Which will get resolved first, Fan Fiction's posting problems or who will be the next President of the United States? At this point, I have a feeling it might be this presidential race and if I'm proved out correct, this story may seem completely irrelevant by the time the FF site is functional again. But I still want to finish this little story. I keep posting chapters in the hope that eventually when it is all resolved that you all can read up to where I am at.

4.

By unspoken mutual agreement, when Will and Elizabeth saw each other on the evening of October 30th, they did not discuss how their attempts to persuade the people on their lists had gone. As a result, both were convinced that the other had made headway. Neither slept well and each had nightmares where their favored candidate lost.

Darcy dreamed that Biden appeared outside of Pemberley and said, "We're going to tax you at the 90% rate, retroactive to five years ago. The dream then shifted to his house having a huge "For Sale" sign on the front and Georgiana crying in her room as an army of hooded men tried to climb the gate while holding torches. The man who made it over first, pulled down his hood and Darcy saw that it was George Wickham with a diabolical grin on his face. He shouted, "If I can't be rich, too, I'll take everything away from you."

Elizabeth woke up the next morning determined to talk to her parents (she hadn't had the energy to try to talk with them about politics on the previous night) and Lottie, and make some actual progress. To make it easier on herself, Elizabeth made some notes on what might be most persuasive to her mother that she could refer to. She planned to go old school and call them on the phone, her mother in the morning and her dad in the evening while he was hiding in his study away from trick-or-treaters. Her list read:

Pros Biden

civility

experience

kind

good for environment

bring us together

expand access to healthcare

woman, minority VEEP

not Trump

Cons Trump

white supremacists support

rude

won't wear a mask

his rallies spread covid and kill his followers

lies about Biden and Biden's son

bragged about groping women

Trump properties profited from his presidency

removed us from the Paris climate accords

wants to repeal Obama care

won't release his taxes but paid only $750

rammed through a Supreme Court nominee and previously gave us an attempted rapist

huge unemployment and lots more families dependent on food banks and eviction forbearance

family separation

calls immigrants rapists and criminals

wasted money on a wall

makes us look bad to the rest of the world

weird hair and skin.

Feeling suitably prepared for a phone call with her mother (her father would require more substance, but hopefully he was already voting for Biden), Elizabeth curled herself up into a chair, notes on her lap, and called her mother. After listening to her mother give a long-winded wrap up of a recent conversation she'd had with Lottie's mom, Annabelle Lucas, Elizabeth asked, "So have you voted for President yet?"

"Yes, I have, but it wasn't easy to decide. Oh my poor nerves. Everyone keeps yelling about how this is the most important election of our lives and if I have to hear another ad by either of the candidates I am going to scream."

"So who did you pick and why?" Elizabeth inquired. She felt slightly disappointed that she was too late to work on her mom, but glad that her mom had voted at least. Hopefully she had picked Biden.

"Lizzy, you know we have a secret ballot, don't you? I don't have to tell you or anyone else who I picked, do I?"

"That's true, Mom, but I would think you would want to tell your daughter."

"Oh, I suppose I can tell you, but please whatever you do don't tell your father. I was undecided for the longest time. They are just so many issues and Trump's people say one thing and Biden's people another. Like with Hunter Biden's laptop. Is it real or fake? Is it Russian disinformation or a real scandal with Biden being the 'big guy' and getting a piece of his son's action for his influence?"

There was plenty Elizabeth could have said to her mother's musings, but she didn't interrupt as she wanted her mother to get around to explaining why she had voted for Trump.

"About two weeks ago I had brunch with Belle," Mrs. Bennet continued. "I know, you'll tell me that I shouldn't eat with anyone who isn't part of our household, but the Lucases are pretty much quarantining, too, so it is perfectly safe to get together with her."

Elizabeth remained quiet, although she worried about her mother eating out so casually. Elizabeth asked, "What happened at brunch?"

