The Eclipse Blues

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

Mother Nature appeared to have mocked evidence of global warming.

It was nearly four decades into the twenty-first century. Like most Americans, Reverend Jerry Hines and his family were eager on that cold January evening to watch the installation of Corbin Edward Jefferson, the newly elected President of the United States.

Jefferson was a United States Senator from Indiana who narrowly won the election. He was the second black man to be elected president.

Reverend Hines mused that his own vote in the election had not been about a particular political party. He'd declared himself to be an Independent. Neither did he consider his vote was about the race or religion of the candidates. He'd cast his vote for the frail and sick people he visited and ministered to in hospital beds and for those who dwelled in incarceration and whose self-esteem, from his observation, was in the basement and whose self-worth had eroded like sandcastles in a storm.

Reverend Hines felt satisfied about casting his vote for Jefferson who he thought possessed compassion and exuded hope for a brighter future for white citizens who were suffering greatly during the pandemic.

The presidential inauguration was held that evening during television's prime time instead of the traditional noon hour on January twentieth. At Senator Jefferson's request, the event was to be absent of the traditional pomp and ceremony on account of the worldwide crisis. There was no parade, no balls, and no immense crowd on the Capitol Mall. The inauguration took place inside the United States Capitol.

Reverend Hines, an associate pastor at Greenfield Lutheran Church of God, was a media personality because of the radio talk-show he hosted. His dark, thick hair complimented his handsome facial features. He admittedly carried fifteen pounds more than he desired on his five-ten frame. His schoolteacher wife, Cheryl, possessed a fit and trim physique at age of forty-three. She was two years the reverend's junior with short-cropped blond hair and blue eyes. Twenty years ago she had been a runner-up for Miss Michigan.

Their son, Bryant, was a high school senior. He possessed his father's features. Their daughters, Stacy and Megan, were respectively twelve and ten years old and favored their mother's appearance.

After finishing dinner, the Hines family settled into their spacious family room in front of a large, wall-mounted solar-powered television. The family resided in an attractive, well-kept, two-story, four-bedroom, energy-efficient home in an upper middle-class area of Greenfield, a sprawling city in the metro area of Detroit. The neighborhood was composed primarily of people of color with a smattering of professional Caucasians.

Bryant rested comfortably in a high-back upholstered chair with his feet outstretched.

Megan was sandwiched between her parents on the sofa.

Stacy was sprawled on the carpeted floor thumbing through a teen magazine, desperately wanting to see girls of her skin tone featured. She wore a sweatshirt with "Pale & Proud", the slogan of the National Association for the Welfare & Equality of White People, printed on the shirt.

"... Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States!" the Chief Justice of the United States announced after he swore Corbin Edward Jefferson into office as the nation and world watched on satellite television.

A thunderous applause erupted inside the historic Capitol Building.

The Hines clan was glued to their TV. They watched as President Jefferson, tall, trim, middle aged, and with a medium-brown complexion, stood proudly on the elevated stage before a massive crowd. He was attired in a dark tailored suit. He smiled graciously at his supporters and well-wishers, who were still on their feet pounding their palms together.

President Jefferson stood poised and waved to the admiring crowd. He readied to give his inaugural speech.

Dewey Washington watched the telecast that evening in the solitude of his lavish second-floor office at The Michigan Globe newspaper in Greenfield. He was the founder, president, publisher, and CEO, which, in the past, would have been considered a significant achievement for an African American relative to a mainstream publication. He'd established The Globe, as it was commonly referred to, after gaining valuable experience employed at some of the nation's most prestigious newspapers such as The Detroit Free Press, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. He'd won a proud number of journalism awards for his stellar reporting that some of his ideological critics labeled "liberal." He never dodged or denied the characterization.

Washington was an American-born, dark complexioned black man. He commonly wrote thought-provoking articles, fiery prose, and stinging exposes about injustice and inequality in America.

In regard to the plight of pale-skinned citizens and the skin cancer pandemic, Washington likened their situation to an eclipse due to the decline of their political power and influence, and their economic clout. He was credited for coining the phrase "eclipse" as a metaphor that depicted the transition of power, control, wealth, and privilege in the United States from white citizens to citizens of color.

Washington's sentiment was that pale-skinned citizens were treated like lepers since the pandemic.

That evening Washington was eager to hear and learn what President Jefferson might say about the global warming crisis and the resulting skin cancer pandemic. He was personally concerned about the environment and global warming. He had made the edifice of The Globe environmentally friendly by installing solar panels and thermal self-heating windows throughout the facility. Twin wind towers on the premises served as prominent landmarks. Geo-thermal heat pumps were installed in the basement to recover energy, which The Globe sold back to energy companies. Fluorescent lights and lamps and thermal doors were installed throughout the building.

Washington turned up the volume of the large, wall-mounted solar-powered TV in his office. He rocked back in his plush black padded leather chair as he focused his attention on the screen.

"My fellow Americans," President Jefferson began, "I stand before you with honor and great anticipation as the newly elected president of the United States. I stand before you with great pride and an unwavering commitment to discharge my sworn duties during a time of worldwide crisis.

"America and countries throughout the world are in the throes of rampant flooding, extensive drought, land erosion, and wildfires. Drastic climate change has generated widespread infectious diseases as well as a skin cancer pandemic caused by ultra-violet light. We're well informed that this tragedy came about as a result of the widespread destruction of the ozone layer. Scientists have described this condition as the `global warming mega-effect' brought on by an accelerated burning of fossil fuels, the vast destruction of the world's forest, an exponential increase in...