Woman King (32 page)

“I’ll go too,” he said. “Give me a minute to
change.”

True to his word, he reappeared in a pair of
black warm-up pants and a T-shirt, and we quickly set off for the
elevators. I was not at all surprised to see Levi and Gabriel both
jogging away on treadmills as we walked through the door of the
gym. The only person missing was Maggie, who I assumed, at her
tender young age, had decided sleep was more important than
exercise.

There being no need for pleasantries at this
hour, we all jumped into our morning routines. I stepped on to the
treadmill next to Gabriel and began what I hoped would be a
three-mile run.

My three miles concluded forty minutes later,
I lifted some weights and did some push-ups on the mat next to
William, who was engrossed in his own routine.

We left the gym as a group, but went our
separate ways, agreeing to meet at the campaign office at 2 pm, one
hour before the press conference. William also left, saying he had
some business to attend to and would see me at the press
conference.

I stayed behind in the room, intent on
working, hoping to call back reporters and review last minute
details before the press conference. My plans were disrupted
immediately, however, by a series of taunting texts from Stoner
Halbert, all saying the same thing:

Resign.

It’s not too late to avoid embarrassing
yourself - SH

I picked up my phone, tempted to throw it out
the window. The last time Halbert had texted me, months ago, I’d
rolled up into a ball on my bed and cried. Now, I felt like
punching him in the mouth. My days of running from my enemies were
over, so I scrolled to the top of the messages section on my phone
where Halbert’s number was listed and pressed the call button,
wondering if my nemesis would answer the phone.

“That was quick,” Halbert sneered. “ I had no
idea you would fold so easily.”

“I didn’t call to resign, you idiot,” I said.
“I think all that black magic is rotting your brain.”

“Then why did you call? Just wanted to hear
my voice?”

“I called to tell you to knock it off,” I
said. “For someone with the devil on his side, you’re behaving like
a desperate loser. I want you to stop bothering me.”

“Or what?” he asked. “What will you do?”

I was on the verge of saying something
similar to my remarks in the café—threatening him with some painful
retribution involving his limbs being separated from his body, but
then I remembered that cell phones could record conversations.

“You don’t think I would be stupid enough to
threaten you on the phone on the eve of my press conference?” I
asked.

Halbert was silent, and it occurred to me
that perhaps he’d hoped for just that situation.

“Goodbye, Halbert,” I said, “I’d tell you to
go to hell, but then I’d only be encouraging you.”

After I hung up, I tried my best to calm down
and focus on my work. Halbert did not contact me again. A few hours
later, I was stuffing my laptop into its bag when I heard my phone
ring. I picked up the phone with trepidation, hoping it wasn’t
Halbert.

It wasn’t. It was JP, so I pressed the talk
button to hear what he had to say.

“Were you planning on inviting me to the
press conference?” he asked, without offering so much as a hello.
Even through the phone, I could feel his anger.

“Hi, JP.” I said, trying to sound casual. “I
believe your newsroom received an advisory from the campaign like
every other news outlet.”

“Yes, but were
you
going to call
me?”

“You know, things have been a little busy
these last twenty-four hours,” I said. “I guess it slipped my
mind.”

“So you have no comment on the video,” he
pressed.

“We’ll be commenting at 3 pm today,” I said,
trying hard not to show my anger.

“I’m asking if
you
have anything to
say yourself about the video,” he said, his voice tinged with
sarcasm. “Or about the fact that I saw you leave with that man. I
saw him with you again last night at the café.”

Oh, but did I ever have words to say… none of
which could ever be uttered on the record. “Any comment from me or
this campaign will come at 3 pm. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really
have to go. I expect I’ll see you shortly.”

I pressed the red button to end the call and
closed my eyes.

