That hit him in the middle of the chest, and he couldn’t even speak. He tried drinking some tea, but it felt as if it was going to choke him.
“Keep with the party, son, and make sure you listen to the donors.”
Suddenly, his voice came back to him. “Dad, a few years ago they were off our radar. We had other things to do. We even built a strong demographic with them. There are many more of the gays on our side now.”
“Enough to make a difference? No! We’ll keep them, don’t worry about that. Our messaging is fine. And, if we alienate them, let the other side have them. It’s more messaging for us! The other side is already filled with limp-wristed bastards.”
“Can you keep that talk down this weekend?”
His father’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Lee. “Why? Is that man you brought one of them?”
He hated his father more in that moment than any other time in his life. “Yes, okay? So, keep that talk down, please?”
“You brought a faggot into our home? Lee, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I have an election coming in a year. I was thinking I need to work even when I’m home. That great work ethic you brag about handing down to me.”
“Fine, this time. Next time, he stays back in DC, and you can call him if you need him.”
His father rose from the table, leaving his tea mostly untouched. Lee didn’t move, feeling the seething inside him. He wanted to run to Eli and tell him that he’d resign from the senate, that he’d had enough of donors and lies and pitting one side against the other.
Neither party was innocent. It wasn’t like he could change and go over to them. It would be different donors, different lies. He got up and went outside, away from the workers assuring the patios and pool were spotless and decorated perfectly.
It wasn’t like Lee wasn’t preparing for it, but he had to escalate. Knowing their plans for his community, well, Eli was right. He hadn’t done enough. He’d ignored so much, all to cover for his own skin.
The thing was, they’d blame Eli. With his father knowing Eli was gay, he’d say Eli got to him. Thing was, they’d be right. All those thoughts that lived in the very back of his mind, Eli was the one who’d brought them to the front and made him want more.
He couldn’t have that clouding his mind, though. There was so much to do, and he was about to be in a party with many men and women with whom he needed to make some deals.
But that was the thing. His mind was clouded. All of it, the possibility of leaving politics especially, it nagged at him. Would that be enough for Eli to see he’s changed?
He doubted it, but perhaps, gathering all those favors, that might be enough to give Eli what he needed.
His mother was rushing through the house, frantic, and that was how she thrived. “Lee, darling, don’t be in the way.”
“No, Mother, I was going to go for a walk along the beach. I need to clear my head.”
“Good idea, dear. Don’t be too long, you’ll need to ready for the party.”
“Of course, Mother.”
The beach was a calming place for most, but the rolling waves mocked him. The sound of them reminded him of the cacophony in his own mind, how it refused to settle for even a moment.
Seeing the birds flying over the water, a flock of them as they hunted for their meal…
“Senator Madison, is that you?”
Lee turned around to see two men in suits, their pantlegs rolled up and shoes in hand.
“Excuse me?”
One was African American, the other a plain faced white man with so little interesting features, he could be a sculpture. There were no lines on his face, nothing. The black man walked up to him first, and said, “We’d like to talk to you, Senator.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to make an appointment. Besides, this is a private beach. I’d hate to see you arrested for trespass.”
That’s when the badges came out, one issued by the FBI and the other was Homeland Security. “I’m Daniel Rodgers, from Homeland, and Terrance Hill, here, is FBI,” the white guy told him.
“I can see that. What is it you want from me here?”