The Golden Boy Returns (The New Pioneers Book 5)

by Deborah Nam-Krane

  One tenth of a percent is a little thing in a primary election that sees thirteen percent of the electorate come out, but that was all that was required to push David Hwang, the golden boy of Boston's progressive politics, out of the race and into the waiting arms of the remaining challenger, Jack Donnelly.

  The night after she’d met Zainab and Emily, Kasi sat back in the quiet section of the bar, sipping her martini. "Point one percent," she said with a smirk. "Why Hwang and not Donnelly?"

  Her companion sipped his scotch. "Donnelly…is an idiot. He was president of the Council, and all he had to do was wait a few terms. Cervino wasn’t going to stay in the job forever, and he would have even campaigned for Donnelly. But he got a bee in his bonnet that he needed to run, even though anyone who could count votes knew that he didn't have a chance in Hell."

  "I didn't realize Hwang translated into 'bee in a bonnet'," Kasi said archly.

  The man frowned. "Ha ha. And that just makes Donnelly more of an idiot. Hwang wasn't going to win his first time out—why let his run punk you out like that?"

  "Hwang won in his first attempt for City Council."

  "Kasi, come on, stop watching so much television. This isn't a fairy tale. He got lucky."

  "Against the children of two very popular former mayors."

  "And that was part of why the SOB was so lucky. Those were two people promising to take you back to Boston's 'good old days', and you and I both know those days were anything but for a lot of people who now live in Boston. Hwang was smart, fresh and new. If he hadn't come along and run, someone would have invented him so they could run him." He picked up his drink again. "And for all I know, someone did."

  Kasi scratched her cheek. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Never mind."

  She took another sip of her drink. She knew the best information flowed freely. "Fine. But then wouldn't all of that lend credence to a run for mayor? You know Cervino hasn't been perfect."

  "What I know," he said emphatically, "is that on his worst day Cervino is twenty times the mayor Fletcher was on his best. And that's because I'm carefully watching. People who aren't would say a hundred."

  "How long does he get to live off the fumes of not being Ron Fletcher? Especially when Dan Green was arguably better?"

  Kasi sat back and tried not to laugh as his face started changing color. "Dan Green was a technocrat compared to Cervino and you know it. MLK, I-95, the waterfront, Faneuil Hall—whatever. He could beat a pandering racist like Laura Knight Hynes in a mayoral race, but everyone knows she was the real winner and that's why the courts had to take away all authority from the mayor and start busing. When people think of Green, they think of an idealistic loser who couldn't get from vision to reality. When people think of Cervino, they think of a man who’s shaken their hand at least once, knows all about their neighborhood and is worried about the same things they are."

  Kasi crossed her arms. "And if that should happen to include 'neighborhood' schools?"

  "For God's sake, Kasi, not everyone who wants a school their kid can walk to is a racist. A lot of the people who want that are black and Latino! We tried busing and it doesn't work."

  "We tried segregation and that didn't work either."

  "Boston's different now," he said defensively.

  "Uh huh. Please tell me which neighborhood in Boston isn't segregated and doesn't see a twenty percent plus child poverty rate?"

  He raised his eyebrows. "I'm not playing. Because whatever I say, you're going to say, 'gotcha, no one can afford to live there.'"

  She leaned forward. "And then I'm going to say that Cervino shouldn't hold them up as an example of a great Boston neighborhood."

  "We're never going to be New York City and you know it. And another thing you know is that the City of Boston can control only so much. It's not Cervino's fault that the MBTA is a joke."

  "Fine, he's not the one at the State House, but he's done a pretty unimpressive job organizing a push back by the Boston delegation."

  "Not fair. Fletcher and your boy Green tied his hands pretty well with all of the Big Dig deals they made."

  Kasi sat back. "Someone once told me the word 'fair' doesn't belong in a discussion of politics."

  He leaned his head back. "My own fault. I should have remembered that you listen well enough to throw my words back in my face."

  "How about I listen to something that I won't throw back at you?"

  "And what might that be?" he asked in amusement.

