Political Science 101

Chapter Eighty-Five

THE CLASSROOM was quiet and serene and peaceful. There was no hustle, no bustle, no commotion, no emotion, no motion at all. It was starting to get cold outside and the university heating system was kicking-on for the first time after sitting idle for the summer. All the lights were on in the room, and for some unknown reason, it felt like late evening. Although the sun was rising, a blanket of gray covered the world around Merriam University and St. Louis. The only aroma in the air was the cappuccino/hot chocolate/coffee concoction emanating from Mitch's Boston Red Sox coffee mug.

No students would be in the room for another half-an-hour, but Mitch had barely slept last night so he decided he'd come into work and just enjoy some quiet time in the classroom prior to the kickoff of his 8AM class. Ordinarily, if he arrived at the university early enough to sit for a moment, he would sit in his fourth-floor office. But today, he wanted to sit at the instructor's desk of the university classroom assigned to his Political Science 101 class — he wanted to just sit and decompress.

He leaned his head back on the headrest of the chair at the front of the room and closed his eyes — not to take a nap, just to think. He thought about how the day's class would go, considering it was Election Day and he was teaching a Political Science class. He thought about how his former best friend would do in today's election. He thought about where would be at that moment if he had accepted the offer to join Ray's staff when he was elected to the state legislature.

What if he'd accepted the offer when Ray was a state senator? What if Mitch kept rising with him through the ranks, all the way to Washington D.C.? What if Mitch had given up teaching and become a Professional Political Operative?

Sometimes, a person's mind can swim in a sea of what-ifs; but in reality, there's no swimming, just merely treading water.

The door to the classroom swung open with a weary squeak and Mitch opened his eyes, preparing his mindset to greet whatever early and overly-ambitious student had just entered the room.

"Hey," a voice said to Mitch before he could focus his eyesight on the person approaching him. The voice of the young woman was familiar — very familiar — and he recognized it instantly. He smiled widely at the unexpected surprise of seeing his little sister Sarah walking toward him.

"Hey!" Mitch said enthusiastically. He hopped up from his chair and rushed over to her, giving her the big bear hug that only a big brother could give. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to stop in and say Hi," she said as they released their embrace. "I took the day off and wanted to come talk to you."

"This early?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, well," she said with a smile, "today is kind of a big day for you political junkies. So I just wanted to catch you before your day was in full swing."

"Okay?" Mitch replied with curiosity as they both sat down at adjacent desks in the classroom.

"Do you have a minute?" Sarah asked, realizing she probably should have led with this question.

"I've got twenty," Mitch said, looking at his watch in anticipation of his 8AM class.

"Okay, so here's the deal," Sarah began in an introductory tone-of-voice. "I've been texting a lot with Ashlynn lately." She paused. "Well, lately meaning like three or four months."

"About what?" Mitch asked inquisitively, knowing this conversation was going somewhere, he just didn't know where. His instinctual reactions were somewhat at odds with one another; one reaction was a reaction of happiness because he'd always wished Sarah and Ashlynn could be close, but his other reaction was a mixture of jealousy and defensiveness because he had always wanted to be the person to whom Ashlynn spoke about life issues (and, for years, he had).

"The whole her-and-Will thing has been an ongoing thing," she said, "But the one thing it is bothering them both is the fact that you and Ray haven't spoken in months."

"Yeah, I..." Mitch said, not knowing how he was going to finish this particular thought.

"It's just that," Sarah continued delicately, "it just makes things a little difficult for both of them when their dads seem to hate each other, and they think it's keeping them apart." She paused again, this time to read Mitch's reaction; she could tell he was thinking deeply. "They just get along so well, but they barely get to see each other because neither is sure about how you or Ray will react."

"React?" Mitch said, slightly defensive.

"Both of you guys know they're dating," she said matter-of-factly, "so why can't you guys just get over whatever is wedged between you two and just work your issues out?"

"Well," Mitch said, "it's a complicated situation." He paused, contemplating his next word, not because he wasn't sure what to say but rather, he was trying to remember exactly what was wedged between them. And it was at this moment — with his little sister speaking as his own voice of reason — Mitch finally realized this situation was larger than Ray and himself. It was as though Sarah had taken him from himself and enabled him to step back and see his life from the outside. He saw his now-meaningless grudge and unwillingness to forgive his best friend for something which now felt irrelevant. And it bothered him that he was putting his own grudge against the one person in the world who meant the most to him: his only daughter. She was the person who'd traveled the highways of life the farthest with Mitch, and she was his only bond to the true (but lost) love of his life, Marie.

"Everything is complicated," Sarah said, "but it doesn't always have to be." She dipped her head at him, searching for some semblance of comprehension. "Mitch," she said firmly, "just give the guy a call."

"I'll think about it," Mitch said, knowing he would likely break down and eventually call Ray. It mattered to Ashlynn, so it mattered to himself.

"You know he'll be in town tonight for the election," Sarah remarked auspiciously.

"Oh yeah," Mitch said aloud, but more to himself, "that's right."

"So you'll call?" Sarah asked with optimism; her inflection politely demanded an answer.

Mitch leaned over in his chair and rubbed away a nonexistent scuff on his shoe. "I'll think about it," he said without conviction.

"Ugh," she replied, shaking her head. "I know what that means. Promise me you'll call." She now spoke with insistence.

"Fine," Mitch said with a smile on his face, waving a white flag with his tone-of-voice. "I'll call him after class."

"Good," Sarah said, smiling as she stood up. "I'll let you get ready for your class.

"Well, thanks for coming to see me," Mitch said as he stood up with her.

Sarah hugged Mitch around the neck with her quintessential little-sister hug. "I love and miss you bunches. You need to call me more."

"I will," Mitch said to Sarah's back as she walked toward the door.

And then the room was silent again.

But students would be arriving soon.