God of War:
Part 3


Lynn Jepsen


Sam has been pacing the length of his office since John Wallace left.
That makes it twenty-three minutes of nonstop pacing. Of course, I'm
almost certain the dismal failure of Lily and I to make any progress at
the embassy isn't helping the tension level around here. "I hate this
job!" I jump up off the couch then, and cross the room to where Sam is
standing, suddenly rooted to the ground. His hands are clenched into
fists, and his eyes are staring at something in the distance.

My hands settle around his waist, and I hug him from behind. I leave my
head resting against the back of his shoulders. Finally he relaxes and
turns around in my arms. "After reelection, I was supposed to have a
chance to govern. When have I had a chance to govern? Did I sleep through
it?" Oh Sam. "I don't know if I can do this." I know you. I know you can
do this.

The door to Josh's office swings open, and he sticks a head in. "I can
come back if I'm interrupting...." His voice trails off to a faint
whisper when he catches the look on Sam's face. "Is everything okay?" Sam
straightens up then, and nods. Have I mentioned that this is a bad time
for these two to fall off their game? It is. It's such a bad time.

"Lisa?" I'm going to go check on.... "Yeah. Could you--" Take care of
your speech tonight? I planned on it. Everything will be ready by five. I
promise. Sam offers me a soft look, and I close the door. Margaret
studies me as I pass through the outer office and make a beeline for
Diana.

*

When I finally extricate myself from my role as Sam's therapist, I dash
upstairs to check on the kids. They don't notice me for a second, which
is good, because I like to know what I'm walking in on. Usually it's
pretty easy - cowboys and Indians used to be the game of choice, until
Sam confiscated the water pistols, then there was a brief stint of Secret
Agent, but I think Josh put an end to that. I can't figure out what
they're playing this time though, so after a moment, I give in, and walk
into the room.

"Momma! Where's Daddy? He promised we could plant a tree today!" I unwrap
Elle's arms from my waist and hoist her over my shoulder. You've got to
learn some patience, young lady. She giggles then, using her bird's eye
view of the room to harass Joe in the way only small children can do.
We're going to plant a tree tonight. If you're good, you can come. "Oh!
Can Joe come too?" I would suppose so. Uncle Toby and Aunt CJ are coming
- I presume Joe's coming along. The dynaamic duo share a wink them, and I
have to wonder what kind of mischief Josh and Sam could have caused at
five or six. These two have certainly learned from the best. Plus Toby's
taught them to be devious.

Settling on the floor with them, I finally get up the nerve to ask what
they were playing. For the record, I'm dreading the day I ask that and
hear the word 'doctor' in response. "We were playing White House." Joe
smiles proudly, and I have to ask - how exactly does one play White
House. "Well, Joe was the Pres'dent, and I was his Chief of Staff."
Uh-huh. How exactly does that work? Elle puts her hands on her hips in a
perfect imitation of Sam's 'you've got to be kidding me' look, and sighs.
"Well, when Joe would tell me what to do, I'd agree, and then I'd do what
I wanted and tell him it was his idea." Oh. My. God. I think I'm going to
choke. "And when I had an idea, I'd order him around, but use my library
voice." Too much. I'm going to explode if I don't laugh.

*

You know, I'd forgotten exactly how tiring an all-nighter could be. We've
been complacent since reelection, and it bothers me. Of course, all sense
of relaxation has departed this corner of the world. The tension is
literally palpable. I know Josh ordered Rachel to run home and shower,
change, and nap before lunch, so I'm not surprised when she isn't
stationed outside his door. I still can't get over the fact that's she's
out on her own. Why move into a tiny apartment when you could have the
White House? Of course, since twenty-one is a distant memory for me, I'm
sure there's something I'm just not going to get. It makes Sam nervous
though, and it makes Carol's life hellish. Trust Rae to become roomies
with another staffer. Margaret would have been happy to share, but no,
she wants to split the rent with Ramon. This gray hair? It's all her
fault.

"Lisa?" Yeah, I'm here. Josh stands aside as I walk past him into his
office. "We've got a problem with the speech tonight." What problem? Toby
and I talked about it last week. It's a no-brainer. "Well, that's the
problem. We do this speech, the Religious Right screams from the hilltops
about the destruction of family values." Okay, how does calling for
religious freedom lead to an irate bunch of conservatives? "Lisa..." No.
Do not patronize me, Joshua. In the 1960's, there were lynchings, because
people were scared of change. What's the excuse in 2015, what's the
excuse?

He sits down behind his desk halfway through my rant, and rests his
elbows on the flat surface. "Can you work with me for just a second?" No.
What is it this time, Josh? He shakes his head, then, and turns to a file
on his desk. I get the vague feeling Josh has just dismissed me, and I'm
not liking it. Fine, change the speech. You tell Diana and Toby.

God of War: Part 4

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