Page 38 of Dirty Politics

They all nodded.

“Juno and Keene are in college,” he said. He took a long sip of water before he added: “Did you get all of that?”

They all laughed.

“It’s nice that you have such a loving family,” Linda said.

“It really is. I don’t take it for granted. We are so lucky,” he said.

They all ate in silence for a moment. Liv studied him out of the corner of her eye; he was softer here. His hair was a little tousled; a slight stubble on his face. His posture relaxed.

The food is all delicious, Mrs. Dalton,” he said. “I haven’t had a proper home-cooked meal in ages. Thank you.”

Mrs. Dalton beamed.

—

The next day, SenatorSterling met them at a local community center. Liv had set up a town hall for cancer victims and their families. The room was packed.

“This has to be half the town,” he whispered when they first walked in.

“Probably more,” Liv said. “I don't know any families who haven’t been impacted in some way.”

He nodded grimly.

The town mayor opened the meeting. Senator Sterling sat on a stool at the front. They opened the floor for people to talk - to tell their stories. Stories of loss, sickness, and death poured out. Senator Sterling listened intently. He asked thoughtful questions. Liv could see the concern growing on his face as more and more people told their stories.

When they were finished, he stood up and addressed the crowd.

“Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me,” he said. The room was silent. Every eye focused on him.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said. “...your collective loss as a community. It is deep, and it pains me to hear about it. You did not deserve this. No one does. I promise you that I will work to fix this problem. No one in the United States should be unsafe in their homes.”

Everyone clapped. Liv let out a breath she was holding.

After the meeting, Senator Sterling stayed for hours talking with people one on one. Once everyone left, Liv noticed his posture changed - a slight slump to his shoulders; a hollowness around his eyes.

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “This means a lot.”

“Thank you for calling this to my attention,” he said. “I had no idea it was this bad.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head back to the ceiling.

“It’s other places too,” she said. “I’ve started gathering the data. I know we have a lot more research to do, but look at this.”

She pulled out a file folder and opened it.

“Here are the statistics of communities surrounding plants that use BV90 compared to communities that don’t,” she showed him the top sheet of a thick pile of papers. “The cancer rates are off the chart where there’s BV90.”

He picked up the page and studied it.

“All of this is just three states,” she said, motioning to the huge stack.

His eyebrow shot up.

Her eyes were brimming with tears; she blinked them back. She didn’t want to cry right now.

Not now. Not now.

---