Mom took us to a couple of other places in the neighborhood before going home. I was so pumped that we had more signatures, and I couldn’t wait to go back out tomorrow. We dropped Alex off before we arrived back home, seeing as it was a school night and it was getting late. When we arrived home I hurried to my room to count up the signatures. In total, I ended up getting one hundred thirty one which was really good.
Before going to bed I spent a few minutes with Dad telling him where we went and the people we met. He informed me that tomorrow he’d be taking Alex and me out because Mom had to work late. It was fine with me as long as someone was going to take me out. Just before turning in for the night I thanked Mom for taking the time to drive me around.
Throughout the week Dad and Mom took turns out of their busy schedule to take Alex and me to get more signatures. When Friday came Dad picked Alex and I up from school where we drove up to Congressman Strum’s office. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t make my goal number of signatures. I was one thousand seventy five signatures shy of what I was trying to get, but Dad was sure that I had enough.
My first impression of Congressman Strum was that he was intimidating. He stood at least six feet tall with dark hair, a thick mustache, and talked in a really deep voice. Even though Dad was in the room with Alex and me, I was still a little nervous.
“So, Julia, your dad tells me you have a petition. May I see it?” he asked as he extended his hand for the pile of papers I had on my lap.
“Here you go, this is all of them,” I said.
“Wow, this is quite impressive. Can you tell me a little bit about why you would like to put this into a bill?” he asked.
After sharing with him everything that had got me to this point, he was even more impressed. He did share with me that there would be a strong possibility that my bill would never become a law. I understood everything he explained and still assured him that I was willing to take that chance. After all the people who signed my petition, I couldn’t walk away now. I hadn’t loss hope yet and I wasn’t about to now.
“Well, Julia, I’ll keep you posted on the status of this bill. It may be a while before you hear anything from me. This is a long process. It was a pleasure to meet you and Alex. And Mr. Stone, I’d like to say that I’m glad you chose to be our new State’s Attorney here in New York,” he said as he shook our hands before we left.
Some part of me wished I had a time machine to jump forward to find out if my bill ever becomes a law. The waiting was going to kill me. I knew I had to just put it out of my mind and forget about it. On the ride home Dad told Alex and me that he was proud of us. It was nice to hear him include Alex knowing at first he was hesitant about me having a boy as a friend.
Over the course of the school year, Bridget didn’t bother me, so school was easier to deal with. I thought she had learned her lesson about bullying altogether, but unfortunately, she didn’t. It had only been three months after the incident with me that she was caught bullying another kid and was suspended again. As much as I wanted to tell Principal Joseph she was never going to learn if they didn’t do something else, I kept my mouth shut.
It killed me to know that Bridget just got another slap on the wrist, and that she was likely to continue that same behavior, so I went home every night and prayed that someday my bill would be a law with more structure and stricter punishments for bullies. Before the school year ended, Alex and I started an after school club in the library for students to vent about anything that they were struggled with, including bullying. We were shocked to find out that Bridget had bullied a lot of kids.
Our meetings usually lasted for an hour and the library was always full of students. A couple of days before the last day of school, I heard a story that brought tears to my eyes. It was about a boy named Paul from a few years back. Apparently, from his freshman year to his senior, he had been bullied repeatedly because his dad was in jail for beating up his mother. A few kids even posted drawings of a man beating a woman all over the halls in school and it read “Paul’s dad is a wife- beater.”
The following morning Paul never showed up to school. He had chosen to take his own life. No one connected the dots from his death to the excessive bullying he endured, because none of the kids would speak up. They were too scared. After hearing that story I knew I’d never forget Paul even though I never knew him.
On the last day of school, Alex and I didn’t want to stay the entire day. We knew it would be boring. No one ever did anything on the last day, so we had my mom pick us up early and drop us off at the house. We made lunch, and hung out watching movies until he had to go home. I was ecstatic that I had made it through the rest of the school year. My hopes for my sophomore year were that the only thing I’d have to worry about was getting good grades.
Throughout the summer Alex and I hung out a lot. We kept our promise and hung out at the youth center once a week with Angel and her friends. While I was there I learned how to play a couple of new card games and even though I thought I was getting the hang of it, I still lost every time.
A month before school started back up I received a call from Congressman Strum. I had high hopes for good news, but I still prepared myself for the worst. While on the phone I crossed my fingers on my left hand while holding the phone in my right.
“Julia, this is Congressman Strum, how have you been?” he asked.
“I’ve been good.” I was a little impatient, and really wanted to skip over the small talk to get to the matter at hand.
“Wonderful. I have some news to share with you. Your bill has been referred to the Senate based on the issues in the bill, and has been placed on the Committee’s calendar.”
