Rep. Horner Tells It Like It Is
An excerpt from my novel, Another Crescent Moon.
An orchestral barrage erupts on the TV and the words BREAKING NEWS appear against a sea of red, which then parts to show Firth Bronzer, giddy as a tween with backstage Bieber passes.
The Horner results have just come in: 218 for, 217 against removing him from his committees. A real nail-biter, it must’ve been, but it’s one of those small victories worth relishing, especially now that Representative Vaught, who cast the deciding vote, has since claimed she was confused when she pressed YEA instead of NAY.
In her defense, they’re both three-letter words, and rhyme, to boot, making the decision that much more fraught.
But it’s too late, Bronzer says with a chef’s kiss. There are no mulligans once the tally has been certified. Horner shall sit no longer on the Education, Ethics, or Judiciary committees. He shall only be permitted to keep representing some five-hundred-thousand constituents in his small, Midwestern state until his term expires or he is voted out of office.
“Yes, he may be down,” Bronzer says, “but he’s not out, and he’s got a few choice words for his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”
The feed cuts to the steps outside the Capitol, where Horner seethes behind a…
