He paused for the light laughter before he continued. “But since I have the job, it is my hope to continue Delores’s legacy of fighting for what she believed was right. I know I won’t make everyone happy. That’s not my job. My job is to help the people of the 42nd Assembly District, and I plan to do that to the best of my ability. I will be relying on their help and support to be the best representative I can be.”
Jim concluded the speech, taking pictures with the appropriate groups before people began to disperse. Eventually the only people left were Lizzie and Brian, Melissa and Mark having headed home half an hour earlier.
Brian consulted the calendar on his phone. “We’ve got the Eagle Scout ceremony tonight, and tomorrow’s dark as you requested, but you’ve got a Chamber breakfast Monday at 7 a.m.”
Jim sighed. And so it begins.
5
Exhaustion from the day’s events finally catching up to him, Jim eased into bed that evening. “Ahh, glorious, wonderful bed. How much I have missed you.”
Melissa snorted as she looked over to her husband. “You’re tired? I’m the one who’s six months pregnant.”
“Yeah, but you were just as pregnant this morning. I, on the other hand, was just a legislative staffer. Now I’m the boss.”
“Good point.” She picked up her phone and checked the calendar. “When do you have to fly up to Sacramento?”
“Brian wanted me to go up on Friday the 19th, but I didn’t want to be away from you that long, so I’m flying out on Monday, and my first session is on Tuesday.”
“And when will you be back?”
“Friday. Lizzie said she was on the phone with Kenny Burdo’s people, and they’re hoping for a debate on the 26th, so I will need to be home in time for that.”
He picked up his Kindle from the nightstand and began reading the latest Thomas Locke novel.
“This is going to be our lives from now on, isn’t it?”
Jim looked over at his wife. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to be gone all week long, and we're only going to get to see each other on the weekends.”
He sighed. “I know, sweetie. It’s not what I wanted or planned for. It just sort of happened.”
“You could have said no.”
“Yes, I could have. But I didn’t feel God was telling me to. You know I never wanted to run for office. I mean, come on. Before Delores, I didn’t trust politicians further than I could throw one. But people are saying they need me, and I think I could do some good.”
“But you’re going to miss so much time with Mark and the new baby. What happens if I go into labor and you’re up there?”
“Then I’ll catch a flight home and rush straight to the hospital.” He reached for her hand. “Look. I know this isn’t going to be easy in any way, shape or form, but I feel this is my duty. For right now at least. If you ask me again in two years, I might have a totally different attitude.”
“OK, that’s fair. I guess I’m just scared. That’s all.”
“I know. Me too, but we can make it work somehow. We’ll just have to make the most of the time we have. And besides, I might not get elected in November and all that, so all our worrying could be for naught.”
“Well, there is that.”
He raised up on his elbow in mock anger. “I thought you were a loyal Jim Mitchell supporter.”
“If you stop talking about yourself in the third person, I might be.”
“Ouch, that stings m’lady. Anything I can do to convince you?”
“I did have something in mind.” She smiled as she ran her finger down his arm. “Unless, of course, you’re too tired.”
“I am never too tired for that. Well, OK, sometimes. But I’m definitely not too tired tonight.”
“Just don’t hurt your wrist or anything.”
“I’ll be extra careful. I promise, m’lady.”
“You keep that John Wayne stuff up, and I might just change my mind. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“No, we would not.” Jim put his Kindle on the nightstand and reached over to turn off the light.
_____
Jim checked the time on Sunday afternoon as he tied the red and blue balloons to the chairs in the living room. He made a slipknot so they could be untied easily if Mark wanted to play what he had called The Balloon Game, which involved the young boy clutching the balloon’s ribbon as Jim lifted him into the air and brought him back down to Earth on the couch.
The first time they played this game, Jim quickly learned the lesson most warehouse workers picked up on their first day on the job. Lift with your legs, not with your back.
Melissa’s parents were expected to arrive in about 15 minutes with the fancy cupcakes from the new bakery that had just opened in downtown Emerald Valley a few months ago. Normally he would have said to get a sheet cake from the store, but then they sampled the wares on sale at the small shop downtown. After the first bite of the carrot cake dessert, he was hooked.
Jim left the living room and headed to the sliding glass door that opened onto the back porch. He slid the door to the right and inhaled the savory aroma of meat and vegetables on a gas grill.
His brother-in-law, Timothy, was judiciously monitoring the sizzling chicken, hamburgers, and sliced zucchini. He moved two hamburger patties and a chicken breast to the upper rack as Jim joined him.
“These are pretty much done and the rest of them should be good to go in a couple of minutes.” Timothy eyed Elizabeth and Melissa working in the dining room. “Are Valerie and Martin here yet?”
“They’re supposed to be here in a few minutes.”
Timothy’s eyes widened. “Those cupcakes are amazing. The peanut butter chocolate is absolutely delicious.”
“I know, right?”
