***
“Grab the mail,” I yelled out the front door as Matthew’s vehicle pulled into the drive.
It had been a busy six months and Matthew and I had finally settled into a routine. I was going to work at Charity Water every day and really enjoying learning and growing with such a fun group of people.
Matthew was busy running the country and making new friends. He was great at building those positive relationships when he wanted to and he had been handling his father’s old friends like a pro. They weren’t even angry at him, although he had yet to get anything done that they wanted him to.
The investigation didn’t go past that first set of interviews. A couple of local thieves were caught pawning some jewelry they had stolen from Camp David and a whole case was built around them for the President’s murder. They both plead guilty and Matthew said their families were paid very well for making the court case go away so quickly.
“Why are you so excited for the mail? Is it publisher’s clearing house week?” Matthew joked as he held the mail up with one hand and grabbed me with the other.
“I’m waiting to hear from the law schools I applied to.”
“This early?”
“Yes! Now give me the mail,” I demanded as I tried to jump up and grab it.
Matthew started to look at the mail over his head and wouldn’t bring it down so I could see it. He was smiling and laughing the whole time while I continued to jump up like a maniac trying to get it.
“No need to worry. Just some letter from Georgetown University. Probably some junk mail,” Mathew said as he pretended to rip the paper before handing it to me.
“What if I didn’t get in?” I said seriously.
“Then I’ll bomb them.”
“Matthew, I’m serious. What if I don’t get in? It’s the only place I really want to go. Everyplace else is so far away and I couldn’t imagine managing our life together if I got in somewhere else.”
“Let’s open the letter first before you start getting disappointed and planning our long distance marriage.”
I was so scared to open that letter. All my dreams had evolved so much over the last year. Sure I was the First Lady of the United States of America and it was amazing. I couldn’t believe all the places I had been to visit and all the truly amazing things we had done together. But I wanted something that was my own. I wanted to get into law school. If I was ever going to have a political career of my own I had to get started.
As much as I had joked about Matthew’s timeline he had written on the scratch paper in our bedroom – I now held that paper in my wallet and reminded myself every time I saw it that Matthew was behind me no matter what I decided to do.
“It’s really thin. That probably means it’s a rejection letter, right?” I asked as I started to open it.
“Just open it already,” Matthew urged.
I pulled the letter out of the envelope and started to read it.
“Congratulations Mrs. Storm…” I read before Matthew grabbed me and twirled me around the entryway of our house.
“You got in!”
“I got in,” I said in amazement.
“You deserve it. I can’t friggin wait until you are running for Senate. You’re going to make one kick ass Senator.”
“Mathew it’s going to take me years to get my degree. We are so busy; I don’t know how I’ll ever do it.”
“You’ll do it, I have one hundred percent faith in you. Plus you still have six years before I’m giving up this job. I intend to win my next election.”
Matthew puffed out his chest a little as he talked. It was true though. America loved Matthew and I was sure he was going to get elected the following November. Two more years of President Baker’s term and then four years of his own term. Plus, it was entirely possible Matthew would make history and get voted in a second term and I would have to wait even longer to run. But I couldn’t think about all that at the moment, all I could think about was that I was going after my dreams.
“I just can’t wait to start school,” I muttered as I looked at the paper in my hand.
“Darling, you’re going to have my job someday. I can feel it,” Matthew said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. “I’m about to make love to the future Madame President.”
“What will that make you then? The First Husband?” We both laughed.
“Yes, I’ll be your First Husband and I can’t wait to stand by your side.”
THE END