David's P.O.V
The Resignation
A cold draft- caused by the window I left open last night, is the only thing that wakes me. I groan as the air hits my bare back, but then my eyes fly open. Season appropriate weather- how odd.
Summer's extended halfway into fall by now- whoever's in charge of officially changing that schedule might as well go ahead and do it. Winter temperatures rarely happen anymore, so when they do- it trends on every social media site. Sure, it's nice being able to go to a Christmas party in just a t-shirt, but the implications that come with that are what bothers everybody.
The planet is dying- and quickly. To make matters worse, it's not even the time period that people would consider winter ten years ago. It's early 'fall'.
So as I get up to close the window, I'm even more shocked when I look outside and there's snow on the ground. Snow? No that can't be right- it was almost eighty degrees outside when I went to bed. Another blast of cold air runs through the window, bringing me to my senses, and I quickly shut it. The metal lining my window- and the glass itself, is cold to the touch.
I think I own one winter coat. Either way, I can't avoid going outside today. Today marks a time period that will change my life forever- again. I find an old button up in the back of my closet and throw it on, shivering at the temperature of my room. After I brush my teeth, I discover the winter coat actually fits pretty well- so I throw that on too.
Normally- my assistant's across the hallway in her room, but she's back in Pennsylvania visiting family. As the majority leader, I live in DC full time.
I turn the Keurig on, and when it's finished brewing in my tumbler- I add mocha syrup and almond milk. Today, the senate has two resolutions to vote on and a debate. I'll make my announcement after we're done- even though it's expected to go into the night and my colleagues'll probably want to kill me for taking five more minutes of their sleep.
I close and lock the door to my apartment with my finger-chip. I have two other properties, but this ones within walking distance of the capital building- so I spend more time here than anywhere else. When I finally make it out the door, children are playing and adults are celebrating the snow. Internally, I shake my head. Most of them aren't thinking about how bad of a sign the snow really is. This early in the year, the only explanations that our planet's developed some sort of bipolar disorder due to climate change. I sigh and continue on my short walk.
I'll have to admit- I miss waking up and seeing ice hanging off of trees. It always meant we'd have the day off from school, just like now. The looks on kids faces now are smart- almost, like they know the likelihood of getting a weather day off again are slim to none. I don't even have the proper shoes for the weather, and my dress boots do little to protect against the cold- so my feet have barely managed to fit into them with two pairs of socks. I should probably get to the capital building early, but my face is already red, and the smells coming from a café on my way there are just so tempting. My mouth waters, and my feet fight with my brain by steering me in it's direction.
When I push the door open, it jingles- and I cringe. Most people in DC- hell, everywhere- recognize my face and name. It's gotten annoying after sixteen years in the senate, and sometimes I wish I could just crawl into a hole and die without anybody noticing. Then I think of the influence that comes with my position, and I smile. I've done things- good things in my time in office.
I've also done some things I'm not so proud of, but so has every other politician. A few shady things to get much more important bills passed is nothing in comparison to the good.
An employees head turns at the sound of the door's jingle, and she puts on a smile. "Senator Miller- you having the usual?"
"Err- maybe something hot instead." My eyes scan over the menu mounted on a wall, but by the time I've decided- she's already holding out a wrapped vegetarian breakfast burrito- the exact thing I was about to order. "Thank you." I say, and sit down to enjoy it.
I scarf it down in just minutes, and at one point I can almost feel somebody snap a picture. Great. That's definitely going to turn into a meme.
When I'm finished I toss the wrapper in the trash, but when I go to leave- a guy calls my name. "Senator Miller- can I get a picture?"
"Put on the nice man voice." I tell myself and smile. "Of course."
"Thanks-" He pulls out his cell phone, and I have to remind myself to use the politicians smile: professional, and not so wide that he'll get the wrong idea. My sexuality isn't exactly a secret, especially since that video got leaked. I haven't been able to escape it- but at least it hasn't affected my political career. "Hey, Um- I'm majoring in political science at Georgetown - if you have a free minute or two I was wondering if I could interview you for a paper?"
"I'm sorry but I really have to get going-" he nods in understanding. "If you can come back here around the same time tomorrow, sure."
The grin on his face widens. "Oh my god thank you so much!" He nerds out, and I shake my head. I've always considered interviews- whether they're form reporters or students, to be part of the job.
