“The way that Ms. Draper as the fiancée to the President of the United States is affecting him, it’s clear that she is affecting his judgment and ability to make decisions,” a spokesman for the office commented when contacted.
“Just the other day, the President of the United States rushed out from his presidential limousine and onto a Washington DC street to enter into an altercation with a mugger. This mugger was carrying a knife. Can you imagine the Constitutional crisis that would have occurred if the President were to have gotten stabbed? Would a simple assault and possible rape have turned into an assassination of the President of the United States?” The spokesman went on to say.
Let me just pause for a moment there to tell you that in my personal life I do not like Bob Walker. His office is going on the record to say that some kinds of crimes like rape are less of an issue than other kinds such as the President of the United States getting stabbed. It’s as if one form of crime is acceptable, but for the nature of his argument, the other kind of crime is not if it involves stabbing the President. I get the President is important, but so is the life of every single female in the United States.
But once you get past all the icky contemptuous sneering that's been coming out of the Bob Walker camp, you see that there is a kernel of truth is what’s being said.
How many times prior to announcing Ms. Draper as his fiancée has the President jumped out of a speeding car to start fighting with a knife-wielding mugger?
That’s right. Zero.
To be fair, one incident by itself doesn’t make the case that the President is going from single bachelor with a dedicated focus on clearing the cave and making America tremendous again, but it falls into a pattern. All of a sudden we’re seeing this President out on Date Night. He’s sticking up for his girlfriend. He’s doing everything that a normal fiancé would.
Except there is nothing normal about this situation. There is nothing normal about dating and getting married to the most important man in the free world. The man who with the touch of his fingers on a button, could bring blackness and death upon the world.
And no, not that button! The nuclear button! Get your mind out of the gutter. We’re talking about Austin Bain and his rapidly evolving First Lady to be.
He’s the President of the United States. So unless they are doing the whole thing as a show for our benefit where they pretend to be in love, the President really is changing to suit the moods of his lady.
All I have to say is let's hope that it’s a good change. After all, two people cleaning the cave is way better than one!
20
Ashley
I look out the window, watching the blanket of clouds below us. The steady hum of the engines makes my mind drift off and, if it weren’t for Austin being here with me, I’d fall asleep like a baby in a matter of minutes.
“What are you thinking of?” he asks me, looking up from the handwritten sheets of paper sitting on his desk.
“Nothing and everything,” I reply, yawning lazily as I stretch. We’re sitting inside the President’s office inside Air Force One, and I’ve been keeping him company while he goes over his speech.
“Now that’s a politician's reply,” he chuckles, his eyes once more dancing over his speech. “You’d do well if you went into politics, Ash.”
“I’m doing well already, in case you haven’t noticed,” I laugh, wiggling my hand up in the air and showing him the diamond ring on my finger. “I might not be a politician, but I guess I’m doing a good enough job on the backstage. And, you know, backstage is where the real magic happens.”
“I won’t argue with that,” he whispers without taking his eyes off his speech, his lips slowly moving as he tries to rehearse his words silently.
“I want to do more than just work in the backstage, though. I’ve planned some visits to local schools.”
“Oh?” he says, finally raising his head to look at me. “You don’t have to do that, Ash.”
“I know, it’s not like that,” I tell him with a smile. “I want to do it. I’m in a position where I can do some good, and I want to use it. I guess your passion for changing the world has rubbed off on me,” I laugh, my eyes never leaving his.
“I think I rubbed more on you than just my passion for changing the world,” he shoots right back without wasting a breath, his eyes narrowing deviously.
“Definitely more than just that.” I fold my legs, patting the front of my dress, and lean back against my seat by the window. “My mother used to be a teacher, you know? It isn’t easy for teachers, specially when it’s so hard for schools to get proper funding.”
“I guess you did your homework, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I reply. I’m not just a pretty face, and it feels good to have Austin acknowledge it. When I knew we’d be flying to Arizona, I decided to wield whatever influence I might have to try and do some good. I figured that visiting a few local schools could be a go
od thing to raise awareness. All it took was one call to Tracy, and she loved the idea. “We blow so much money on so many other things, I just think we could use some of that money on raising our youth.”
“See? That’s why I said you’d do well as a politician. In the good sense,” he adds after he sees me frowning. “I’m glad to see you’re more than just what meets the eye… Most women in your position would be happy to just take the money and do as little as possible.
“That isn’t me.”
“I know… and that’s why I’m glad Tracy chose you,” he says, getting up from his seat and walking around his desk. He comes over to me and takes the seat in front of mine. I look at him with a gentle smile, completely unable to wipe it off my face. It just feels good to be appreciated; most men just look at me as some kind of sex object, and I couldn’t be happier that Austin sees more than that in me. Women like to be seen as beautiful, yeah, but sometimes they want more than just that. They want to be seen as equals.