Pretty Boy

by Tara Oakes

  I read him, looking for any indication he’s lying, not being truthful, but there is none. Well, fuck me. He might actually be telling the truth, and this whole thing might just be about some nonsense article.

  “I hope you don’t have any plans for the afternoon, Mr. Yeates,” I’m not at all happy about the amount of paperwork that’s going to be involved in this. “You’ll be coming with me. I’ll check out your story, and my bosses will determine whether or not your tricky wordage as you called it, is enough to keep you from being slapped with a shit-load of charges.”

  Nothing I say surprises him, catches him off guard. He’s got to be a reporter. He seems way too comfortable in a situation like this. They live for shit like this. I know I’ve got to do everything by the book, knowing he’s just looking for something to make a journalistic martyr out of himself, a poster boy for journalistic integrity, and freedom of the press.

  “Let’s go,” I instruct my suspect.

  He stands and politely excuses himself. “Miss Leary.”

  “Fuck you,” she returns the favor.

  That seems to make him smile and I’m sure he’ll include it in whatever subject his article ends up being about. A corrupt Senator, the lengths his staff will go to protect him, the Bureau railroading him for it. There are endless possibilities.

  He turns and neatly places his hands together behind his back, waiting for the cuffs.

  This smug son-of-a-bitch probably has someone standing outside ready to snap a picture of him being led away in restraint to support his claim of unfair persecution of the press. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna give him any ammunition like that.

  “I think we’ll just walk out like civilized gentlemen, Yeates.” I inform him.

  “Aw, no cuffs? You’re taking quite a risk, Agent Gibson. I could be a dangerous criminal. Better safe than sorry.” He wriggles his fingers anxiously, awaiting the cold hard steel.

  I take hold of his right arm, just above the elbow, and push him forward. “I’ll take my chances, but I’m begging you, begging you, to put up a fight in front of the witnesses out there and give me cause to throw your ass to the ground and use some justifiable force to thank you for sending me on a wild goose chase these past few days.”

  Jess quickly leaves her desk behind and moves to open the door for me. “Chris,” she starts.

  “I’ll take it from here, Jess. It’s over. We can all get back to normal now.”

  She stands still, and for a moment I see a flash of something across her eyes like she wants to say something but can’t bring herself to do it.

  In the end, she only nods. “Thank you. For everything.”

  I guess that’s it, then. I did what she needed and now she’s done with me.

  “Just doing my job,” I lie, leaving her behind.

  She’s always accused me of putting my job first. I guess I’m just living up to the expectation.

  ~*~

  JESS

  I can’t believe it’s over.

  That whole mess was just about some lousy article trying to expose my dad?

  I feel defeated, like I’ve just been taken for a fool in more ways than one. I’ve heard of dirty politics, of railroading, but this is the worst I’ve seen yet.

  In the end, though, what does it really change? Nothing.

  I look up quickly as my door is knocked upon, finding myself wishing it’s him, that he’s come back for something so I can tell him what I couldn’t say before. So I can tell him I don’t want this to be over.

  “Chris?” I open the door only to be disappointed.

  “Jess? Can we talk? Please?” Dad looks casual in khakis and a sweater, but his face is worn, tired.

  I turn my back to him. “I can’t do this, dad. I told you last night. I’m resigning. I can’t just pretend that none of this happened. I can’t just bury my head in the sand anymore.”

  I can’t bear to look at him, and instead move to my desk, emptying some of my things from the drawers.

  “I know, Jess. I was up all night trying to think of some way to explain myself, but there is none. What I’ve done is inexcusable. I would never ask you to forgive me, but I think I’ve found a way to show you how much I would love it if one day you could bring yourself to possibly even consider it.”

  My head still hurts, although I feel a slight wave of relief take hold as the medicine begins to work its magic over my migraine.