"Well, Belle and I were having mimosas and I'll admit I had more than I should. We became very silly and somehow the topic turned to which of the presidential candidates we would rather wake up to in bed. We kicked around the idea of Joe dying or being removed as not fit for office and having the option of it being Kamala (she really is lovely and has very nice skin), but neither of us seems to be the least bit bisexual so she was out. When I considered the matter, well it seems like poor Joe is the sort that hasn't had any bedroom activity for several years, if you know what I mean. I told Belle, 'Joe looks like he would break a hip if he even tried canoodling with Jill.'

"Belle had a really good comment about Trump. Oh we laughed so hard about it, but after that it was impossible not to vote for him."

Elizabeth was pretty sure she would regret asking about it, but she had to know. "So what did you talk about regarding Trump?"

"Well . . . " her mother's disembodied voice had a bit of hesitation, but Elizabeth was almost sure that was just an affectation, for effect, to add drama. "Remember how after getting his covid treatment that Trump said he felt better than he had in years?"

"Yes," Elizabeth responded, still not understanding what her mother was trying to communicate.

"Well, Belle said that she was pretty sure Trump meant that his little soldier began standing at attention all on its own. Oh how we laughed! I mean he is old and that stuff doesn't happen for guys his age that often without the assistance of pills. But he didn't marry Melania just for the conversation.

"After that, I kept thinking about Trump's vitality. I mean he has been doing multiple rallies a day since he's recovered. He keeps going and going like the Energizer Bunny, whereas I am pretty sure that Biden takes multiple naps each day and the most action his wife gets is when he sniffs her hair at night. While Jim Carrey makes Biden almost seem cool, I am pretty sure that Biden couldn't give anyone a good rogering. I would rather have a president that can perform. Lord knows that your father's performance has definitely declined over the years."

Elizabeth was silent as her mother continued to paint a very vivid picture that Elizabeth would have preferred to never consider. She balled up her notes and hurled them toward the wastebasket. They fell short, just like Elizabeth's plans for winning the bet. "Mom," Elizabeth interrupted, "Will's calling me." Elizabeth felt no guilt over her lie. "Sorry, I've got to go now."

"Just don't tell your father or Will or anyone else why I voted for Trump," Fannie emphasized. "I will deny it until my dying day. When I told your father how I voted and why, I made it a smart reason and I think I sounded pretty good while doing it. I told him it was all about my hope that Trump could get the economy running again, that the ban on fracking Biden wants will hurt our workers and that I was encouraged by all the peace deals Trump brokered in the middle east where countries are normalizing relations with Israel."

Darcy also woke determined. The previous night he had reached out to Chuck's sisters, proposing that they meet for coffee. He thought that just perhaps, Caroline might both be flexible in being convinced and help him steer her siblings in what he believed was the correct direction.

Caroline, as he knew she would, jumped at the chance and they made arrangements to meet on Halloween morning. Lou only texted that she would try to make it.

Will was there first. He was seated at what was now only one of two tables at the front of the shop. Even with the painted pumpkins and ghosts on the glass, he spotted Caroline right away as she walked up to the front door. She wore a lime green sweater set with a freshwater pearl necklace made up of several strands of pearls, fitted jeans and brown suede heeled boots (she never wore any kind of flats). Her hair was pulled back and she wore a striped mask that had the exact lime green color of her sweaters.

Caroline gave him a jaunty wave when she saw him before opening the door and joining the spaced out line for coffee. When she had her coffee and sat down across from him she opened her purse, got out a little bottle of hand sanitizer and began cleaning her hands. As she did so and offered it to him (he accepted a squirt) she said, "I'm so glad you wanted to get together. These days my friends are all worried about how it looks to go out. We are supposed to order everything to go. And even though you aren't drinking your coffee at this moment, you've taken off your mask."

"Is that okay?" Will asked, uncertain how Caroline felt about that.

"Oh God yes," Caroline responded, placing a napkin on the table and then removing her mask and laying it on the napkin. Will noticed Caroline's face had reddish lines on the skin beneath her eyes where the mask had pressed tight. He also noticed that she wasn't wearing lipstick. It seemed odd to see her with pale lips and her normal heavy eye makeup.

Noticing his expression, Caroline noted, "I know I look a fright but lipstick and masks aren't a good combo." She pulled out some tinted lip balm and applied it before noting, "Babs and I met for lunch one time and she did this whole 'move the mask, take a quick bite and put it on again move.' It felt like I had the cooties."

