Chapter 6

Calm before the storm

Jane carried her coffee to the office.  As per her routine, Jane chose to drink coffee and read the day’s newspaper from the oversized red chair she and David still owned from their college days.  It didn’t match anything in the room but, for Jane, it was something familiar, and through the years, the trusty cushion had shifted to fit her shape.  So much so, no one else could get comfortable sitting on the old chair.  Jane switched on the solitary floor lamp next to the chair.  Just enough to read in the dim light, but not too much light so she still could experience the sun come calling through the room’s east-facing windows.  By the time the sun filled the room, it was time to get to work.  But before then, it still was Jane’s time. 

Jane checked the local section of her newspaper first.  Always.  Scanning for anything of interest or familiar names, such as friends working at City Hall or her former colleague who now  was the spokesperson for a suburban police department.  Slow news day, Jane thought turning to the state section.  Not much luck there either.  Jane fished for just one headline of interest but all she could see was political reporting; if you could call it reporting.  All reporters did today was call one predictable talking head for a quote and then call a second predictable talking head to respond to the first.  No substance. Contrived news, Jane complained often to anyone who would listen.  Political season used to be a sport for Jane.  That seemed like a long time ago, certainly before the obscene amounts of money took the fun out of politics. Maybe if David was still around she might enjoy making fun of the headlines, like the one about her own state house member hosting a fundraiser in Austin the night before.  Squeaky clean Ted Jefferson raising money.  For what?   Like Republican politicians in Texas needed more money.  Jefferson probably had more money than all the Texas GOP combined.  This fact had always made Jane distrust the man as she did not, in principle, trust rich people.  Well, filthy rich people, Jane like to clarify.   The only thing they liked better than money was power, she would say.  And money and power in the wrong hands are a dangerous combination. 

As Jane finished her second cup of coffee, she set down the newspaper and looked around at the now sunlit room.  Time to get on with the day.  Jane moved slowly getting up, allowing her back muscles to properly stretch.  A nod to aging and also to maturity.  Jane no longer felt the need to speed from one chore to another.  Closing in on 60, she had learned to value time.  Moments as little as morning coffee ranked high on her pleasure scale.   Jane learned to value the early quiet, too, because as soon as Lisa arrived, the day’s volume would be turned to loud.