I called the sitter on the way to the house. Bug had the day off from school. The sitter was still with Honeybee and baby A. He was enjoying the day doing what preteens do on a rainy and dreary day. He was sleeping. I told the sitter that I would be picking him up in about ten minutes and for him to be ready.
I walked through the door and there he was bleary eyed, confused about why I was asking his presence, which was odd as I usually include him. I bade him get his shoes and hurry. I felt anxious to get to the polls. I didn’t know what the lines were going to look like and I’d heard that the morning lines were ridiculous.
“Why do I have to go with you”, he lamented.
“Because too many people were beaten and killed for you not to share this experience.” I replied.
His eyes got big at that, but he didn’t say anything.
Once we arrived, there was a very minimum line and I was able to cast my ballot in less than 2 minutes.
“That’s it?”, he asked.
“That’s it,” I confirmed.
…too many people died before they got the chance to do what I just did”
When we got in the car, I was a bit surprised to find my eyes teary and my hands shaking slightly
“Why are you about to cry”? my protective baby asked me.
“Because too many people died before they got to chance to do what I just did”.
He smiled, took my camera and his sticker given to him by the polling attendant, and took an usie. His mom and him.
“You’ll take your son when you are older?”, I asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” He affirmed. And I felt the ancestors stir.
Content, I drove us back to the house and he went back to his slumber…after he watched me remind the sitter to cast her ballot…and he echoed the same.
-K