I’d been so busy trying to find a solution to
our debacle that I hadn’t had much time to consider his role in all
of this. Was it fair to be angry with JP? Or was JP just doing his
job? Had Halbert’s demon provoked Richard? Or had those horrible
sentiments been lurking inside him, just waiting to come out? Maybe
that’s what evil does; it brings our worst fears and prejudices to
the surface, it strips away our ability to silence those voices in
favor of patience, or compassion. I’d told William that I couldn’t
change a bad man into a good one using my skills, but maybe the
devil worked differently. Perhaps he could take a good man and
reduce him to his worst impulses.

In the end, I realized, it didn’t matter.
During the countless hours I’d spent talking with voters, it was
clear that they didn’t care about Richard Lyon. They cared about
Levi Barnes. They wanted to see what he would do, whether he would
take responsibility, if he would be accountable. If so, they were
prepared to move on and not wallow in the scandal.

The press, on the other hand, would prefer
the scandal to live on, for more details to emerge and for side
players to continue their outrageous behavior. If we could deny the
media of any further fuel—steal the oxygen for their fire—then the
news cycle would close. The plan was for Richard to disappear. Levi
would apologize, announce his donation and we would get back to
talking about Lacy and her policies. That was what this election
was supposed to be about in the first place.

****

I turned my car onto University Avenue, but
found that every parking space around the campaign office was
already taken. I circled the block, finally finding a space around
the corner and walked slowly toward the office. I was in no hurry
to jump into the circus. I knew it would be tense until we got
through the speeches. I stepped through the mob of reporters,
promising we would begin promptly at 3, which was in less than an
hour. As I walked past the press corps, I noticed JP standing off
to the side looking at me. I raised my hand to wave; I didn’t see
any reason to ignore him. He saw my gesture, but did not wave back.
As I turned to walk away, it struck me as ludicrous that I had ever
contemplated a romance with someone capable of such pettiness.

I made my way to the conference room at the
back of the suite of offices we’d rented. There inside, wearing
tense expressions, were Levi, Gabriel, Maggie, Patrick, but no
William, whom I assumed would show up when things got started. We
took the few remaining minutes we had to get organized and then
walked toward the front of our headquarters, where a table was set
up to face the press.

“
Bonne chance
,” Gabriel said to me as
we walked toward the media throng. “You have done a good job of
taking control.”

“Do you blame me for this mess?” I asked,
knowing the walk was too short for such a conversation.

“No, no, not at all,” he said quickly. “The
fault of this lies with the man who let his tongue slip, and no one
else.”

I took comfort in his words as Levi and I
took a seat at the table, which was now covered with microphones
from radio and television stations.

“OK, folks,” I said, greeting the assembled
group. “I think we’ll get started, but first I want to give you a
brief description of the format for today’s conference. At this
moment, Maggie and Patrick from the campaign are handing out a
statement from Richard Lyon, in which he issues an apology for his
outburst two nights ago. As you know, Richard made his remarks at a
private party, where he was videotaped. Then, his remarks were
distributed over the Internet, unbeknownst to him. This statement
will be his only comment regarding the other night. He will not be
giving interviews, and is not here today at the conference. In a
few moments, Levi Barnes will make a statement, and when he is
finished, we will take your questions.”

I was relieved to see William slip into the
back of the room, just as Levi prepared to address the crowd. Levi
waited until everyone appeared to have a copy of Richard’s
statement in his hands, and then he rose from his chair. “I’d
prefer to stand if you don’t mind,” he said to the assembled group
of reporters.

“Let me begin by apologizing to the voters of
congressional District 15 for this unnecessary detour from
discussing the issues I know they want to talk about. I also want
to apologize for Richard Lyon’s remarks. He is one of my oldest
friends, and yet here today, in this very public way, I must say
that I strongly disagree with his statements, and I wish I had said
so more forcefully the other evening. Of course, I didn’t know the
conversation was being recorded. But I want to make it clear today
that I do not share Richard’s sentiments. I believe they have no
place in politics—certainly not as a part of the kind of campaign I
am committed to running.”

