Jameson
Proud could not accurately convey how I felt about Georgie. I was in awe of her. This event she planned, with Max Edison, for the educational leaders of the country was running smoothly. She was truly in her element, and I could finally see who she wanted to become; I just didn’t like that Max was a part of it.
“This is a pretty amazing event,” Lena Taylor, the president of the NEA and Georgie’s second choice, said as she approached me.
“I can’t take any credit for this. It’s all her.” I pointed at the podium where Georgie was speaking. There was a distinct twinkle in her eye that had never been there before. It was the thrill of success and accomplishment. “Thank you for being here today.”
“It’s my honor. Georgie is quite the revolutionary.”
Scheduled to last another day, the education summit was packed full of some of the country’s top educational leaders and experts, and they shared one common goal: make our schools better.
Georgie finished speaking, and I headed toward the edge of the stage so I could congratulate her. She was beaming when we made eye contact, and then she surprised me by throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly.
“Oh my God, Jameson, this is amazing!” she squealed. She let go and then turned back to look at the packed conference room. “Look at all these people!”
“I’m so proud of you,” I told her, squeezing her waist and pulling her back toward me. “You did all this. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Jameson.”
“I just wish that I could stick around to see all this.”
Her face fell. “Oh. I know. I appreciate you being here, though.”
“I’ll try to stop by tomorrow.” I kissed her cheek lightly and turned to leave.
I locked eyes on Lewis and Jenkins, who were lurking in the back of the room, and made a detour in their direction.
“Keep an eye on her, okay?” I told them, looking back at Georgie, who was in the middle of a group of governors. She had them eating out of the palm of her hand, and by the end of this conference, they would probably agree to whatever she demanded.
“On her, sir, or on him?” Lewis nodded toward the opposite side of the room, where Max Edison was holding court amongst a group of people I didn’t know. I had no input over the guest list; I only asked that Secret Service receive a copy before invitations were sent. I assumed that everyone here was cleared.
“Both of them.”
They nodded, and I knew Georgie was relatively safe. She was attached to them just as much as they were to her.
I returned to my office and continued to plan the trip that I intentionally didn’t mention. This was a difficult trip that spanned three continents. The goals for this trip were complex and required a lot of legwork before we could even leave. So many people were involved, my head spun trying to remember everyone’s individual roles. I was relying heavily on my diplomats for one portion of the trip because one goal included the recognition of human rights violations.
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I was privy to information about events happening in the world. When I was elected president, the pressure for me to act on certain events grew exponentially. I tried to find a way to diplomatically ignore these calls until I felt properly equipped to handle the job. After more than a year into my first term, I was now ready to handle the more complex issues.
The trip itself was forming fairly easily; the hardest part was going to be telling Georgie she had to stay home.
“Sir,” Lauren said, coming in to my office. She handed me a stack of information I had asked her to gather. I quickly scanned through the folders, but found something missing.
“Lauren, you’re supposed to keep tabs on items from the press and the internet that are related to the first lady. That file is missing.”
“I know, sir. There was nothing this week.”
“And what about the past few months? That file has been missing for a while.”
“I’m aware of that. She hasn’t really been in the news, and when she is, it’s all positive.”
I was highly suspicious of this. I was easily criticized as the president, and I knew that from previous administrations, the first lady was routinely criticized for her fashion choices or for her misuse of taxpayer dollars.
I didn’t have time to search for this information myself, so I had to trust Lauren that whatever was being said about Georgie wasn’t hateful and inflammatory.
“I also wanted to talk to you about going on this trip, instead of Bart.”
I looked up from the file I was reading. Lauren was shifting from side to side, biting her lip nervously. This was an interesting request.
“Bart is my press secretary. Why would he stay back?”
“Bart is amazing at his job, but wouldn’t it be easier to have him here to manage the complex barrage of information that is sure to come out of this trip?”
“He can handle that while we’re on the trip. I don’t want him spewing secondhand information.”
“But if I go with you, then I’ll be in direct contact with him throughout the entire trip. We can work together to make sure the information provided is accurate.”