  "Why did Hwang really lose in the primary?"

  "Kasi, why are you asking me that?"

  If she knew Hwang was back in town, so did he. But he might not know she knew. "Because I don't think Cervino had to do anything stupid—before that election."

  "Define 'stupid'."

  "Not smart," she said quickly.

  He touched his lip. "Would smart have been giving up his office when he had a chance to keep it?"

  "Depends on who's asking. Let’s assume it’s some poor sap who believes in the democratic process."

  "Uh huh. And did this guy come out to vote?"

  "Isn't that part of the definition of a sap?"

  "And did he or she vote for the winner or the loser?"

  Something bothered Kasi, yet again. She was asking the wrong question, but she didn't know what the right one was.

  She changed the subject. "And speaking of losers, how is my favorite city councilor at-large?"

  He rolled his eyes. "I don't know. She isn't in the office enough for me to form an opinion."

  "What keeps Paloma from her job these days?"

  He scratched his chin. "I think I heard one of your replacements muttering something about a shoe sale."

  "One of them? I didn't realize I was such a tough act to follow."

  "You know you are," he said a moment later, "but no. She also burns through them at a rate of one every two or three months. Some of the office has talked about giving you a medal for holding out for being the first."

  She blinked. "They know where I am," she said raising her chin slightly.

  "You didn't have to make it so difficult for them."

  "Excuse me for having a lower BS tolerance than most. But you're still talking to me."

  He shrugged. "I can afford to not give a damn what she thinks."

  Kasi playfully chucked him on his chin. "And here I thought it was because I was so charming."

  He grabbed her hand. She was too shocked to pull it away and stared at him. "Yes?" she asked at last.

  He let go. "I think I've made myself clear." She didn't say anything. "I will let you ply me with booze all night and be a perfect gentleman, but if you touch me…you'd better mean it."

  "Sorry," she finally managed. "I thought we were friends."

  His eyes hardened. "I don't want you as a friend and you know it."

  "No...I wasn’t good enough to be anything but."

  "I never said that."

  "Because you were too much of a coward to be honest." Kasi swallowed as she dug into her bag. "Here you go," she said as she put a twenty dollar bill on her table and grabbed her coat. "Too many indulgences for one evening, I think."

  "Kasi—" he said softly.

  "No," she said as she stood up. "I think we're all set."

  CHAPTER NINE

  Sorry I was d-bag last night. Don’t go away. You’ve always been too good for me.

  Kasi deleted the message as she had been trained to, but not just for his protection; she didn’t want to linger over the last part of the message.

  It didn’t feel safe to tell even Vijay why she was so edgy the next day. Why did she meet with him after all this time when she always felt a little dirty afterward?

  It used to excite her to see him; talking about what they did was part of the fun when they’d first met. The real turn on, she could admit now, was that he had asked her what she had been up to. It wasn’t just that it made her feel important; it was nice to share with someone who underst
ood.

  She turned away as she remembered how she must have looked up to him. Could he actually see the stars in her eyes? Is that what had excited him?

  But even then she’d known that she’d been in love with the excitement surrounding them, not anything that he did or even wanted to do. She’d patted herself on the back for being so level-headed, but hadn’t that meant that she’d given up even then?

  Maybe she could be forgiven: that was when David Hwang was shown the door at the city limits. How idealistic could she be when she had watched the whole thing, no matter from how far away?

  "I don't know what they think they're going to accomplish," Kasi said peevishly to Vijay. "Saying hi to an old friend shouldn't cost one hundred and fifty dollars per person."

  "Kasi, Zainab's paying for you," Vijay reminded her.

  "But it's still stupid," Kasi snapped. "What are they expecting me to say?"

  Vijay shrugged. "I have no idea, but I think they're bringing you because they think you'll know when the time comes." He smiled. "That's actually high praise from Emily. She's usually convinced she’s the smartest person in any room."

  "I cannot wait to go to this thing. And…ugh! How am I going to pay them back for the cost of the ticket?"

