He looked back at me and Sammy and smiled; then he opened the door and got out of the car. Buster did the same, leaving us alone.
I watched my daughter staring out the window at the crowd and the signs. She looked a lot like I did at her age, watching my dad at his meetings and rallies, fascinated by the process.
“What do you think?”
Sammy nodded. “It’s cool.”
I laughed.
Then she asked, “What do you think Mom would have thought?”
I pictured Monica, beautiful Monica, standing in the kitchen of our old house as I told her that I’m finally going to run for office. I could see a gorgeous smile spread across her face. “She’d be proud,” I said. “She’d tell me that she loved me. She’d support me, but she’d make sure that I wouldn’t go and get a big ego or nothing, keep me grounded.”
Sammy nodded. “That can be my job now. Keep you humble.”
“Well,” I said, “you’ve already got a lot of experience at that.”
Sammy rolled her eyes. Then she turned away from the car window and looked at me. “I am proud of you, though, just like Mom would’ve been.”
“Thanks,” I said. “So you’re ready to do this?”
“Totally.”
“Then let’s do it.”
I opened the door, and as we emerged from the car, hundreds of people erupted in applause. They cheered and shook my hand and gave Sammy hugs as we pushed forward down the middle of the assembled crowd.
When we finally made it to the front, I was escorted up the steps, onto the stage, and toward the podium. Sammy was led to the side next to my mother and my father. All three of them smiled at me. The cheers swelled as I approached the microphone. Sammy cheered the loudest.
At the podium, I looked down at all the cameras and out at the crowd. My grandfather, Judge Michael M. Calhoun, stood off to the side. He felt his status as a retired federal judge barred him from endorsing candidates or attending political functions, but he couldn’t stay away. I also saw the mayor, Annie Montgomery, and Schmitty among the friendly faces in the crowd.
I pulled a sheet of paper out of my front jacket pocket. I looked down at the words that I had spent hours writing, and then my vision blurred.
I had a knot in my stomach, and I started to tear up.
I closed my eyes. Then I opened them, deciding to forego my prepared remarks.
“My first decision as a candidate is to not give a long speech.” I folded my paper up and put it back in my pocket as a few people in the crowd clapped and others laughed. “My second decision is to try not to be like my brother or my dad.” I looked over at my father and then at Lincoln, who had now joined us on the stage. “I can’t be them. They’re each one of a kind. But I can be me. And I care very deeply about our community. I’ve been through tough times. When my wife—Sammy’s mom—died, I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it. Sometimes I still don’t know. I’m just like all those people out there right now who aren’t so sure they’re gonna make it. Whether they’re gonna make the rent, whether they’re gonna be able to buy the groceries, whether they’re gonna be able to keep their head up above the water.
“We have problems.” I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, letting my voice grow and my confidence build. “But there is hope. As bleak as things seem today, they’re certainly better than fifty years ago or a hundred. We can’t lose our sense of community. We can’t give up; we just have to think smaller and make incremental changes. We can work to make things a little better here in our neighborhood—and they can get better. One piece at a time. We start with our neighbors, and we work out from there. Ignoring the kids who are too easy to forget is not the answer. Ignoring the city is not the answer. Bashing the suburbs is not the answer. We’re in this together, you and me. All we have to do is try, and keep on trying.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry for making the development of this book a great experience; not too many writers get to say that. I also want to thank the readers who contact me with encouragement, advice, and enthusiasm. Don’t stop! You can visit my website at www.JDTrafford.com and send me a note.