The parking lot at the polling station is not nearly as packed as I had imagined it. Certainly full, but no long line of cars snaking down the street. No line of people wrapping around the building. Of course it's a two story building, they could be lining the hallways inside.
I think we made it five steps past our car when we were assaulted by campaign literature wielding maniacs.
"Vote no on issue five!"
"Vote yes for COSI!"
"Vote yes for the Toledo Public Schools!"
"Vote no for the casinos!"
"It's time for a change! Do you want four more years of the same?"
SWR squeezes my hand a little tighter. She's not normally a shy child, but having ten grown adults descend on us has made her a little nervous. Then she realizes something.
The maniacs have stickers. LOTS of stickers.
"Come on sweetheart, let's get inside." I drag her away from the rolls of stickers and into the polling station.
**********
"Mom, what's that?" She's pointing at the newfangled touch screens that we use in Ohio to vote. Gone are the days where you'd step into a booth and pull levers. I loved those old booths.
"Those are computers, come on little one. Here's ours." I step up and slide my card in.
"I want to see!" She's standing next to me with her hands outstretched. "Pick me up Mom Mom!"
How could I not? But good God, she's getting heavy.
When she saw me touching the screen and turning black boxes green, she begged me to let her try. Rather than have her pitch an ever-loving fit right there, I showed her which boxes to touch.
That's when she did it.
She voted for Nader for President. God bless her sparky little heart.
(Obviously, I changed the vote.)
"Those are computers, come on little one. Here's ours." I step up and slide my card in.
"I want to see!" She's standing next to me with her hands outstretched. "Pick me up Mom Mom!"
How could I not? But good God, she's getting heavy.
When she saw me touching the screen and turning black boxes green, she begged me to let her try. Rather than have her pitch an ever-loving fit right there, I showed her which boxes to touch.
That's when she did it.
She voted for Nader for President. God bless her sparky little heart.
(Obviously, I changed the vote.)
**********
"Hey, Little Girl, Do you want some stickers? I've got lots of stickers for you!"
She Who Rules immediately starts dragging me back towards the nice stranger with the stickers.
Mental note. Have a talk with her about strangers.
"Mooooom... Stiiiiiickers!!!!!"
"Okay little girl.... Wait... Ohhhhh..." The guy with the stickers is wearing an Obama shirt. The stickers are Obama stickers. I stopped dead in my tracks. SWR doesn't.
"Mooooom!!!!"
So I gritted my teeth and thanked the nice stranger for the stickers.
They're just stickers, after all.
She Who Rules immediately starts dragging me back towards the nice stranger with the stickers.
Mental note. Have a talk with her about strangers.
"Mooooom... Stiiiiiickers!!!!!"
"Okay little girl.... Wait... Ohhhhh..." The guy with the stickers is wearing an Obama shirt. The stickers are Obama stickers. I stopped dead in my tracks. SWR doesn't.
"Mooooom!!!!"
So I gritted my teeth and thanked the nice stranger for the stickers.
They're just stickers, after all.
5 comments:
Absolutely right.
They ARE just stickers.
And think of all the out-of-the-way places you can stick them!
And Nader?
Made me chuckle.
Greybeard... Glad I could give you a giggle. It made me laugh out loud.
It looks like she's keeping an eye on the maniacs with the stickers!
They are kind of sketchy after all.
Proof that if Nader just sticks with it as the younger generation ages, he will eventually win. Just wait until the little girl is old enough to vote on her own.
And n o w ...President Obama!
(can i still read you blog, dear Epi? Love ya, girl!)
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