Michael sat in the living room, watching over his son Evan to make sure he was doing his homework. His days weren’t too different from when his husband Freddy was a public defender to his current pipe dream of becoming mayor of their town. Michael did most of the child rearing, while Freddy went out and tried to pound the pavement. The difference was that Freddy’s latest job was bringing unwanted attention, something Michael felt he needed to address with him later in the evening.
At a not too late hour of the night, Michael and Evan could see the front door open, as Freddy entered the house. He looked exhausted, but held a firm smile on his face.
“Good evening, gentleman” Freddy said, as he settled himself inside. “How have my favorite people in the whole wide world been doing today?”
“Fine” Evan replied quietly.
Michael stared at Freddy, which caused his husband to look on at him with concern.
“Is everything alright, Michael?” Freddy asked.
“Let’s talk later” Michael replied, as he motioned him to the couch. “Sit. Let’s spend some quality time together.”
Freddy slowly made his way over the the couch, as he sat between Michael on one end and Evan on the other. He put his arms around the both of them and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Ah. It’ll be nice to do this more often when my campaign is over.”
“It could be over now” Michael suggested. “You could just drop out tomorrow and call it a wrap.”
“Michael, you know I’m not going to do that.”
“You really ought to” Evan added. “Have you been reading what the local websites have been saying about you?”
“I try to ignore negative coverage” Freddy replied assuredly. “I am all about positivity.”
“Well, it’s not good at all” Michael said, as he pulled up his communication device and scrolled through various news stories on Freddy’s campaign.
“Communist wannabe challenges incumbent mayor in deluded campaign” read one headline.
“This man wants to neuter your police force: don’t let him” read another.
“Think your taxes are high now? Wait till you meet this guy” read yet another.
Michael continued to scroll through a list of negative headlines that trashed Freddy from every which way possible.
“That’s all to be expected” Freddy said, trying to project confidence in his demeanor. “I knew going into this race that the mayor has control over the local media and they were going to go after me. It’s to be expected.”
“Well, did you see what the local news is saying about you now?” Michael asked.
Michael pulled up a news clip on his communication device and played it for Freddy.
“As Freddy Benson’s unlikely bid for mayor gets underway” Marsha, the newscaster, began the segment “questions are already rising about whether the town is ready for someone with such radical policies as Benson’s. Al’ice Mumangari has the report.”
“Ugh” Evan said, before his parents shushed him. “I’ve always hated her. She gives me the creeps. She seems like such a nasty witch, especially when she made that poor kid cry in that interview that one time.”
“Quiet” Michael hissed. “We’re trying to watch this.”
“Sorry” Evan murmured in response.
“Freddy Benson may not seem like he has any legitimate chance of becoming this town’s next mayor” Al’ice said in a voiceover showing various store fronts in their town “but that’s not stopping residents of this community from worrying about what could happen if he were to pull off an upset this fall.”
“I just don’t think he’s the right person to lead this town” one old woman was shown saying.
“Freddy Benson, whose campaign promises include reigning in the police department and raising taxes on local residents, has already been receiving a largely negative reaction since his campaign launched a week ago.”
“This man is a communist” an old white man was showing saying. “He’s a supporter of criminals and hates our police.”
“Jesus” Freddy said, as he was watching the clip. “This is the exact same stuff they said about the current mayor and it’s obviously not true. That man bootlicks like no one’s business.”
“Now you see why the mayor won’t take on the police department” Michael replied. “Perhaps they have more power in this equation than you’re giving them credit for. Speaking of which, there’s the police union leader.”
“Peter McDonough” Al’ice continued in a voiceover “the influential leader of the local police benevolent association, says that Freddy Benson’s campaign is a danger to the community, even if he doesn’t stand a chance to win.”
“What a blowhard” Evan said.
“Evan” Michael shushed.
“This man is a supporter of radical communists and criminals” Peter loudly boasted to Al’ice’s microphone. “His job has been to support rapists and murderers and help them avoid going to jail for the unspeakable crimes they committed in Sacramento. Freddy Benson is a large part of the reason why crime is on the rise in that city. People like Freddy Benson are an enemy to decent, law abiding people and should not be allowed a place on the ballot.”
“The police benevolent association is taking the unheard of step of going to court to try to get Freddy’s name removed from this coming November’s ballot” Al’ice continued in a voiceover, showing Peter faking a walk up the court steps. “Though the odds of success are slim, McDonough says that the law is on his side.”
“State law bars any known conspirators of criminal activity from being allowed a place on any ballot for an elected position in California. We must not allow this man to be given the opportunity to be legitimized by our system of holding elections. We cannot risk him being given a chance to be in a position which needs a leader to stand by our police, not demonize them on a regular basis.”
“While state law does prohibit candidates who have ‘conspired’ to engage in criminal activity from being given a spot on a ballot for an elected office in the state of California” Al’ice went on, seen looking into the camera “it is doubtful than any judge would accept the argument that a public defender fits such a profile. Still, Benson’s odds of victory are nearly non existent, so the police benevolent association perhaps has nothing to worry about in the end. For Channel 8 news, I’m Al’ice Mumangari. Back to you in the studio, Marsha.”