  “Dad, I-I need to pack.” I hide my face from him and wipe my eye at the small tear threatening to escape the corner. I can’t reconcile all the information I’ve found out, all the disappointment I feel with the man I thought he was, the man I’m mourning for now.

  “One thing. That’s all I ask of you. I know you don’t owe me anything, not even that, but please. I’m giving a press conference in ten minutes. I need you to be there. Then, you can leave. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want and I promise I won’t hold it against you.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Please.”

  I feel the tears welling in my eyes at his touch, but find that I can’t answer.

  He squeezes my shoulder before releasing and I hear the door close softly behind him, knowing he’s gone. I take a deep breath before recovering enough to finish packing my belongings as I ponder his request.

  ~*~

  “Hey, Jess!” Martha sees me in the back of the crowded room and weaves her way through the gaggle of reporters to get to me. “What’s this about? I thought we weren’t giving press until tomorrow’s rally?”

  She’s just as confused as I am, as all of these people are. I shrug my shoulders and shake my head slightly at her, signaling that I’m working with just as much information as she is.

  My migraine is just about cleared, and not a moment too soon as the flashing lights of cameras begin to go off like fireworks as dad takes the center podium in the middle of the stage.

  He’s dressed the same way I last saw him, and I can’t help but slip into old habits, ready to reprimand him and his stylist for allowing him to call a press conference without at least wearing a suit.

  Dad takes a deep breath and holds his hand up to the buzzing crowd, signaling that he’ll take no questions at the moment. I scan the front of the room, and see Cooper dressed in one of his best suits with a fresh haircut, reading through some small flashcards.

  He looks nervous, anxious, his lips moving silently as his eyes move along the hidden writing on the cards. That’s odd. Cooper’s is more of a behind the scenes type of position. He looks like he’s getting ready for a speech at the Oscars.

  Roger, my dad’s head of security is sitting next to Cooper with his eyes darting around, scanning the room, always on alert.

  Next to Roger, though, is one particular person who does not belong here. The last time I saw her, it was a far cry from what she looks like now. Esperanza, one of our maids, is dressed in a simple pair of black slacks with a nice-enough, respectable pink cardigan set. Her hair is neat and tidy and she smiles politely at those who catch her eye.

  What the hell is happening? I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone.

  “Ladies and Gentleman,” dad calls everyone’s attention. “I want to thank each of you for making time in your busy schedules to come here today as I announce my resignation from the United States Senate.”

  The room goes deathly silent as I digest his words.

  “I cannot tell you what an honor and a privilege it’s been serving the good people of South Carolina these past years. It’s been one of the highlights of my life, of my career, and I hope I’ve somehow made a difference in this great country of ours. There are so many people I want to thank for taking this journey with me. Some of them are here now, some of them aren’t.

  “I’d like to thank my wife Janet Leary, for standing by me throughout my career. Some of you may not realize that a big part of politics is sacrifice. My wife sacrificed more than I ever had a right to ask of her, for the sake of my career. It is with much respect for her that
I announce we have separated some time back. This crazy career of mine had kept her from fully moving on, and so I want to give her the one thing I have left to give her. I want to give her freedom. The freedom to move on and be happy and live a fulfilled life that our whole family can rejoice in.

  “My family may not be perfect. We may not be the picture-perfect poster-ready family that this career sometimes pressures us to pretend to be, but we are most definitely real. We’re as real, and as flawed, and as imperfect as every other family out there. Perhaps I’m the most flawed of all, though.

  “I’ve lived so long being focused on the greater picture that I didn’t realize what trade-offs and concessions I’ve made along the way. Somehow, now, as I look back, I’m not sure it’s something I can continue to do. I can’t in good conscience serve the people of my constituency unless I know that I’m the best man for the job. I can’t honestly say that I am anymore.

