by Beth Klein
“William…I’m badly wounded,” she croaked. “I haven’t been well for a long time and if you don’t do something, I might not ever recover.”
“I-I…I’m not sure I can,” replied Goulding desperately, and to his surprise, the woman smiled at him.
“You’re wrong, William. You can do anything, and everything. In fact, only you have the ability to heal me. You love me more than life itself and together you can ensure that I live on, longer and stronger than ever before.”
“Together? I-I don’t understand…”
As he said the words, the woman before him began to flicker and fade.
“She’s special William…she’s worth everything…she’s worth it all…”
By now the figure was so distant that Goulding could just about make out the movement of her lips, but could no longer hear the words.
“Please stay with me. I’m not ready. I’m not re…”
“Bill…Bill! Wake up Bill. You’re having a nightmare.”
As Goulding snapped back into consciousness, he opened his eyes and was met by the concerned face of Charlotte looking down at him.
“Charlie I…I…”
“It’s okay, Bill. It was just a dream. It’s a big day tomorrow and it’s only natural that you’d be affected by it. Let’s go back to sleep. You need the rest and you’ll feel a lot better in the morning.”
As Charlotte curled herself around him contentedly, he closed his eyes and listened as her breathing deepened and became more regular. For him though sleep didn’t come easily. The dream had disturbed him greatly and he couldn’t help but think that there was a deeper meaning. If he could only grasp it, it could guide him and give him a great deal of solace and comfort as the events of his life played out before him. With the images still plaguing him and the early dawn light just beginning to flirt with the shroud of darkness, he fell into a restless sleep.
* * *
As the shrill alarm sounded the call to arms, Goulding was none the wiser for his subconscious ponderings. He felt sure that the representation of America and his need to effect change and right her wrongs had been inspired by his visit to the Army Veterans Centre. He was also certain that his initial elation had been justified and that this was merely a way of reinforcing his own belief that he was the right man to make a difference to the nation as a whole.
What was less certain was the ‘special’ woman that had been alluded to. It had to be Charlie, there was no one else that he could think of. However, he had only known her for five weeks. Could she really be so influential in not only his own future, but that of the entire nation?
Looking for some kind of clarification, he turned to face her, but was disappointed to find her side of the bed cold and empty. As the rest of his senses struggled into wakefulness, he realized that he could hear her singing softly in the kitchen and hastily pulling on his boxer shorts, he padded out of the bedroom in search of her. He walked quietly along the hall and paused in the kitchen doorway so as not to disturb her as she worked.
Her back was to him and he delighted in the fact that she was completely naked except for a tiny apron. Charlie was totally focused on making pancakes and was so caught up in what she was doing that she was completely oblivious to his presence. Even in the completion of this seemingly mundane task, her moves were elegant and graceful. He stood, utterly transfixed by everything she did, wanting nothing more than to see her move and to hear her sing.
Since she had entered his life, she had affected him in a way that he would never have dreamed possible. He was calmer and happier. He laughed more and generally was just a much nicer person to be around. Every experience was enhanced by her mere presence, every sensation heightened and every pleasure intensified. And the sex! The sex was incredible. He found a kindred spirit, with a taste for the more extreme pleasures in life and together, they reached new heights of ecstasy that neither of them had ever thought possible before. He loved being with her. He loved sleeping with her. He just loved her.
HE LOVED HER!
The realization hit him like a sledgehammer and he almost reeled from what felt like a physical blow to his chest.
“Holy shit!” he thought. “I love her.”
He paused, waiting for the doubt and nervousness to creep in, but there wasn’t any. Just a calm contented realization that the gorgeous young creature before him, was the first woman he had ever loved, completely, honestly and without fear. This epiphany was already enough to flaw him, but the clarity that followed it literally took his breath away.
“She’s the one…she’s the woman I need at my side in order to achieve everything that I desire in life. Without her, everything is hollow and trite, but when we are together there isn’t a thing that can’t be accomplished and overcome. I love her, I want to be with her and I don’t give a fuck about the consequences.”
This was too pure and too wonderful to keep hidden. He had to tell the world, to shout it from the highest tower, to broadcast it to an expectant nation. John was going to kill him! Slowly, he walked up behind her and put his strong, powerful arms around her waist. She jumped in surprise at the unexpected touch, but quickly recovered and snuggled back against him in a manner that, on any other day, would have had him struggling to retain his focus.
“Hello you,” she said sexily.
“Hello,” he replied and kissed her neck. “There something I want to tell you. Something we need to talk about.”
* * *
It seemed a bit pointless to go into the office, but the routine was so well established that Goulding didn’t think that he could concentrate anywhere else. Everything had been organized and planned out and now it was down to the general populous to determine which of the two candidates they would pin their colors to. Everything pointed to a landslide victory for Goulding, but a last minute change of heart could easily make a mockery of the expert’s facts and figures. It definitely wasn’t over until the fat lady sang.
