Searching for a Perfect Day

Touching Bases

Chapter 16: Touching Bases

A part of her is afraid to watch it, ignorance is bliss being a factor and all. Then again, that’s never been a mantra in her life worth repeating therefore the decision’s been made even before her mind has given sufficient clues to just shy away. It would be kind of ridiculous actually…She’s flying straight into the fire, the center of the beehive…ground zero. 

Ignorance wouldn’t constitute bliss. It would just be setting herself up to being fired into openly. From what she’s suffered during the past forty-eight hours, that is the wrong end of bliss. 

She plugs the earphones in her ear canal, her peripherals catching her neighbor munching on a plate of fruit given by the stewardess a few minutes back. She eyes her own, appetite ebbing from the roiling of her stomach that has little to do with the altitude, the somewhat turbulent ride, or the constant popping of her ears, and exhales roughly from her nostrils. 

Mind made up, she plugs the end of the earphone into the entry jack, pays the ridiculous amount to use the wi-fi through her laptop, and begins a not-so-difficult Google search for the interview she had missed. She skims through some links, ignoring the bias and wild accusations on the first couple, and settling on one that seems more informative than opinionated. She’s sure she’ll get through many of the latter much later.

Stopping the progress bar to give the video time to load, she distracts herself by opening her fruit package and spearing a honeydew slice with a small plastic fork. She eyes the juice dribbling from the stab wound before lifting the fruit into her mouth and taking a small bite. It tastes and that’s all that really matters. Everything that she’s put into her mouth since last night have been flavorless regardless of the type of food. Freedom and momentary reprieve from her problems seems to help, but she wonders for how long. 

You’re heading home to Anna, her mind reminds and berates simultaneously. Don’t think about anything more and anything less. 

She sighs outwardly, biting into the rest of the fruity flesh before setting her complete attention into her laptop and pressing the play button, fiddling the volume control and maximizing the screen in the short process. 

Another man with well-groomed hair, dark eyes, pursed lips, and a navy blue two-piece suit greets her. Her mind futilely reminds her that all anchormen (and women) have the same characteristics: serious, clean-cut, seemingly unbiased, and professional…outwardly. The same could not be said on whatever news channel she and her classmates had been unfortunate to watch that fateful night. 

She spears another fruit—strawberry this time—and pays close attention to what could be a running commentary. 

“Thousands gathered around Albany Municipal Court this morning in protest to the repeal set in motion by late Senator Helene Andersen,” the man begins, a solemn face that matches a just as solemn voice. “This repeal to change the incestual statute has been the biggest on-going debate since gay marriage in the state of New York and unsurprisingly, it’s caused a ripple effect that’s ebbed into the entire nation. Just like in the infancy of the gay rights movement, the dissent is strong and outpouring. A tally was made today counting how many protestors lined up against supporters, and that number came out to be bleak. The silver lining of this extremely stormy cloud? A familiar face in a thinning crowd. Anna Andersen, the younger of two daughters of Helene Andersen was interviewed in what could be the literal eye of the storm. We invite you now to witness what could be a defining moment of this debate. Here is Fox News correspondent Maya Schiller with more on the story.”