Land of Opportunity

-PROLOGUE-
Jeff Stassen reclined back in the big red lounge chair, shaking the newspaper he held in his hands. Stassen then pushed his glasses up on his face with his right middle finger while still holding the whole paper in his left hand. Reopening the paper to read it, he caught a glimpse of the sharply-dressed fellow in the corner. The man was dressed in a pinstriped suit, looking very distinguished, with a big grin on his face. "What are you smiling at," Jeff asked the man. The man approached Jeff, clasping him on the shoulder. "I can't believe you did it. I mean, you actually did it," the man said. "I mean, you actually got elected governor," the excitement in his voice was halted as Jeff placed his left hand on the man's arm. "No, Sean, this accomplishment is greater than me alone. WE did this, all of us: you, me, Jane, Tessa, and anyone who had anything to do with this campaign shares in this victory. It's just that the ballot only allowed room for my name," Jeff told his friend. "Yeah, but if not for you, the party may have lost this race again, and..." Jeff cut him off, "and if not for you, I may never have run in the first place." Jeff then stood up, setting the paper down, and faced his friend, grasping both of Sean's shoulders. "Thank you, my friend, for talking me into it and for seeing it through to completion." Sean shrugged off the complement, "hey, what are friends for," then he hugged his longtime friend, "we've been through a lot in our lives, eventually something's gotta give." Sean's eyes spotted something on the coffeetable before the hug was broken. Drawing back, he looked at Jeff, "I just gotta say one thing before you go out there and wow 'em all again. I mean, ya know, I love you, man." Jeff looked at him for a second, and then replied, "forget it. Sean, you're not getting the rest of that Ski on the table." Sean laughed, "hey, it was worth a shot. See you out there in a few minutes," he said as he opened the lounge door and walked out. Jeff then walked over to the mirror, brushed his hair back out of his face. Looking at himself, he realized Sean was right. What he'd accomplished was amazing if you think about it. A boy from a town no one's heard of before, who'd snorted everything he could lay his hands on in the Nixon years, and who'd seen the ebb and flow of America's hope more times than he cared count, was now the governor of one of the most important states in the Union. Straightening his tie, he thought, "if only my mom could be here to see this." Looking up at his reflection, he realized he'd not thought about her that much the whole year. "I hope she's proud of me," he thought. Over his shoulder, he thought he saw something in the mirror. Then he knew he could smell, faintly, lilacs. That was all he needed. Jeff was overcome by the full tide of emotion: about winning, about his children and wife, and his mom. Jeff began to cry. Sparse tears first came, and they snowballed into a downpour of tears. Whipping out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes, he looked up at his reflection in the mirror and yelled out, "Momma!"
-CHAPTER 1-