The Terry Fallis 3-Book Collection by Terry Fallis

Author:Terry Fallis [Fallis, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7710-3007-9
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2013-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

Fox (PC): 37%

McLintock (Lib): 36%

Stonehouse (Ind): 22%

Nankovich (NDP): 5%

As the night wore on, the numbers went up and down and my stomach acid followed in lockstep. Angus took the lead at 10:07, to a tremendous roar from the campaign team. At 10:12, Fox was back in front. Stonehouse continued to do amazingly well. He peaked at 25 per cent, which was an astonishing accomplishment for an independent. The panel of analysts in the CBC studio spent some time discussing Stonehouse’s success. The consensus was that he provided a reasonable and viable ideological alternative to Emerson Fox, and that his election-day machine was outstanding. They’d done a great job getting out their vote. Every ballot marked for Stonehouse, they noted, was almost as good as a vote for Angus. I smiled to myself.

In my one secret concession to Machiavelli and the “win at all costs” philosophy he’d espoused, I’d helped the Alden Stonehouse team get their E-day act together. Ten days before the vote, the Stonehouse campaign office had received a plain brown envelope with no return address. Inside, there was no note or explanation of any kind. There was just a cogent, well-written, simple, and clear E-day manual, driven by the single goal of getting out their vote. The manual wasn’t rocket science. It just laid out the basics with easy step-by-step instructions. I wondered whether they would use it. On election night, the strength of the Stonehouse numbers told me they had. Anybody snooping around my laptop would find no trace of the manual. Nothing.

At 11:09, Angus took the lead, and kept it. In the end, he beat Emerson Flamethrower Fox by 468 votes, a margin that would withstand even the most discriminating recount. An accidental MP the first time around, now Angus had actually won the seat, on purpose.

Muriel hugged me. Angus hugged me. Norman looked like he was going to hug me, but eventually settled for a classic handshake and hair muss. The two Petes punched me in both shoulders. Then Lindsay took me in her arms and I forgot where I was.

The party was packed and in full swing by the time Angus and I arrived. Norman drove the two Petes, Muriel, and Lindsay over first to survey the scene before giving me the signal. There were satellite trucks from all the networks there, an election-night honour usually reserved only for party leaders. But Angus had played so big a part in the events that brought us there that night, it was clear that now he was accorded special status.

On the way over, Angus spoke only once.

“Daniel, I’m happier tonight than I thought I’d ever be again. I’d not be here were it not for you and Muriel. I’ve tried so hard to crawl out of the vast hole in which Marin’s passin’ left me. But I couldnae do it. I just couldnae. Tonight, I feel as though I’ve just popped my head above the lip of that dark, dark abyss. And I can see again.

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