Nathan woke up early, even though it was Saturday morning, and getting up early for work was unnecessary. After a disturbing night’s sleep, he was somewhat rested and, for some reason, felt an uncomfortable sensation in his belly. After a few moments, he recalled his distressing dream from which with some semi-conscious effort, he had been able to free himself. Musing, he threw off the bedcovers and stood. “What the hell was that about?” he remembered that in the repetitive dream,, he was paralyzed with fear while being impelled by an irresistible force through an open dark doorway, to an ominously dark, dangerous chasm.
Following a brief shower and drying himself with the large yellow towel Jessica had given him for Valentine’s Day, with a knowing grunt, he realized the cause of his discomfort, and, possibly, his unpleasant dream.
Nathan was a High School History and Civics teacher at Wistful Vista High and enjoyed teaching teenage students about the uniquely historical wonders of our Democratic Republic, contrasting it with such autocratic and tyrannical polities, existing in Russia, China Hungary, and North Korea. He relished in speaking in exalted terms about our venerable Founding Fathers, who were all too cognizant of the unjust history of Europe, with its absolute Monarchs, privileged classes, and Established Churches. He also enjoyed teaching about the Age of Enlightenment, contrasting it to the “Dark Ages” of ignorant superstition and the Religious Inquisition. His Uncle Louis was a medical scientist and he took special pleasure in extolling the curative advances of modern scientific medicine and in the quality and length of human life.
Nathan had an avid interest in, English Victorian literature and in his leisure time would often derive great pleasure from reading Dickens, Trollope, Hardy, and Elliot; he also enjoyed listening to classical and jazz music, especially, with his fiancee, Jessica, He had, in fact, happily developed at a young age a rewarding personal life of teaching, reading and listening to music; and of course, the ambiance of the mutual love with beautiful Jessica, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Children’s Hospital, to whom he was to be married in two months.
As Nathan was making his morning coffee, he was uncomfortably reminded of the media news reports of the newly elected President, Trump, making good on his unsuitable, autocratic. pre-election promises to eliminate scientific and medical research., the U.S. Department of Education, and the vitally important and empathic U.S, AID, to install nuanced judges, responsive to religious and political lobbies, and, shamefully, to issue a blank pardon the convicted criminals who, in compliance with his invitation, conducted a criminal insurrection against the Government, while calling for the prosecution of the prosecutors who appropriately prosecuted them to conviction, Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Global Climate Awards, the appointment of a Cabinet of charlatans, loyal to him, who would compliantly cut funds for medical and scientific research, and construe policies contrary to the Nation’s progress toward equality; even infuriate America’s long term allies.
The thought of the dystopic nature of such extant current events, so discernably antithetical to the principles of the democratic history proudly taught to his students, caused him, for several minutes, to be completely discombobulated and nearly unhinged. He needed some relief and, irrespective of the early hour, telephoned, and awakened the sleeping Jessica. When she answered , it being an early hour on a Saturday, she worrisomely asked Nathan, “What’s wrong; are you OK? “
Nathan regretfully apologized and sheepishly explained the cause of his dismay and his emotional need to call, After recounting the specifics of his alarm, viz., Trump’s egregious and anti-democratic agenda, he thoughtlessly said, “It’s terrifying, like being pulled into a dark chasm.” Despite her semi-somnambulant state, Jessica was relieved to note that nothing serious had befallen him and stated she would call him back in fifteen minutes when she was more awake and available for discussion.
After brushing her teeth and running her fingers through her hair, Jessica called Nathan and, initially told him how much she loved him and was looking forward to their happy wedding. She then recalled a Science Fiction movie, seen the previous Thursday, in which the protagonists, walked through a “portal” to enter an exotic and dystopic reality, in which they would require ingenuity to survive, before returning to their previous existence. Nathan, suddenly remembers his uncomfortable dream,. and could only again apologize for calling son early, remind her of their dinner date at “Sylvie’s” at eight, and to say, “I love you!” before putting down the phone. For some reason, he felt relieved, suddenly being stricken with an exciting idea.
He would continue to extol the virtues of American constitutional democracy and the venerable place our Democratic Republic has enjoyed since its founding, but advise that our great Republic had unwittingly entered into a temporary portal from which it will exit and resume its traditional virtues; adding, hesitantly, that it conceivably could take four years.
Over a romantic and especially delicious candlelight dinner at Sylvie’s Restaurant that evening, they talked of the great promise of their forthcoming marriage, and, incidentally, of the continuance of the great promise of the soon-to-be restored Nation.
-p.
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