EXCERPT

OK! I said belligerently I will! And I slammed down the phone.

That was Sarah, I told Jim. She claims your migraine headache is your subconscious way of saying youd like to have me run for public office. You dont, do you?

Do you want to? Jim asked me.

Youre evading the question. The question is, how do you feel about it? After all, it would be your name Id be dragging through the mud.

What makes you think it would be dragging in the mud? Why cant you think positively once in awhile? Why do you always look on the dark side of everything?

Always? You always say always. The point is, would you object if I ran for public office?

The point is, do you want to do it? Youll have to make up your own mind. Youre always trying to get somebody else to decide things for you or make excuses about why you cant.

There, you said always again. I do make up my mind about lots of things. I decided to get a job, and I got one. I think it would be interesting to be in on the candidates side of an election for once. But I dont want to do it if youre going to subtly sabotage me from the sidelines. It would mean I wouldnt have that much time to do things around the house any more.

Im retired now. I can do everything around the house. You women make much too much fuss about housekeeping anyhow. Theres really nothing to it. You spend a lot of unnecessary time chasing nonexistent dirt. Housekeeping can be reduced to a science like running a business.

OK, if thats the way you feel about it! Well really reverse roles with a vengeance!

And I hurried back to the phone before I lost the impulse, to tell Sarah I would run on her slate.

Can you come to a meeting at Bobs house Sunday night? she asked. He wants all the candidates to meet together.

Weve been planning this tripI began.

We can be back by Sunday, Jim interrupted. Its better for us to go in the middle of the week anyhow.

So thats how I joined the slate of the Home Rule Democrats. And now the deed is done. And Im committed.



Tuesday, June 30

I told Dr. Marks and the group that this was my last time there for awhile, because the political campaign will require that I be available for all sorts of appearances, meetings, etc. I expected Dr. Marks to make a big fuss about it, and sure enough he did, raising the question of why I let myself be talked into running, just at the time when two other major events are taking place in my life: Jims retirement and my new job. He seemed to imply that Im using the campaign as an excuse to drop out of therapy. Maybe he was trying to get a rise out of me. If so, he was successful because I did talk back and stood up for myself, and didnt cry! At the end of the session Dr. Marks said in a way maybe its good that Im dropping out because he feels