  "Don't you dare!" Vijay exclaimed. "Do you know who Richard's mother is? They can afford it. And as I said, there isn't enough money on the planet to make up for all of the unpaid overtime I've put in with Richard since college."

  Kasi frowned. "Vijay, stop bellyaching. I'm not your father or mine. We both know that those guys are your best friends and you loved every minute of it. Besides, who else is going to hang out with you? Your loving cousin?"

  "Oh God, you're right. Let me call and see if Richard wants me to whip up another prototype for him."

  Kasi stuck her tongue out at him, before gratefully turning away as she washed the dishes. Neither of them needed to mention that the rest of their family was off-limits.

  ~~~

  Zainab had insisted that they pick Kasi up from her apartment in Brighton. "You're going to be wearing heels, and you can't take the train in those."

  "I do it all the time," Kasi had replied.

  "Then let someone help you out just once," Zainab had said evenly, and Kasi didn't have a comeback.

  "Don't you look lovely!" Emily greeted her as she and Zainab pulled up to her curb.

  Kasi got into the back seat and Zainab started driving again. "I should probably let you guys know that I haven't been able to speak to David yet," she said bravely. "But I did leave a message with his assistant."

  Emily turned her head sharply to face Zainab. "So he at least knows we're going to be there, right?"

  "Yes," Zainab answered in exasperation. "We just might have to pull him aside if we want to talk to him."

  "Maybe it's better this way," Kasi said. "It's always better to have the element of surprise on your side."

  Emily turned around. "I thought David was on our side."

  "He will be," Zainab said confidently.

  They arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. The woman checking them in nodded when she saw them on the list and personally escorted them to a small, empty function room. "Just a moment."

  "What's going on?" Kasi asked Zainab.

  Zainab shrugged. "Maybe we're early for the Meet and Greet?"

  "God bless that Hendrickson money," Emily muttered as she looked at her watch, "but we're not early."

  "Screw it," Kasi said as she walked over to the table with appetizers. "I didn't eat much for lunch." Zainab and Emily shrugged, then got plates of food as well and sat down.

  The door opened again two minutes later. "Zainab Oginabe-Kensit, are you kidding me?!" David grinned from ear to ear as Zainab stood up and hugged him. Kasi had never seen him this close before. He was taller than she’d thought he’d be, and not nearly as thin.

  And very handsome, she thought as she bit the inside of her lip.

  Zainab stood back from David. "I kid you not! But do you want to explain putting us into Siberia?"

  "They're giving out wine and fruit in Siberia now? Sign me up!" David said with a laugh. "And are you going to introduce me?" Kasi noticed he wasn't answering the question.

  Emily stood up. "Nice to see you again," she said as she put out her hand. "I'm Emily—"

  David rolled his eyes and pulled her into a hug. "I remember you, Emily Graham. You became a little bit of a legend after you graduated. And how is the law treating Mitch?"

  Emily groaned. "He’s going to be Richard’s in-house counsel as soon as he can wrap up the last bit of his work at the firm."

  "Smart guy as usual," David said. "Except for the part about missing your party that time."

  Emily chuckled. "That was mostly Jessie’s deal, if I’m perfectly honest."

  "Jessie Bartolome?"

  "Soon-to-be Jessie Shepard, yes."

  Kasi noticed that his eyebrow was raised ever-so-slightly. "And I'm Kasi Panchal," she said as she walked over. She didn't offer her hand but nodded slightly. Let's see.

  A look passed over his face. Recognition, she assured herself, but she was blushing again. He put out his hand. "Paloma's campaign manager?"

  "The one and only," she said as she took his hand. Now pretend you don't know and ask me how she's doing so I can get the Hell out of here.

  He shook her hand firmly. "Pleased to meet you. I've heard good things."

  "As have I," Kasi returned. Now she was impressed. "And thank you for the privacy. It's appreciated."

  David smiled slightly. "Would someone like to tell me what's going on then?"

  Zainab put her hands on her hips. "How would you like to be the representative for the Seventh District?"

