Not Giving Up

During a press conference at noon on Saturday, Senator Bellardi had made clear his intention to continue the campaign. He was so adamant about not giving up, Stevie had noted while listening, that he seemed to mock the peril facing him and his loved ones. She had never seen such resolve blaze from his eyes before. It had caused her to wonder about the balance of his commitment to family and career. He seemed intent on pushing through to victory at all costs. His goals for North California were important, but were they worth the loss of a wife or a son?

 During the Saturday evening debates on the topics of crime in general and legalized drugs in particular, Senator Bellardi was his confident, articulate self again, as if the fire had never happened. He took his characteristic black-and-white hard line on crime issues and adequately defended his position against Juanita Dunsmuir, who pressed him on the gray areas as she had during the abortion discussion. It was not a resounding victory Stevie had assessed, but she was confident that the senator was inching farther ahead of his challenger in the debates, just as she had hoped. A victory party until midnight had drained the last ounces of Stevie's energy. She fell asleep grateful for a Sunday morning with no responsibilities.