Journal entry

The intimate crush of the rain covered bus where I keep touching your things
Those red pouty lips come right to your hips except she keeps turning away

She waits at the bus stop, dressed against the rain. Too young looking to be so professionally dressed under the vintage males muted plaid all weather jacket. The raincoat hit's below her skirt to her damp calves. The shoulders hang slightly over hers making it look like her fathers old coat. She shakes it softly as she gets pressed into the bus. The droplets that refuse to scatter slowly soak into the once water resistant fabric and her eyes scan, imperceptibly, as she moves in to stand in front of a row filing in. They all adjust to the pockets of space as the bus leaps to crawl forward and their swaying forms drunken sailor’s footsteps. A woman looks back scowling like a grade school teacher over the crooked line while the bus driver's gaze stretches back, as the doors open again, with the look of a high school teacher counting heads having long ago given up on lines. Smiling over formation and flow as some get up and others refill the space. Ever down, ever back. One up, one down, all back till she swings sitting into the crowd. His briefcase brushes into her and she touches his open coat gripping the vertical bar beside her.
He looks down feeling the brush against him like a tug. The tidy hair that looked like it would be soft when let down, the tiny up turned nose perched above full lips that glisten like the rain on her eyelashes when she lifted her chin. Eye level at his hips she keeps turning her head trying not to notice the admiration of the businessman before her.

Alex’s mood was as heavy as the dreary day. It had been a busy couple of months. Aside from the first event she had set up she had started work on others. The campaign software had been ordered and between the creators of the software and the manual she had learned it and begun entering the checks she collected. Every check required follow up to get the information necessary for filing the Federal Election Committee report, information that had not been needed for local fundraising was imperative for federal. After some studying Alex had discovered that some personal information was required for contributions. She had decided to send out donor cards as part of the RSVP. As she designed it she had a surge of pride. Erin had walked in at that moment with a pile of invitations “Terry feels that since you are setting up all these events that I should give you his invitations” She had looked cross and left so quickly Alex had not gotten to share her moment of discovery and creation. That moment was soon crushed as she opened an invitation from a congressman and it had the very same card she was designing. Another fleeting moment of being on top of her game. The past month had been full of moments quickly dashed. The first event had been a moment like that. The event had been a promising 100-guest list with 30 RSVP’s and $6,000 in hand with more to come at the door. The home was a ½ scale replica of a 3 story house that had once taken up 4 city lots. It was built like a fortress and took up so much land that it was almost a sin in the city. The inside was probably a replica too considering the overly ornate marble and sweeping half moon staircase. Alex had set up a sign in table in the entryway and had the host adjust the lighting as she discussed the plan for the evening with the host. Terry’s call time would be 30 minutes into the event with about 15 min of mix and mingle then the host would introduce him and the rest of the evening would flow as normal. Alex thought the event was a success. She walked home with sign in sheets full of contact information and an envelope full of checks. That moment had lasted about 8 hours and 5 of those had been wasted on sleep. Terry had called her in the next morning for a total. He had been disappointed in the amount raised, and how few contacts had been made. “Alex I need you to point people out to me and collect business cards. What happened to you last night?” When Alex had tried to explain that she had most contact information from the sign in sheet he had just asked why she hadn’t pointed out the important people to him, when she tried to tell him she had to be at the sign in table to collect this information as well as other checks being brought in he had questioned her ability to do the job. Alex had taken the opportunity to bring up Terry hiring a campaign manager again. A campaign manager would be better suited for introductions than a fundraiser. Alex had also created more tension by requesting the finances. She left Terry’s office under the smirking gaze of Erin. It had just been weeks of tiny victories and huge setbacks. Alex went back to her office mulling over plots for why the finance records had not been turned over to her. As she sat at her desk, even that thought was dashed by disappointment. Erin, whom Alex was beginning to dislike, delivered the books momentarily. When Alex finally perused the books she saw the reason for the delay. It was 2 months away from first quarter filing and there was nothing to speak of in the account. That did not bode well for Terry. People paid attention to who raised the most money and from Alex’s observation of the indistinguishable players on the field this would be one of the deciding factors before the primary.
No wonder her mood was darker than the day. She tried to shake it off with the rain as she entered the building. On and off the elevator it all still clung to her.
“Hey Evenly”
“Hello Alex. It’s a lousy day out there”
”It’s a lousy day in here”
Evenly looked at Alex, but even her polished professional smile had sympathy in it.
Alex went to her office and checked her voice mail as she booted up the computer. Two messages: one a confirmation for the driver to the capitol the other was the bookings for the hotel. Alex had set up five fundraisers in two days in the capitol using mostly her own contacts. Terry had asked her to drive him but Alex wanted to be able to use the otherwise wasted hours in the car for call time. Things were always picking up and Alex had too many projects going on at once. Travel arrangements: fundraising coordination, invitations, calls, collections, research; there was always too much to do. Alex spent the rest of the day panning for gold. Contacts and invitees for the capitol city event that she could tap or have Terry tap for support on the drive down. They would have to leave early tomorrow to be there for the luncheon.