“I go to Brown University and I’m majoring in Poly Sci,” Edwin explained.
“Where’s Brown?” Ricky asked, somehow not liking Edwin’s fawning closeness to Lance. Yup, he realized, I’m the jealous type.
“It’s in Rhode Island,” Edwin explained. “As you can probably guess I wanna go into politics some day.” He laughed again, and Lance decided Kai now had some direct competition.
“How old are you?” Lance asked. The guy was small, after all, not much bigger than him.
Edwin grinned. “Twenty this month,” he announced. “This internship has been great experience for me. I really get to see how Washington works.”
Lance glanced at Ricky and noted the jealous look he’d seen on a few occasions. Smiling at the boy he loved, he said to Edwin, “That’s cool, man.”
As they drove through traffic toward the Capitol, Reyna chatted with Edwin about life in Washington, and the intern prattled on about everything from the Fourth of July fireworks shows to long sessions of Congress he’d slept through because they were so boring. Lance and Ricky vaguely listened, mostly focusing on the speech Lance held in his hands, with Ricky mouthing the parts he needed to talk about.
By the time the immensity of the Capitol dome and its side extensions loomed into view, Lance felt his hands sweating. Ricky’s were too. Both boys knew this was the biggest challenge they’d likely ever face––politically, that is. They still needed to figure out how to defeat their unseen enemy, but for now this one was panic-city.
The limo drove past the front so everyone in the car could see the vast expanse of lawn leading up to the most important building in the country besides The White House. Everyone was silent but Edwin, who chattered on about this aspect of the building or that little-known fact. Lance wasn’t even listening anymore. His eyes were wide with awe as the limo drove around the side and then pulled into the East underground garage through a gated entrance.
The underground garage was pretty ordinary and Lance barely gave it a look-see as he gently pulled Ricky from the car the second they were parked. More nervous than he’d been before any public speaking engagement, he quickly dragged Ricky behind the limo and kissed him, drawing on the strength he always got from the other boy. Reyna’s cleared throat drew both of them out like turtles peeking from their shells.
“Ahem,” she said with a grin as she approached. “I promised your parents neither of you would get pregnant this trip, so break it up.”
Both boys blanched and gaped at her in horror before she busted up, and so did everyone else. Even Edwin laughed, which caused the appalled, embarrassed boys to gradually join in. Both mad-dogged Reyna good-naturedly, suddenly more relaxed thanks to her well-timed, if rather inappropriate, joke.
“I’ll remember that, sis,” Lance said with a sheepish grin as they followed Edwin to the elevators.
“Me too,” Ricky affirmed, his face still flushed with embarrassment.
But Reyna just laughed with delight and pretended nothing at all had happened.
Edwin effusively showed them the Capitol rotunda area, currently teaming with summer tourists. The tourists were more fascinated seeing Lance and the other knights than they were the historical artifacts, and many a child asked Lance or Ricky or Reyna for an autograph. Even Esteban and Justin got requests, something unusual for them.
As the hour approached for the joint session to begin, Edwin led them all into the enormous House of Representatives chamber through a side door. At the moment it was empty, and the enormity of the place took everyone’s breath away. Curved row upon curved row of bench seats extended outward from a raised podium that in itself was three levels high, with a giant American flag hanging on the wall dead center. All around the walls above were curved benches that Edwin called the Gallery, used for invited guests and the public to sit in on sessions of Congress. The ceiling was an enormous sunken area with a skylight and hundreds of embedded lights shining down. Everything seemed to be made of burnished, shining wood with carved and fancy copings and other decorative elements. And it was eerily quiet after all the voices that had filled the rotunda.
Lance had never seen anything like it, and he squeezed Ricky’s hand with momentary dread. Every one of these seats would soon be full, he knew. Full for them. He felt his brow break out with sweat at the thought.
Edwin explained that the rest of the group would have prime locations down on the floor in the front row to the right of the podium. The Supreme Court justices always occupied the first row to the left. The Speaker of the House and the vice president would introduce the Round Table members, Edwin went on, and all would file in and take their seats.
