David looked at Kelly and then turned back to Chris. “Since there’s nothing on the menu that we don’t love, and since Elton and his posse never fail to amaze me, I think as long as it’s agreeable with my wife, we’ll follow his suggestions for dinner. Except for dessert. We have dessert waiting for us when we get home.”
Kelly offered a nod of approval. “That sounds fantastic, Chris. At least that’s one less decision we have to struggle with tonight.”
“In that case, let me start you off with the wine that Mr. Kirby selected.”
Chris nodded at another attendant standing near the veranda entrance, who picked up a tray with wine and glasses. Chris turned his attention back to David and Kelly. “The wine is a 2018 Bordeaux from Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Cru Pessac.”
The assistant gently placed a long-stemmed crystal glass in front of Kelly, then David.
“We were able to get a single case of this a year ago.” Chris opened the bottle. “We only offer it to special guests, and only then for special occasions. It’s unbelievable, but don’t fall in love with it. I’m afraid that after this bottle the 2018 batch is gone.”
He poured a small amount of wine into David’s glass and said simply, “Sir.”
David swirled the pour and took a tiny sip. He let it roll across his tongue, then pursed his lips and breathed in slightly through his mouth. David was no sommelier but knew what he liked. This was smooth with just a hint of what he recognized as oak and cherry. “This is incredible.”
“Perfect,” Chris said as the assistant filled Kelly’s glass. “I guarantee you will also be impressed with the dinner selection. Mr. Kirby has suggested the Chef’s Tasting, a seven-course dinner featuring cuisine made to order by our executive chef. It’s only available three nights a week, and each night, he prepares a different combination of dishes.”
“Thank you, Chris,” David replied. “It looks like we are in your hands for the next hour or so.”
As Chris left to begin their dinner service, David shifted his chair closer to Kelly. “As I was saying before we had to get out of the car, I have a one-on-one meeting with the president in the morning. According to Judson, Matt wants to personally let me know about his condition and his plans to resign immediately. Judson said he also wants to ask me to run for POTUS and to pledge his support for my doing so, and on the Centrist Party ticket.”
David moved his glass to the right, then reached out and lightly placed his hand over his wife’s.
“Kelly, this whole thing is unprecedented on so many levels. But we have to decide tonight. I have to be ready to give the president a thumbs-up or -down when I meet with him in the morning. If I say no, the case is closed. We go about our lives and our careers as if nothing ever happened. We drive to the grocery store, buy clothes off the rack, and eat at Cheeburger Cheeburger, just like we’ve been doing for the last five years. However, if I say yes, our lives are turned upside down. Win or lose, things will never be the same.
“The campaign will be intense. Every word either of us says and every move we make will be splashed on CNN and FOX, taken out of context, analyzed by a dozen talking heads, and tucked away for future reference. Right now, I’m as happy as a monkey with a peanut machine. I love the life we’re living, and I’m not the least bit sure that I want to change it. On the other hand . . .” David’s voice trailed off, and he locked a conflicted gaze on Kelly’s eyes.
Just then, Chris and his assistant appeared. Chris placed two small plates, each containing a sliver of farmer’s bread, two oval slices of duck sausage, and a dollop of scrambled eggs and truffles in front of his guests. As he did so, his assistant poured a splash of wine into each glass.
“Your appetizers, like everything you will be served tonight, were made from scratch today. The eggs and the duck are free-range from right here on our farm. The only thing that isn’t local is the wheat in the bread and the truffles, which we import from a small estate in France. Bon appétit.”
Chris and his assistant made a hasty retreat.
Kelly leaned forward. “David, there are three hundred million people in this country, give or take a few hundred thousand illegals. I’m not going to sit here and let you talk yourself out of an opportunity that ninety percent of them have fantasized about. Not once have you shared any political aspirations with me, and now this drops in your lap. You’ve got to swing at this one, honey. And if you swing and miss, so what? How many times have I heard you quote Theodore Roosevelt? ‘Who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knew victory nor defeat.’
