Running

by Dave Milbrandt

  “Very funny. When’s the award ceremony?”

  “June 1. I can invite some friends and family. Do you want to come?”

  “Sure, but I don’t want to steal your thunder. Like I said before, people tend to hover around when I’m out places.”

  “Maybe, but most teachers in our district seem pretty annoyed right now with the projected budget shortfall, so if you’re lucky they’ll just give you the silent treatment all night.”

  Jim chuckled. “You and I have a very different definition of luck, I suppose.” He looked at his phone. “My calendar is free, but I’ll run it by Melissa, since I try to devote as much time to the family as I can when I’m at home.”

  “So, how’s it going balancing work and family life?”

  Jim sighed. “It’s not easy, let me tell you. People keep wanting part of me, and I don’t have much time to myself. I spend as much time as I can at home, but my kids are growing up and FaceTime calls every day just aren’t cutting it. I’m sure when Becca takes her first steps, I’ll probably have to watch it on video.”

  “That’s tough, man. Almost seems like it must not be worth it at times.”

  “Sometimes it does. But you’ve told me over the years how your job’s just the same.”

  “I might be ‘on’ five periods a day and parents and students like to chat me up when I’m buying groceries, but at the end of the day, I get to go home to Rachel and unwind from it all.”

  “Must be nice. Sometimes the pressures of the job get to you, and they’re not always ones that are easy to talk about with your wife.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jim looked around to make sure no one was listening. “I work with smart and, quite frankly, good-looking people. And we work late hours and get all passionate about one topic or another. I make sure to protect my marriage by not getting myself into sticky situations, but my co-workers are not always concerned about such things.”

  “Man…”

  “And it’s not just their spouses or partners they’re cheating on. You do your best to make sure all your contributions are above board, and then you hear about the member three doors down who might have taken a very questionable donation in return for a piece of legislation or a family member getting appointed to a board or committee. Now, there are piles of ethics rules and plenty of oversight in place to lessen the likelihood someone’s going to break the law, but sometimes you’re never quite sure if the person who’s trying to convince you to vote for his or her bill has ulterior motives.” Jim paused. “I realize I’ve probably said way too much. I’m going to have to ask for your forgiveness for babbling on and beg you not to share a word of it with anyone.”

  Terry drew an imaginary zipper across his lips. “Not a problem, mi amigo.”

  “Amigo. I like the sound of that. I don’t have a lot of friends. Not real ones, anyway.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “Hmm. Good question. I suppose it’s because when I was reporter I was more concerned about getting the story than making friends. Besides, I knew that I might need to burn a source if it meant getting an exclusive or beating the competition.

  “Sounds a bit cutthroat.”

  “It was, but mostly because I made it so.” He took a breath. “Then when I got married, Melissa became my best friend.”

  “Awww. I think I got Rachel an anniversary card with that on it one year.”

  “Very funny. But what people don’t tell you is that there are certain things you need to process before you go telling the person you share a bed with. Sometimes I want to rant about what happened at the office or in the chambers, but I stop myself because I realize all I’m doing is making her just as mad as I am, which does nothing to fix the problem. When I’m at home, I need to really be ‘off the clock’.”

  “And you can’t make friends at your current job because, like you said before, everybody wants something.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  “Well, you can rest assured, I don’t want anything other than what you do—someone to talk things through with who isn’t the person who folds my socks. Rachel has been telling me for the last year or so that I have too many acquaintances and not enough real friends.”

  “Sounds like Melissa, which goes to show our wives are much smarter than we are.”

  “That’s for sure,” Terry said. “Listen, I’ve got an idea. I have as many distractions, temptations really, as you do. Why don’t we agree to be there for each other? Texts, calls, coffee, whatever. Call it friendship, accountability, or ‘iron sharpening iron.’ However you want to label it, we both need someone who will be there for us.”

  “Why do I have the song from Toy Story in my head right now?”

  Terry smirked. “I suppose you think you’re Buzz Lightyear in this scenario?”

  “Absolutely, he’s cool and has a laser and everything.”

  “But Woody was the kid's favorite toy.”

  “Maybe in the beginning, but not after the Space Ranger came along.”

  The two laughed, drawing attention from a couple entering the candy store.

  “I haven’t laughed like that in ages,” Jim said as he caught his breath.

  “Me either. I think this friend thing is going to work out just fine.”

  Jim paused as their smiles faded. “If you don’t mind me asking, how are you doing since the FBI thing at the school in October?”

  “Sam Delaney was placed on administrative leave and a long-term sub took over his classes until a new teacher was hired in January for the spring semester. Some of the kids got counseling the next week, but after that we all seemed to pretend nothing happened. There’s obviously more going on, but nobody’s really talking about it. It’s weird. I’m not sure if we’re healing or just living in denial.”

  “Listen, you know enough of my backstory to know I’ve been through… intense situations in the past myself. If you ever need to talk about it, I’m happy to listen.”