  ~~~

  David's keynote was about the myth of the Model Minority. "As Representative Judy Chu said better than I, throwing all American descendants of Asian ancestors into the same pot masks a lot of genuine issues that we need to address. Let's celebrate those communities who have a high rate of academic and professional achievement—but let's understand that not all Korean, Chinese or Indian Americans experience that in every community. Let's congratulate those of us—because there is an 'us'—with a strong work ethic, but let's not forget working hard is not a guarantee of success when there are structural problems we have swept under the carpet for decades if not centuries in this country. There are parties other than 'us' who need to help address those issues, but we need to make sure that we don't buy into the press releases either. Our successes—when they come—are as much a result of the values of our communities as they are the families we came from and the legacies they endowed us with. And let's not forget that we are just as American as anyone else in this country; if we succeed, we're making a choice to do so. Let's not let an easy mythology created by other people hide that truth either."

  Zainab looked at Emily and Kasi during the thunderous applause. "What's wrong?"

  Emily sighed. "It's tough being reminded what a failure you are."

  Kasi shrugged. "I’m getting used to it."

  "Then why don't you both redeem yourselves tonight?" Zainab asked with a wink.

  David had been stunned after Zainab's proposition. Kasi knew he'd agreed to meet with them after the event only because he'd been too shocked to come up with a plausible excuse to avoid them. She expected him to bring reinforcements.

  She was not disappointed. When they met at the hotel lounge a few hours later, David was already seated with an African American man of medium height. It took Kasi a second to recognize him.

  "Charlie Gavin, right?" she asked as she shook his hand.

  "Kasi Panchal," Charlie answered with a smile.

  "Hi, I'm Emily Graham," Emily said with a wave, "and this is Zainab Hendrickson."

  "Charlie Gavin," he repeated as he shook both of their hands. "David's chief of staff."

  "And Tony Chauncy's, too," Kasi said.

  "How is Tony doing these days?" Charlie asked with an uncon
cealed sneer.

  Kasi shrugged as they all sat down. "I don't see a lot of him. I'm sure you know more than I do." She knew almost everything about Chauncy's machinations, but Charlie didn't need to know that.

  "It's good to keep in touch with old friends," Charlie said smoothly.

  "Friendship: the foundation of politics, right?"

  Emily waved her hand. "I apologize, but I have a little girl waiting for me at home, so we need to cut to the chase. David, interested?"

  "Why?" Charlie asked, looking at Kasi.

  "Because Castillon, to be blunt, doesn't know what she's talking about. She's already put out feelers in private settings, and she's embarrassed herself. She's a great performer when someone on her staff hands her lines, but she's not good on her feet because she doesn't do her homework."

  Charlie leaned back a little bit. "And who instilled those bad habits in her? Because I always made sure Tony was well-briefed on the relevant issues."

  A good thing Kasi had been so well-trained not to roll her eyes. "Tony was running in one district; Paloma was running in the entire city. And Tony had actually lived in his district so he had some genuine familiarity with the issues his constituents cared about. Paloma was written up as the Deliverer for an under-represented and disrespected group; all she needed to do most of the time was show up and look good."

  Charlie scoffed. "And the Latino community would eat her up."

  "No," Kasi said so sharply that everyone looked up. "I realize you were otherwise occupied during that race, but it was white liberals who both donated and voted most for her."

  "Latinos didn't like her?" Zainab asked.

  "Latinos are no more a bloc vote than African Americans, Asian Americans or Muslim Americans," Kasi answered impatiently. "She's Puerto Rican, but that group has been in Boston a long time and being Puerto Rican alone wouldn't be enough for them. We ran the numbers and she did best with Cape Verdeans. No reason other than that she'd lit-dropped with another candidate who'd done well in a Cape Verdean-heavy area."

  Emily rubbed her eyes. "Lit-dropped…you drop flyers for each other?"

  "It's more than that," David answered, but looked at Kasi. "You make sure your signs are hanging together, and sometimes you even co-brand the same signs. Not exactly co-campaigning, but pretty close."