When Goulding walked into the office, every member of his campaign team looked up and met his gaze. Despite the fact that he had made it clear that their work was done and that they could do exactly as they pleased today, not a single desk was empty and everyone had turned up to see their man over the finish line, whatever the outcome of the race. Goulding’s heart swelled with pride and as incredible an orator as he was, he knew that he could never hope to portray the strength of gratitude and feeling that he had for this hard done by bunch of misfits that were arranged before him.
No one said anything and the office held an expectant breath as it waited for him to speak.
“Ladies and Gen…” Goulding’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat and tried again. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I can think of no one I’d rather share today with than you good people. You have time and time again gone beyond the call of duty, taken my endless shit and tirades, every time come back smiling, with patience and professionalism. I’ve never taken for granted the fact that I would be nothing without the people standing with me, supporting me and ‘having my back’ when I most needed it. I can’t put into words what your patience, dedication and support has meant to me, but I can assure you that it is something that I will never, NEVER forget, regardless of today’s outcome.
I want you all to know that irrespective of the result of today’s election, each and every one of you will be getting a bonus equivalent to two-months salary. Win, lose or draw, I will be taking you all out for a meal in the best restaurant in town, with everything you could possibly want paid for by me for the entire night. Thank you all again. Today isn’t about whether I win. Today is about whether we win and if we don’t you can consider it a case of me letting you down, because there is nothing more any of you could have possibly done in our pursuit of this presidency.”
They hadn’t been sure what to expect when Goulding arrived, or whether in fact he would arrive at the office at all, but this definitely hadn’t been it and they were all rendered speechless by his words. This was a ver
y different William Goulding than the one that they had started their journey with. They weren’t complaining! For some it would be the end of the road, for others, it was merely a crossroads with entirely new avenues opening up in the White House and the inevitable government machine that accompanied the position.
Wherever their individual paths took them, they would see this through until the end and hopefully they’d be able to tell their Grandchildren that they had played a part in making William Goulding the President of the United States of America. Knowing that he was used to applause, no one wanted to cheapen his words by making them just another in a long string of public addresses. Instead the assembled crowd nodded their thanks and ascent. That meant more to Goulding than any of the other recent responses that he had been subjected to.
Goulding swallowed hard to overcome the emotion that threatened to engulf him and focused on the little man that stood awkwardly at the front of the crowd.
“John, can I have a word please. In my office if you wouldn’t mind.”
The little man got up from his seat and walked casually through the sea of faces, pausing only to collect a manila envelope from the corner of his desk, before disappearing into Goulding’s private domain. On the outside, he was the very epitome of professional calm. Inwardly, even though he knew that he only had positive things to report, he was a twisted bundle of nerves.
Lyndsey had played his part to the full, engaging Cristal to seduce Brian Kennedy and lure him back to the hotel room for an evening of shameless debauchery. He had captured the act on film and as part of nearly three hundred photographs, but the whole act of blackmail and subterfuge made him deeply uncomfortable. He would dearly have loved to have played no part in it at all.
He related to Kennedy, a fellow ‘average man’ that was unlucky in life, love and everything in between. If Kennedy could fall foul of such a cowardly act of manipulation, what was to stop the same thing happening to him one day? Indeed, it was his own discovery by Goulding that had led to his involvement in the first place. If Goulding was comfortable playing these kinds of games, what was to stop him doing the same thing to him in the future?
As Goulding followed him into the inner office, Lyndsey considered the need to seriously review his position as part of Goulding’s staff, whatever the result of the election.
“Good morning John. Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you Bill.”
“Okay, I won’t beat about the bush. I have a few things that we need to discuss. As much as the official posturing is at an end, there are still a million things that I need to attend to before the day is done.”
“Yes Bill, of course.”
“Firstly, how did your own…er…mission go. I trust that Cristal proved to be a temptation that was simply too good to resist?”
John said nothing and merely took out a handful of photographs from the envelope, tossed them over to Goulding and watched with barely disguised disdain as a smile crept across his boss’s face.
“Wow…she really did earn her money that night, didn’t she? Do you have more like these?”
“I’ve got close to three hundred stills, as well as a high definition digital video recording of the…session. The quality is excellent and there is no mistaking Brian Kennedy in either the video, or the pictures.”
“No shit! John this is excellent; really, really excellent. I’m proud of you. Yet again, you were asked to walk into a particularly shitty situation and yet you came out of it smelling of roses.”
“Please Bill…don’t be proud of me. I’m certainly not. I’d much rather I had no part in this at all. It’s seedy, underhanded and wrong.”
Goulding considered the words carefully before he responded.
“You’re right John, it is all of those things. But it is also completely necessary. You know how hard we’ve worked to stand on the very brink of greatness. Do you really want to throw all of that away just so you could look at yourself more comfortably in the mirror? Brian Kennedy is a good man, of that I have no doubt, but he was getting dangerously close to the truth and he had to be stopped.”