“That segment was total bullshit” Evan said.
“Evan” Freddy said sternly. “Language.”
“Sorry papa.”
“I think this is just the start of the onslaught” Michael said. “In a few weeks time, they are going to ramp this up into overdrive and really drag your name through the mud.”
“I don’t think it’s really working so much with the public” Freddy replied, trying to project confidence. “Most of the voters I saw out and about in town today gave me a really positive reception.”
“Most?”
“Well, there was that one guy—“
“What one guy?”
“Well, one older gentleman started chasing me around, saying I was a commie and that I was going to ruin this neighborhood. I had to hide in my car for a few minutes, before the coast was clear to go out and campaign again.”
“Freddy, that’s pretty serious.”
“It’s not big deal, Michael. It’s not like the guy hit me or something. It was just some bitter old man. I was fine. I can handle this.”
“Still, that’s just the start. The more the police unions and the media ramp up their attacks against you, the more it’s going to incite people like that. If we aren’t careful, Freddy, the media’s negative coverage could get you or one of us hurt. You really should rethink this thing.”
Just as Michael expressed this worry aloud, they could hear a car horn blare outside. When the three of them turned around, they could see a brick flying in their direction.
“Look out!” Michael screamed, as the three of them ducked for cover.
A short second later, shattered glass from the window could be seen and heard, as the brick landed on the living room table, breaking it in half. Peering outside the broken window, Freddy could see a speeding car driving away.
“Fucking communist scum!” a voice from the car could be heard yelling, before the vehicle sped off down the street.
Evan started to cry, as Michael held him in his arms to console him. Freddy stood up and paused for a moment. He thought to call the police, but decided against it. With his campaign being attacked as it was, he didn’t think he could rely upon them for help. Michael looked up at him, with concern clearly visible in his facial expressions.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked. “Don’t just stand there. Call the police.”
“We can’t do that” Freddy responded. “They’ll never help us. Not with the narrative being put out there by the media.”
In that instant, Michael’s communication device showed an incoming message from one of their neighbor’s. Michael got up and went over to it to answer the call.
“Hello?” Michael asked nervously.
“Oh my god, Michael” the neighbor said on the other end of the line, sounding incredibly nervous. “Are you two alright?”
“The three of us are fine. We’re just a bit shaken up, that’s all.”
“I saw the man who did it and got down their license plate number. I’m going to call the police and file a report on this immediately.”
“I highly doubt they are going to help us” Freddy said.
“Oh hi, Freddy” the neighbor said. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“How come you don’t answer your communication device? I tried calling you a few days ago and you didn’t pick up.”
Freddy blushed, as he remembered the reason he didn’t have his communication device anymore.
“Oh” Freddy replied meekly. “Remember the arrest I got on tape?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, when they were pressing charges against me, the police confiscated my communication device as evidence. When the charges were dismissed, they never gave it back to me.”
“They’re not supposed to do that. Once a case is over, they have to hand over all personal belongings back to defendants in trial.”
“Good luck with that” Michael said. “They see themselves as above the law and they are going to retaliate against my husband for embarrassing them by holding on to his communication device forever. Still, they should do their jobs in catching the man who threw the brick at our house, even if they are being criticized by my husband. Otherwise, what’s the point in having a police department at all.”
“Very true. Listen, I’m going to try to go down there and see if I can convince them to give Freddy’s communication device back, along with taking a report on the brick throwing psycho.”
“To be honest” Freddy replied. “I don’t necessarily know if I want it back anymore. If they’ve had it for this long, that means they’ve probably put bugging software in it that will give them a way to spy on me and my family. I’d rather have a new device, but I just haven’t had the time to get one yet. Plus. I was hoping to save my old number, so that takes time to process the request.”
“Still, it doesn’t hurt to try. I’m going to drive on down to the precinct now and try to talk some sense in to them. You all be carful now, alright?”
“Yes” Michael replied. “It was great talking to you.”
“You too. Stay safe.”
When the call ended, Michael turned to look down at his son Evan.
“Evan” Michael said. “You should go to your room, just to be safe. If someone comes by again, I don’t want them in a position to be able to hurt you.”
“But dad” Evan protested “I want to stay with you and papa.”
“Evan” Freddy replied, as he placed his gentle hands on his son’s shoulders and lifted him up off the ground “listen to your dad. He’s just trying to do what’s best for you. We all want you to be safe, ok?”
Evan didn’t flinch, so Freddy gave him a kiss on the forehead.
“Listen to your papa, Evan. Dad is worried for you and I am too. Now go upstairs. We’ll tell you when the coast is clear to come back down, ok?”
Evan let out an exasperated sigh, as he begrudgingly made his way up to his room. Looking at the damage in the living room, Michael and Freddy began to feel a sense of worry.
“I don’t feel like cleaning this up tonight” Michael said, as he sat back down on the couch. “I’m too tired to deal with this shit.”