“Then the speaker will introduce you and Ricky,” he said to Lance with a grin. “That’s when you enter. Walk straight up the center aisle and around to the steps alongside the dais. Then step to the podium and do your thing.”
He laughed at Lance’s look of mortification. “I’ve seen you speak to tougher crowds than this, Lance,” he offered with a slap on the shoulder. “You’ll do great.”
Lance nodded, but Reyna beamed and even Esteban smiled. “You’ll knock ’em dead, baby boy. And so will baby boy number two.”
Lance and Ricky reddened, glancing at Romo nervously. “Reyna, you’re embarrassing us again,” Lance mumbled.
She shrugged. “Hey, that’s my job.”
Edwin laughed at their antics. “You guys are fun. I’m dying to hear your speech,” he said. Then he checked his wristwatch. “Okay, time for me to get you all to the waiting room. When it’s time, I’ll show you where to enter.”
And so he led the group down the center aisle to exit the house chamber. There were closed doors to either side when they stepped out into a hallway, and Edwin led them to one and opened it. “You guys hang out here until I come back. The senators and representatives should start arriving in about ten minutes. Help yourself to water from the cooler.” Then with a wide-eyed grin he stepped out of the room and closed the door.
The room was small, but like everything else about this building, lavishly appointed, at least by the standards of a bunch of street kids from L.A. Lance and Ricky sat together on a comfortable sofa and held each other’s hand with desperate abandon. Even though Ricky knew Lance would do the bulk of the talking, it terrified him just to think of standing in that gigantic chamber and speaking to the most powerful people in the country. They lay back against the sofa and Ricky rested his head against Lance’s shoulder.
Reyna snapped some pictures of them with her phone, and Justin had Esteban take some of him beside portraits of famous people. “For my Dad,” he explained with a sheepish grin.
They waited about forty minutes before Edwin re-entered the room and told everyone but Lance and Ricky to follow him. The boys stood as the others wished them good luck. Reyna gave each a hug and a kiss, and Esteban and Justin offered the chin raise. Kai gave them a laugh and Dakota the fist bump. Then Ryan shook both their hands and said, “Just don’t make any cracks about buffalo meat.”
Lance’s mouth dropped open and Ryan cracked a lopsided smile. Neither boy had ever heard the man make a joke since they’d known him, except the one about grounding the king, and it brought a huge grin to both their faces.
Ryan winked and followed the others out, and suddenly the boys were alone. They gazed at one another soberly. “You’re making history today, Lance,” Ricky intoned almost breathlessly, the enormity of the moment finally hitting him for real.
Lance smiled. “We’re making history, me and you.”
Ricky shook his head. “You’re the one, Lance,” he said quietly. “If it was up to me to talk to these people, we’d lose for sure. I’m nobody.”
Lance grabbed his shoulders and forced their eyes to meet. “You’ll never be nobody,” he assured Ricky with passion. “Without you I couldn’t do this, don’t you see? Ever since I came back it’s been you that’s gotten me through everything. You make me strong. Without you I’m nothing.”
&
nbsp; Ricky smiled now, his self-doubt and fear dissipating. Then the door opened suddenly and Edwin stepped into the room, grinning broadly. “You’re on, guys.”
Lance and Ricky exchanged a look, took a deep breath and exhaled, then followed the young intern from the room. Two Secret Service agents flanked the double doors into the House chamber, which meant the president had already arrived. Edwin motioned to one agent and he cracked open a door. Edwin glanced into the opening a moment and then waved Lance and Ricky forward. The two agents swung wide both doors and suddenly the boys were gazing upon a terrifyingly large group of people, most with their backs to them. The chamber and the gallery were full to bursting.
