Jen grabbed the broom and began sweeping, pushing teh broom harder than was strictly necessary.

“What’s the matter?” A worried face in the doorknob appeared.

“Oh, it’s just been a long day. First the mayor came in, then his opponent came in.” Jen motioned to the area rug in the middle of the back room with a shrinking lump in the center of it. She lifted the edge, swept the debris under it and let it flop back down. The chomping noises it made were unsettling, but necessary. “I really hate election season.”

“I hear you. Everyone wants their past mistakes brushed under the carpet this time of year.”

Jen nodded. “I just wish they understood.”

“Understood what?”

Between them, the rug belched. The smell was so foul that a window stayed open even in the dead of winter to help air it out.

“That not everything you sweep under the carpet stays there.”

“It says that right in the contract– Uh Oh…,” the door handle muttered. “The Senator is here. Shall I let her in?”

Jen plopped down in her chair with a sigh. “I’m gonna need a bigger carpet.”