“And don’t worry your pretty little head about me or changing our lifestyle. We’re in things together. Remember that ‘for better or worse’ thing? Besides, nothing would please me more than to see you slam-dunk Jim Phillips. This could well be our one and only chance to keep him and his posse of lunatics out of the White House.
“Now, eat your duck, drink some wine, and let’s talk about how we’re going to pay our mortgage while you’re running for office.”
David smiled and squeezed Kelly’s hand. He was well attuned to that tone of voice. Argument or resistance was fruitless. Besides, he genuinely wanted his wife not just to support him but to be entirely on board with his unspoken decision to go for the gold. He had been vocalizing his own subconscious fears. She wasn’t afraid of a damn thing.
“Thanks, sweetheart! You can’t imagine how much what you just said means to me. Oh, by the way, I hadn’t got around to telling you that Envision-2100 will pay both of us a generous stipend during the campaign and for quite some time afterward in the event I’m not elected.”
“Well jeez, David, that puts this decision squarely into a no-brainer category. Now, Mr. President, let’s enjoy this feast. This is the best wine I’ve ever had.”
David relayed details of his meeting with Envision-2100, and for the rest of the meal, they discussed some of the countless tasks that lay before them. A tingle of anticipation and excitement prickled David’s skin.
After they had finished the last course, Chris brought each of them a china mug, not the dainty little cups that David was expecting in a restaurant like the Comus. As he poured steaming hot coffee from a polished silver pot, David commented, “So, Chris, you aren’t going to tell me that you guys grow your own coffee beans, are you?”
“No, sir. This is Community Club, from New Orleans, the same brand you can get at Safeway. The chef says he has tried them all, and you can spend a lot more for Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, or some Whole Foods foo-foo variety, but you can’t get anything any better. He pairs the blend to the meal, just like he does the wine.”
David sipped his coffee. “The guy knows what he’s doing. It’s delicious. Not too strong and not the least bit bitter.” He smiled at Chris. “Now, if you’ll bring us our check, we will get out of your hair.”
“Everything has been taken care of, Mr. Secretary, including the gratuity. It’s been our pleasure to serve you and Mrs. Stakley. I hope we have exceeded your expectations.”
“Indeed, you have, Chris,” Kelly interjected. “Personally, this was the nicest dining experience I’ve ever had.”
As they got up to leave, David noticed Lawrence sitting at a small table situated beside the veranda entrance. Lawrence stood up the instant that David got out of his chair. He scanned the other diners as the Stakleys made their way out of the room. When David and Kelly drew near his post, Lawrence joined them. He walked two steps in front and, as the hostess opened the restaurant entrance, led them outside, where Charles was waiting, holding the rear passenger door open.
Once David and Kelly were in the car, Charles slipped behind the wheel and Lawrence climbed into the front passenger seat.
“I take it you two have been working as a team all evening,” David said.
“Yes, sir,” Lawre
nce replied. “Charles dropped me off on his way to your house. Whenever possible, we follow that method: at least one advance scout and at least one escort. Unless you tell us otherwise, we’ll be your ‘in public’ shadow for the foreseeable future. Except when we’re driving you somewhere, you’ll most likely never see us. But Charles and I, or one of our associates, will be close at hand anytime you are outside your home or office.”
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived home. Charles stopped the Mercedes at the front entrance, and Lawrence escorted the couple to the door. He handed David two small cell phones. “We ask that you accept these communication and tracking devices. One for each of you. If you ever need Charles or me, or our backup team, just enter two one zero zero. It will automatically call the dispatcher at Blackwater HQ, indicate your location, and connect you to the appropriate SO—security operator. It’s encrypted, so even if its signal is intercepted or monitored, your conversation and location can’t be understood or tracked.”
“Thank you, Lawrence.” David took the phones and unlocked the front door of his home with an electronic cipher key. “I’ve got about a million questions, but they can wait. Right now, I’ve got to prepare for a meeting, and I have another call to make.”
