I stared at my reflection in the empty bathroom of the closest Starbucks. I always thought that I would only ever be in here to pick up the Senator's coffee, but here I was jobless and coffee-less.
I scrubbed at my cheeks, trying to wipe the tear marks clean. My eyes were bloodshot, the brown dark against the red. My mascara was long gone at this point.
I threw my straight dark hair up into a ponytail and evaluated myself in the mirror.
“You look awful,” I told my reflection. I sighed and closed my eyes. “Get it together,” I told myself. “You're better than this.”
I took a deep breath. I would survive this. I would make this work to my advantage. Even if I didn't know how yet, I was going to make sure I didn't fail. I'd worked too hard to get here to just let it all go.
But first, I was going to get a coffee. Since I didn't have a job anymore, I could at least sit in the cheerful cafe and enjoy a caffeinated sugary drink. I had to make this day better somehow, and a vanilla latte with extra whipped cream seemed like a good place to start.
I had just settled down by the window with my grande coffee when my phone chirped. I dug through my purse, thinking it was another aide looking for me. I was going to have to tell everyone that I was fired.
The thought made me sad, so I took another sip of coffee before finding my phone.
You should be done crying by now. Go to the USTR office and fill out the hiring paperwork. Now.
The message was sent from my stepmother's phone.
It took everything I had not to chuck the cellphone at the window. I wanted to scream. I wanted to rage. I wanted to throw my coffee down and cry like a little kid.
But that would be a complete waste of coffee, so I didn't do that.
Instead, I sat and finished my coffee. I took my time. I played on my phone. I didn't have to do what she wanted right now. She could wait. It was my small form of rebellion against her. I took an extra long time at the shop, just because it meant that I had a little control over my life. I even ordered a second coffee to go.
And then I walked to the USTR office instead of taking a cab, because it was a beautiful day and it would take longer to get there this way. I was doing what she asked, just not how she wanted. Plus, it meant I got to spend the morning enjoying the sunshine and the sights of Washington.
I grew up here in DC. My father was a famous senator himself until he died. I loved coming to the city with him and exploring everything it had to offer. I knew the monuments inside out. I knew the museums, the trains, the parks, and every path to get between the various government offices.
So, I took the most scenic route I knew from the Senate Offices to the offices of the USTR. The USTR was located just west of the White House, so I walked past the Capitol, down the National Mall, and headed toward the Washington Monument. My plan was to circle around the Washington Monument at least once before heading up to the Ellipse, past the White House, and over to the offices. It would take a good hour and I wanted to take every minute I could not doing what Audrey wanted.
The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. I had coffee. If I ignored that I'd just lost the job that I'd planned my future around, it was a nice day.
I walked slowly, enjoying the sights. Washington is a beautiful city. I loved to watch the tourists with their cameras snapping pictures of the various monuments and parks. The trees had just started to leaf out, painting the bare branches with pale green. Flowers peeked out from the ground. Children ran around laughing. There was always something to look at.
I came to the Washington Monument. The great obelisk rose up white against the pale blue sky. The reflecting pool was on the opposite side, but it was still beautiful. A ring of American flags flapped in the gentle breeze as I walked up.
I closed my eyes and stood in the sunshine. The breeze was warm and soft across my face and for a moment, I could forget everything. For a moment, I could pretend that everything was how it was supposed to be.
“Daddy, why is it two different colors?”
My father turned and smiled at eight-year old me. “You noticed that, Sweet-pea?”
I nodded solemnly. “It looks...” I fidgeted, not wanting to get someone in trouble, but needing to point out the flaw. “It looks like they messed up.”
My father chuckled, his smile bright in the sunshine.
“It wasn't planned that way,” my father informed me. He squinted up at the white pillar of marble for a moment before looking back at me. He was so tall and smart. My father was the best person in the entire world. I knew it was true because he was a senator and millions of people had voted for him. Millions of people thought he was the best, too.
“Did someone mess up?” I asked, sure that whoever had done it probably ended up cleaning something as punishment like I did the time I put the paints away messily in art class.
“Well, they wanted to honor George Washington. You know who he was, right?” my father asked. I nodded.
“The first president of the United States,” I recited. My father smiled.
