November 9, 2016
Nine: Did Hillary Clinton win?
Nine: Are they sure? Did they finish counting?
Nine: Will they find more votes anywhere?
Nine: Do you think she’s okay?
Seven: Why did people vote for him when he said so many mean things?
Seven: Did they know about those things he said?
Seven: Will he make Aunty K and Aunty S go away from each other?
Seven: Are you sure? What about Aunty A and Aunty R? What about Uncle D and Uncle K?
Seven: Will Aunty K still need doctors for cancer?
Nine: What happens if she doesn’t get doctors?
Seven: Will Nana be in trouble?
Seven: Is she still an immigrant?
Seven: Will I get to stay with you?
Nine: Will there be World War 3?
Nine: Will there be any war?
Nine: Someone at school said there will be war with Russia. Will they bomb us?
Nine: Do they only bomb cities?
Seven: But would a bomb kill us if it fell on top of our house?
Seven: I saw a picture in a book at school, and it was war, and there were swords and horses. If they use swords and horses, did the horses ever get hurt?
Nine: Do you think horses were killed?
Nine: But why did they kill horses? Let’s say there’s a war with Russia. It’s not the horses’ fault! Even if it’s a Russian horse, we would never want to kill it.
Seven: Do horses still have to be in wars?
Nine: If there is a war, will it be like the one in—I forget the name but the third guy didn’t know it—will it be like that?
Seven: Will we have to leave here? I want to stay with you and Daddy and [Nine].
Nine: Do you think R has hurt feelings?
Nine: Do you think R’s dad (New Orleans musician, songwriter and producer) would have been sad about Donald Trump too?
Seven: Do you think Trump knows about jazz?
Seven: Do you think lots of friends have their feelings hurt? Even famous musicians? Even E (on Seven’s soccer team)?
Nine: Are you still sad?
Nine: Do you think Hillary Clinton is sad?
Nine: Will she feel better if she runs for President again?
Nine: Will I ever get to vote for her?
Nine: Did they vote for him because he’s so loud and people notice the loudest?
Seven: Why do we have to call him Mr. Trump? Lots of people call him Trump. I like to call him poopy old Trump.
Seven: Why do we show respect when he doesn’t show respect?
Nine: Do we have friends who voted for him?
Nine: Did they know the things he said?
Nine: Did they think he was lying?
Seven: Mumma, do you think the workers he didn’t pay voted for him?
Seven: Do you think lots of other workers did?
Seven: Did they know?
Nine: Why don’t people want a woman to be president?
Nine: My principal used to be a woman and she was such a great leader. Do they know how many principals are women?
Seven: Mumma, why did people vote for him when he’s bad to women?
Seven: Will he keep hurting women?
Seven: But doesn’t it hurt if he grabs your vagina?
Seven: Why does he do those things?
Seven: Why doesn’t he use respect?
Seven: Do you think he hurts people’s feelings on purpose?
Seven: Does he have to say sorry?
Seven: Does it make you sad? It makes me sad because I’m a woman.
NALINI JONES is the author of What You Call Winter, a story collection set in a Catholic neighborhood of Mumbai. She is a recipient of an NEA fellowship, Pushcart Prize, and O. Henry Prize. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, One Story and Ninth Letter, among others, and she has contributed to anthologies about siblings, HIV in India, and Miles Davis. She is currently at work on a novel.