Happy Birthday
August 11th 2004
* * *
“Hello?”
“Hello, is Greg there?”
“This is Greg.”
“Hi Greg, my name is _____, and I’m calling on behalf of MoveOn PAC—“
“Oh!”
“—in response to your letter of interest in our campaign.”
“Yeah, hey hold on a sec…[I leave Jake’s room, where he and Blake and some other friends are hanging out. They have been trying hard to cheer me up, with limited success. I walk into his kitchen, alone.] Ok, hi.”
“Hi, how’s it going today?”
“It’s good, it’s good. It’s my birthday today.”
“Oh, well happy birthday! Has it been a good one so far?”
“Well, uhh, no not really, my computer broke—“
“Oh—“
“and I’m unemployed—“
“I’m sorry—“
“—no, well, I mean, it’s ok, whatever. It’s better, now! You’re calling…about the swing state campaign?”
“Yes, that is something you’re interested in?”
“Of course! I’ve been trying to find a way to get involved, but nothing has come up yet.”
“Well, what kind of experience do you have on campaigns?”
“Uhh, I’ve…well I haven’t actually worked, um, on a campaign before. But I used to, uh, write about…politics…in college. I [mumble] minored in public policy. [mumble mumble]”
“Uh huh—“
“But this is something I’ve really wanted to be involved in, you know, I’ve looked everywhere for ways to get involved. I’ve been just…waiting for something exactly like that ad I saw today on Craigslist. Your ad. It was like, you know, like it just appeared there on my birthday, like it was meant to come to me today.”
“That’s good timing then! [Laughs] And not a moment too soon. We have less than three months left to get ready, and we need more people to get involved right now. Would you be able to begin work with the campaign right away?”
“Yeah!”
“And would you be able to relocate within short notice for an extended period of time?”
I hear Blake laughing inside Jake’s room. I’d be
en building a life here in New York, my first little world of my own, with her. It was very good, but it had not come easy. I flash back to our first Big Fight, when I’d threatened to go volunteer in Florida ‘for the summer.’ Even just a couple of months...I don’t know that we could handle it.
“Well,” I said, fighting my own hesitation, “I guess yes.”
“Well my last question, then, is can you come in for an interview in our New York office? It’s at 50 Lispenard street. There you’ll hear all about our plan and what this opportunity is all about…”
The conversation comes to an abrupt end, and she wishes me a happy birthday.
I walk back inside the room, and everyone stops talking. I lean over the bed, where Blake is lying, and kiss her…
* * *
“Hello?”
“Hello, is Greg there?”
“This is Greg.”
“Hi Greg, my name is _____, and I’m calling on behalf of MoveOn PAC—“
“Oh!”
“—in response to your letter of interest in our campaign.”
“Yeah, hey hold on a sec…[I leave Jake’s room, where he and Blake and some other friends are hanging out. They have been trying hard to cheer me up, with limited success. I walk into his kitchen, alone.] Ok, hi.”
“Hi, how’s it going today?”
“It’s good, it’s good. It’s my birthday today.”
“Oh, well happy birthday! Has it been a good one so far?”
“Well, uhh, no not really, my computer broke—“
“Oh—“
“and I’m unemployed—“
“I’m sorry—“
“—no, well, I mean, it’s ok, whatever. It’s better, now! You’re calling…about the swing state campaign?”
“Yes, that is something you’re interested in?”
“Of course! I’ve been trying to find a way to get involved, but nothing has come up yet.”
“Well, what kind of experience do you have on campaigns?”
“Uhh, I’ve…well I haven’t actually worked, um, on a campaign before. But I used to, uh, write about…politics…in college. I [mumble] minored in public policy. [mumble mumble]”
“Uh huh—“
“But this is something I’ve really wanted to be involved in, you know, I’ve looked everywhere for ways to get involved. I’ve been just…waiting for something exactly like that ad I saw today on Craigslist. Your ad. It was like, you know, like it just appeared there on my birthday, like it was meant to come to me today.”
“That’s good timing then! [Laughs] And not a moment too soon. We have less than three months left to get ready, and we need more people to get involved right now. Would you be able to begin work with the campaign right away?”
“Yeah!”
“And would you be able to relocate within short notice for an extended period of time?”
I hear Blake laughing inside Jake’s room. I’d be
en building a life here in New York, my first little world of my own, with her. It was very good, but it had not come easy. I flash back to our first Big Fight, when I’d threatened to go volunteer in Florida ‘for the summer.’ Even just a couple of months...I don’t know that we could handle it.“Well,” I said, fighting my own hesitation, “I guess yes.”
“Well my last question, then, is can you come in for an interview in our New York office? It’s at 50 Lispenard street. There you’ll hear all about our plan and what this opportunity is all about…”
The conversation comes to an abrupt end, and she wishes me a happy birthday.
I walk back inside the room, and everyone stops talking. I lean over the bed, where Blake is lying, and kiss her…
posted by Greg Bloom at 4/25/2005 03:09:00 AM
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