“Yes. The government wanted to build this to honor him. They started building, but then they ran out of money. The Civil War was more important than building monuments,” my father explained. “When the war was over and they could start again, they couldn't get the original stone. They had to use a different kind. That's why it's two different colors.”
I stared up at the white obelisk, unsure of what the point of my father's story was.
“Why didn't they just start over? Or do something else?” I asked.
“Because that wasn't the plan,” he replied. He knelt before me with his knees in the damp grass. He put his hands on my small shoulders, our eyes at the same height. I loved it when he looked at me like this. I felt important. I was an equal.
“There's a lesson, isn't there?” I asked, a small smile on my face. My father always had some sort of lesson he wanted me to learn.
My father laughed and squeezed my shoulders. “Yes, Sweet-pea, there is.” His dark eyes found mine again. “The lesson is not to give up. Even if it isn't going to work out perfectly, don't give up. The builders of this monument didn't, and even though it isn't perfect, it's still beautiful. It's still amazing.”
I looked up at the different hues of white stone and thought about my father's words. “Things don't have to be perfect to be good,” I said.
“Exactly.” My father grinned and pulled me into a hug before rising to his feet. The knees of his suit pants were dark with grass water, but he didn't care. “That's it exactly, Sweet-pea.”
I could remember that day with crystal clarity, just as I could every time my father brought me here. We'd visit the monument at least once a year and I'd always ask the question of why it was two different shades of white. I knew the answer, but I loved having him explain it to me. It became a ritual between us for me to ask and him to answer.
I was sixteen the last time we'd both been here. It was the last place I'd seen him really alive. Being here was as close to being with my father as I could get.
“I could really use you today,” I whispered up at the monument. My father would know what to do about my job. He would know how to fix what my stepmother had done.
He would make things better, just by being there. My heart ached with missing him. I closed my eyes and wished for a sign. Something to tell me he was still here, just invisible.
A soft breeze across my face was all I got.
That, and someone crashing into me, knocking onto my butt in the grass and forcing me to go down.
I was just standing there, minding my own business, reminiscing about my father, when a body came hurtling out of nowhere and knocked me over.I sat on the grass, dazed and confused as to how I went from standing to sitting without meaning to. I tried to move, but my legs were tangled up with someone else's feet.“Are you all right?” the person tangled up with me asked. He had a slight European accent to his words, making him sound educated, even if he was clumsy.“I think so,” I said slowly, pulling my legs out from under his. Nothing seemed to be broken or too badly bruised. “Are you okay?”“Yes, I'm fine,” he assured me, rising to his feet. “I am so very sorry, miss.”He held out a hand to help me up. I looked up and into the most handsome face I think I've ever seen. His hair was golden with just enough red to glint in the sun and he looked down at me with ocean eyes. His jaw was strong and his shoulders were broad in a t-shirt and gym shorts. I took his hand, feeling my heart spe
The rest of the journey to the office was uneventful. No random strangers collided with me and I didn’t fall to the ground. The entire way, I did think of Henry, though. His easy smile seemed to stay with me even after he was gone from sight.I secretly hoped he would run into me again.The Winder Building sat regally on the corner of the street. Painted white, the second level wore wrought iron balconies that gave it an almost Southern charm. As much as I disliked the fact that I was unwillingly returning to my roots, I did like the building. It was from the time of the Civil War and radiated history.I walked up to the heavy wooden door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. I had been here a million times, yet I felt as nervous as my first time. It felt like stepping back seven years in my life to my very first day. I’d worked as an office assistant here for three years while I got my degree. I thought I would never be back except as a visitor.“They told me you were coming, but
Due to the complexities of government work, it took me hours to fill out all the paperwork despite having worked for this office before. I ate a lunch out of the vending machines, knowing that if I left, I might not come back. The forms were typical government bureaucracy at its best. The sun already crept ominously toward the horizon as I left the office and headed to the rich area of town.It was time to see my stepmother about today.It took a metro train and a bus to get to her house, but I made it there just as the sun crested the horizon. Long dark shadows filled the streets. It would be a long ride home into the city, but I knew my stepmother wasn’t going to have this conversation over the phone.My stepmother lived in a nice neighborhood with good schools and beautiful churches. The homes regularly went for well over six million, due to the proximity to downtown DC. It was a very affluent and politically important area.My father had never lived here. This was the house she bo
