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"The balloon drop is about to happen, Bill," Hillary says as she hugs him, patting him on the back firmly. She says it while smiling widely. Everyone is smiling. How can they not smile? She adds as their embrace ends, "Be good."
"Yes. Ok," he laughs and smiles too. His face hurts, but he can't stop. She's serious though, despite all the smiles. He puts his arm around her shoulders and they cross the stage toward Tim Kaine and Anne.
As if reading his mind and emphasizing his very thoughts, she tells him, "I'm serious, Bill."
"I know. I know," he says, still smiling.
The audience is in a total uproar after the rousing speech. Bill points and gives a thumbs up to a particularly excited woman in the front. Some wild pyrotechnics let loose above them and Hillary is startled. She let's out this insane noise that sounds like, "Whoaaaeeeeghooooh!"
He looks up and chuckles. What he really cares about are the balloons. He sees them up there, waiting to be given their freedom. Hillary grabs his face and points it toward the big screen above the stage - they're on it. He looks up at the trapped balloons again. Any second now...
"Do you think the balloons are stuck, Hill?" he asks her, grinning. He's mostly joking.
"Bill, be patient," she leaves his side and goes to hug Anne. Anne is laughing hysterically. He wonders if she's also excited about the balloons or if she's just having a laughing fit because of sheer awesomeness.
Tim comes over to him. Bill says and motions upward, "They're really taking their time releasing these balloons."
"I don't care about the balloons," Tim smiles and then waves enthusiastically at some people in the audience.
Bill waves as well and does some more pointing. Pointing and waving, and waiting for balloons. It feels like forever. They're probably going to release balloons over the audience first, which is fine.
"There come the balloons!" Anne shouts as masses of red and blue begin to drift down from the ceiling. She seems almost as excited as Bill feels.
Red ones. Red ones are coming. Bill is so ready. As soon as some of the spectacular red orbs are within his grasp he begins trying to catch them. Everyone is laughing around him and batting them away, except Tim. Tim really doesn't care about the balloons, but he's smiling still. Bill's going to catch them not swat them. He grabs the first two he can and holds them to his chest. White ones are released and more blue. This is fantastically patriotic, he observes. He throws the balloons he caught then kicks some of the ones at his feet. Throwing balloons never quite works out, but it's ok. He kicks more and reaches out to touch some as they flutter slowly down.
Anne grabs his hand and pulls him after Hillary and Tim who are crossing to the other side of the stage to wave at some people in the audience on the other side.
"There will be balloons in this side too," she tells him, laughing.
He laughs too, points and says, "I hope they drop more colors up here."
"I'm sure they will," she sputters, still laughing and still smiling.
He can barely understand her and pulls his hand carefully out of her grasp, "All of these red ones though, they're consolidated here."
Bill stops and begins to go back. Anne flails her arms, chortling. He's lagging several feet behind everyone else. It doesn't matter. He laughs and kicks some more balloons. They can all do what they want.
"Dad, get over here," Chelsea beckons him as she joins them on stage.
He relents, rejoining the group, and claps his hands while circling them, awaiting more balloons. More white balloons fall. He says in awe, "There are so many balloons."
Chelsea lets out a laugh and says over her shoulder to him, "Are you enjoying the balloons?"
"You bet," he motions to indicate the ridiculous number around them and the thick haze of balloons falling down over the audience. "Look at how many there are! And...oh...my...God...there are big ones!" He points excitedly as balloons that are like eight times the size of regular balloons begin to fall.
"Go get one," Chelsea says to him, waving at the audience. She's super supportive. There's a completely ridiculous cascade of balloons coming down on all of them now. It's like a balloon monsoon.
His mouth is hanging open, but he can't seem to close it. He needs a big balloon. The blue ones have stars on them. He must have a blue one. He puts an arm around Hillary again and says, "I'm going to get a big one."
"Be good, Bill," she reminds him. He can barely hear her over Anne's laughter and the chanting audience.
He grabs two white balloons that fall in front of him. As if to spite him, a big blue balloon falls right into Chelsea's arms. He covets it as he clutches the regular-sized white ones to his bosom. He calls out, "Chelsea, give me that."
More balloons are being released and it's complete balloon madness and Chelsea doesn't hear him. People are punching the big ones and they're flying everywhere. He feels like he's in a red, white, and blue swarm of magic. He ditches the white balloons and begins just kicking the small balloons at random. Hillary joins him. He grabs another white one by the knot and waves it around then says to his wife, "I still need to get a big one."
"Look there are more coming down now," she points up.
There sure are. He swats a few regular balloons with his regular balloon. Tim finally kicks some balloons and laughs then takes Hillary away to wave and give some more thumbs ups. Amid the great balloon monsoon, more people come onto the stage. People are milling everywhere, kicking balloons, hugging each other. Someone hugs Bill. He hugs back. More hugs. Pats on the back. Surrounded by balloons. There are children and adults, and balloons. People are batting them and kicking them. It's utter chaos. The balloons are really coming down and confetti now too. The confetti is out of control and people won't stop hugging Bill as he tries to make his way toward one of the big, blue balloons.
Bill finally escapes the grasping arms. He weaves between bodies. He gently pushes a child. He gets tunnel vision. He sees the balloon that will be his and he goes for it. Hillary picks it up and throws it before he reaches it. He is foiled, but not discouraged. Everyone begins to mill off the stage, still laughing and smiling and kicking balloons here and there. He moves against the flow of humans leaving the stage and toward balloons. He hears a few people call his name, but he doesn't care. He's not even sure who they are over all of the noise. It's so loud.
He grabs a blue balloon and tucks it under his arm then turns around to exit the stage. He waves to the audience and then joins the throngs of people that are now backstage.
"Bill, what are you doing with that balloon?" Hillary asks.
"Taking it," he answers her and then extends the balloon to a little girl. She attempts to take it, smiling widely, and he snatches it away with a boisterous laugh, "Just kidding! Good thing people kicked a bunch of balloons back here. This one belongs to me, child."
The girl doesn't seem hurt. How could she be? Bill just played a hilarious trick on her. She settles for a regular balloon at her feet.
"Put the balloon down, Bill," says Hillary. She's still smiling. She hasn't stop. Her face must be really sore.
Bill laughs and laughs, "Maybe. I said 'Maybe.' I will...maybe."