“By the way, congratulations on the state assembly thing. What an honor.”
Jim shrugged. “Thanks.”
“You don’t sound too excited. I know I would be totally blown away if it were happening to me.”
“Oh, I am honored beyond belief. It’s an awesome responsibility to be sure, but it’s going to mean a lot of time away from Melissa, Mark and Baby No. 2.”
“You guys still don’t know what it’s going to be?”
“Nah, we've got names picked out for a boy or a girl, but we want it to be a surprise. Melissa’s all about the neutral colors these days, so my life is awash in orange and purple.” He paused. “Listen, I wanted to apologize for what happened at the shooting. I know I’ve said it before, but I want you and Elizabeth to know we never meant for Rebecca to be in harm’s way.”
“We know, but Liz and I were pretty rattled right after it happened. We’re better now, but she’s still not keen on Rebecca going back to work for the campaign.”
“I can tell her not to come back if that’s what you want,” Jim offered.
“Thank you, but…” Timothy shook his head. “I know it can’t be 100% safe, but Rebecca just loves what she’s doing. She even likes calling people and telling them why they should vote for you.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.” Jim grinned. “I hate phone banking, so I’m glad somebody likes it.” He saw his father-in-law carrying in the dessert for the evening. “Looks like it’s dinnertime.”
The two emptied the contents of the grill onto platters and re-entered the home.
_____
As they were finishing dinner, Rebecca leaned across the table toward her cousin. “Hey, Mark, what day is it?”
“It’s my birthday!”
“And how old are you?”
The toddler held up three fingers as he said the number out loud. “Are we gonna have a surprise?”
Jim thought about the idea of Mark rummaging through the gift bags later that evening. He’ll be as excited about playing with the tissue paper as he will be about what’s inside the bag itself.
Rebecca shook her head. “But we have to eat cupcakes first.”
“Cupcakes?” T
he broad smile that spread across Mark’s face brought laughter from those around him.
Melissa eyed Jim and motioned to the kitchen. “Yeah, Daddy’s going to put a candle on one, and you’re going to have to blow it out.”
“Will you help me, Mommy?”
Love and joy filled her eyes. “Of course I will, buddy.”
Rebecca offered to join Jim in the kitchen, and he accepted.
She opened the box of cupcakes, while he found the candles and lighter.
“You know I’m going to help with Aunt Melissa and the baby while you’re away.”
“Rebecca, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You don’t have to, Uncle Jim. Mom and I have agreed to do what we can. We know this is important to you and a lot of other people. I’ve learned that much while working on the campaign. Mrs. Holcombe is…was a great woman, and I don’t want all of her work to have been for nothing. So, you’d better win, OK?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He offered a mock salute before turning serious. “You know, with all your work on the campaign, I was going to say you should change your major to political science, but I think psychology will be just right for you. You’re so good with people.”
Her downcast eyes hinted at her slight embarrassment. “Thanks, Uncle Jim.” She handed him a chocolate cupcake for the birthday boy. “So, are you going to lead us in song?”
Jim laughed as he placed the three candles in the center of the cupcake. “I think we’ll leave that to the professionals.” He used the lighter to ignite the wicks. “I’m just glad they let me play with fire.”
_____
As Melissa was getting ready for bed, Jim checked his email. He was surprised to see a message from Ed Hartley, whose brother Gerald had led a cult of followers in mass suicide eight years earlier. Ed taught religion classes at a college in Indiana. He and Jim didn’t email often, but Ed had reached out to Jim a year or so after the tragedy. They checked in every few months, usually just commenting on an article the other had sent.
Congratulations on being appointed to the state assembly. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you.
I never thought Ed would be a friend. It was funny to see how things sometimes worked out. He shot off a quick email thank you and then reflected on the events that had led up to both the biggest career high but personal low of his life. One name popped into this head: Terry Gould, the social science teacher at Emerald Valley High School. He and Terry had talked after the school shooting at his campus, which was also the day he first heard about New Creation Fellowship.
He had last seen Terry at Glenn’s Burgers in May. Just out of curiosity, he did a web search for the teacher and discovered he had a blog. Jim clicked on an entry he’d written the previous month.
Posted on Wednesday, July 6
IN DEFENSE OF TRADITION
I was watching the news the other day and was fascinated by a report about people who were eagerly waiting to get their hands on the newest tablet PC to hit the market. The company, I forget which one, was bragging about the latest features and apps and how they will make all our lives that much easier.
What got me the most was that some people mentioned how they had purchased an older version of the same computer but wanted a new one because newer must be better.
I’m someone who likes tradition. I like it when we do things the way we did when I was a kid. Like I’ve said before, I have nothing against new technology. I am saving up to buy a new iPad, I like that my wife’s car has an on-board navigation system, and I can’t tell you how thankful I am that my coffeemaker grinds beans automatically.
