Chapter 1
Anna Traynor stepped out of the adoration chapel with a smile on her face. She just spent more time in prayer after Mass. It was a great day and the weekend was going to get even better with the arrival of her great grandmother,whom she had called her GG for as long as she could remember, even though the stubborn woman had insisted that Anna call her Maude the second she turned 18. Her great grandmother was both an inspiration and an annoyance, but she loved her dearly. They agreed on a number of things, but not everything. Anna's phone was blowing up with photos from her GG of the march for gun control she had attended that morning. The first to respond to the group text Maude's daughter Anna's grandmother Carol, then Anna's dad, Phillip, who,was Maude's grandson, and then their cousin Mike. They all told her she was going overboard, as usual. Anna thought to add some wit and texted "GG, even though Jesus was for peace, God will get you for that, blowing up our phones with so many texts."
Maude responded " If he came today he could have saved a whole nation. Israel in 4 B.C had no mass communication. God will get you for that is my catch phrase."
"Oh, God, are you going to start quoting Jesus Christ Superstar lyrics?" Texted Mike sending an eye roll emoji.
"Let's all congratulate Congresswoman Maude Findlay and students of the suburbs for putting together a stellar protest. I'm on my way back from daily Mass," texted Anna.
" Please ,not the misogynist priest," texted Maude.
" Nope, just the boring one," texted Anna, a feminist Catholic convert whose definition of feminism was far more broad than her great grandmothers.
" Leaving my Lyft ride, on my way to the terminal. See you Wisconsinites soon!," texted Maude who was heading to visit Anna, Phillip and his wife for the weekend, then on to visit Phillip's younger son for a few days, and back to visit Phillip, his wife and Anna for Easter.
"Just got on the bus,ttyl," texted Anna. Anna loved living in the capital city of her home state.
Madison had a liberal reputation,sometimes too liberal for her liking, but it provided her with good public transportation, a job and friends and family nearby. Her GG, was busy dividing her time between New York and and DC as a Representative in Congress ,retiring finally this year at over 90 years old, but always made time to call and text Anna, and was looking forward to spending an overnight with Anna at her apartment.
Anna had some challenges in her life, a combination of mild disabilities visible and invisible ones. She was very proud that she taught her GG, a lot about the diversity among people with disabilities, people who were religious, and those who used the term feminist and liberal among other things. And GG, taught her a lot about herself as well. Seeking a change of scenery, with family close by she had lived with GG in Tuckahoe and started at a community college before transferring to Fordham University, a Catholic college. There, she found herself called to convert after taking the required theology classes and going to Mass out of curiosity. Now, after a few years with the parents in a Madison bedroom community,she was living in Madison working an entry level job there,trying to find her political and religious niche, as well as a social life.
Once home she tidied up her place and anxiously waited for her GG, wondering if she'd like it in person as much as the pictures. She was sure, it was going to be a memorable few days.