At 8:00 that evening, the Senate met to vote on whether to proceed with impeachment hearings for President Turner. The Senate hearing occurred after the results of the Eastern European Trade Agreement were made public and after the statements of peace were made by President Tremonov and President Qing.
The Senate floor rocked with chatter. Vice President Wilkes confidently walked through the chaos up to the podium and struck the gavel three times. The Senate floor quickly silenced. All eyes in the room went to Vice President Wilkes.
Vice President Wilkes cleared his throat and began, “Friends and colleagues, in recent months many of you have listened to me point out the flaws of President Turner. I’m ashamed to say, my motivation for criticizing President Turner was not for the good of the country. Although I led you to believe President Turner was leading the country down a destructive path, it was I who was leading the country down a destructive path. I allowed myself to be blinded for selfish gain. Instead of admitting my own faults, I chose to lash out at President Turner. And in doing so, I put the country at risk, and I put the lives of Americans at risk.” Vice President Wilkes paused and looked down at the podium.
He continued, “I’m here to say I’m sorry. I apologize for misrepresenting President Turner’s actions and pushing for her impeachment trial. President Turner is a shining example of what we all should strive for as leaders. The effectiveness of her leadership was proven this week by the instrumental role she played creating the Eastern European Trade Agreement. As we saw earlier today by the statements from President Tremonov and President Qing, the trade agreement will serve as the foundation for a peaceful partnership between the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. I ask not for your forgiveness but for your action. President Turner should be praised for her leadership in such turbulent times, not admonished. Please follow me and vote to dismiss the impeachment trial against President Turner. Thank you.”
Vice President Wilkes left the podium. A small group of senators stood and clapped. They were quickly followed by the entire Senate floor. The Senate voted unanimously, 50–0, in favor of ending the impeachment trial of President Turner. Vice President Wilkes left the Senate building to meet his fate.
50
Susan walked into the White House dining room. Greg and Tommy both jumped up from the breakfast table and came running at her with open arms. Earl and Rose listened closely as Susan answered an onslaught of questions from Greg and Tommy about her trip. The aim of their questions moved from her trip to whether she was getting fired, and, subsequently, whether that meant they were moving back to Idaho.
Susan felt the stares of Earl and Rose pressing on her as she answered Greg and Tommy’s questions about her impeachment. She explained that the Senate voted to stop the hearings and they weren’t moving back to Idaho.
After breakfast, Susan rode with the boys to school and then headed to the White House. On the ride back to the White House, Susan called Mason Adams and arranged a press briefing on the White House lawn. The major news outlets had already started to run with bits and pieces of information about the trade agreement, the potential bombing suspects, and the dismissal of her impeachment trial.
Susan took the podium on the White House lawn just after 2:00 p.m. It was seventy-five degrees with 80 percent humidity. There was no escaping the inevitable stream of sweat that would be pouring down her forehead. The crowd gathered on the White House lawn was silent as she delivered her prepared remarks. Her prepared remarks addressed three main points:
The trade deal would be beneficial to all countries and deescalate the tension that had built up in the region.
She reiterated General Gillingham’s previous statement. The Soviet Union had been ruled out as an entity that supported the bombings in Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
She concluded by highlighting the peaceful resolution to the tensions in Eastern Europe.
After finishing her prepared remarks, Susan opened up to questions from the press. She fielded several softball questions about her impeachment trial and evidence gathered about the bombings. Susan relaxed at the podium and answered the questions from the press with a warm smile. She felt the press finally accepted her as the president and was on her side.
Susan confidently joked, “All right, one last question, then I need to get back in the air conditioning before I sweat through this dress.” A young female reporter caught Susan’s attention with an enthusiastic wave and a smile. Susan gave her the last question of the briefing.
“Madam President, several sources inside your administration have alleged that your lack of a response to the Soviet Union’s aggression has caused our enemies to lose respect for the United States and that loss of respect will result in future terror attacks on American soil.”
Susan took a deep breath and looked down at the podium for inspiration before responding. She picked her head up and looked out into the crowd. She saw reporters exchanging nervous glances. Susan felt her own heartbeat and the heartbeat of the crowd accelerate like a freight train.
“I have no control over what will happen in the future. I can’t control the actions of our allies or our enemies. But I can control how we respond.” Susan took a breath. “For those who believe that war is the answer: think long and hard about the impact of your words. Unlike many who are quick to espouse the virtues of war… I’ve seen firsthand the horrors of war. I’ve seen the horrors of war from the battlefield and as a grieving widow. I understand their long-lasting impact. For the rest of my life, I’ll live with those memories. I promise you… I will go to the ends of the earth to find a peaceful solution before resorting to war.”