Levi looked up at the reporters for a moment
before continuing. “The fact is that I
do believe
in the
power of people to change their lives, to change careers, to
reinvent themselves, because I did, and I know that many others in
their lifetime will, too. I think that is the fundamental promise
of our country, but that promise is predicated on a few things that
I think are worth mentioning: hard work, honesty and civility.
Without those things, there is very little that can be
accomplished, which is why I have asked Richard to step down as
chairman of my campaign’s fundraising operation. His presence would
distract from the real issues of this campaign, but also more
fundamentally, I think that his views require me to sever my ties
for the time being. I have an obligation to lead by example, and as
much as it pains me, I have asked Richard to withdraw from
campaigning and to refrain from speaking publicly again until the
campaign is concluded. He is now out of the country on business and
I do not expect him to return until the New Year.”

Levi shifted the pages of his speech,
bringing the few remaining words to the front of his pile.

“As I mentioned earlier, I do believe in the
power of people to change their lives, and to ensure that everyone
in Silicon Valley has that opportunity, today I am announcing my
family’s pledge of $5 million to the Vocational Service Corps, a
leading job-training non-profit in the Valley. I was a member of
VSC’s board of directors for many years and I admire them
tremendously for the work they still perform every day. The
donation is intended to establish a drop-in center where clients
can walk in and immediately begin to find the information and tools
they need to find new employment, or transition to a new career. I
hope that this will help to demonstrate my belief that all of us
have the power to change our lives, even in adversity. I hope as
well that this gesture will end discussion of the events of two
nights ago and allow us to focus on the real issues of this
campaign. And now, if any of you have questions, I’d be happy to
answer them.”

A row of hands shot up immediately.

“Can you confirm that you had no idea you
were being recorded?”

I looked at Levi to signal I would answer the
question. “Yes, I can,” I said addressing a reporter from a local
TV station. “We only knew of the existence of the video after it
had been uploaded to YouTube. We were not asked to comment prior to
its publication.”

“Did you know a member of the press was
present at the party?”

Again, I indicated that I would reply. “Yes,
we were aware that Mr. Lyon had invited a reporter to interview
guests, but the conversations were supposed to be obvious, on the
record interviews, not a private discussion between two old friends
at the end of the evening when they believed they were alone. It’s
an unfortunate part of journalism today, but we acknowledge the
comments were made and as you can see, we were prepared to
respond.”

“Did you make the $5 million gift out of
guilt for your friend’s remarks?” asked JP, clearly determined to
draw blood before this campaign was through.

Levi looked over at me to let me know he was
OK to respond.

“If you check with the Service Corps,” he
began, “you will find that I had been discussing some kind of gift
with them for several weeks. It’s unfortunate to have to do
something like this under a cloud, but my donation is one that I
intended to make all along. So, yes and no. I do take
responsibility for Richard, and I want to make amends for his
thoughtlessness, because I can.”

“You said you want to get back to the
campaign,” JP said, asking a second question. “Do you have any
comment on Lacy Smith’s demand that you withdraw from this
campaign?”

“I’m sure Ms. Smith would love to spend the
next six weeks talking to herself,” I said, generating laughter
from the reporters. “But the fact is that Levi Barnes has done
nothing wrong, and there is no reason for him to end his candidacy.
In fact, our research indicates that voters continue to remain
focused on the real issues, such as how unemployment, education and
job creation will be managed by Congress. At this moment, the
approval rating of the federal government has never been lower. The
voters want to see new leaders and they want to see this debate
continue, and that is exactly what we intend to do until the
election.”

After that, the press seemed to calm down and
the remaining questions from reporters all related to actual
government policies—not the video. When the last cameraman had
packed up his gear and left, we all breathed a sigh of relief. As
soon as the door was locked, we returned to the back conference
room. The moment we were away from prying eyes, Levi locked me in a
forceful embrace that lifted me up off the floor.