The Humdrum Life of a Hero

Epilogue

That Sunday morning after Winter Formal was pure bliss.

After waking up next to each other, Jay and I just stayed in bed and talked and kissed, and talked and kissed for a few hours before finally wandering downstairs to forge for some breakfast. We ended up with a medley of leftover pizza we had ordered at some point the evening before and a few pancakes.

Not my best effort at a breakfast, but I deserve a break once in a while.

Before we sat down in the living room, I grabbed the newspaper from the front porch, eager to see myself inside. The article graced the front of the Life&Style section just as Kylie Washington said it would. A picture of me in my dress and holding my bouqet of flowers up on the stage took up half the page. Jay was visible in the background of the picture, beaming with pride.

The article itself detailed everything from the day I met Jay and onward. Thankfully, Kylie didn't delve much into life pre-Jay and pre-project. I don't know if she was told not to ask much about my mother's departure or just didn't know. Whatever the case was, I'm glad it was what it was.

And apparently she interviewed Bridge, Vanessa, and Tony as well. They contributed with testaments of my responsible nature and of my all-around wonderfulness as a person, which I couldn't help but tear up a little bit at. Kylie finished the article by expressing her sentiment for this assignment and how she hoped it would bring her closer with her own daughter.

Jay immediately jumped off the couch, announcing that he was headed to buy as many copies of the newspaper as he could get his hands on.

But when I flipped the television on while he was sifting through the shoe pile for his, we both stopped dead in our tracks by who was being interviewed on the Channel 8 Daybreak News.

"Senator Keely," a woman in a red dress began, "before you go, have you read this morning's Tribune? Specifically the Life&Style section?" She slid a copy of the newspaper across the coffee table in front of the them. Jay's father didn't reach for the paper though, instead he said, "I have seen the article."

The reporter seemed to be caught off guard at his lack of reaction. "Any thoughts, Senator?"

"My son, Jay, has always been a very thoughtful young fellow even from his days of pre-school, so this current act of kindness comes to no surprise to either his mother or I."

"Have you met the young woman your son centered his project around?"

"I have. Sarah O'Henry was a delight. A well-mannered, humble girl she was."

The reporter seemed to be eating this shit up, but Jay and I just stood and sat in complete shock. I snuck a glance at Jay who's arms were crossed and an amused grin was smeared on his lips when he said, "Wonder how much time they spent this morning writing this shit because every single word he's saying is scripted. He's never used the word thoughtful or kind in his entire life to describe me."

With a genuine smile the reporter then asked, "I understand your son could've chosen anyone to profile. Any thoughts on why he didn't chose his United States Senator father?"

He gave a light-hearted laugh which only came off as robotic and forced before replying, "Jay has grown up around my achievements as I climbed the ladder to where I am now, and I can only assume that he was eager to create an achievement for himself without my help. Teenage boys want to prove themselves, especially at his age. He wanted to make a splash, I imagine, and possibly outdo his own father. Profiling the young girl instead of the old man allowed him to do that, and I am very proud of what he's achieved by this."

The reporter and Senator Keely faded out after the reporter said, "We'll be right back with Earl Barnes downtown for this week's Restaurant Round-up of the best restaurants this city has to offer."