"I don't want to get sick, but we can't all live like the boy in the bubble; we need young and healthy people to get back to a more normal existence, but with reasonable precautions," Will responded. "Nice mask by the way."

"Oh thanks," Caroline said brightly. "It turns out Louisa's housekeeper sews. I got her to make me masks to match all my favorite clothes. Tight weave cotton, denim lining, t-shirt yarn around the ears for comfort. Everything is made to exactly conform to my face."

While Caroline wasn't one of Will's favorite people, it was obvious she was starved for company. He decided not to bring up politics for a while; instead they talked, really talked. She told him of her frustrations with working from home, she told him of her belief that some women who she thought were her friends probably weren't, "They don't want to meet in person or do video calls. I just feel very isolated."

"So do you just hang out more with your sister and Hank?"

"Not really. I did at first, but Lou's become a lush like her husband. It is miserable living with them these days and I am worried about them, too. They just sit around and drink. While he just gets sleepy, she gets mean. Lou gave Hank a black eye a couple of weeks ago. There is no excuse of course, but I think she is really depressed that all her charity activities are on hold besides a few virtual events."

"Oh, jeez. I had no idea," Will responded. "Chuck hasn't said anything."

"Chuck doesn't really know and maybe I shouldn't really be saying anything to you." Caroline took a cautious sip of her skinny caramel macchiato before adding, "I've tried to talk to Chuck about it, heck he saw her when she was too intoxicated to stand up, but he keeps making excuses for her. I think he just really can't imagine it."

Caroline took another sip and added, "I really want to move out of Hank's and Lou's place. The other night they were doing coke. Coke, can you imagine? That stuff rots out your nose. I tried telling her it was a bad idea and she slapped me. Pretty much I just try to stay out of their way and watch way too much netflix. I've thought about buying a townhome (it is too bad New York has been taken over by rioters, they need someone to clean things up like Guilliani did before and they had that hard lockdown, too, so a place on the Upper Westside is out and I'd probably stick to the nicer Philly suburbs), but I don't want to live alone."

"Can't you get a roommate or a dog?" Will took a drink from his breakfast blend with one cream, one sugar. He liked his coffee simple.

"I am not really a dog person. They are too messy, shed too much, drool and I hate being licked. And I don't want to be stuck walking a dog when there is snow on the ground and having to pick up its crap." Caroline gave a little shudder. "I could see getting a cat, though, a shorthair. I'd get one of those litter-maid contraptions that automatically empties the box if I didn't have help for that. But really I want human companionship and not just someone occupying the same space, you know? I really get why you wanted to get married. If I had someone like that, I would have jumped at it, too."

Caroline delicately ran a finger along her necklace. Will had the sense that Caroline wanted to ask him something but was nervous about it. "I know that Chuck and Jane are still kind of newlyweds, even nearly a year later, but do you think . . . would it be too weird . . . if I asked about living with them? They have a bigger place than my sister. I know I messed things up with Jane, but I feel like since then we've more or less worked things out."

Will considered the matter. He wanted to give Caroline a thoughtful answer. "Elizabeth and I have Gigi with us, but she is still in high school and she was with me first. You've lived with Chuck for a few extended periods, but as far as I know it was never a permanent thing. I do think that Chuck and Jane are pretty forgiving, but I don't know that they'd welcome you living at their home with open arms."

Will then decided to give her more practical advice. "Caroline, if you approach them humbly, make it clear that you respect Jane and that it is her home and her rules (rather than try to run things yourself) and you wouldn't make demands on them and would try to give them their privacy, maybe they'd be open to it."

"Do you think you could talk to Chuck about it for me? He'd listen to you. You're his best friend."

"No, Caroline. I've learned my lesson. This is a matter for the three of you to work out. And don't bring my name into it. I don't know if it is a good idea or not. It solves your problem but makes things a lot more complicated for Chuck and Jane. And what, Lou is left to wallow in sodden misery?"

