easy access when I would be getting dressed in the mornings. It was a rather overcast morning so I had to take a coat with me. Eating my breakfast, I then picked up my keys from the countertop and went into the hall to activate my alarm before I locked up. Picking up an umbrella, I walked outside, to my disgust it was raining. Running to my car, I turned on the ignition and drove off to the school. I connected my Spotify to my car radio and as I was driving along I was singing along to the songs of Frank Sinatra, I had frequently heard his songs from when my mum would have his cds in her car.  

Arriving at the school, I looked at myself one last time in my mirror. Straightening my tie, I nodded with approval. Walking inside, I had a sense of nostalgia, only a few years ago it was me walking these hallowed halls. At that moment my former principal Ms. Maria Collins arrived, "Madam mayor, how delighted we are to welcome you back." Chuckling, I replied, "Ms. Collins, it's great to see you again and it's great to be back again too, don't mind all that formality stuff, you can call me Juliet." As we were about to start walking, I noticed Maria stick out her hand at a group of girls who were aiming to pass by us. "Girls, fix those ties immediately and put on your blazers, this is the second time today I've had to correct you on your uniforms, the next time shall be detention. Here, I'll do it. Ellie, you first. Head up, put up your collar for me. There we go. Alexa, you're next. Now, that's better, hmm. Marlowe, head up for me, there, much better. Sarah, you're next, collar up for me, there we go, doesn't that tie feel so snug against your collar hmm? Last but not least, Angela, now, that knot looks a lot better. Now, girls, go get your blazers and report to the auditorium. We shall be conducting uniform checks at the doors to the auditorium so I want to see you all properly dressed." Another girl passed by, and Maria stopped her, "Christina, this is Juliet, she was a student here a few years back. Juliet, this is Christina, my daughter. Christina, straighten that tie a little. There we go, I'll see you later kiddo, I'm always very proud of the intelligent and beautiful young woman you've grown into." Shaking hands, I exclaimed, "very nice to meet you Christina." I watched as she then walked down the corridor. "She's a very bright young woman, Juliet, and she is always very kind and always acts properly anytime there is company present." Taking a moment to take in the sights around me, I smiled, it felt like only yesterday I was walking through these halls. Maria turned to me, "Everything ok Juliet?" Nodding, I replied, "certainly, I'm just thinking back to when I was walking through these corridors myself a few years ago, it seems like yesterday I was coming in for my very last day here in this school, the day that I graduated." 

When I had finished, I followed Maria to the auditorium, it was always such a vast auditorium and it could easily have held more than two and a half thousand people seated. Maria beckoned me to a nearby bench, "If you want to just take a seat on that bench there, I'll just conduct the uniform checks and then we'll go up to the main stage." Nodding, I sat down and looked around me, flashbacks were occurring in my head, both good and bad ones. I liked the school and I had plenty of warm memories, but there were also ones that I wanted to forget about, for instance, the day that Louisa had embarrassed me in front of the entire school by 'accidentally' tripping me when I walked onstage to collect an award for the student of the year in our first year of school, Louisa claimed she had accidentally clipped my ankle, but I knew she was out to embarrass me and that she genuinely meant to do it. I won student of the year four years running which made Louisa extremely sour, she always strived to be the best when we were in school and the fact that I always beat her made her extremely angry. I was in the opposite position when she won student of the year in our fifth year which was solely because I missed four months of school because I had ruptured my ACL in a soccer match. However, when I returned, I was determined to beat her once again, and I won student of the year for the fifth time, something that no other student, in the school's entire history, had ever done, no other student had won it more than once, but I was not one to brag, and everyone was always very respectful and proud of me because I was always so nice to everyone, Louisa was always the opposite and she was only nice to a select group of friends who she basically had full control of, almost like puppets, and the teachers, she always put on this charade in front of them to show that she was a kind and caring student, but we all knew that this was not the case. Speak of the devil, I watched as Louisa entered the room alongside her mother who was my maths teacher in third year.  Glaring over at me, Louisa pulled off this fake smile and I watched as she straightened her hair back, she was still clearly full of envy. Walking over to me, she looked at me with fake sincerity and sarcastically exclaimed, "well well well, Juliet, I am so delighted to see you, I didn't think you had the experience or the know how to become mayor and yet here you are. I never thought I'd see you in this school again. I remember that day when I tripped you up while you were collecting your award for student of the year when we were in first year, I single handedly embarrassed you in front of the entire school. You looked like an idiot that day. How is it that you won four more student of the year awards? No other student in thee school's history had more than one and you came along and won five, the exception being when you got injured and had to miss school. Every single year, I would always finish second behind you." Laughing, I replied, "still a sore loser after all these years Louisa? I won because I actually cared about the student board and I cared about others, you only cared about yourself and your cronies, you would always pretend to the teachers that you cared about others but you lacked the skill to do it in front of every other student, now, if you will excuse me, I have a speech to give." I watched as she walked away with disgust. Maria tapped her hand on my shoulder, "the uniform checks are complete, now let's get up onstage." Standing up, I straightened my tie, this was the moment of truth.

Walking onstage, I felt a tad nervous, but I was in politics, public speaking was my job, so it was only a very microscopic fragment of nervousness. It felt nostalgic being up onstage in my former school, speaking in front of my former teachers, it reminded me of when I was asked to give a short speech upon winning the student of the year award. I watched as Maria walked over to the microphone, and tapping it, exclaimed, "is this on? Good. Staff, students and visitors, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all here today for the first day of the new academic year, I am looking forward to seeing you all progress further in your studies and I am looking forward to seeing the many achievements that might occur over the next few months. For those who have just joined our school, we have an annual first day of the new school year ceremony. in this ceremony, we welcome all of the new students in, we announce the winners in the race to become head boy and head girl, and we also welcome the new staff to our team, but the main thing that occurs in these ceremonies is that the mayor gives an annual speech to open the year. It gives me great pleasure to say welcome back to a former student of this school, Ms. Juliet Rose. Juliet was once a student here just like all of you, she once wore the uniform of this esteemed school, and she walked through these hallowed halls going from class to class and so on. In the last few months, she has graduated from college with a first class honours degree, and then she took the political scene by storm, culminating in her being elected as mayor of this city, the youngest mayor in the city's history at just twenty-two years old. I'd like to invite her up to speak a few words, Juliet, the floor is yours." 

Standing up, I walked over to the microphone stand, and exclaimed, "thank you headmistress Collins for that warm welcome. It has been five years since I graduated from this school, and it seems like only yesterday. I see all of you guys sitting down and wondering how I got elected mayor at such a young age, that's completely understandable, I didn't think I would get elected as a councillor for several years but the outcry of public support for me was incredible. What I am saying is that if you work very hard you can be anything you want, I see you guys and I see you as politicians, teachers, medical personnel, athletes and so on, I'd be here all week listing out the other ambitions. Some of you may be thinking that I'm just up here spouting nonsense, and you are entitled to your opinions. Ninety-five percent of all things in life are accrued through hard work, nothing is handed to us on a silver platter, we have to work hard to achieve those lofty ambitions. In my position, I didn't get elected mayor just by chance, I knuckled down and hit the books and I studied for hours on end every day to strive to be the best student I could be, both here and in college. So, to summarise, I'm basically saying that you should work hard and then you'll get your rewards in the long run. Thank you for listening to what I had to say." The whole room burst into applause and I walked down off the stage. It was always nerve racking to do speeches, but an older colleague told me one day that after a while you don't worry one bit, it becomes almost like a part of a daily routine, you prepare for a speech nearly every day so it's nothing new