This week's challenge: Using between 33 and 333 words, write a response including the third definition of the word: WILD (adj)
Our candidate was a most proper man, a throwback to another
day and age. He even signed his personal correspondence with a fountain pen.
So the contrast between his gentle manner and the mad buzz his presence generated on the campaign trail always surprised me. For the staff working
this event, the energy had a fillip of stress. Where is he? How many
minutes away? We have to get the talking points to the press! And what the
hell? People with signs should be behind
the podium, dammit!
This last was my responsibility. The supporters with signs
belonged behind the candidate because that’s how their hand-lettered messages of
support get photographed with our man. But the homemade posters were brought
not by campaign workers but involved citizens. Getting this sincere, excited
but unruly bunch to do anything was like, as they say, herding cats. Convincing them
how fabulous it is to be stuck behind the candidate, seeing nothing but the
back of his perfectly coiffed head as he spoke, was almost impossible.
“Let’s go, everybody, please!” I said with assumptive
cheer. “We want your beautiful signs on the evening news! Let’s get on the
risers behind the podium!”
I was invisible to most of this enthusiastic throng. I mean,
anyone who isn’t the candidate seems pretty irrelevant at times like this.
I understand. After all, before I joined the campaign staff, I was one of them.
But one sign holder did hear me and her response was chilling. She was in her 30s but her poster was
very childish – a sloppy US flag with the candidate’s name in block letters. When I
asked her to move behind the podium, our eyes locked and I saw something wild,
angry and even a bit desperate. “Why are you moving me? What is this? Tiananmen
Square?”
I suddenly decided she really shouldn’t be in such close
proximity to our candidate, after all. And I was very grateful for the Secret
Service.
Well said! While we want to believe we see eye to eye with those who share our view, you start to realize the 'person' can be very different from the 'idea'.
ReplyDeleteIt always seems like being one of those pleasant people standing behind the candidate would be awkward, but adding that element of instability makes it seem frightening. Definitely not the kind of person I'd want staring at my well-coiffed head!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteIndeed - sounds like this is a campaign worker with a wise head. To be able to determine which supporters are safest in the candidate's presence is no easy task.
ReplyDeleteOn the heels of the Secret Service taking over your building...Instability is scary! They may believe in your cause but go about supporting it in a very different way. Very well written, Gal.
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ReplyDeleteGreat read.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have that intuition.
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ReplyDeleteNice story! I don't think I'd want that lady behind me, either (figuratively or literally).
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up this week. I look forward to your posts each week, because they always take me some place I had even never considered wanting to go. I love your imagination, and I love that you lend it to us regularly. Hope to see you back again soon.
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