In the green room at CNN Center, 3:47 AM. My alter ego—let's call him Night King—staring at a monitor showing county-by-county vote totals in Wisconsin. Hair everywhere. Coffee cold. That khaki clip sitting on the makeup table. Not this exact one. Something like it. Hollow silicone. Minimalist. Bought at a drugstore in Des Moines during the '08 caucuses.
At 4:12 AM, Night King grabs it. Claws back his silver mess. The hollow design lets his scalp breathe through twelve hours of broadcast hell. Silicone means no slip when sweat comes at hour six. Back of the head. Tight grip. Minimalist because who needs decoration at this hour? Versatile because caucus night becomes convention night becomes election night becomes another election night. That clip saw Iowa. New Hampshire.
South Carolina.
The Super Tuesday green room where someone left a half-eaten sandwich on a stack of exit polls.
The khaki color matched nothing.
Matched everything.
Matched the exhaustion.