"I want her to get help, but I can't make her. Believe me, I've tried to talk to her about it, but she insists she doesn't have a problem, neither her nor Hank. That's a sinking ship right now. I've got to get off the Titanic before they take me down with them. I keep hoping that if life goes back to normal that she might be alright."

"I don't think it works that way," Will told her. "But if Biden wins and we get his predicted dark winter, that certainly won't help."

"Yeah, I've seen your Facebook posts about Trump and your pro-Trump tweets. And then Liz posts all about Biden like he's the second coming. How is that going with being married but being on opposite sides?"

"Well, to be honest, we really don't talk about politics much. I know she thinks I am wrong, but from the business perspective I see how much Trump's policies have helped our bottom line and that was leading to increased wages across the board. Have you decided who you are voting for?

"Actually I am still thinking about it. I care about the virus and the economy, too. It seems like Trump could have done more to keep us safe, but I am also worried about what will happen to everyone if there is a blue wave sweep."

Will, thrilled to have someone before him that he actually might convince to see things his way, began by explaining why he thought Trump was the right choice on the economy. "The number one reason I am voting for Trump is that I think his policies help our workers and the economy, which is something we really need to have a good recovery from the virus. Yes, we still have to worry about the virus, but vaccines are coming and by this time next year I doubt there will be much to worry about there anymore, but the wrong economic policies could hurt everyone here for decades to come.

"Take the minimum wage issue for example. Biden wants a $15 minimum wage and in theory it sounds right to pay people a livable wage, but that is too much some places and could lead to layoffs, but in a lot of the East Coast that wouldn't be enough. But if you have good policies and the economy grows, the average wage just goes up as unemployment sinks. You don't have to legislate a good living wage, economic growth just takes care of the problem in a way that makes the most sense for every place.

"Take Kentucky for example. I went out to visit one of our factories there in Warren County just a month ago. It makes toilet paper and we've been running shifts twenty-four hours trying to meet the increased demand. We pay our employees well for the area, considering the low cost of living and we can pay them more than we pay people overseas because we don't have the same shipping costs. We want to retain people even after demand normalizes.

"The economy in Kentucky is humming along. There are plenty of jobs for those who want them. In just driving around Bowling Green, Kentucky, I saw signs for $10 an hour, $12 an hour for regular fast food jobs, $15 an hour starting wages for a Best Buy, $25 for an oil lube place; that state has come back with a roar. Yes, hospitality jobs are down, but people are finding other places to be employed. I talked to a woman who was running the reception desk at the hotel. She said that her daughter got laid off from being a room attendant there, had been hired straight out of high school. She was out of work for about two months and then got a job cleaning at a nursing home. Her daughter got the same wage as before, more than $10 an hour and they can't even keep workers there. Very few people if any in that city are starting at minimum wage, but you can get a respectable three bedroom two bathroom home for $150 to $200 grand."

"What about the environment?" Caroline asked. "I do worry about stuff like that and Trump doesn't seem to care about it."

"Well, renewables are all well and good will definitely be a bigger part of the picture going forward, but we aren't ready to just shift to them. It will take time. We are in a transitional period, but we've got to take advantage of our oil independence and get our economy firmly established once again before we start to introduce incentives to make the market see the profit in reducing our carbon footprint. A gradual transition would be best. I'm not a climate change denier, but I also don't think that things are as dire as some people think. We will find technological solutions to sequester carbon. Our country is great at innovating and there is a ton of profit to be had in the right solution. But it isn't fair for our country to have to shoulder the burden in great reductions when China, India and other countries are allowed to pollute at a ridiculous rate. Did you see the pictures out of India when due to their shutdown people could finally see the Himalayan mountains? It was so beautiful but their smog hides it normally. That is a ton more pollution than we have, and it is there all of the time."

Caroline asked Will further questions and at the end of their conversation she said, "I will really have to think about voting for Trump. It all sounds so rational the way you talk about him."

"Awesome," he told her. "Let me know if you have any other questions. I will be very curious about who you end up voting for." Will felt pretty good about his chances for finally having a couple of points in his favor. As he drove away, he wondered how Elizabeth was doing with the people on her list.