I nod in response as I finally escape the café. Even with the background noise that comes from children playing, the rest of my walk is unusually quiet. I don't question it- instead I take the few minutes left before what's guarantee to be a long day and relax, taking a good look at the winter weather that'll probably be melted by the time we get out tonight.
Contrary to what's seen in movies- we never take the front steps when entering. They're steep and tall, making it an inconvenience if we were to actually use them. Instead, I walk in through a door below and off to the side- constantly guarded by capital police. The officer smiles and nods as he holds the door open for me. I thank him and sigh at the blast of heat when the door closes behind me. You never realize how much you miss controlled heat until it has to be used again- I can't even remember the last like heating was used over AC in the capital building.
As I go to take an elevator up to a hallway with the leadership offices, a shoulder wedges in the doorway- long, red hair falling over it. "Senator Miller-" Ally Feinstein pushes herself through the crack, flinching when it closes as soon as she's in. "Hey."
"What is it, Ally?" I sigh. I have zero objection to discussing legislation with fellow lawmakers- but damnit she's relentless for a freshman that was only sworn in weeks ago. I can see her going for a leadership position eventually, if she stays on track the way she is. As soon as a special election was announced in her district after the abrupt retirement of the previous representative, she put her name in and won because of her work in activism.
If there's anybody without a scandal on capital hill- it's her. She leans against the back of the elevator, not bothering to hold onto a rail. "Have you looked at the budget proposal I sent to your office yet?"
"I haven't-" I shake my head. "I've got twelve others to go through first. I'll get to it eventually."
"Will you though?" She crosses her arms. "I've been harassing you to look at it for a week."
"Ally most of them are over a hundred pages-"
"And you have thirteen staff. Look- mine's only two pages so you can go over it right now. With the senate as busy as it is today I don't see why a two page proposal would make that much of a time difference." She shoves the proposal into my hands and I sigh. Procedure be damned- right?
On the bright side- at least we can tell when gen z runs the government things'll get done quickly. Maybe our future's not so gloom after all. My eyes scan over the document and I nod my head, impressed. "You want me to bring a $20 billion dollar budget allocation of military funds to the floor for a transfer vote to the housing the homeless act?"
"Precisely." She nods. "The military... wouldn't even miss it. Twenty billion is the equivalent of about twenty thousand dollars in their eyes- but to these people who are starving, it's more than enough to cover resources for meals and housing for almost three months."
The elevator opens, and I step out of it while she stays behind. "You are a genius, representative Feinstein. I'll get it to the floor if I can but I do have to warn you.. I'm resigning...soon."
"How soon-" The elevator door closes on her before she has a chance to finish. I tuck the budget proposal into my bag as I walk down the hallway to my office.
When I push the door open, my communications director greets me. "Sir, I've got a reporter from NBC requesting ten minutes."
"Do I have a free period in my schedule tomorrow?"
"Nope."
"Then tell them in the nicest way possible to fuck off." I say as I walk through my office. He nods and runs off to type and email. I close the door to my personal office and sit down, a headache already threatening to form.
I remove the winter jacket- finally having warmed up enough to do so. For a few minutes, I make an effort to respond to my constituents Emails and Instagram messages- but before I know it, I'm expected on the floor. As I make my way there, walking amongst other lawmakers, I start contemplating if what I'm about to do is really worth it. I've been in the senate for most of my political career- why not stay on?
I question, for a second- if I'm becoming power hungry, but then shake the thought. No- this is about being able to inspire even more change. Generally, people love me. There are some still stuck on that video, calling me a home wrecker, but for the most part- people have gotten over it. I only hope that fact will be reflected on Election Day in 2032.
That video's going to be on the internet forever. What's even more disturbing is that we don't know- to this day, who planted the bug, because by the time it was released and my properties were swept, all bugs were gone. An investigation's still "open", but it's stale- with the government not wanting to waste any more resources.
So when I walk through the rotunda, photographers off to the side snapping pictures and cameramen for news stations recording live feed- I put on my best politicians smile. The most made comment by reporters is on how positive I always seek to be. Most of it's fake- and any politician that says they're genuinely happy is lying. We're always stressed out- whether it's a mayor or the president you're talking about. Sure, we have good moments, but helping to govern a country is hard.
As I step through the metal detectors and into the senate chambers, I let my smile fall, but only for a second. Members have already filed in and are talking amongst themselves, so it goes unnoticed- but there are C-Span cameras so I'm not risking it.
