Yipee!!!!

 

“Have you heard the news?” I’ve been keeping my excitement inside, hoping to run into a fellow like-minded soul on my walk this morning. I have to be careful. There could be Trump supporters in my neighborhood that are mad as hell. The election is a fraud. They stole the election. I am the enemy who voted against their misogynist hero.

          

 

So, when I spied friendly dog walking woman—every day she greets me with a big warm smile--I have a good feeling about her. She must be someone who voted for Biden and Harris. She didn't seem like someone who would vote for Trump. Though you never can tell. I will never assume again that everyone in my neighborhood is a Democrat after I had the conversation with my neighbor across the street, a woman!--who had voted for Trump. You just can't tell. 

            But, I feel pretty confident about Warm Smile Woman. So,  ask her if she’s heard. “No,” she answered now, grinning at me.

            “Biden won!” I proclaim, grinning broadly under my mask.

            “WHAT!!! OH MY GOD!!!! THAT IS SO AWESOME!” I could see the relief spread throughout her, her shoulders relaxing, her eyes sparkling. Yes, we were kindred political souls. I knew it!

            “I stopped checking my phone,” she continued. “I had no idea. I’m so glad that it was you who told me. I feel like I know you. I see you every morning and my name is Evie by the way. And my dog’s name is Nash….”

            “I’m Carol! Nice to finally know your name.”

            “Yes!” she continues to beam at me. “And I get my new internet today too!”

            “WOW! This is a good day for you! And Kamala too! A woman VP! How awesome is that?”

            “Yes, it certainly is!” she agrees, the internet man approaching us now from his van.

            “I’ll leave you to it,” I say, walking on, the air crisp and breezy.

            “Thanks again for letting me know,” she smiles again. That warm welcoming smile. I’m so happy to have been the one to let her know the good news.

            Cuz, it’s been a long week. We’ve been on pins and needles for days. The night of the election when it was obvious that the count was going to be close and that there were still so many ballots to count (Trump declaring that the counting must stop???), I had gone to bed anxious and upset. Would this horror of a man win again? It just couldn’t happen, could it? But I hadn’t thought it would happen 4 years ago and it did.

            So, this week, I’ve been trying to not obsess over it. Trying not to check my phone every hour.  Limiting myself to twice a day---evening and morning.

            This morning I got up and checked. The AP map showed Biden with 280 electoral votes! He needed 270 to win! It must be over. He must have won.

            I make coffee. Turn on the TV. The pundits are on. Yes, Biden’s won. And Trump is playing golf. He refuses to concede. There’s no law that requires him to. But John Dickerson says that if Trump won’t leave on the day Biden is sworn in, the White House Security will escort him out.

            Will it come to this? Gosh, I hope not. But I wouldn’t put it past Trump. He threatens recounts. He threatens lawsuits and, in fact, has already filed these against key states—Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona. He is taking these false election results to the Supreme Court. They’ll make him president again. He’s made sure of this with the rush job to put Amy Coney Barrett, the scary conservative pro-lifer (yet against the ACA—how can you be pro-baby but anti adult life?)  will make him president.

            Yet, this morning, as I walk, after my jubilant chat with Evie, I feel lighter. There is a bluer tinge to the sky. It’s a new day. A new era. A new paradigm.

            Thank Fucking Gawd! I think as I cross the street and head up to McBryde. A big crow swoops down in front of me. Picks up a piece of something in his hard yellow beak. I grin. “Hello, Mr. Crow! Happy day to you!”

            He caws at me and take off, soaring over the telephone wires into the blue blue sky.