Frank Lingo
In Earth Vote, people with advanced powers from another planet - the Lumans - come to offer their guidance in making a peaceful world. Their message is sent telepathically to the minds of every person at once, announcing a vote in one week. The Lumans offer is made on the condition that Earth s people agree to give up all guns and bombs. Also arriving are evil aliens secretly trying to colonize the world. Both alien groups spread out to gain the support of Earth s people.
First, the story starts with a look into the lives of three people who work together as window-washers: a white man who s a divorced, recovering alcoholic, a black ex-basketball star whose girlfriend s daughter witnesses a murder, and a young latina whose kid brother gets in trouble with a gang. The problems they face that week bring out deep feelings about how they will vote.
Ultimately, Earth Vote is a fantasy about finding peace in the world.
Frank Lingo, originally from Washington, D.C., was politically active during his teens in the late 1960 s. He was a volunteer for Sen. Gene McCarthy s presidential campaign. Later, he moved to Kansas, where he has started businesses in carpet cleaning and newspaper distribution. Frank has been writing professionally for newspapers on and off since the mid-1980 s. He is currently a columnist for the Kansas City Star.
Lingo is married with two children.
At about the same time that Saturday morning, Donna Midlin turned onto clean, tidy Sterile Circle, delivering the kids to her ex-husband for their 2-week summer stay.
The kids were excited to see their Daddy, and Donna herself felt a bit of longing for the early days of her marriage to Fairly. But she told herself that it was over and she shouldn't show her mixed feelings or he'd start pursuing her again.
That was hard to do, tho, because she'd been kind of lonely since the divorce. The men who had shown interest in her had either not been her type or had backed off when they found out she had children. Donna knew Fairly still loved her but she wasn't sure it could work out between them.
As they rounded the curve, the house came into view and Kristy said 'There's Daddy!' Hairly craned his neck to see from his carseat in back and yelled 'Daddy, Daddy!'
Fairly was out front watering the lawn as an excuse to watch for their arrival. He saw the car approaching and waved with a big smile on his face.
It was at that moment a glow of light appeared all around. The car stopped as everything and everyone froze where they were and the light grew brighter like a honey glaze from the sky. It was already a clear sunny day but now the brightness was magnified many times over. Still, it wasn't a glaring light but a soft rich glow that their eyes welcomed like a long-lost friend.
Fairly stood frozen in place smiling, with his arm raised in a wave. He was conscious of what was happening as he barely could see the faces of his family a hundred feet away. Likewise they looked back at him, helpless to move in their stopped car, but enveloped in this strange, wonderful light.
It was happening all over the world. All movement of life and machines was held in suspended animation, immersed in the bright, beautiful glow. Everybody knew that something was occurring that they'd never known before and they were so thrilled by the sight and feeling of the light that they weren't worried even tho their bodies couldn't move.
Also, the humans could see each other's auras now, the first time for most of them. The little field of colorful light surrounding their skin was revealed as if lifting a window shade to show the light of day.
At the basketball game, Fred had just passed to Todd in the corner. As Todd went into his jump shot, the light appeared and everyone stopped, like freeze-frame.
In Carolina Parker's kitchen, LaVon and Shazelle were just getting their gingerbread cookies out of the oven while Grandma sat at the table telling a story. LaVon had grabbed a thin dishtowel to pull the cookie sheet out and was placing it on the stove when the light came and held them still. Three generations of Parker females basked in the radiance, not knowing what was happening to them. Altho LaVon was unable to let go of the hot pan, it didn't burn her hand.
At the Piquantos', Camilla still had her arm around Mama as she knelt beside the chair. Rosalita stood behind them at the kitchen door. Camilla was leaning over to kiss Mama on the cheek, stopped in mid-pucker as the light materialized around them. It was a much longer kiss than Camilla intended.
Down on the street below their apartment, Eduardo had met up with Pedro, one of his homeys. As they strutted down the sidewalk, they stopped to light up cigarettes. Pedro, taller and thinner than Eddie, held the lighter to his bud's smoke as Eddie inhaled. The light manifested right then. The lighter's small flame burned frozen in place in front of Eddie's face. Up and down the street, cars and people were stopped in their tracks, with everyone confused but delighted in the splendid glow around them.
