RUBY.
The much-awaited elections were upon us and I found myself acting like I was the opposition, checking and rechecking stats to see if there were any chances of Mr. Daniels losing. I was supposedly a member of his family so I ought to support him but I find myself gravitating toward other candidates. I just don't know if he would be the best thing for our city. We would find out in less than twenty-four hours.
"What are the polls looking like?" Toby said, startling me. I didn't notice when he came to stand behind the couch I was lounging on.
"Your father is in the lead," I answered after calming down and chastising myself for being so jumpy.
"Any chances he'd drop?" He sounded enthusiastic at the prospect of his father dropping in the polls.
"Doesn't look like it but anything can happen," I said, twisting my body toward him.
"Anything can happen," he repeated after me.
"You're supposed to be excited about the prospects of your father becoming the new mayor," I commented.
"Well if he runs the city like he runs his company, it'll be great but if he runs it like he does his family then we are sure to be in a load of trouble. Politics isn't just about the economy, it's about the people. You need to have empathy and compassion as a leader. My father doesn't know the meaning of either one of those traits but he has positioned himself to look like he does.
The whole city has fallen for all his baby-kissing and old people shaking but I bet you that if he wins It will take just a few weeks into his administration for them to know they've been bamboozled. His policies won't match the character he has painstakingly sold to them because he is not people-centric." I looked at him dumbstruck by his passionate speech.
"All we can do is cast our votes and hope for the best," I said after I had recovered from the awe of hearing him speak so passionately against his father's ambition.
"Yeah, this city deserves the best."
On election morning, Toby made breakfast, it was becoming a new habit of his to make breakfast for us. After I told him we didn't have to be friends to co-parent, I had expected he would back down and leave me the hell alone but he did not. He kept up the friendly act. I tried to keep my distance as much as I could but that was hard to do when he was popping up all over the place with a smile, a meal or a drink and friendly conversation.
He seemed genuine but I had heard stories of men buttering up their wives before a divorce, using niceness as some sort of ammunition so that they could get an upper hand during the proceedings. It wasn't like there was anything I wanted, he could have the cars, the money, the apartment and I would never keep his son away from him. I couldn't even imagine that he would try to take Jeremy but if he went down that path I'd be six feet under before they separated me from my son.
After our meal, we met up with Toby's parents before making our way to vote with the rest of the city. Clara said to go for a business casual look but we all looked like something straight from the red carpet as we strutted into the polling centre. Clara and I were wearing office pants with a satin shirt top. She paired hers with a pair of red bottom pumps while I went for a pair of wedge Sandals. Our outfits weren't identical but everyone could tell we were matching. I could already see people stealing pictures of us and tagging them in-law goals.
Toby and his father on the other hand looked like total opposites. The older Mr. Daniels was rocking the classic Donald Trump look in a black suit, white shirt and red tie paired with a pair of solid black shoes of course. While the younger Mr. Daniels on the other hand looked fine in tailored black pants and a vintage shirt that looked like they were made especially for him and they probably were. The boots he paired them with completed the look giving it a sexy feel and making him look like he just came straight from Nashville. In our group, the older Mr. Daniels looked like the odd one out. I could see the disapproving look his father gave him when we met up earlier but he hadn't said a thing and Toby didn't seem to care about his grievances.
It was a good thing we had sunshades In because the flashes of the lights from the camera could make a person go blind. At the sight of the crowd, I was glad I left Jeremy at home.
"How are you feeling Mr. Daniels?" The reporter's question reached us, halting our procession.
"Very positive," the older Mr. Daniels answered.
"Mr. Toby Daniels, do we have to ask you who you'd be voting for this morning?" Another reporter yelled out.
"No, it's pretty obvious where my vote rest," Toby answered with a charming smile. What a scandal it would be if the public found out how far away from the obvious his vote may lay.
"Mrs Clara Daniels, the whole family looks amazing, are you behind the styling?" I rolled my eyes as the cliche pattern of asking women about fashion replayed itself.
"Yes I am," came Clara's simple answer.
"Why is your husband's outfit more traditional than the rest of the family?" Another question directed at Clara came.
"It's because George is stuck in his ways," she said, causing the crowd to burst into laughter. The way she said it made it seem like an endearment to outsiders but I knew she meant the statement as facts. We were ushered forward putting an end to our impromptu press conference.
"Mrs Ruby Daniel, how is little Jeremy doing?" One reporter asked as we made our way into the polling booths. I kept moving forward, not giving their question the dignity of a reply. Someone needed to tell these reporters that there was a time and a place for every kind of question.
We cast our votes speedily then we were off to lunch. The conversation around the table of about a dozen people revolved around the elections. I listened as the bootlickers used flattering words to describe Mr. Daniels and his brilliant strategies that won the election. Election results have not been announced yet I wanted to say but I left them to their ignorance. It was all beginning to bore me because frankly, it was too beautiful a day for such conversation.
Later that night Toby and I sat in front of the TV, hands entwined as we waited with bated breath for the results to be announced.