He looked out the window at the evening sky. 9:00 PM, one week after he watched the election results roll in on Fox.
Jeb had just stepped out of the shower. He wiped the fog off the mirror, combed his hair, and tightened the plain white towel around his waist. He slid his turtle soap holder back to make room for the comb and gingerly set it down. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw an old man looking back – he met the gaze with a slight frown. His lip quivered.
“Jeb!” Columba shouted from downstairs, “I made your favorite guacamole! Come down soon, the taco meat is getting cold!”
“Coming soon, dear,” Jeb called back in a subdued voice through the cracked door. He looked back at the mirror and sighed.
As he walked out into the bedroom, he glanced at all of the homely comforts Columba had placed around the room. His turtle candleholders on the nightstand, his favorite picture of Lincoln by the bookcase, and the signed picture of his brother, President George W. Bush, that he had received from his small donation to the Republican party in 2004, sitting on his desk. “It’s not all bad,” Jeb thought.
It had been years – 9 years, in fact – since he had been governor. Sometimes the feeling ate away at him. It had been almost a decade. He yearned for the opportunity to be admired, to accomplish something great… but sometimes he felt like he just didn’t have the energy. He kept his spirits high with one incredible thought: “I’m the son of a president, and the younger brother of a president. That’s pretty amazing in itself.”
Jeb quickly scrawled this thought into the journal on his desk. He cocked his head to the side, and read it again. His brow furrowed, then gave way to a relieved smile.
“Jeb!” Columba yelled, “I’m not going to say it again! Come down for dinner!”
Jeb shut his journal, threw on some long johns and a T-shirt, and walked quickly down the stairs – skipping every other step. It was time for guac.
Character Studies from the 2016 Election Season 