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墨書 Inktalez
That afternoon, after the campaign event concluded, the atmosphere in the headquarters remained lively. The staff busily tidied up, discussing arrangements for the next event, with the air filled with chatter and the sound of keyboards clacking.
However, Carter's mind was no longer on politics.
His gaze fell on Keisha, who was standing by the document table, focused on organizing a stack of materials. She occasionally furrowed her brow, seemingly irritated by an error in one of the reports.
Carter hesitated for a moment, feeling a brief internal tug-of-war.
Is this appropriate? Would it be too strange? Would she find it abrupt?
But for some reason, he felt that if he didn’t say something now, there might not be another suitable moment.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and approached her, his tone sounding even more awkward than he had anticipated. "Hey, um... do you have any plans tonight?"
Keisha had just closed her folder when she heard his voice. She paused for a moment, looking up at him with a puzzled expression.
"Uh?" She tilted her head slightly, clearly not expecting him to ask her that out of the blue.
Carter cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched his nose, trying to sound calmer. "I mean... would you like to go see a movie together?"
The moment those words left his mouth, he was taken aback himself.
He never expected he would dare to do something like this.
In the past, he would never have acted this way; he couldn't even remember the last time he had actively invited someone out.
Keisha's eyes widened in surprise, her expression flashing with disbelief as if she couldn't believe Carter was actually asking her out.
"You... are inviting me?" She blinked rapidly, seemingly confirming that she hadn’t misheard him.
Carter felt a bit more awkward due to her reaction, and he regretted whether he had messed things up. He shrugged, trying to remedy the situation. "Uh... yeah, if you don't want to... that's fine..."
But Keisha quickly regained her usual demeanor, a teasing smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"No, I just didn't expect you to ask like that." She chuckled softly and nodded. "Sure, I don't have any plans for today anyway."
Carter was momentarily stunned before realizing she had agreed.
"Really?" he asked instinctively, as if still unable to believe that he had actually succeeded.
Keisha couldn't help but laugh, giving his arm a playful pat. "Of course it's true. You’re not the type who gets a yes and then doesn’t know what to do next, are you?"
Carter turned his head slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "I just... didn't expect you to agree so quickly."
"Well then, let's go, sir." She laughed as she crossed her arms, her tone playful. "Otherwise, are you going to regret it?"
Carter shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
In that moment, he suddenly felt that the changes brought about by this election campaign were far more than just political.
Inside the cinema, the lights were dim, and the screen flickered with images from the movie. However, Carter's attention gradually shifted from the screen to the woman beside him.
He and Keisha sat in a corner seat; their drinks had grown lukewarm and the popcorn remained largely untouched because they were too engrossed in conversation.
Initially, their discussion began with the movie itself—talking about the plot and characters—then it transitioned from characters to society. Before they knew it, their conversation had surpassed the film itself and turned into a discussion about the world.
"I actually never thought about joining a campaign team," Keisha said softly, twirling her straw in her drink. "I work in retail; life in the supermarket is pretty mundane, but at least I have a stable paycheck. But one day, I suddenly realized… if things continued like this, everything would only get worse."
She tilted her head slightly to look at Carter, her eyes sparkling with a sharpness and depth he hadn’t expected from her.
"I stood behind the cash register, watching the people come and go every day. Their faces were expressionless as they bought discounted groceries and cheap instant meals, hesitating in front of the shelves with newspapers in hand, only to sigh and put them back—this is what our life has become."
Carter listened silently, not interrupting her, as he suddenly realized that this woman before him was thinking more deeply than he had initially assumed.
"I watch all of this and feel... it shouldn't be normal," Keisha said with a faint smile, a hint of self-mockery in her tone. "But what can I do? I'm just a supermarket employee. I have no money, no influence; I can barely manage my own life. What can I change?"
She took a sip of her drink, as if to slow herself down, then spoke slowly, "So when I heard Rain's speech and listened to him talk about changing all of this, I decided... well, at least I can do something, even if it's just holding up signs or handing out flyers. It's better than doing nothing at all."
"I don't have grand ideals, but I know that if we do nothing, we will gain nothing."
Her voice was soft, but the determination in her tone shook Carter.
For years, his anger had propelled him onto the political stage, but he had never truly considered what could inspire change beyond mere rage.
Keisha was not angry; she simply wanted to make a difference.
This purity felt unfamiliar to Carter yet resonated with him in a subtle way.
He suddenly felt that this woman was more special than he had imagined. She was not just a clumsy campaign volunteer or an ordinary person going with the flow—she had her own thoughts and beliefs. Even if those beliefs were small, they were already changing her life.
The movie continued to play, but their conversation did not stop. This encounter began to feel more significant than Carter had anticipated.
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