On today's agenda is debate for a bill that'd ban the purchase of all single use plastic items for federal buildings. In an effort to encourage businesses to do the same, single use plastic bottles have already been banned- this is just a step further. The cascading effect it had after bottles were banned was decently large, but still not enough.
According to scientists- the less plastic produced, the better. This bill would mean no plastic takeout containers, no single use dinnerware in any restaurant on federal building's grounds. The impact of this alone could slow climate change down by up to three percent- which doesn't sound like a lot, but in the long run- is astronomical.
My name being on the bill as the main author has definitely put a target on my back. The largest plastic waste producers are more powerful than most people think, with how much money they have. If you have money- you can make just about anything possible, including the assassination of a high ranking senator. I probably should've accepted the secret service protection I was offered last week, but I knew the second I did I'd have no freedom.
Besides, with the announcement I'm about to make, I won't have a choice to accept. This announcement will truly change everything. As more and more senators begin filing in, I make small talk with a few.
Some representatives have showed up as well, just to observe. With a few minutes to go, I slowly walk to my seat- but a Senator calls my name, so I sigh and turn around. "Mr.Miller-" Senator Watts says. "Have you.. been able to get in touch with Senator Lawrence? She's not answering any of my texts and we're usually in... constant communication. I'm just.. worried about her."
"Is she not here?" He shakes his head in response. "Well then.. I'll swing by her apartment after we get done here."
Senator Watts nods, grateful. I'm not sure if anybody else knows- so I've just minded my business, but those two have definitely been sleeping together. It's obvious in the way they look at each other, and the conversation we just had confirmed it.
Welp- I guess I won't be going home anywhere near a normal time tonight. How fun. I finally take my seat at the front as almost all senators are now present, and the procedures begin. For twenty or so minutes, there are standard opening speeches and procedural traditions, then we're allowed to get into the juicy stuff: debates. As the majority leader, I get to open. I take a deep breath, tired before I've even opened my mouth.
I Stand up, walking the few steps to the closest podium, my pre written speech in hand. When I start talking though, the words flow out of my mouth without glancing at it. "When I walked in here today, I can with a concrete plan. I thought I would just read off of this piece of paper- but now, for whatever reason, those words feel irrelevant so I'll say this. We, as a nation- need to do better. We've improved in every other area at a rapid pace the past decade or so- but we linger far behind in environmental advancements. Seven countries have completely banned single use plastic. It is pathetic that we- the richest country in the world, were not the first- but today, we have an opportunity to move in that direction. This will be far from the last session we hold on the matter of banning plastic- but the easiest and first steps are laid out perfectly in today's bill. If we start with federal property, we can only hope that other businesses will follow suit. I-even as the main author, can admit that I need to do better. This is why the bill is so necessary; to encourage all Americans to take steps towards a zero waste lifestyle and strive to focus on our planet's health in everything they do. Today, I stand with the Green Party in a bipartisan manner. Today, I hope to inspire even more positive change. I now yield the rest of my time to Senator Watts for the questioning of coco-cola's CEO Noah Adams."
I sit down, turning my attention to the table Noah's sitting at. This should be good. Almost at once, lawmakers turn to face him, ready to laugh at whatever explanation he gives for his company's negligence.
"Thank you, Senator Miller." Watts starts. "Mr.Adams, you're here to defend your company, is that correct?"
"It is." He nods.
"So, just for the record because I'm curious-" Oh shit. This should be good. "You're willing to defend a conglomerate that produces nearly three million tons of plastic waste each year that won't break down for a thousand and will- instead, float around the ocean or litter our streets whilst killing off species of wildlife that have been on this planet longer than us humans?"
"I..Uhm- uh..."
"Yeah that's what I thought you were going to say so I'll move on to my next question." Senator Watts interrupts him. "During your recent meeting with the CEO's of coco-cola's sub-companies, did you discuss the state of the environment or the rate at which your conglomerate is polluting it at all? Just as a reminder, Mr.Adams you are under oath and lying to Congress is punishable by up to ten years in prison depending on the severity of the offense."
Noah Adams uncomfortably shifts in his chair. He must know today isn't going to end well for him no matter how it goes. "Coco-cola is going to be making efforts to reduce our waste in the future-"
"That's not what I asked, Mr.Adams. Answer the question." Senator Watts interrupts. He sighs, knowing he doesn't have anything to cushion the effects of what he's about to say.
"No, Senator, we did not discuss... the environment in our most recent meeting."
"Unbelievable." Watts shakes his head and almost laughs. "What did you discuss?"