Lawrence nodded. “Good night, Mr. Secretary, Mrs. Stakley. I hope you enjoyed the evening. It has been a pleasure.”
“The pleasure is ours, Lawrence. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” Kelly stepped inside.
“Good night, Lawrence. We appreciate what you and Charles are doing for us.” David shook Lawrence’s hand and followed Kelly inside, locking the door.
David found Kelly in the kitchen. As he opened the box of coconut cake Mattie had made for him, Kelly popped a Starbucks pod into their Keurig.
“We’ve got to get some of that Community Club coffee. That stuff was delicious.” Kelly’s remarks sounded somewhat offhand, as if her mind was elsewhere. “What’s this phone call you were telling Lawrence you have to make this evening?”
David sliced the cake and slid the slices onto dessert plates, which he laid on the kitchen’s breakfast table. “I promised Judson I would call him with a decision, one way or the other, after you and I had a chance to talk.” David pulled Kelly’s chair back as she walked to the table with their coffee. After they were both seated, he got out his iPhone.
“Are we going to eat our cake first, David?” Kelly quizzed with just a tiny hint that they were breaching her rules of cellphone etiquette.
“No, we can eat while we are talking. This shouldn’t take long, and I want to get it behind me before either of us changes our mind. Sort of like when Hernán Cortés and his fleet landed in Veracruz. He ordered his men to burn their boats so they could get about the task of conquering Mexico and wouldn’t be trying to find an excuse to go back to Spain.”
“You read too much, David,” Kelly remarked with her dry humor. “Wow! This cake is scrumptious. Forget the presidency. Let’s hire that lady and open a bakery.”
David raised his phone. “Siri, call Judson Ballard, on speaker.”
A pleasing, yet also somewhat creepy, voice responded: “Calling Judson Ballard, mobile, on speaker.”
Taking advantage of a three-ring pause, David and Kelly munched bites of cake. As they were sipping their coffee, Judson’s voice rang out.
“If my caller ID is accurate, this is the future president of the United States.”
“And his wife,” David instantly replied.
“An unexpected surprise, Kelly. I look forward to meeting you in the flesh, and hopefully in the very, very near future. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good, I hope,” Kelly responded.
“Well, of course. In fact, I can’t wait to see if you really do have wings and a halo. So, David, you haven’t actually said you were in the game.”
“First of all, Judson, thank you for everything you have done for me today, from the flying limousine to what turned out to be the most fantastic dinner we have ever had. You’ve made Kelly and me feel exceptional, so thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.
“Yes, we discussed my candidacy. Not so much the details but what it means and how it will impact our lives. To say that we are both apprehensive would be to state the glaringly obvious. But to answer your question: yes. You, Envision-2100, and the Centrist Party have got themselves a presidential candidate.”
“That’s without a doubt the best news I’ve had in a long time, David. You shouldn’t worry about the details. Not tonight. We’ve already started pulling a team together to handle those, starting tomorrow. But it’s getting late, you have a meeting in the Oval Office in the morning, and I have a long list of stuff to do running through my brain. Let’s plan to talk tomorrow after your meeting with POTUS.”
19
Grand Teton National Park
The evening of the day of
Jeremy pulled the truck back onto the highway. Even with his fog lights, the visibility extended only thirty or forty feet beyond the hood. Both he and Judy stared straight ahead. Clutching the wheel in a subconscious death grip, he eased forward, driving barely ten miles an hour. He switched on the wipers, and ash smeared across the windshield.
“Oops, bad move,” he said. “No wipers. The ash is bad enough, but if I leave them on, the pumice will scratch the glass, and visibility will go from bad to worse.”
“Now I wish I’d sprung for the radar guidance option when I bought this thing,” Judy added.
Right after they crossed the bridge over Pacific Creek, Jeremy spotted a massive lump in the middle of the left lane. It was the lifeless body of a buffalo. Another lump appeared next to the road a few yards in front of the truck, on their right.