“With respect, Bill, it was a truth that we would never have had to face if it hadn’t been for the fact that yet again, nothing and no one mattered in your endless pursuit of glory and the next great challenge.”
“John, that’s hardly fair. It was a long time ago.”
“Yes Bill, it was, but can you honestly say that if you had your time over again, you wouldn’t do exactly the same thing?”
Goulding glared at his campaign manager, needled by his words. He wasn’t upset because of what the little man had said, but because he knew that it was true and the realization left him feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
“John, you’re right. At the time, I felt hopeless and desperate and I took the easy option to guarantee my continued advancement, but that was then and this is now. I can’t change the past, but I can learn from it and I can ensure that I never make the same stupid mistake twice. I’m not perfect and I’ve done a lot of shitty things in my life, but I am a better adjusted, better developed and entirely more accomplished person as a result of them. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am the right person to lead this country into a new age of advancement, development, recognition and respect. All I need is to leave the past in the past and look towards the future.”
Lyndsey nodded. He too believed that Goulding was the right man for the job and although he had always felt that his drive and ambition would make him a thoroughly competent and professional President. He had also noticed a change in him over the last few weeks, culminating in his recent visit to Oklahoma. He seemed to care more, to feel more. Instead of merely focusing on the personal and political gain of his actions, he was concerned with the individual human element. It could very well be a passing fancy, but Lyndsey doubted it.
William Goulding was not a man easily subject to whims and what he saw of him lately had all the trademarks of a man who had seen the light and changed for the better. It also struck him that with the power, focus AND a very real concern for his fellow American, Goulding could not only prove to be a competent President—he could very well prove to be an exceptional one.
As if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Lyndsey relaxed and eased himself back into the chair.
“Okay Bill, we’ll ensure that the past stays in the past and that we continue to look forward to a bright future for all those concerned. I guess that one…less than savory act is worth it when you consider the future happiness and prosperity of millions of American men and women. I guess it’s just a shame that we have to utterly break Brian Kennedy in the process.”
Goulding said nothing, but after a few seconds broke into a broad grin.
“Bill, I know we’re now singing from the same hymn sheet, but do you really think that the smile is appropriate considering what we’ve just discussed?”
When Goulding continued to grin at him, Lyndsey began to get annoyed.
“Bill…honestly!”
“John, John, John. Calm yourself, I have no intention of ruining Brian Kennedy’s life, quite the contrary. I plan to do just the opposite and make him a household name. For a few weeks at least.”
“What? I-I…I don’t understand, are you saying that you aren’t going to blackmail him?”
“No, I’m still going to confront him with the pictures and I’m still going to get him to drop the research into my previous…dealings. What I am going to do though, is give him enough dirt to sink one of the rising stars in American business.”
As the full enormity of what Goulding was planning sank in. John Lyndsey finally appreciated the wider picture, he too began to smile.
“Bill, you really are a sly fucker, aren’t you? Regardless of where we all end up after today, remind me never to go up against you won’t you? I’m good, but I’m not sure I’m that good!”
For a few minutes they shared the moment and even reminisced about some of the good times
they’d shared on the long and tiring journey that had led them to this point in time. With some reluctance, Goulding waited for the next break in their conversation and decided that it was time to discuss the other matter that had the potential to shape his future.
“John…there’s something else.”
“Okay, Bill. What is it?”
“It’s Charlotte. Things have changed.”
All of the blood and good humor instantly drained from Lyndsey’s face and he choked out a response.
“She’s…she’s not going to go to the press is she?” he whispered. “I know it’s late in the day, but a political scandal like that is hardly the best way to start a term in office. Not exactly something that fills your loyal public with confidence!”
Seeing such heartfelt concern in the little man’s face and knowing how wide of the mark he was, Goulding struggled not to laugh out loud.
“No, John. She’s not going to the press. Quite the opposite in fact. I love her and she loves me. This is the real deal John: holding hands, whispered words, romantic letters, starring aimlessly into each other’s eyes, not wanting to be anywhere else, or with anyone else ever again.”
Lyndsey’s relief was palpable and his concern was replaced with confusion.
“That’s wonderful, Bill. It really is, but I don’t see what difference it actually makes in the grand scheme of things, you’ll just…”
Then the realization dawned on him and he sighed deeply.
“You don’t want to keep her hidden anymore do you?”
Goulding shook his head.
“No, John. I’m sick of having to hide something so good and so pure. I want the world to know that even though I’m the President and a Republican, I can uphold their values and still demonstrate that a happy, healthy, faithful partnership can be a force for good and not something to be shunned and dismissed.”
“They’ll never buy it, Bill. You’re talking about undoing centuries of belief and conditioning. As good as you are and as honorable your intentions, I’m not sure we can ever hope to swing that kind of message in our favor.”