“Really, this is good right? This means my bill is not dead?” I asked, trying to make sure I understood what he was saying.
“Yes, correct, it’s passed the first point. We have more waiting ahead of us, but this is a good thing, Julia.”
“Well, thank you for calling and letting me know.”
“No problem, I’ll call back when I find out more. I’m rooting for you,” he said before hanging up the phone.
I was freaking out and yelling through the house. At one point I was even dancing all around the living room until my dad came walking through the door and said, “Someone’s happy.” I didn’t hear him come in, which scared the living crap out of me. Usually, I’d say, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack,” but instead I ran over to him to tell him the good news.
“I’m so happy, honey. Wait until your mom comes home. She’s going to be so thrilled,” Dad said while he hugged me tight.
I didn’t want to jinx anything, but I did need to call Alex and let him know. As I began to tell Alex all about my phone call with Congressman Strum, he interrupted me and said, “Breathe, Julia. I can’t even understand what you’re saying.” Once I caught my breath, I slowly told him the good news. He was as thrilled as I was, but he did remind me that we still had a long way to go and anything could happen.
Two weeks before school started back up again, Mom took Alex and me to the Bronx. We heard that someone made a huge donation to the youth center, so they’re remodeling the building. We figured we’d stop by and lend a hand. Alex and I ended up helping to paint the outside of the building while Mom helped inside. We stayed until mid-afternoon before we decided to head home. As we were getting in the car I asked Mom if we could invite Angel over for supper next week. She smiled and said, “Yes, Julia. That’s a wonderful idea.”
“Cool, let me just go ask her mom if she can come,” I said as I jumped back out of the car.
After speaking to Angel’s mom and her agreeing to allow Angel to come over next week, I jumped back in the car. Mom had to drop off Alex before we went home. His parents had plans to go visit his aunt and he had no choice but to go, so Mom suggested we go shopping for new school clothes. I hated shopping for clothes. I never had a very good sense of fashion.
Mom and I headed to the mall where our firs
t stop was the store Express. Neither one of us knew what was hip for a kid my age. When the sales clerk came over asking if we needed any help, neither my mom nor I refused her help.
“Hi, I’m looking for some clothes that kids my age are wearing. Can you help me, please?” I asked.
“Yes, of course I can. This is what I’m here for,” she said with a pretty smile. I didn’t see why she was working in a clothing store. Clearly, by her looks she could be a super model. I tried on all kinds of clothes I normally wouldn’t wear. I felt funny, but the sales woman said I looked fabulous, so I went with it. Once I was done trying on almost everything in the store, Mom paid for my new clothes while I thanked the woman for her help.
We shopped a couple more stores and seven hundred fifty two dollars later I was exhausted. When we arrived back home Dad was lounging on the couch watching some fishing show. I showed him all my new clothes while Mom started cooking dinner. As I hung up everything in my closet I thought about the new school year and how it was sure to be better than last year.
Things seemed to be turning around since the first day I arrived in New York. Mom and Dad’s jobs kept them busy and Alex and I hung out all the time. I made new friends at the youth center and I was hoping that life would only continue to get better.
The day before school started I received another phone call from Congressman Strum about my bill. He informed me that there was a hearing in the committee and the bill went in front of what they call a Floor Action. It is now set to reach a debate where people in congress will decide whether the bill will be passed or defeated by the members who are voting.
In my mind, I knew there was still a long way to go, but at the same time I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to see Alex in the morning to tell him. I thought about calling him, but this was something that needed to be said in person.
Chapter Twenty Three
On the first day back to school I met up with Alex in the morning before class. I couldn’t wait to tell him about my conversation with Congressman Strum. Neither one of us could believe just how far the bill had made it, but of course we also knew there would be the chance of it not going any further. This year Alex and I actually had two classes together which was great. During the day each grade had to report to the auditorium for an assembly meeting.
Alex already knew what was going to be said because he went to last year’s meeting, but we still had to go. Toward the end of our principal’s speech he surprised us with a new policy. He explained to everyone that he wasn’t going to tolerate bullying in the school any more. If anyone was caught bullying there would be strict consequences. It made me feel good to know that our principal had spoken up about the seriousness of bullying, and implemented a new policy. It showed that he really believed in protecting the kids in his school.
Over the next few months at school, kids seemed to socialize more with others without having as much to fear. Alex and I participated in school activities without wondering if someone was going to harass or make fun of us. I could see things changing and it was nice, but even though things seemed to be getting better for my school, I still wondered about other kids in their schools.