  “So, it is with a heavy heart that I realize I must step aside to work on myself, to make sure that I’m the best man, the best father I can be. Those things must be my priority right now. There was a time when all I wanted to do was to make you all proud of me. I found out that wasn’t such an easy thing to do, and so it became part of a game to make it seem as if I was worthy of that pride. I need to step back and focus on making the most important person in my life proud of me again, to be worthy of her respect. Because, you see, she’s the only person I’ve ever met who’s never, ever disappointed me. She couldn’t, not since the day she was born. But, I’m afraid I’ve disappointed her, greatly. Sometimes a man can be too much to too many people. A Senator, a husband, a father, a candidate, an employer. Right now I need to focus on only one of those things, because it’s the most important.

  “The greatest thing about this country of ours is it’s resiliency, it’s ability to come back from a place where it all seems hopeless. That’s one of the biggest miracles I’ve seen while serving you. I ask that you allow me to now put those principles to good use and do the same thing for myself. To find a way to be resilient, to make you all proud again. Not as a Senator, but as a man, a father. That’s what I ask of you.”

  I can feel several people turning in their seats to find me in the crowd, knowing full-well that the majority of this speech is meant for me. They’re all fuzzy through my tear-filled eyes.

  “I cannot in good conscience, though, leave you without a candidate for the upcoming election. I’ve conferred with those members of my party whose responsibility it is to appoint a replacement candidate and they’ve unanimously agreed on one individual to meet the call. Ladies and Gentleman, I introduce you to your candidate for the United States Senate, representing the great state of South Carolina, Mr. Cooper Braun.”

  Holy. Fucking. Shit.

  ~*~

  Dad is rushed off the stage quickly before any reporters are given an opportunity to have questions answered. Cooper looks more than happy to take his place and begin his first official campaign speech.

  I don’t have the stomach to listen to it, and exit the room discreetly before I become the target of a rogue reporter’s attention. The outside of the small auditorium is empty, dead, as every single person is inside listening to the bombshell news of the day.

  I leave my box of belongings from my desk on the main reception counter and move determinedly through the back halls, into the room I’m sure dad’s being hidden in until after the crowds have left.

  Roger is standing outside the door but nods politely to me as I approach and steps aside for me to enter.

  “Dad?” I call into the room ahead of me.

  His tired eyes light up. “Hey, Pumpkin.”

  He hasn’t called me that since I was five.

  “Dad, what are you doing?” I urge him.

  “What I have to, Jess. I can’t do this anymore. I’ve known that for a while, but couldn’t find a way out. Seeing that look in your eyes last night, though, that was it. I couldn’t bear it.”

  He’s lost his damn mind. “Does mom know about this?”

  I’ve made it a point not to discuss either parent with the other for a while now, but this is a special circumstance.

  He nods, relaxed somehow, more relaxed than I’ve seen him in a long time. “I talked to her this morning. She knows everything. She’s known all along.”

  I can feel the eyes of Esperanza on me as she watches silently from the far corner, giving my dad and I some privacy. “About her? Does mom know about her?”

  I find that my words are mixed with nasty sarcasm.

  “She knows there’s someone else. Just as I know she has someone else, too. We’ve just foregone the formality of making our separation legal, that’s all.” He seems genuinely cautious of how I interpret his words.

  I lean in, lowering my voice. “Dad, she’s the maid, she’s just a kid.”

  “She’s not just the maid, Jess. I met her on a business trip to Mexico two years ago. We fell in love. She came to the states and I set her up with a job at the house so we could be discreet. She’s almost thirty, she’s hardly a kid.”

  I look over my shoulder and study Esperanza closely for the first time. She does seem slightly older than I may have given her credit for, but she’s still way too young for my father.

  “Jess, I’m not asking for your approval. Just as I don’t expect you to ask me for approval for who you chose to love. I only want you to be happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “Senator,” Dad’s private secretary interrupts us. “We really need to finalize all the paperwork.”

  “Dad!” I beg him not to leave things up in the air like this.

