Election Day 2016

I made her up, but this is how it really happened.

Mary — of Moncrief, Michigan. A triple threat in alliteration.

She is forty-six years old and the mother of three children ranging in age from twenty-one down to a precocious ten.

She’s an assistant manager at the local Nordstroms, where she has been employed for twenty years, ascending in the ranks, and well-respected.

The date is November 8th, 2016.

Mary woke early that morning, having battled insomnia for hours. She tried to remain still as a mouse, hoping that sleep would be merciful to her fatigue. But finally giving up, she rose, made coffee and cinnamon toast — one of her favorites — and prepared for the day in the quiet of a chilly pre-dawn kitchen.

She had one thought on her mind: should she go vote before work, or wait until afterwards and possibly face long lines?

Actually, this wasn’t the primary question. What had been haunting her for weeks was the question of how she could cast a vote in good conscience either way.

Politically, Mary was a moderate — at least, moderate for Michigan. She had voted for her share of Democrats and a similar array of Republicans. She felt she was informed and believed herself to be open-minded to opportunities offered by both parties.

But the past few months had left her in a whirl, dizzy from disjointed facts and accusations.