At the far end of the chamber, standing at the podium, the Speaker of the House stood at the microphone wearing a gray suit and dark tie. From this distance, Lance couldn’t tell what color the tie was. Then both boys heard the man’s voice echoing off the walls and ceiling. “And now, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court and respected members of Congress, for the first time in our history we are gathered here as one body to be addressed by juveniles, albeit two rather extraordinary juveniles. Please rise and welcome Sir Lance and Sir Ricky of New Camelot.”
He stepped back from the microphone and began to applaud. Lance nearly lost his breath as the entire assemblage, all five hundred thirty five senators and representatives, the justices, the president, and everyone up in the gallery stood as one and began applauding. He froze, then turned and met Ricky’s eyes. Ricky gave him ‘the look’, and fear vanished. Grinning like little kids, the two most famous boys in the world stepped into history and made their way up the aisle.
They smiled at the faces swimming past. Some of those faces smiled back, others scowled. Some, Lance noted, eyed them with dismay.
As they made their way to the front dais, the president stepped forward and shook their hands with a big grin on his face. Suddenly Ryan’s joke about the buffalo meat flashed through Lance’s mind and he laughed as he shook the man’s hand. The president laughed, too, obviously thinking Lance was happy to see him again. Then the boys stepped up to the podium, acknowledged the vice president seated behind it, and shook the Speaker’s hand.
“Welcome, boys,” the man said with a warm smile as he shook each of their hands vigorously. Lance and Ricky thanked him and then turned to the microphone, and the massive crowd before them. Everyone ceased their clapping and resumed their seats, and Lance stood gazing out at the most powerful body of people on earth. His heart pulled into his throat, and he swallowed nervously. He stepped closer to the mic, lifting one sweaty hand to pull the notes from his pants pocket. The notes were rumpled, and some in the front rows chuckled as he laid the messy pages onto the podium. Ricky stood just to his right and slightly behind, awaiting his part of the proceedings, sweating from nervousness.
Lance saw his fellow knights seated in the front row and grinned their way. Reyna blew an air kiss, and Lance smiled broadly. Then he leaned into the microphone and gazed out at the lawmakers. “I bet you all never expected to see this, huh?”
That drew some laughter and Lance relaxed a bit. “Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Honorable Justices of the Court, and respected members of the House and Senate, we thank you for inviting us here today to make our case for the children of this amazing country.”
He scanned the faces below him, noting some attentively paying attention while others were looking away.
“I’m pretty sure some of you were against Ricky and me speaking today,” he went on. “You probably said to yourselves, what’s a couple ’a kids from the streets of L.A. gotta say to us, the most important people in the world?” He offered a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to raise your hands on that one.”
More laughter rose from the chamber, and from the gallery above.
“But we are gonna play a game, right, Ricky?”
Ricky stepped up shoulder to shoulder with Lance. “Yup. Truth or dare, right?”
Lance nodded. “You call it. Shall we ask them for truth or give them a dare?”
Ricky tilted his head, giving an exaggerated performance for the assembled lawmakers. “How about truth?”
“You got it,” Lance said with a grin and they high-fived. Then he turned to the vast assemblage, feeling more relaxed by the second. Just brushing up against Ricky calmed him. “So, you all know how to play, right? Ricky called truth, so whatever I ask you have to give a truthful answer. Got it?”
He noted bewildered looks and heads glancing this way and that. Obviously, he decided, this wasn’t how these joint sessions usually went. Oh, well, this was his show and he’d run it his way.
“Okay, first question,” Lance went on with an inviting smile. “Show of hands. How many of you have read all or part of our children’s bill of rights?”
The lawmakers turned to one another uncertainly, as though waiting for someone to instruct them on proper protocol.
“C’mon, class, don’t be shy,” Ricky said into the microphone, and that drew a large laugh.
Hands slowly rose into the air throughout the chamber. Once all movement ceased, maybe half of the lawmakers had their hands raised. Lance was pleased to note that all nine justices of the Supreme Court had their hands up.
Lance shook his head in exaggerated dismay. “Boy, in my mom’s English class this would be a big fat fail.”
More laughs followed and the lawmakers sheepishly lowered their hands.
