Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Later came the release of hundreds of videos and pictures. One woman shared a picture of a man with his hand on Ian’s shoulder as he explained the warrant. She blanked out the man’s face because, as she explained in her comments, the man was undocumented. But Ian never questioned his status. The man was not Ian’s concern, only explaining what was happening in the building to the residents of said building.
This is what community looks like, she titled her picture. All the others were in a similar vein. Of course, the lawyers for Mr. Mendoza lost their minds, but Sam explained that due to the presence of ICE in Chicago, that these issues would continue to occur. He said, at a press conference two hours later, that “the good guys must be transparent in all areas so as not to be confused for those in the business of doing evil.” That didn’t go over so well at the federal level—though his boss stood up for him—but at the city and state level, he had unwavering support. “Chicago,” Eli said in a statement to the press, “is continually putting on a master class in pushing back against ICE. Community involvement is key. It’s very impressive, and I’m proud to live here.” All in all, Sam’s people looked pretty good in the coverage on all the news outlets and on late-night TV.
Now, some people have commented to me: Jory, we read your newsletter to find out about you and your family, not hear about politics or whatever else. And that’s true, but it’s also very important to give the backdrop of what is happening around us in the world in which we currently live. The same way I talked about us dealing with the first wave of Covid, I have to talk about what’s happening at the moment. Plus, good, happy, uplifting stories are always welcome, at least in my humble opinion.
On to Halloween.
The kids had a party at our house because, for one, they always have, and for two, apparently in their building, there were very serious rules about parties. And while Kola, most of all, appreciated that, it made having a rager difficulty.
The kids dressed up as Lord of the Rings characters. Jake was Gimli, Hannah was Galadriel, Finn was Legolas, Wick was Éomer, Harper was Elrond, and Kola was Aragorn. Furthermore, the invitation said whoever showed up had to be dressed as something from either Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. I was honestly surprised to see all the different inhabitants of Middle-earth represented in my backyard. Apparently, a theme was not necessarily a bad thing.
I loved watching the kids stay in character. Hannah didn’t get upset about things that normally would have had her foaming at the mouth. Instead she channeled the Lady of the woods of Lothlórien and remained calm all night. Finn performed a lot of parkour, Harper kept asking people if they knew when the ship was leaving for the Grey Havens, Kola said and reiterated, over and over, that they were staying at the party too long and should already be on their way to Mordor. I enjoyed it immensely.
An hour after the party started, Dane and Aja walked in, having left Gentry and Robert outside along with Portia, Robert’s girlfriend. Portia was Éowyn, Robert was Faramir, and Gentry had insisted on being Thranduil because he liked the duality of the character. They all looked amazing.
“I hope they’re doing something after this,” I told Aja as I hugged her. “It would be sad to get that dressed up only to come to our house.”
Aja squinted at me before turning and hugging Sam.
“What?”
“Like all the food you put out and the treat bags Hannah makes along with her Samhain candles and the black gourds is not a big deal. And they get to dance, and everyone’s welcome. Jory, please don’t think this is not a big deal for college students that are usually treated to packaged ramen and peanut butter and jelly. Have you forgotten how poor we all were when we were going to school?”
“I wasn’t poor,” Dane chimed in.
“Yes, dear, we know.”
“Thank you for that,” I told her.
Sam and I handed out candy and food staples that I’d gotten at Costco earlier in the day, and had just finished that up when Aaron and Duncan came walking in the back door.
“Hey,” Sam greeted them, his smile evidence of how pleased he was. “What’re you two doing here? I thought you were in Boston or something.”
Aaron smiled big at the two of us. “I was in Boston, you’re right, but since Duncan was here, and couldn’t get away to join me, as soon as my business concluded, I came home.”
Duncan cleared his throat softly, Aaron glanced at him, and I saw the smile fall away, but then he returned his attention to us, and with it came the creepy lobotomized smile.