style is?”
“None at all,” said Ralph.
Finally, he escorted her to the West Wing. The executive offices mesmerized her.
“Now this impresses me,” she said. “This is where it really happens.”
It was quiet in the West Wing, and Jessica quickly noticed.
“Where is everybody?”
“The President is at his place on the Chesapeake for the evening,” Ralph explained. “When he leaves the White House, some of the staff go with him.”
“What about you?”
“I didn’t go this time. The others can take care of him okay.”
“How often do you get time off?”
“This is the first time since the President took office.”
“You mean in three years this is your first night off.”
“Sounds like a great job, doesn’t it?”
“How’s the pay?”
“Not too good.”
“Where do I sign up?” Jessica asked.
“I bet we could use another lawyer.”
“I bet you could too. Show me around.”
R ALPH SHOWED J ESSICA THE press briefing room, and the chief of staff’s office, and the little kitchen area where staff members microwaved their soup and snack-sized Beefaroni. He showed her the Roosevelt Room and explained how it used to be called the Fish Room because that was where FDR used to mount his fish, and how Nixon named the room in FDR’s honor, but got rid of his fish, and that the biggest of the formerly mounted fish, a mackerel, was in storage in the basement. Then he revealed the pièce de résistance.
“Oh my god,” she said. “This is the Oval Office.” Tentatively, she asked, “Can we go in?”
“Of course.”
Jessica walked to the center of the room on the rug with the presidential seal, and took a full, Marlo Thomas turnaround.
“It’s magnificent,” she said.
“In the morning, when the sunlight streams in from the east, it’s almost mystical.”
“I can imagine,” she said.
Jessica pointed toward a cubby. “Is that where Clinton and Lewinsky did it?”
“Yes,” Ralph said, leading her over.
“Who cares where the executive orders are signed,” Jessica said. “I want to see where Clinton took his dates.”
“It isn’t so exciting anymore,” Ralph said. “The President doesn’t even allow real sugar in the West Wing.” He rifled through the coffee station. “Sometimes the President’s secretary smuggles home packets of Equal by stuffing them into her brassiere. Would you like some?”
“That’s okay,” Jessica said.
Together, they walked to the President’s desk. Jessica caressed the top. “This is from the HMS Resolute ,” she said. “The Resolute was an abandoned British ship the Americans discovered and returned to England as a gesture of goodwill. Queen Victoria commissioned the desk and gave it to Rutherford Hayes.”
“I’m impressed,” Ralph said, smiling.
“When I was a kid I wanted to be president,” she said.
“Me too,” Ralph said. He pointed to the desk. “Why don’t you try it out?”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
Solemnly, Jessica sat down. She wiped her palms across the top of the desk and arched her back against the chair to feel the full power of the furniture. Ralph sat down on one of the sofas and watched.
“How do you like it?” he asked.
“It suits me just fine,” she said.
“And you suit it,” he said. “I don’t think that desk has ever looked better.”
Jessica blushed. When the color faded from her cheeks, she turned more serious. “What would you do if you were president?” she asked.
“I would get a beautiful woman to sit behind the desk and I would sit on this sofa and look at her all day.” Ralph pointed at her. “You would do quite nicely.”
“No, seriously, what would you do?”
“I am trying very hard not to be so serious.”
“Just for a moment.”
Ralph took a breath and exhaled. “If I were president of the United States,” he said, “I would place a tax on people who have too much.”
“Too much money?”
“No, just too much in general. You know, people like Tiger
“None at all,” said Ralph.
Finally, he escorted her to the West Wing. The executive offices mesmerized her.
“Now this impresses me,” she said. “This is where it really happens.”
It was quiet in the West Wing, and Jessica quickly noticed.
“Where is everybody?”
“The President is at his place on the Chesapeake for the evening,” Ralph explained. “When he leaves the White House, some of the staff go with him.”
“What about you?”
“I didn’t go this time. The others can take care of him okay.”
“How often do you get time off?”
“This is the first time since the President took office.”
“You mean in three years this is your first night off.”
“Sounds like a great job, doesn’t it?”
“How’s the pay?”
“Not too good.”
“Where do I sign up?” Jessica asked.
“I bet we could use another lawyer.”
“I bet you could too. Show me around.”
R ALPH SHOWED J ESSICA THE press briefing room, and the chief of staff’s office, and the little kitchen area where staff members microwaved their soup and snack-sized Beefaroni. He showed her the Roosevelt Room and explained how it used to be called the Fish Room because that was where FDR used to mount his fish, and how Nixon named the room in FDR’s honor, but got rid of his fish, and that the biggest of the formerly mounted fish, a mackerel, was in storage in the basement. Then he revealed the pièce de résistance.
“Oh my god,” she said. “This is the Oval Office.” Tentatively, she asked, “Can we go in?”
“Of course.”
Jessica walked to the center of the room on the rug with the presidential seal, and took a full, Marlo Thomas turnaround.
“It’s magnificent,” she said.
“In the morning, when the sunlight streams in from the east, it’s almost mystical.”
“I can imagine,” she said.
Jessica pointed toward a cubby. “Is that where Clinton and Lewinsky did it?”
“Yes,” Ralph said, leading her over.
“Who cares where the executive orders are signed,” Jessica said. “I want to see where Clinton took his dates.”
“It isn’t so exciting anymore,” Ralph said. “The President doesn’t even allow real sugar in the West Wing.” He rifled through the coffee station. “Sometimes the President’s secretary smuggles home packets of Equal by stuffing them into her brassiere. Would you like some?”
“That’s okay,” Jessica said.
Together, they walked to the President’s desk. Jessica caressed the top. “This is from the HMS Resolute ,” she said. “The Resolute was an abandoned British ship the Americans discovered and returned to England as a gesture of goodwill. Queen Victoria commissioned the desk and gave it to Rutherford Hayes.”
“I’m impressed,” Ralph said, smiling.
“When I was a kid I wanted to be president,” she said.
“Me too,” Ralph said. He pointed to the desk. “Why don’t you try it out?”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
Solemnly, Jessica sat down. She wiped her palms across the top of the desk and arched her back against the chair to feel the full power of the furniture. Ralph sat down on one of the sofas and watched.
“How do you like it?” he asked.
“It suits me just fine,” she said.
“And you suit it,” he said. “I don’t think that desk has ever looked better.”
Jessica blushed. When the color faded from her cheeks, she turned more serious. “What would you do if you were president?” she asked.
“I would get a beautiful woman to sit behind the desk and I would sit on this sofa and look at her all day.” Ralph pointed at her. “You would do quite nicely.”
“No, seriously, what would you do?”
“I am trying very hard not to be so serious.”
“Just for a moment.”
Ralph took a breath and exhaled. “If I were president of the United States,” he said, “I would place a tax on people who have too much.”
“Too much money?”
“No, just too much in general. You know, people like Tiger
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