  “It’s all right, Pumpkin. I’m retired now. We’ve got all the time in the world to talk this out. But, first, I’ve got to wrap all this up. I’ll see you at home tonight?”

  My mind spins with all this new information. How- why- what—

  I nod.

  He kisses me on the forehead. “Good.”

  ~*~

  The room cleared out a while ago, but I choose to sit in the silence, in private while I let this all sink in.

  So much has changed in just a day.

  Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it hasn’t all just suddenly changed. Maybe it’s been slowly changing all along and I’ve just been ignoring it, pretending it wasn’t happening.

  When mom first announced she was moving to New York to take on a position at one of the modern art galleries up there, I convinced myself it was just her taking an opportunity to do something for herself, to break out of the first-lady mold she’d been carved into all these years.

  When she stopped coming home as often, I told myself it was just because she was busy and couldn’t make the trips, so I’d compensate by going to visit her instead.

  Could I have been blind? Been subconsciously burying my head in the sand not to realize what was going on?

  Mom has never been happier, more carefree since moving, I thought it was just because she enjoyed her new job. Maybe it was because she was enjoying her new freedom.

  As much as I hate to admit it, even dad’s been happier since the change. I’ve never spent a whole lot of time home, either when I was finishing up school or even when I graduated and moved home, to pay too close attention, but now that I think back, I can recall more than a few times where Esperanza had gone out of her way to take care of dad.

  Maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s not my place to judge him or her for that matter, as long as he’s happy. And if he’s right about that, then maybe he’s right about the other thing he said, too. Maybe it’s not his place to judge who I’m with.

  I tried my best not to let the possibility that I was disappointing dad interfere with my relationship when I was dating Chris, but maybe it was always there, clouding my own decisions and giving me an excuse to walk away, to justify why I was giving up.

  I bury my head in my hands and shake my head in frustration. I need a fucking shrink to sort all this out.

  “Hey, Jess?”
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  I look up as Cooper walks in, beaming. “Hey, honey. I’d wondered where you were.”

  This is one more complication I can’t handle right now. I haven’t had a second’s chance to talk to Cooper since I’d gotten back.

  “Oh, I’m just, you know, trying to catch my breath,” I attempt a smile.

  He scans over me. “I’m sure. This is a crazy day. I hate to do this, but I need to ask you to put aside being the Senator’s daughter for a little while to be the candidate’s girlfriend. I have my first appearance tonight, and I need you by my side. The voter’s need to see you, to see a smoothe transition from the old guard to the new one, ok baby?”

  This is crazy, but maybe it’s just the kind of crazy I need right now, a distraction from having to deal with everything else.

  I nod. “Sure.”

  Cooper smiles and leans forward, kissing the tip of my nose. “There’s my kitten. I know it’s been a busy few weeks and we really haven’t had time for each other, but maybe tonight can be a new beginning? A fresh start? Maybe it can be the night we finally take things to the next level?”

  He’s been so patient with me, but he’s still a man, with the same wants and needs as all the rest of them. Frankly, I don’t know why or how he’s put up with me turning him down or making excuses as long as I have.

  Now that Chris has let me know how he really feels, that he’s done with us, what’s to hold me back from moving on with Cooper?

  “Hey Coop?” AnnMarie, the fiscal specialist walks in with a tablet in hand. She doesn’t wait for a reply before interrupting us. She’s all business, that woman. “I’ve been going over your financials before we submit your disclosures to the committee for approval, and there are some charges I need you to clarify from your expense report.”

  Back to business.

  I jump up from my seat on a tabletop and smooth out my skirt as the two of them talk shop.

  “It’s easier if we work backward. I know they’re going to scrutinize you for every little thing, so I’d rather have a summary already prepared to hand over. Last Sunday there was a miscellaneous charge to a dog groomer, then a few days before that a cleaning service, and then two Monday’s ago there were two charges to bar in Tourville, Texas, then last month there was a tailor who charged your card almost a thousand dollars--”