The F-250’s headlights revealed dark stains on the pavement coming from the animals’ nostrils. Jeremy realized that, as Judy had warned earlier, the beasts had been running, blinded and terrified, as glass-like particles in the ash cloud shredded the inside of their lungs.
“Oh my God, Mom! Did you see that poor buffalo?” Ellis wailed.
Fiona chimed in: “He’s dead in the ditch. And there’s another one over here. Dad, are we going to die like that?”
Still maneuvering the truck through the ever-increasing rain of ash and pumice, Jeremy tried to restore some semblance of calm despite his own nauseating sense of dread. He glanced at Judy. “We’re going to be OK, ladies. Help me keep an eye on what’s going on in front of us. It’s almost impossible to see where we’re going. The road has practically disappeared. I’m trying to drive where I think it is. I need everyone to focus. If you see something, say something. Don’t assume I see it. I’d rather have a scream in my ear than a bear on our hood.”
“Or a Volvo,” Judy added.
They crept along for another hour, barely moving the needle on the speedometer.
Off to the right, Jeremy made out the entrance to the Snake River Overlook. They had passed this heavily visited spot when they had first driven up US 191 in the opposite direction on their way to Colter Bay. The view of the Snake River and the valley it formed as it flowed south was unquestionably one of the most beautiful sights in the park. Normally. Tonight, it was invisible, marked only by the highway cutouts leading into a parking lot.
As they slowly drew closer to the entrance, Fiona announced, “I’ve gotta pee.”
“For once, your timing is perfect,” Judy replied. “Let’s pull over, Jeremy. I could stand a comfort stop myself.”
As Jeremy eased the truck and trailer off the road, Judy continued, “Girls, here’s the deal. After we’re stopped, I’ll get out and open the door of the Airstream. Once I have it open, hold your breath, run after me, and get inside. We will each wet a towel and make a mask, like your dad did when he went down to the creek.
“Once everyone has their mask on, we’ll all go outside together. I don’t want to take a chance of any of us getting
separated and losing our way in this mess. We’ll squat and pee on our way back to the truck, so we don’t need to worry about flushing the Airstream toilet. We have to conserve every drop of water possible. Any questions?”
The girls shook their heads.
Leaving the engine running, Jeremy grabbed his flashlight and pulled on his towel mask. “Wait up, Judy. I’ll come around to your side of the truck and hold the light for you and the girls. Probably not necessary, but as you said, it’s best to be on the safe side.”
“We’re gonna be on the wet side if you don’t hurry,” Fiona moaned.
Opening his door as little as possible, Jeremy slid out of the truck and dashed around the front end to Judy’s door. He eased it open and shone the light back toward the entrance of the Airstream. Although it was only about twelve feet away, it was barely visible through the falling muck.
For the first time since they had bought the Airstream, Jeremy and Judy had failed to lock it when they were packing up. And for once, this turned out to be a blessing. Judy put on her towel mask and got out of the truck, forgetting to grab the keys. She ran to the front of the trailer, jerked the door handle, and scrambled inside.
Jeremy turned to the girls. “Ellis, you go first, and as soon as you’re inside, I’ll send your sister.” Ellis took a deep breath, and when her dad gave her a nod, she took off. Three seconds later, he gave the order to Fiona: “OK, go!” With all three women safely inside the RV, Jeremy closed the truck door, tightened his own towel mask, turned to face the left rear wheel, and urinated.
After relieving himself and making sure the truck was OK and still running, Jeremy walked back to the Airstream and joined Judy and the twins inside.
As the women soaked hand towels and fitted them around their necks, Jeremy pulled a plastic Walmart bag from the counter underneath the sink. He pulled out four apples from a mesh bag hanging on a wall hook and snatched his family’s hiking canteens. Then he went to the rear bedroom and pulled a case off one of the pillows.
Out of Crisis Page 13