“It’s best not to touch it and leave it as is anyway” Freddy replied, as he sat down next to Michael. “In case the police stop by, you don’t want to tamper with the crime scene.”
“Presuming they even come at all. Freddy, you really need to end this mayoral campaign now. We’ve already had some psycho throw a brick at our house and you’ve only been running for a week. Imagine what could happen as the campaign progresses. What if someone throws a bomb at our house? Or a molotov cocktail? Or what if someone tries to stab you? Or shoot you? Freddy, I don’t want to lose you. Evan needs you to be there for him. That means being alive. Please stop thinking of only yourself and think of us for once. We really need you.”
Freddy sighed for a moment, as Michael’s eyes began to well up in tears. Freddy put his arm around Michael to try to comfort him, but it didn’t seem to work.
“Freddy” Michael continued “I understand that this town has a lot of problems, but perhaps the rot and corruption is too damn deep for us to fix now. Perhaps we should just consider selling this place and moving out. Random people know where we live now, so we’ll always be in constant danger.”
“But you worked so hard to make this place a home” Freddy replied. “Why would you want to throw all of that work away now? Why should we allow fear to drive us away from the town we grew up in?”
“Because the safety of my family comes first. I just wish you felt the same way as I do.”
“I do, Michael, but—“
“If you really felt that way, Freddy, then you would have dropped out of the race already. If you really felt that way, you wouldn’t even be running to be mayor in the first place. Despite what you say, I have doubt that you really prioritize your family’s safety over your own career ambitions.”
“Michael, at a certain point in life, you have to know when to run and when to fight. If I dropped out tomorrow and we moved away from this town, then what’s to say this kind of corruption and rot wouldn’t be in another town or another city we moved into? If we just keep putting our heads down and acting as if nothing wrong, then there will be no town left in America safe enough for us to raise our family in, especially as a gay couple. A line in the sand needs to be drawn somewhere and I feel that our town is worth trying to fight for.”
“But why you, Freddy? Why do you have to be the town’s savior?”
“Because if I don’t do it, who will?”
Michael sat in silence, as he quietly took this question in and thought about it carefully. He didn’t have a very good answer to give, which Freddy could tell based on the look of guilt laced across his husband’s face.
“Michael” Freddy continued “over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about some pivotal moments in my life and what has led me to this moment today. I remember when I first laid eyes on the mayor.”
“Probably on TV or something” Michael replied.
“No, actually. When I was in law school, I remember there was a question and answer session with a man who was the youngest person ever to be elected to our town’s council. I was intrigued by this, because he was working in the town I grew up in, where we grew up in. A lot of the early buzz amongst the other law students was that he was going to make our town even better than it was before.”
Michael quietly listened, as Freddy continued to recall his first encounter with the mayor.
“I remember I needed to ask for an excused absence from my trial advocacy class to attend the seminar, which I received. I made my way over to this very crowded lecture hall. There were a lot of people there to see this man, even though he wasn’t particularly that prominent in national politics. There was just this feeling that he was going to go off and win even bigger seats in government later on in life.
“I remember when the Q&A started, he came out to a raucous applause. He sat down with the moderator and started getting asked what I thought were light and fluffy questions, which raised some alarm bells in my head. What really caught my attention was when they opened questions up to the audience.
“When my fellow law students started asking tougher questions, he got very nervous and squirmed in his seat a lot. His answers on taking corporate money out of politics disturbed me and his answers on reforming corruption were incredibly evasive. I didn’t like this guy one bit and knew he might end up being trouble.”
“If you knew this guy was trouble earlier on, why didn’t you vocalize this concern sooner?” Michael asked.
“For the same reason you want me to drop out now. Because I figured it was best to keep my head down and just focus on getting my law degree and passing the bar exam. Being seen as a troublemaker then was not going to help me with my long term career prospects. I just hoped at the time that someone would take him to task on this, but they never did. Now he’s mayor and if he isn’t stopped soon, who knows what office he’ll end up winning after this. Senator? Governor? President? Do we really want him to attain such power being as awful as we know he is?”
“If you were that concerned about him, why not write an op-ed or speak up and ask him these questions at a town hall meeting? Why do you have to put yourself out there so publicly and run an all but dead end race to hold the mayor accountable?”
‘Because this is going to shine the light on the darkness in this town. Look at the media attention I’ve received already.”
“It’s been largely negative and is riling up hysteria against you. Against us.”
“If the mayor thought I wasn’t a threat to him, he’d ignore me and so would the media. They’re going on the attack because they are scared, which means I’m doing something right. That’s all the more reason I need to keep going.”
“At great risk to everyone in this household.”
“It’s what your father would have wanted.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my father!”
Michael angrily stood up and glared at Freddy.
“Don’t you dare, Freddy!”
“Michael, don’t you remember the time your father came to stay with us?”
“Of course I remember it, Freddy. I remember it very, very well. Even though it was almost fourteen years ago, I can remember him staying over at our apartment in Sacramento like it was yesterday.”
In the year 2026…..