I Finally Got To Vote

Women's Roles

I Finally Got To Vote

The Right of a Woman

By Hiren Ajudia

           

            When the day had finally come, her happiness knew no bounds. She had completed her daily chores with a prompt enthusiasm and had managed to finish in little less than two hours. Scrubbing the soup pan had tired her hands, but she could not feel any pain, for her mind was envisioning the future. How is the paper going to feel in my hand? Will I see Suzie there? She had worn her best blouse and hoped that she could wear it with pride later that afternoon.  In the years past, she had gotten her son ready for this occasion, but it was finally her turn. She was going to do the same this year.

            As she made her way out of her home and locked her door, she saw all the women in her neighborhood doing the same. She noticed how Ms. Smith had worn her favorite hat and how Ms. Howards had adorned her daughter and was bring her along. As she made her way to her companions, she felt a stab of nostalgia hit her like a brick—in the past she had her friends had walked the same streets with the same sense of dedication; however, their purposes had been different. In the past, heavy signs and boards were in their clutches, but now they had beautiful purses by their side. After a long 100 years, it was finally our chance to be in charge.

            Today, she saw in her mind those words which had changed her life. She was one of the millions of women who had finally gotten a chance to voice their opinions.  She had been tired of being told what she could do and what she couldn’t; she had enough of just being shafted and forced to sit in the corner while her husband and son discussed government. She had often heard her husband curse elected politicians and their actions, but now was her chance to fix that. As she and her friends reached the venue, she could hear the cries of excitement coming from the others just like her. After seeing the posters and the politicians, her blood was fueled with nothing but adrenaline. The time had finally come. Those hard months of rallying and collecting support was finally going to pay off.

We see the narrator and her two friends Ms. Smith and Ms. Howards casting their vote after they were given full rights with the passing of the 19th amendment.

            She was lead to a line with eager women in front of her. One by one, they were taken to a table with a slice of paper and a wooden box. As each woman smiled from ear to ear, they quickly folded their paper and slide it into the box. When it was finally her turn, she quickly picked up her pen and made a giant circle on her paper. The cold paper had been so soft that it could have been easily lost. As she picked it up and slide it into the slit on the box, her excitement could not be contained at all.

            She finally voted.