Adam took a deep breath and looked around the room. The glistening dome of the Capital Building caught his eye as it peaked through the tall red velvet curtains which loosely covered the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. He tapped his foot quietly as he sat across from a beautifully carved wooden desk. 

The door behind him opened. 

“Sorry for the delay, Adam,” a deep voice called out from behind.

“Would you like a drink?” Senator Keeley said as he quickly stepped to his pristine mini bar.

“No, thank you,” Adam said respectfully.

Adam watched as Keeley poured a generous late afternoon cocktail and sat down behind his desk. He watched as Keeley touched his perfectly parted hair, its polished dull grey matched the color of his suit. 

“I knew your father well, Adam. He was a good man, and an even better statesman.” Keeley said as he sipped his aged bourbon. 

He admired the glass, rolling the spirit around in his mouth before he swallowed.

He looked up at Adam.

“Did you know before Rome was a republic, kings surrounded themselves with an elite group of advisors known as Senators. Do you know what the word “Senator” means, Adam?”

“No.” Adam replied sharply. 

“It is a Latin word for “old man.”

Adam scoffed.

“So, I should not be in the Senate because I’m not an old man, or it was doddering old men who were culpable for the fall of Rome?” Adam snapped back.

Keenly smirked as both men sat silently for a moment.

“Of course not, Adam. A lot of young men are…”

“…Idealists?” Adam interjected. 

He opened his mouth to continue, but Keeley lifted his hand to silence him, “I understand, I understand. I was one myself at your age.”

Keeley leaned in towards his desk, “your father knew how things worked better than most.” 

Keeley smiled, “I remember years ago, I went on a two-hour rant on the Senate floor about a new bill that was passing. The next day your father called me into his office, and do you know what he told me, Adam?” 

Adam shook his head slowly.

Keeley continued, “He said, ‘Edward, there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in politics. The lines always blur. There is only what you can do to move your country forward.” Keeley leaned back in his seat with satisfaction. 

Adam’s jaw tightened, “But what if I think my country is moving backwards?” Adam replied.

Keeley laughed quietly as he stood up and walked back over to his mini bar, “well then my boy,” Keeley said as he poured more bourbon into his crystal glassware, “you are on the wrong side of history.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want a drink, Adam?” Keeley inquired again. 

“No. Thank you.” Adam replied. 

Keeley was silent as he stepped beside Adam’s chair. The two gazed out the large window towards the Capital Building.

“Listen.” Keeeley said quietly, his demeanor changed as he gripped Adam’s shoulder.

“There are things in motion. Plans that have been in the works since before you were born,” he said condescendingly, “I tell you this only out of my love for your father, I implore you to reconsider your vote on the Unity Bill.”

…

Adam stepped into the large elevator on the 5th floor of the Russell Senate Office Building. The lobby button illuminated as he punched it several times with his thumb. He lifted his fist against the wooden panel of the elevator and sighed with frustration.

Moments later, the elevator doors opened and he quietly proceeded through the marble lobby rotunda and exited through the southwest entrance onto Constitution Avenue. 

He thought about returning to his office before he finished his day, but he knew he would not be able to concentrate. He followed his feet towards Union Square as he replayed his meeting with Senator Keeley in his mind. Adam was used to the nonsensical banter and schmoozing that came along with political life, but Keeley’s ominous tone and aggression towards him was perplexing. 

Things have been set in motion. What was he talking about?

He looked up to find himself in front of the Washington Monument. It was stained a deep red as the sun began to set on the District. 

“How ironic,” Adam thought. 

In many ways he did not recognize his country anymore. The past decade had been difficult for Americans, especially those in the private sectors. The longest bull market ended with a record stock market crash and the longest recession in US history. 

Adam glanced down. 

A toddler ran by him to retrieve a ball thrown by his father. He watched as the boy picked up the ball and walked back towards his family. 

Adam envied his father’s generation and those who came before him. They saw America ascend from the Great Depression to the world’s largest super power. However, in Adam’s lifetime he had seen only corruption and a steady decline of the American standard of living. He had worked hard to be a champion for the people, unfortunately he might be one of the few remaining public servants that did.

Adam sat down on the stone wall surrounding the monument. He stared pensively into the setting sun.

It was known as “America’s lost decade.” After 10 years Adam was not optimistic that anything would change. The United States entered a new era of big government, but Adam worked in the public sector long enough to recognize the inefficiencies of a bureaucracy. The collapse of the European Union and the loss of the US dollar’s reserve currency status had shaken the entire world market. 

With the emergence of the Russian-Chinese BRICS Dollar and the newly formed European Alliance Currency, Europe and Asia had become the world’s epicenter for economic growth, innovation, and world dominance. 

Adam turned his back on the monument and began to follow his feet toward his office. 

He sighed.

In less than a century, his country had gone from the shining beacon of freedom to the empty shadow of a setting sun as it quietly faded into history.