It's been a rather uneasy time for my wife and me since we bought our new house back in March.
Not in-so-much as the price was out of our range, but our work schedules are so vastly different now.
They used to dovetail so nicely. I went in at 7, could take our daughter to school, got home and my wife would be there by 630. Now, I'm pulling serious dad-duty after work.
It's dinner, homework, some bike riding if there is enough light and time, and at least 2 stories before bed - we are more than 3/4 of the way through The Hobbit ( again ).
The phone these past few months normally rings at 7:35pm, my wife's lunch-hour, our time to catch-up on our day.
Tonight, she was noticably shaken, and told me something that I had somehow known would come..........
more Western Kentucky Election happenings below the fold.
But now, a little back-story:
My wife and I fight not like most couples, but like couples that have issues that they think will never have.
I love electronic, rock, metal, and hip-hop music. My wife loves country music. There is a consistant and fervant battle over the radio in the car each time we go anywhere.
My wife love arts-and-crafts. Those regional styles of decorations that you will only find in the deep south. I love NYC subway-style posters of bands, slap-dash collages, Jackson Pollack, graf-tags, and "dorm-room" style decorations.
It increases exponentially from there.
We are, in essence, the embodiment of "opposites attract".
She went to see Hillary Clinton at the local high-school when she came to Madisonville, KY and I stayed home in protest because Barack Obama apparently didn't accept the city's invitation ( I'm still just moderately ill over that ).
None-the-less, we both agree the this election is not just going to affect our future, but the future of our daughter Kathrine - and our unborn child as well.
Kathrine is my wife's daughter. I have recently adopted her, as her biological father - my wife refers to him simply as the "sperm donor" - has literally had nothing to do with her for over 6 years. I could dazzle you with tales of attempting to collect child-support between a Tennessee resident and a Kentucky resident, but that would belabour the point that I am not making very well as it is.
So, the phone call at & 7:35pm tonight came..............my wife was audibly upset.
"I'm sorry, I had to take it off the car"
She was speaking of the Obama / Biden sticker that I placed on the car a few days ago.
Strange as it sounds to me, I had for some time not stopped by our local Democratic headquarters to get some stickers, a yard-sign, buttons, flyers, or anything. Hind-sight being the perpetually clear-eyed bastard that it is, I now see that the reason that I had not done so before now is because I didn't think it would matter. Dumb, I know.
I see this now as a mistake.
I should have been more confident. I should have held my ground more.
But, that is not what this diary is about.
The words on the other end of the phone rang out in an almost predictable resonance.
"What happened?"
I had almost expected to hear her tell me that the tires on the car had been slashed, that the car had been defaced somehow, or someone had confronted her.
That's when I stopped myself and thought about how secure the building, every inch of the interior, the parking-lot, even the road up to where she works is. There isn't a 15ft swath of ground that isn't covered by a security camera or a guard at a station or a gate.
My wife works for, what will be when renovation is complete, the United States Mid-West Distribution Center for Carhart Clothing.
For some, this may not mean anything. But, for anyone that knows someone that goes hunting, fishing, hiking, or does any type of outdoor activity I can guarantee that they own at least one - maybe two or three - pieces of Carhart clothing.
She began to tell me that if she kept that sticker on her car, that something would happen. Someone would do something to it. Someone would find out who I was and do something to me.
I have known for years that politics and work don't mix, but this was something completely new.
I have been in arguements with co-workers before about politics, about how life in Western Kentucky is dependant on who is representing us and how that representation is acepted or denied. It has never ended well, but that is what I expect based on my own choice of job ---- another story for another time.
But, this is my wife. This is the woman that is carrying the child that will come into this world sometime the first week of June - either under a McCain or Obama administration. Her feelings, her safety, her livelihood and that of my unborn child are paramount to me.
My wife told me:
"You have no idea what people say here. It's not a good idea to advertise what we belive"
What kind of state, what kind of county, what kind of city do we live in where my wife has to call me and tell me this.
I know that Kentucky has consistantly been a Red State for years. I don't want to think that mine and my wife's votes will be for naught. But, I cannot stand such hatred, such divisiveness, such willful-ignorance.
I am ashamed of where I live. It is sad, predictable, and just a little scary at times. I wish it didn't have to be.
My daughter Kathrine is asleep right now in her room - our Jack Russell Ripley almost assuradly curled against her - and will awake tomorrow hoping for waffles with syrup, sausage links and toast, cartoons, and enough warmth to play outside after lunch.
All that I hope for her, and her upcoming sister or brother ( fingers crossed for the later ) is that they don't have to hide what they believe in, what they desire, what they hope for.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I know my diaries over the last year and-a-half have not been as poignant, as thought-provoking as they should have been. But the sound of my wife's voice tonight struck a chord in me that made me hurt in a way that I haven't before.
I hope that each and every one of you are well this weekend.
UPDATE
Thank you for your kind words, your shared stories, your encouragement. I now feel like a member of the DailyKos family. May God, or whomever your worship, bless each and every one of you