But there are some things that are old that need to be preserved. Things our parents did, and their parents before them. One of those traditions is a good old-fashioned July 4th parade, which, I admit, I had not been to in years until this week. Nothing’s better on a midsummer day than to see kids on bikes decked out with flags and streamers, local men and women who have proudly served our nation in times of war, classic cars and bands playing timeless tunes.
Now the citizen-soldiers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom were not necessarily fighting for the right for kids to put streamers on their bikes or for bands to play The Beatles or hits from the ’80s off the back of a truck bed, but in a certain respect, they did exactly that. They fought so we could celebrate our freedom in a variety of ways without fear or restriction.
We even got to see some fireworks tonight. The patriotic sounds of John Phillip Sousa perfectly fulfilled the theme of today: devotion to something higher than oneself.
In our fast-paced culture with its latest trends, TV shows, movies or fashions, it’s nice to be able to experience a classic American experience like an Independence Day parade. Besides, the cars look cool and some of the bands are pretty good.
I know what I’m doing next July 4th.
“Great article,” Jim commented at the bottom of the story. He reposted it on Facebook. Even if I don’t have time to write anymore, at least he’s getting to have a little fun doing so.
6
With his new leather messenger bag over his shoulder, Jim boarded the early morning Southwest flight from Ontario to Sacramento. He usually flew Delta or American, but the state legislature paid for the cheapest flight, and that was Southwest. At least the service was good and, since Jim personally paid for the upgrade to business class, he got a few extra perks like priority seating that allowed him to get a seat in the emergency exit row. If I’m going to be flying a lot, I might as well get some extra legroom out of the deal.
Taking his window seat, he took out his phone and checked his work and personal email as the plane continued to fill up.
A message from Terry caught his eye.
Glad you liked what I wrote about the parade. Here’s one about taking my niece to Disneyland that you might enjoy as well. Good luck in Sacramento. We could use some more honest people up there.
Jim clicked on the link and opened the blog post.
Posted on Tuesday, August 9
A DAY OF MAGIC
For the last 60+ years, tens of millions of children have enjoyed the same wonderful experience: their first trip to Disneyland.
Yesterday, when I went with my niece, Sophia, to “The Happiest Place on Earth,” I got to see the absolute joy in a child’s eyes as she entered the theme park for the first time.
Terry went on to describe how they spent the morning in California Adventure, which included getting drenched on a water ride, before moving over to Disneyland itself. Jim smiled as he read about the ride in the double-decker bus down Main Street, U.S.A.
At the end of the day, as my niece’s energy had finally dissipated, we “oohed” and “ahhed” at the fireworks launched behind Sleeping Beauty Castle and laughed when, in amazement and wonder, my niece excitedly informed us that Tinker Bell was soaring overhead.
With all the sadness, grief, terror and fear that has plagued our country in last decade and a half, it is nice to be able to spend a day enraptured in innocent fun that reminds us of a simpler, more peaceful time.
Getting up the next day after having spent 10 hours walking around a theme park with an Energizer Bunny of a 7-year-old is another thing altogether. I’m just glad I don’t have to go to work for a week or two.
As he finished the piece, Jim realized that while he had planned to take Mark to Disneyland over the Christmas holidays, with his new job and a newborn in the house again, that probably wouldn’t work out. I wonder how this job is going to up-end the rest of my life.
He sent Terry a quick note before loading up his favorite soundtrack and switching his phone to airplane mode. Film scores always helped him focus, and he’d need that while he read about the legislation he would be voting on this week. Deep in thought, Jim barely noticed as the plane’s wheels left the ground and the aircraft ascended into the sky.
_____
After a morning of orientation meetings arranged by Brian, Jim snuck away from his office f
or a few minutes during lunch. As he returned through the echoing hall, he paused as he approached the oversized wooden doors that lead into the Assembly chambers. Since others had broken for lunch, he opened the door and walked inside.
Jim wasn’t moved by much, but the splendor of the room silenced even his thoughts. Brian had warned him the 80-member chamber was smaller than it looked in the videos he had watched of recent legislative sessions as “homework,” but the chandeliers and the columns flanked by dark green curtains that matched the carpet was still enough to give him pause before he crossed the threshold. Examining the chart he had been given earlier in the day, he found his chair in the center on the right-hand side of the room.
Taking a seat, he examined the gold lettering above the dais, which declared the motto of the legislative body: “Legislatorum est justas leges condor.” It is the duty of the legislators to pass just laws.
The Old Testament prophet Micah likewise had admonished people to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. From what Jim had seen at the statewide and national level over the years, it seemed politicians, even the religious ones, rarely heeded that advice. He whispered a short prayer from his seat. “God, grant me the wisdom to do what is right and just.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the stillness of the moment. The Caller ID revealed Brian was on the line.
“Just checking in. Are you about wrapped up with lunch?”
Jim rose from his seat. “I was just giving myself a tour of the chambers. It’s pretty impressive.”
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