  Terry smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I went for some counseling right after it happened, and I can go back if I feel like it, but if I need someone else to talk to, I’ll let you know.”

  Jim checked the time on his phone. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to get going. Mark and I have got a Lego fort to build, and Becca is probably up from her nap by now. Same time next week?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  _____

  Jim was about to go to lunch the following Monday when he received a text from Brian.

  Turn on the Channel 5 News.

  Jim thought about going to the conference room to watch from the wall-mounted flat screen, but he wasn’t sure what was going on, and he wasn’t sure he wanted an audience. He loaded the news station’s web page and clicked on the “Live Streaming” button.

  The anchors in the Burbank studio finished a story about money being raised for a teacher fighting breast cancer before shifting to their next story. Jim’s picture popped up on the screen with the caption Road to Recall. The male anchor introduced the story.

  “Local assemblyman Jim Mitchell may be popular at home, but some policymakers in Sacramento are beginning to voice support for his recall. Let’s go to Lauren Hickox with the Sacramento Bee for the latest. Lauren, what are you hearing in the Capitol?”

  “Well, Rick, Jim Mitchell is a likable guy, but as we all know, being likable isn’t enough, not when you’re facing a recall effort started by the widower of the late Assemblywoman Delores Holcombe. Now, Cris Rubalcaba, Governor Matthew Jackson’s former chief of staff, has come out with some harsh criticism of the independent lawmaker.”

  A well-polished strategist whose suit was worth three of Jim’s was sitting in the well-furnished corner office of the lobbying firm that hired him six months ago. He flashed a picture-perfect smile before ripping into Jim. “It’s great that people love Jim Mitchell, but he’s just not getting the job done. He thinks that being an independent means you get to hold the legislature hostage when
you don’t get what you want. Well, that’s not how the game works. You have to think of the people before yourself.”

  Jim restrained his fists, but not his voice. “Seriously? Come on, you hack! Like you’re not working the system every day?”

  Mina knocked and entered his office.

  “Are you watching this?” Jim flung his hand at the screen.

  She nodded. “Brian gave me a heads-up. You know Jackson’s just trying to get your goat. He wants to appoint a Democrat so he can have all the power.”

  “He promised to stay of out this. I should have known better than to take him at his word.”

  She grimaced. “I’m guessing you probably regret telling him off the day he swore you in.”

  “I didn’t exactly tell him off, but I get your point. Sometimes I let my mouth get the better of me.”

  The visual on the screen had changed to a college classroom, as Hickox introduced Sacramento State University Professor Jacob Teng. “Professor Teng said Mitchell’s opponents are facing an uphill battle.”

  The professor, in his dress shirt and sports coat, spoke in measured tones. “While things may not sound good for Assemblyman Mitchell, it’s important to remember that removing a state lawmaker just because you don’t like him is a very, very hard sell. Jim Mitchell may be new, but he hasn’t done anything wrong. If he gets the right allies on his side, I think he’ll weather this storm.”

  Hickox sent the story back to Burbank, and Jim clicked off the feed and breathed a sigh of relief. “That could have been worse, but let’s reach out to some of our friends to make sure this doesn’t spin out of control.”

  Mina’s eyes lit up. “I have just the idea. Let me make some calls, and I’ll get back to you.”

  _____

  In his Sacramento office that Thursday, Jim pulled up the Courier’s website.

  Keep Jim Mitchell in Sacramento

  By Carmen Muñoz and Leland Chilcote

  As members of opposing political parties, there often is not much we agree on. But there is one topic where we're on the same page.

  Assemblymember Jim Mitchell should keep his job.

  Politicians often have people who don’t like them for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s a legitimate policy, while other times people have personal reasons for not seeing eye-to-eye with a lawmaker.

  We’re the first ones to admit that having an independent who is not connected to either party be the deciding vote on certain issues makes us both frustrated from time to time.

  Yet, no matter how much we disagree with Jim on one issue or another, he was fairly elected by the people of his home district and has done nothing to dishonor his office.

  Whether or not he made a mistake in his private life years ago is a personal issue, not a legislative one. As far as we know, Jim Mitchell has done nothing as a legislator that warrants his removal from office.

  Like several other new legislators, Jim is still figuring out how things work around here. There will be growing pains, as there always are, but he’s doing a fine job, and his term should not be cut short through recall.

  If people don’t like the job he is doing as a member of the State Assembly, they should take that into consideration during the next regular election cycle, as happens with every one of us.

  In the meantime, we would encourage you to let Jim do his part in making California a better place for us all.

  Carmen Muñoz is the Speaker of the Assembly and Leland Chilcote is the Assembly’s Republican Leader.

  Jim called Brian after he finished the opinion piece. “I just finished the piece by Muñoz and Chilcote. Tell Mina she did a nice job making that happen.”

  “I will. It wasn’t too hard of a sell. They know it’s in their best interest to remind people that recalls should be saved for actual malfeasance not just grudges and differences of opinion.”

  Jim was silent for a moment. “I wonder if it will be enough.”