“Yeah, I understand all that, Lauren. I don’t understand why Bart has to stay behind. Everything you just said can still be done with Bart traveling with me. Also, think of the experience you’ll receive. Since he will be with me, you’ll be the one handling all the daily press briefings.”
“You’re right, sir. Of course. Is that everything?” Her eyes flicked to the stack she brought me.
“Yes, thank you.” I didn’t hold her stare for long. Turning my attention back to the information in my hands, she was dismissed. I heard the door click shut before I looked up again.
Lauren was certainly competent and did her job fairly well, but there was an unsettling over eagerness about her. Ambition wasn’t a bad thing but too much ambition could lead to disaster.
I was buried in my work and barely heard the knock on the door. I glanced up from the stack of papers that I was reviewing and commanded whoever was knocking to enter. Bart poked his head around the doorframe and smiled tensely.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but I need to talk with you urgently.” His voice was unsteady, and he sounded nervous.
“Sure. Come in and have a seat.” I gestured to the antique chairs placed in front of my desk, and he obeyed, sitting in the one closest to the door. “What do you need to discuss?”
“I just got a call from my mother. My father is in the hospital and needs to have open-heart surgery.”
“I’m so sorry. Is there anything that I can do?”
“Actually, sir, I won’t be able to travel with you. I have to leave tomorrow to be with my family.”
I eyed him suspiciously. Wasn’t Lauren just in here, trying to convince me to replace Bart on my trip? And now his father was conveniently in the hospital, in need of open-heart surgery.
“Of course, that won’t be a problem. What hospital is he at? Georgie and I will send something.”
“I…don’t have that information yet.” Bart’s eyes shifted in every direction, looking everywhere but at me. “When I find out, I’ll let you know.”
“Please do. Open-heart surgery is a big deal. Take as much time as you need.”
Bart stood and exhaled loudly as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. “Thank you, sir.”
He quickly left my office and I made a note to check in with him.
This was my first big trip overseas, and I was nervous; I wanted everything to go perfectly. And because of some very delicate situations, this trip had taken weeks to plan. Days after Bart had to bow out of the trip, my note to check up on the health of his father was long forgotten. My attention and focus were solely on this meeting. I rarely returned to the private residence; instead, I found myself sleeping in my office. When I did make it back home, it was very late at night, and I slept separately from Georgie. I was only sleeping for a few hours before I got back up, showered, and changed. I didn’t want my new routine to disturb her.
My nerves were only heightened because Georgie wasn’t traveling with me. I was scheduled to meet with some extremely conservative leaders who did not look kindly upon our arrangement. I didn’t want that to be the source of unnecessary tension during these meetings, knowing that some would have very high stakes.
“Have you seen the first lady?” I asked one of the agents posted outside my office. I wanted to speak with Georgie before I left, especially since we had seen very little of each other since her very successful summit on education.
The agent lifted his cuff and spoke directly into it, asking for a location on “Maple.” The agent spoke quickly and quietly, nodding and listening to the information he was being given from other agents.
“Sir, she’s in a meeting with Secretary Edison and some members of Congress.”
I nodded. I didn’t remember seeing this on her schedule, but my focus had been directed elsewhere, so it might have just been an oversight.
I returned to the private residence and finished packing for my trip. I was leaving today, with or without seeing Georgie. Frowning, I glanced at her side of the massive dressing room; she had finally made good on my offer to buy clothes and had filled her side with a colorful assortment of garments. I hated leaving, knowing that we hadn’t spent any time together, and knowing that I wouldn’t get to at least kiss her goodbye, but I didn’t have a choice. My only option was to settle for the sound of her voice. Pulling my cell phone free from my pocket, I dialed her number but wasn’t surprised when her voicemail picked up. Lately, whenever I called her, it went to voicemail. Frustrated, I pounded out a text message: Have to leave. Tried calling. Will try to call you from AF1. Love you.
I waited for a few minutes to see if she replied, but the presidential limousine idled in the portico, so with a grunt of annoyance, I slammed my suitcase closed and left.