"That information is confidential." Noah responds, annoyed.
"Yeah- no it's not." Senator Watts flips a page on the report he had his staff draw up. "Stock in your company has dropped thirty percent in the past month and you only made two million dollars this year as opposed to thirty seven million last year so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you discussed financial plans. Is that assumption correct, Mr. Adams?"
He shifts uncomfortably. "Well... I mean..Uhm.."
"I'll take that as a yes. One final question: While discussing future financial plans for your company- you completely disregarded any concern for the environment, is that also correct?"
"Uhm...I..."
"That's what I thought. You are dismissed, Mr.Adams." I chuckle as I sit in silence, waiting on the next conglomerate representative to try- but fail to convince senators this bull is a bad thing. "I now yield time to Senator Stillman for the questioning of climate change scientist Dr.Cristina Rosa."
Dr. Rosa stands up, replacing Noah Adams at his seat. She side eyes him as he leaves, shaking her head as soon as he's turned around. She has an aura of confidence about her- partially because she knows she's right, and has real evidence from years of work unlike that Adams guy. I lean forward, wanting to hear what she has to say- unlike the last guy that I had to hold on laughing at. When she sits down and scoots her chair up, she folds her hands on the desk and turns her eyes to Senator Stillman.
"Dr. Rosa- during your work, have you felt- at any point, that the planet would just sort itself out?" Senator Stillman asks.
"No. Absolutely not." She sits up. "Of course- anybody watching this can go read one of my papers, but to summarize my most recent one- forgive my language- We're all fucked if the government doesn't start stepping up."
"How... fucked, exactly?" Senator Stillman inquires.
"I wouldn't be surprised if everybody in the country were dead in fifty years due to their stupidity and stubbornness when it comes to taking care of the one planet we'll ever have."
"Thank you, Dr. Rosa." Senator Stillman says.
Throughout the rest of the day, additional scientists and conglomerates participate in questionings and debates. The lawmakers doing the questioning show no mercy and get straight to the point in an attempt to end this day as soon as possible, though it's nighttime by the time we're about to vote. I make my final statement, and we receive thirty minutes for a break and vote. We've been going all day, so some lawmakers heads are bobbing, struggling to stay awake. I quickly tap through mine and excuse myself to go to the bathroom.
This is it. Thirty-ish minutes until I have to make the announcement. I stay in the same stall for about twenty, trying to figure out a way to force the words out of my mouth. It's necessary- if I want to move forward in my career, but I'm still feeling nostalgic. This has been my job for sixteen years- and it's coming to an end now.
A voice comes over the intercom informing us the vote is over, and I hurry back to my seat. When everybody's back, a teller reads off the vote.
"On agreeing to resolution 379- the ban of all single use plastic in federally owned buildings..." The teller pauses, a confused look on her face- and whispers something to a senate aide. The aide nods her head, confirming whatever she just asked. "I'm sorry- I thought there was a mistake for a second. The resolution passes unanimously."
A few- like me, stand frozen in shock. No resolution has ever passed unanimously- not since the founding of this country on July 4th,1776. Others hug their senate colleagues on the floor, paying no attention to party. I almost cry- this is yet another historic moment I've witnessed first hand.
"The senate will now adjourn-" The minority leader starts to assert.
"Wait-" I say. "Forgive me for the interruption, Senator Williamson but I do have something to say while we're all here."
"Go ahead." She rubs her temples, as tired and ready to get out of her as the rest of them. I stand up as she sits, taking over the podium. I flip to the last page of my script as I hear the c-span cameras turning towards me. Lawmakers impatiently shift in their seats- happy about today's vote, but ready to bolt as soon as I finish talking. I clear my throat and begin.
"The capital building has been my..... workplace for sixteen years." Immediately, the room becomes more alert. When a Senator resigns it's a big deal- even more so if they're in a leadership position. Even though I know this is the best thing for my political career, I have to force the words out. "I know each and every one of you like family. I've spent holidays with a few of you and... I love my job. The change I've inspired here has brought me real joy- more so than anything else in my life, ever- but the younger generations are starting to trickle into government. They are our future, and they are the ones that'll have to deal with it if we can't clean up our mess quickly. I do have to admit- I have higher motives, dreams of holding a position with ever more influence. Currently, the second ranking Democrat is Senator Lawrence. She is thirty one years old, and I believe it's time to make way for these new generations. That is part of the reason why- effective in exactly seven days, I will be resigning from my senate seat."