  “As of the last count, they have almost 30,000 of the approximately 43,500 they need for the recall to take place. We’re going to fight tooth and nail to make sure they don’t get the rest of those signatures. We’ll find out in six weeks if we were successful.”

  “June 5th cannot get here fast enough.”

  21

  Wednesday, June 1

  The sun was still fairly high in the late afternoon sky on the first day of June as guests began to arrive at the Chaparral Canyon Country Club. The banquet room was exquisitely set with linen napkins and tablecloths, each table featuring a bouquet of flowers and the name of a school in the Emerald Valley Unified School District handwritten in calligraphy. Clad in business attire, guests began arriving at the Teacher of the Year banquet around 5:30 p.m. Jim and Melissa arrived about 15 minutes before the dinner began and quickly found Terry and Rachel and exchanged hugs. Jen and Rachel complimented each other’s outfits, while Terry teased Jim that his blue tie meant that he was wearing Valle Vista’s colors as opposed to Emerald Valley’s green and gold.

  “Sorry. Does that mean I can’t sit at the cool kids’ table?”

  “We’re not the cool kids.” Terry chuckled as he pointed to people two tables over. “The folks from Otis Middle School seem to be getting all the love right now.”

  Jim shook his head. “And I thought people in Sacramento got budget envy.”

  “I learned a long time ago that discontent seems to be a universal sickness.”

  Terry introduced Jim to his co-workers, Norman and Kimberly. Jim had met Principal Chavez the previous year when he was a staffer for the late assemblywoman.

  They sat down and engaged in small talk throughout the dinner course. Jim was thankful it was a night that was relatively free of political conversation. He was also happy to be out with his wife at an event that had nothing to do with his job. Melissa and Rachel had become good friends as well, so it didn’t feel like a business function. For the first time in a long while, Jim didn’t even notice Strojny standing watch in the background all evening.

  The lawmaker had meetings with several constituent groups throughout the week to help him refocus his legislative agenda after the recall was hopefully quashed. He had a couple of events on the calendar for Thursday morning, but the rest of the day would be spent with the kids, and he and Melissa would have a much-needed night away at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside.

  As cheesecake was being served for dessert, the president of the Emerald Valley Chamber of Commerce gave some introductory comments followed by Superintendent Elliott McMahon. Each of the twelve principals in the district presented awards to the top teacher on their campus.

  Chavez spoke from prepared remarks about Terry’s dedication to his students as well as his subject matter. “Terry is the kind of teacher students go to when something’s wrong, and he’s always there to listen no matter what. He’s got a stash of cheese crackers if they’re hungry and a tissue if they need to cry. While his AP students consistently pass their exams with flying colors, Terry cares about more than just test scores. He invests in his students and keeps in touch with them long after graduation. Terry Gould is the model of what a teacher should be, and honoring him with this award is but a small token of our appreciation for what he does every day.”

  Terry quickly walked to the front and shook his principal’s hand as he received his award. His cheeks were still red when he began his remarks, which began with a series of thank yous and a few self-deprecating jokes. The second half of the short speech shifted to a more serious tone.

  “Despite what you hear in popular culture, very few of us enter this job because we have afternoons and summers off. We teach kids because we love them and want them to grow as people as well as scholars. Whether for the child entering kindergarten for the first time, or for the one walking across a stage to receive their high school diploma, we all are part of a process that is helping them become better world citizens.”

  Terry smiled and sighed as he continued.

  “It’
s been a tough year at our school, there’s no denying it. But we’re on our way to getting better and it’s nights like this, and awards like this one, that help me remember why I got into teaching in the first place.”

  Terry quickly wrapped up his comments and returned to his seat. Jim patted him on the back. “Nice job.”

  “Thanks. Your turn to be brilliant next week at graduation.”

  “I’ve spoken in front of the California State Assembly. Talking to 400 high schoolers can’t be any worse than that.”

  Terry laughed. “Sure, amigo. You keep telling yourself that.”

  _____

  While the teacher milled about afterwards talking to friends from other schools, Jim motioned to Strojny, said his goodbyes and he and Melissa headed for the exit.

  Exiting the country club, Jim took his wife’s arm as they headed for their car.

  “Assemblyman Mitchell!”

  Jim barely had chance to turn when he saw the man, dressed in cargo pants and olive green shirt with a weapon in his outstretched arm, lunge toward him. “This is for Gregory Booker,” he hissed.

  The lawmaker instinctively jerked his wife away from danger as Strojny leapt into action. He deftly knocked the black KA-BAR knife out of the assailant’s hand and pinned him to the ground, twisting his right arm behind him.

  “Get inside, Jim,” Strojny ordered before handcuffing the man and calling for back-up.

  They reentered the building and moved to a back wall, catching their breath as they watched the scene unfold through the glass doors. Jim put a protective arm around his wife. “It’s OK. It’s over now. We’ll be all right.”

  Melissa huffed. “You can’t promise me that. I wish you could, but you can’t.”