Susan paused again to let her response resonate with the audience.
“The last few months have been difficult. It’s easy to get caught up in ideology and hatred. When you talk to your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your family, and strangers on the street, give everyone the same amount of respect. We all have different opinions; don’t allow those differences of opinion be the basis for hatred. Hatred and violence have no place in our society. A genuine respect for each other and thoughtful discourse will illuminate the road to a peaceful and prosperous future.
“We live in America, the greatest democracy in the history of the world. This is a country where we embrace healthy discourse. After we have a healthy conversation, we may still disagree with our neighbor, but afterward we can sit down together and share a soda as friends. Every single person should be treated with respect, no matter their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or age. We are all Americans. That’s the America I know. And that’s the America we fight every day to keep.”
Susan stepped down from the podium to a standing ovation from the audience. For Americans, Susan’s words triggered a realization of how close they had come to being involved in a tragic, needless, life-changing war against the Soviet Union. Across the country, Americans awoke with a renewed sense of community
51
Susan found her father in the map room of the White House. He was sitting alone and reading the newspaper. She sat down across the table from him.
Earl lowered the newspaper and said, “You don’t look happy.”
“You know what? I don’t feel happy.”
Earl folded the paper and put it on the table. “What’s on your mind?”
“Lots… When I first accepted the selection, I thought I had things under control. Then it kept spiraling out of control. I felt like I was always one step behind. I just don’t know if I can keep going at this pace.”
Earl took a breath and fidgeted with the paper. “If you ask me; you’ve done a hell of a job keeping this country afloat. I know it’s impossible, but you can’t let what gets printed in the newspaper impact how you feel about the decisions you —”
“I don’t care about the newspaper articles saying that I compromised our national security by entering into a trade agreement with China. They’re just plain wrong and I’m over it. Th
ey’ll never know everything that happened behind the scenes. I did the right thing, that’s enough for me. I’m concerned about the impact on Greg and Tommy. Tommy already got into a fight at school because of me.”
Earl exhaled. “Have you explained it to the boys?”
“No, not yet.”
“I think they’re old enough to understand. If you give them some context around the rumors, it’ll be a lot easier for them to process.”
Susan nodded. “You’re right, I need to have a talk with them. I’ve been trying to keep them as far away from all this nonsense as possible. But they need to know the truth.”
“It’s a good life lesson for the boys.”
“Oh yeah, what’s the lesson? Never trust the media?”
“No… Trust your heart and do the right thing, no matter what people might think afterwards.”
Susan stood up, hugged her father and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Dad, you’re always right.”
Epilogue
Mr. Anderson confidently walked over to the office window and looked down on Los Angeles. He reflected on his failed attempt to lure the United States into a war with the Soviet Union. The cell phone in his pocket vibrated and he answered the call. “This is Mr. Anderson.”
Mr. Anderson continued to stare out the window as he listened to the voice on the other end. He responded, “I understand your concern. I assure you, we remain on schedule. The Board’s objectives are not in jeopardy. This is a minor setback. The timeline for Unified Peace remains unchanged. I will provide a detailed debriefing and update on the path forward at the next Board meeting.”
Mr. Anderson ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket. He stared out the window for a moment and calmly went back to work at his desk.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Allen Wolfrum is a fiction author and former Marine.
He served four years as an Infantryman in the most decorated Regiment in Marine Corps history.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom he led an infantry squad on missions spanning from the oil fields of Southern Iraq to the streets of Baghdad.
After the Marine Corps, he spent the next fifteen years exploring life from several perspectives: press operator in a plastics factory, warehouse stocker, confused college student, Certified Public Accountant, bearded graduate student, management consultant, and data analyst.
J. Allen Wolfrum’s writing career began in 2017 with his debut novel, Selected. He uses the unique combination of his Marine Corps, professional and life experience to create a realistic perspective on the political thriller genre.
He lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife and two cats.
Connect with J. Allen Wolfrum:
(e): [email protected]
(i): instagram.com/jallenwolfrum
(t): twitter.com/jallenwolfrum
(w): www.jallenwolfrum.com
You Made It To The End… Thank You
I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read Selected, I hope you enjoyed the book. It would mean everything to me if you took the time to leave an honest review on Amazon. Constructive criticism helps me identify ways to make the next book better and all reviews help other readers find the book.
Leaving a review doesn’t take much time and it means the world to me. Thank you in advance.
-Jerad
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Selected: A Thriller Page 24
