Always Let Your Conscience be Your Guide.
June 8th, 2017 will always remain with me for as long as I live.
Why you ask?
Well that's because it was my first general election.
Politics is big in my family. How can it not be? Sherlock's brother practically is the British Government and my boyfriend works in the Secret Service. But here I was nineteen years old and about to vote in one of the most important votes of our time.
I was sat in my bedroom with a cup of herbal tea, snuggled into Dan and we were watching Tangled. I had tried to avoid the conversation of politics all day cause I was fed up with it and I had actually gotten into a row with Dad over who to vote for. Something which I never thought would happen. Who knew Sherlock was political? I had always assumed that he thought that it was just trivial matters and not of any importance. Anyway, back to the tea and Dan and Tangled.
Dan was playing with my hair, which I had tied back for the night, but he always found a way to mess with it. I wasn't paying him much attention, I was too engrossed in what was going on onscreen to worry about what Dan was doing.
"Hey, Ab?" he asked, eventually.
"Yeah?" I replied, as Flynn fought Max with a frying pan.
"Who are you voting for tomorrow?"
I sighed and paused the film. "Honestly?"
He nodded.
"I don't know yet.."
Dan looked at me, funnily.
"What?" I asked, "I just don't know who I'm going to vote for. I'll tell you something. I'm more nervous about this vote than my exam's right now."
"Why?" He asked, taking my hand, "Why are you worried?"
I sighed, "I'm worried that I'm not going to make the right choice. That who I vote for isn't who I should be voting for, that I should go with what Sherlock thinks, or Mycroft. I mean they are more experienced than we are and they know what they are talking about and…"
Dan put a finger on my lips and I stopped talking.
"Abi, you're overthinking this." He smiled. "Don't worry about Sherlock or Mycroft. You have to vote with your conscience. Only you know who you want to vote for. You get to have a say because you're voice matters. You need to go with who you think is the best choice for our country right now. Who you think. Not who I think, or Sherlock, or Molly, or John, or Mary. Who you think. Just go with your conscience and put a cross in the box. And even if you think you made the right choice or the wrong choice, that doesn't matter, because you voted and you had your say."
I smiled at Daniel and kissed him softly. Pulling away, I looked up into those big, brown eyes of his.
"What?" he smiled back at me.
"How is it, no matter how crap I feel or how worried I am, you make that all disappear?"
He smiled, and pulled me into his chest. "It's simple really. I love you. And I want you to be happy. When you're not happy, I'm not happy because you are hurting and I want to make that end. I love you Abigail, simple as."
"I love you too." And he kissed my head.
I went to bed a lot happier that night and when I woke up, I knew in my heart you I had to vote for.
Dan and I had a lovely breakfast of toast and egg (which I then proceeded to bring back up in the toilet when Dan went out down to find something he had left in Sherlock's flat). We then got dressed ready to go vote. Dan collected our polling cards and we left the flat, hand in hand. Our polling station was a nine minute walk away and seeing as it was a lovely day, we walked.
The last time I had voted was in the EU Referendum and felt so much more confident then because I knew what I was voting and how I felt. This time I was so much more uncertain. I think Dan could feel my nerves as we got closer because he gave my hand a squeeze and kissed my head again.
Walking into the school hall, I registered with the lady at the front. She seemed very chipper, though I'm sure that would change before the day was over. She smiled at me as she handed me my voting card and pointed me to the booth so I could vote. I put my cross in the box that I wanted and placed my card in the ballot box. As if by magic, my shoulder felt lighter and my heart leaped in my chest. I smiled widely as I walked outside and waited for Daniel.
"You seem brighter." He remarked as we strolled back home.
"I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. You were right. It doesn't matter now, I've had my say. I've done the right thing."
Dan smiled and gave me a hug. "I knew you'd be alright in the end!" he paused. "Who did you vote for?" he asked, curiously.
"Ah, that's for me to know and you never to find out!"
He laughed, "It was worth a shot!"
I laughed too. He took my hand again. "Coffee, Miss McNeish?"
"I thought you'd never ask, Mr. Holmes!" and we headed off to the nearest Starbucks, smiling and laughing.