Lance didn’t look at all upset––he’d already known what to expect and continued to play out his hand. “Okay, this one is, like, super easy. How many of you feel you’re in touch with the needs of kids in your own districts?”
Now every hand rose into the air, and both Lance and Ricky looked impressed. “Wow,” they both said simultaneously, drawing another laugh as they playfully shoved each other.
“That’s awesome,” Lance said with sincerity, glancing at Ricky.
The other boy leaned in to the mic and asked, “So how many of you talk to your own kids, like, you know, regularly?”
Most hands rose into the air since some of the representatives did not have children.
Ricky flashed a big grin, sharing a look with Lance before continuing. “And of that group, how many of you listen to your kids when they talk?” he asked with raised eyebrows. “Not just hear, but listen?”
All the same hands from the last question again shot up into the air. The lawmakers were obviously confused by what the boys were doing, but played along anyway, maybe just to look good in the eyes of their fellows, and for the television cameras carrying the session live.
Now Lance looked soberly out at the entire assemblage. They all sat and waited. Not a sound could be heard. Lance smiled. “I’m glad to hear that because it means you already know that every one of your children who isn’t, you know, like a toddler, has been in regular contact with Ricky and me since our bill of rights went live. Isn’t that cool? It’s like we’re all one big, happy family here.”
Now rustling uncertainty rippled throughout the chamber and heads turned confusedly toward one another. There were shrugs and headshakes, but not a single hand rose into the air.
Lance’s grin couldn’t get any broader if it broke out of his cheeks. “So, seeing as how you know this, you must also know that all your kids support our bill of rights. Isn’t that amazing?”
Now murmuring conversation erupted throughout the chamber and the House Speaker had to gavel for silence.
Lance feigned shock at their stunned reactions. “Oh, wait. You mean you didn’t know those things? Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you said you listen to your kids. My bad.”
In the front row, Reyna burst into applause, and the other knights joined her. Glancing up, she noticed the president smiling in admiration.
As though on cue, Lance turned to look down at the man. “Oh, and that includes your kids, too, Mr. President.”
Suddenly the president lost that past
ed-on smile and frowned with shock.
Lance turned back to the stunned and once-more silent chamber, gazing down at them with a shake of his head. “At least your children know how to do their homework, huh?” He sighed heavily. “Now maybe you see why us kids need our own bill of rights, because you adults don’t take us seriously. I know some of you are on the right and some on the left, but most of us live in the middle, cuz that’s where problems get solved.”
He looked out over the sea of faces staring up at him. “Why can’t adults just accept kids as we are? And listen to us when we talk? You all just admitted you don’t even know your own kids, so how can you know all the other kids you represent? You can’t, and that’s not your fault. It’s just the way it is. And you all are probably pretty good parents. Maybe great parents. But if even you don’t make time to listen to your kids, how can you expect careless or bad parents to do that?”
He paused a moment to scan the faces below. “How many of you want your kids to think like you do?”
This time a lot of hands went up.
“If you’re on the right you want them on the right, if on the left, you want them there. Because, for some reason, you think all life’s answers can be found in only one direction. But they can’t. And your kids aren’t little mini-me’s. We’re real people, different from you, with likes and wants and opinions of our own. We don’t need to be brainwashed to be successful. All we need is for you to show us how to think, and how to make good choices, so we can grow into good adults. How hard is that for grown-ups? Based on my life and Ricky’s and hundreds of thousands who have emailed us from around the country, I guess it’s pretty hard. Because to you, the adult world, we’re nothing but property. Actually, we’re less than property because property is worth money, and we’re not, at least not ’less a parent can sell their kid like my mama sold me as a baby. Did you all know that? Yeah, I got sold to a stranger, so she could have money for drugs. Some parents sell their kids to modeling agencies or movie studios so they can make money off of them. See what I mean? Property, not human. It just kills me that some of you think kids are safe in this country, that parents will always take good care of them. Think again.”
And The Children Shall Lead Page 26