I wore my favorite dark gray slacks and cream colored silk top for my first day back at my old job. Just because I was going back in time didn’t mean I had to dress like it. Besides, wearing something that made me feel professional and attractive would at least make the day start out better.Gus greeted me warmly as I walked in the front door.“Good morning, Aria,” he said, smiling at me.“Good morning, Gus.”“If you get hungry later, the missus made banana bread. I’m happy to share.”I’d forgotten how good Mrs. Gus’s banana bread was. It was almost reason enough to come work here on its own. Today was already a better day than yesterday.“That sounds great. Thank you.”He just grinned and waved me on to the stairs so I could go up and start my work.I stopped by Jaqui’s office and said hello. She showed me where I was working and gave me the password to the WiFi in the building.“Here’s your work space,” Jaqui said, bringing me to a small office on the top floor. It was already warme
He grinned and it lit up the room. My stomach fluttered and I could feel a blush heat my cheeks. How in the world was I going to make it through an entire meal feeling this flustered? It felt like a first date.I was suddenly really glad I had worn my favorite work outfit. It was close enough to first date clothing that I didn’t feel under-dressed. I at least knew that I looked good today.He offered me his arm and I felt like a true lady as he escorted me out of the building.“Have her back in two hours, young man!” Gus called out after us, his arms crossed and expression grumpy. I loved him for it.A lovely spring day awaited us outside. I’d been cooped up in my office scanning documents and hadn’t realized how beautiful it was out. The sun was warm, contrasting the cool breeze that threatened rain later.Henry pulled out a ball-cap with a large blue R embroidered on it and pulled it down over his hair. He looked almost like a different person with it on, but he at least had the sun
“Do you want to eat outside?” Henry asked as we waited. “It’s warm today, but we can eat inside if it’s too cold.”“Outside is wonderful. It’s been so warm. It feels like a shame not to enjoy the nice weather.”He nodded and picked up the tray with our sandwiches and deftly carried it out to the patio. We sat under an umbrella, but still in the sunshine. The slight breeze was just cool enough I was glad I wore long sleeves. Summer was on its way, but not here yet.He balanced the tray on one hand and carefully settled the plates on the table.“You must have done this before,” I teased him as he settled into his chair. He frowned slightly and I pointed to the plates. “The plates. Were you a waiter?”He chuckled. “No, just lots of watching others. And natural grace, of course.”I giggled as he winked at me. “Natural grace, huh? Just like how you ran into me was graceful?”“If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that it was a perfect tackle. My coach would have been proud,”
I led the way to the famous monuments, walking along the streets of Washington DC, hand in hand. I tried not to focus on how his very touch heated my entire being. I kept sneaking glances over at him as we walked, unsure if this was really happening.“Where are we going?” he asked as we skirted around a group of tourists. He smiled as he said it, his steps confident and matching mine. I got the feeling he didn’t care where we were actually going, as long as it was with me.I definitely felt the same way.“I thought I’d show you the Reflecting Pool,” I replied. It wasn’t far from the restaurant, and it was always beautiful. We just had to walk south in almost in a straight line and we’d hit a lot of the famous tourist sights along the way.“That sounds wonderful,” he replied, squeezing my hand. I liked that he hadn’t let go of it, even though it was making my heart beat in funny patterns. I never wanted him to let go.We walked along, making comfortable small talk. I played tour guide,
I could feel his smile against my lips when we both pulled back long enough to breathe. Despite barely moving, I was breathless.“Wow,” I whispered, not sure of what else to say. The sun shone brighter. The sky was bluer. Even the tourists walking past seemed to smile more.His hand was still in my hair, holding me close to him. I never wanted him to let me go. I wanted to stay right here with him. Or anywhere with him, really. I just wanted him.He grinned and leaned back over and kissed me again. The second was just as powerful as the first, except I was ready for it this time. My hands went to his chest, feeling the firm muscles under his shirt as I moved my hands under his jacket.I wanted more. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the thrill of kissing under the trees in the sunshine. It was something out of a love story my mother used to read to me.“We have to get you back,” he whispered between kisses.I knew he was right. My two hours had to be up by now, but I didn’t want to go back