It wasn’t until sometime in the spring that I received a phone call that changed everything. My parents and I were in the middle of eating dinner when the phone rang. I was about to get up to answer it when Mom said, “Julia, just let the answering machine get it. We’re in the middle of dinner. If it’s important we’ll hear it.”
As the phone rang Dad continued to tell Mom about his day. I wasn’t really paying attention to their conversation. Instead I was waiting to hear who was about to leave a message. After the beep I heard Congressman Strum’s voice on the other end. Jumping up from my chair and knocking it backward, I flew across the room and picked up the phone.
“Hello, Congressman, this is Julia,” I said even before he could say hello.
“Good evening, Julia, I hope I didn’t disturb you,” he said.
“Nope, I just finished eating dinner.”
“Oh, okay then. I have some news. Are you sitting down?” he asked.
My heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was about to explode out from my chest. I wasn’t sure when he asked if I was sitting if it was going to be good news or bad news. It had been close to a year now since my bill was sent to congress, so I’ve had plenty of time to prepare for whatever news he was about to tell me or so I thought.
“No, I’m standing, but I’ll sit.”
“Okay, here is what has happened to your bill. Members of congress voted and passed your bill. It has gone back and forth from the House to the Senate where both parties finally agreed to the conference report.”
Before he could continue, I interrupted him. “I’m not sure what this all means, but if both parties agreed where is it going now?” I asked barely containing my excitement.
“Where are your parents, Julia?” I found it odd that he even asked.
“They’re a couple of feet away from me? Why?”
“If you can put the phone on speaker and call your parents over that would be great.”
Mom and Dad didn’t know what was going on, but had a curious look on their faces. Dad asked, “What’s going on, Julia?”
I explained to them both that Congressman Strum wanted me to put the phone on speaker and ask them to come over so they could hear what he was about to say. Neither of them said anything. They both just came over to where I was standing.
“All right, I have you on speaker. Mom and Dad are standing with me,” I said.
“Okay, the bill was placed on the president’s desk as of seven this morning. Now, before you start jumping up and down and celebrating, you need to know that it can still go either way. If he does in fact sign it, then it will become a law. I’ll be able to call you within the next ten days. That’s how long the president has to make a decision whether to pass it or veto it.”
“So, if he veto’s the bill then what?” I asked not trying to get my hopes up just yet.
Throughout the phone conversation both my parents were smiling from ear to ear. Dad was about to pop open a bottle and start celebrating, but I waved my hand not to. I didn’t want to jinx anything. I’ve always been very superstitious. I truly believe what is said about a black cat, a broken mirror having seven years bad luck, walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella in the house, and celebrating before it’s time.
“If the president vetoes a bill, Congress may attempt to 'override the veto.' In both the House and Senate, overriding a veto requires a 2/3 majority of those present and voting. If the House and Senate each vote to override a veto, the bill becomes law. I don’t see it going to that point. I know I shouldn’t say this, but my gut is saying the president will sign it,” he said, sounding confidant.
After talking with Congressman Strum, I ran into my room and grabbed my cell phone. There was no way I was waiting until school to tell Alex the news. This was big. No, this was huge. Alex was just as shocked as I was when he heard the news.
“So, when will you know if the president signed it?” Alex asked.
“Give me a second, I’m trying to remember. I’m pretty sure Congressman Strum said within ten days.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. Okay, let’s try to forget about it for the next week. I know it’s going to be hard, but if we don’t we’ll drive ourselves crazy,” Alex suggested, which was smart.
The following day, I went to school trying everything in my power not to think about it, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I had such a hard time going to sleep because I kept thinking about it. I was imagining what it would feel like to know that I was a voice for others. To know that with the help of Alex, we were making a difference. Everything was going so well in my life. There was even a boy at school who apparently liked me.
Over the next few days I focused on my studies. Alex and I had a report that was due on Friday and it counted for half our grade. This was great I thought. I now had somethin
g that would keep my mind off of waiting for that one important phone call from Congressman Strum. All week after school Alex and I headed to the local library.
We spend two hours a day studying about Ancient Egypt. Although I thought it was going to be completely boring, I ended up finding it quite fascinating. Egyptians dated back to BC times. I wrote down things about their daily life, what they ate, and their religious beliefs. I read that most Egyptians ate bread and lots of vegetables. I did find it odd that it stated they drank beer. I always thought that someone in the US came up with the first beer.
Friday came and Alex and I turned in our report with full confidence. I researched the crap out of the Egyptians so there was no way I could get a bad grade. During lunch we didn’t say much. I knew exactly what Alex was thinking because I was thinking the same thing. Growing up, I was always impatient. A couple of days before my birthday rolled around I would beg my parents to give me my present, but they never did. They always made me wait, so I would follow them around the house guessing.
Torn Souls Page 15