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Tears burned the back of my eyes. “Thank you, Sam. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“You don’t have to say anything. You’d do the same for me.”
I nodded. “I can work tonight. If Jim needs me.”
“No. Grab something to eat, take a long bath, and go to bed. You deserve it after the last few days.”
“I will.”
I watched Sam drive away before stepping through my front door.
A purring ball of fur wrapped itself around my leg. “Oh, Mavis, I missed you so much.”
Mavis purred louder and licked my thumb. After a few chin scratches, she pushed away and walked to her automatic feeder.
“Mmm, I’m feeling a little hungry myself.”
Opening the refrigerator door, I pulled out a green apple and booted up my laptop.
Sinking my teeth into a sour bite, I counted back the days on the calendar. I’d only missed three days of classes, nothing I couldn’t catch up on and final exams were next week. My grade point average was good. Even if I botched the exams I would still pass all my classes. I wasn’t worried about graduating. My biggest concern was what I was going to do next.
I had a change of heart after speaking to the mayor and was a little nervous about the new career path. I had applied for a master’s program in political science and was waiting to hear back. But I’d read once if your dreams didn’t scare you, you weren’t dreaming big enough. If the frantic beating of my heart was any indication, this dream was gigantic.
I stared at an unread message in my inbox, and my heart stopped.
This email would decide my fate.
Dear Ms. Stevens,
We are pleased to offer you a placement in our Political Science Graduate Program. Your spot will be reserved until July 28. Please fill out the form below to confirm your acceptance.
My head fell into my hands, and I wept. My shoulders shook and I cried while laughter bubbled up inside of me.
I did it.
I fucking did it!
All those years of picking myself back up and ignoring everything else in my life, but my studies and my future finally paid off. I may have walked that same path as before, but I wasn’t stopping at my front door. I would take this road all the way to the White House if I could. Senator Stevens had a nice ring to it, didn’t it?
I laughed at my joke and wiped my tears. Grabbing a tissue, I blew my nose as my father walked through the front door.
“Oh honey, you’re home. Thank god!” He ran to me and scooped me up into his arms. He stared at my face, inspecting my bruises.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry,” I said, pushing his hands away from my cheeks.
He rested them on my shoulders. “But you’re crying. Are you all right?”
I nodded and bit my lip, but a laugh burst through. “I did it!”
“Did what?”
“I got into Grad School. Political Science.”
“Political—does this mean you want to be a politician?” He cringed and his face looked stricken, as though I’d just told him something horrifying. And perhaps to him, I had.
“Yes, Dad,” I chuckled. “Or maybe a lobbyist. Who knows? All I care about is the big picture. Changing the system for those who can’t change it for themselves. People like me and Sam. There are hundreds of us. Some are just luckier than others. I don’t want it to fall on luck, I want to give these kids an opportunity to change their lives.”
He rubbed his mouth. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, Laura. After everything I’ve put you through, you still see so much good.”
