Current mood:

optimistic

"Wake up if you want a ride to Washington School..."
my mom said this morning. Then within 2 mins of her making that statement...my alarm went off. Coming from my slumber I had realized mom already took a shower and was giving me 20 mins to get dress and hop in her SUV to try to beat the voting rush. "So all I have to do is press a button and I voted Courtney?" Baffled at her statement I just said "Yeah it's really easy...don't make it harder then it has to be." She smirked at me as she parked the car, her enthusiasm was strange for me to grasp, but then again this is the women who always said she would never vote.

The line was out the door of the elementary school in my town. Mom smiled at me and fondly reminisced about the days that she and my dad would send me off to school with my various obsessions shown via lunch box. I myself was shocked that they still have that dumb looking Donald Duck painting in the main hallway. She rubs my hand and we go over the game plan...sign in..get your ballot..walk to the booth and press the button.

"WARD 4 DISTRICT 3!!!" an older man with dreads yelled at the top of his lungs. Apparently a gentlemen before us almost voted in the wrong booth which would of caused a cosmic meltdown in Roselle, New Jersey. "We don't need no mess ya know?" Said the old lady that had been chatting with my mom. She was a first time voter too. "Obama needs our votes." Mom nods her head and rubs my back. The man next to me in the Ward 4 District 2 line seem to have the voting thing down to the T, as he informed the man to the back of him that Gore only needed 600 more votes to win. "Shit there's well over 600 blacks in this town and just think if we all got off our asses then and voted." I nodded to myself as i digged for my cellphone...and yeah i was gonna miss the 7:06 bus to New York. "Is that true Courtney?" my mom asked. "Uh yeah..well among other issues but sure." I wasn't sure if I answered her question correctly because I was fixated on the frustrated poll worker that was trying to show this older white man that all he has to do is press down on the screen to vote. Then the poll worker sighs and goes in the booth with man to give him a demonstration. "Mom do you know that if someone wanted to be an ass they can call that voter fraud?" Mom looks at me puzzled and shrugs.

As I was about to enter the booth i saw two childhood friends with their mothers. We exchange friendly glances filled with "Oh my god i haven't seen you in years...I want to talk to you but I have to go to work now." I smile as I enter the booth and vote for who I want for president, senate, representative, and a change in a state amendment . I step out and see that my childhood chums had left. I signal to my mom and she walks toward me. "Remember...don't make it harder..push the screen..hit the red button and you voted." She listens to my directions and head into the booth. I wait for her by the door of the gymnasium and wonder how in the hell did I fit into these auditorium seats at age 6. I snap back to reality and notice my mother standing in front of me with a huge grin.

We walk to moms SUV and she ask me where do i want to get dropped off. I informed her Amsterdam ave would be best..I can catch the 7:40am bus. We chat about what we have in store for the day and I once again reassured her that yes she pressed the right button and her vote will count. "I know I'm being silly but I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing." She pull toward the corner to Amsterdam and begin to grab my purse. "Ya did good kid." I said back as i kissed her on the cheek and got out of the SUV. She smiled back and waved goodbye as she turned the corner to head to work. 739am is the time on my cellphone and the 112 bus comes toward me. Looks like I will make it to work on time.