Election Day 2004
I shuffled to 1:30 Latin class with a heavy heart. The ugly gray of the sky matched my mood perfectly. It may have been the book bag that was weighing me down physically, but it was the election that was weighing on my mind. How could this happen? Surely the American people weren't that stupid- were they? Apparently 51% of them were. I sighed and inadvertently stepped in a large puddle, splashing water up the leg of my jeans.
"Why, God, why?" I asked meaning the election- not my soaked pants, though I wasn't too happy about the pants either.
Latin went by as it always does- very slowly. Cicero's De Officiis seemed terribly ironic in light of current events. Latin may be my favorite class (that's not as impressive as it sounds- its competition consist of Trigonometry and Typography) but I found myself unable to concentrate on whether 'agandus' was a gerund or gerundive and what case 'communi' is. Finally, though, class was over.
I collected my papers and notes and stuffed them in my backpack lethargically. Idly I wondered which country we would bomb next. No, better not to think about it. I stepped outside of Ophelia Parish into pouring rain.
"Even the heavens weep," I observed aloud. A girl walking in front of me looked back, to see if I was addressing her.
"No, not you," I told her. She looked away and started walking faster.
I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket and hunched my shoulder against the icy rain. Making my way back to my dorm I managed to step in three more puddles. I tried to avoid the soggy worms littering the sidewalk.
"You don't know how lucky you are," I told them. They didn't react, not that I really expected them too.
"Aemilia, Aemilia, Aemilia!!!!!" I looked up, and was almost bowled over by my roomie, who was screaming my name wildly.
"Kelsey, what is it?!?" I replied. Kelsey is not the excitable type, if something had gotten her this worked up, it had to be big.
"Kerry won!"
"No, Bush won…" I wondered if the stress of having Bush elected for another four years had unhinged her- she'd been there when we'd heard Kerry concede the election.
"No, they miss counted Ohio!" She was so ecstatic she could barely speak. "Kerry gets Ohio. He won!!! They just announced it on CNN. Fox won't admit it yet, but they'll have to eventually. Kerry won!"
"Really?!" I was trying to stay calm, but hope is a heady thing. "This had better not be a joke.."
"It's not!" She got me in a strangling hug.
I started laughing, unable to put my relief and joy into words.
"He won! HE WON!!!"
A/N: I can dream, can't I?
I shuffled to 1:30 Latin class with a heavy heart. The ugly gray of the sky matched my mood perfectly. It may have been the book bag that was weighing me down physically, but it was the election that was weighing on my mind. How could this happen? Surely the American people weren't that stupid- were they? Apparently 51% of them were. I sighed and inadvertently stepped in a large puddle, splashing water up the leg of my jeans.
"Why, God, why?" I asked meaning the election- not my soaked pants, though I wasn't too happy about the pants either.
Latin went by as it always does- very slowly. Cicero's De Officiis seemed terribly ironic in light of current events. Latin may be my favorite class (that's not as impressive as it sounds- its competition consist of Trigonometry and Typography) but I found myself unable to concentrate on whether 'agandus' was a gerund or gerundive and what case 'communi' is. Finally, though, class was over.
I collected my papers and notes and stuffed them in my backpack lethargically. Idly I wondered which country we would bomb next. No, better not to think about it. I stepped outside of Ophelia Parish into pouring rain.
"Even the heavens weep," I observed aloud. A girl walking in front of me looked back, to see if I was addressing her.
"No, not you," I told her. She looked away and started walking faster.
I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket and hunched my shoulder against the icy rain. Making my way back to my dorm I managed to step in three more puddles. I tried to avoid the soggy worms littering the sidewalk.
"You don't know how lucky you are," I told them. They didn't react, not that I really expected them too.
"Aemilia, Aemilia, Aemilia!!!!!" I looked up, and was almost bowled over by my roomie, who was screaming my name wildly.
"Kelsey, what is it?!?" I replied. Kelsey is not the excitable type, if something had gotten her this worked up, it had to be big.
"Kerry won!"
"No, Bush won…" I wondered if the stress of having Bush elected for another four years had unhinged her- she'd been there when we'd heard Kerry concede the election.
"No, they miss counted Ohio!" She was so ecstatic she could barely speak. "Kerry gets Ohio. He won!!! They just announced it on CNN. Fox won't admit it yet, but they'll have to eventually. Kerry won!"
"Really?!" I was trying to stay calm, but hope is a heady thing. "This had better not be a joke.."
"It's not!" She got me in a strangling hug.
I started laughing, unable to put my relief and joy into words.
"He won! HE WON!!!"
A/N: I can dream, can't I?