The Reluctant First Lady (24 page)

“Let’s assume for a minute you’re right about Geoffrey and he has ulterior motives although I can’t imagine what they might be. I want you to know that nothing has happened between us, and the things you’re suggesting never occurred to me. In all my dealings with him, the museum has been the main focus. He’s been the very essence of a gentleman and never given even the slightest hint that he’s coming on to me.”

Michael walked over to his wife, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her on the forehead. Ashley, who always had a sassy response for everyone, didn’t realize the power and the ruthless character behind a man like Carruthers, nor did she realize how desirable she was. She always liked to think she was capable of handling anything that came her way, but she hadn’t been exposed to the seamier side of life, and while he was glad she hadn’t been, it made her more vulnerable than he liked.

The last two decades of dealing with politicians, lobbyists, and the underbelly of big business had taught him more than he ever wanted to know. People like Geoffrey Carruthers assumed they could get away with anything. They thought they were smarter than others, and that’s generally how you could catch them. Their overconfidence made them vulnerable.

“Michael, I’m not sure if you’re right about Geoffrey, but I’ll be very careful where he’s concerned. It’s exactly this kind of thing I was talking about before I left Washington. We can’t foresee the people who’ll be entering our lives. Therefore we can’t predict the potential problems that could come our way. I love you, and whatever I might do, it will always be for us. Remember that, will you?”

Michael raised Ashley’s chin and looked into her eyes. She had been his Ashley since they were seventeen years old. He kissed her on the forehead, her nose, then settled his mouth on her ripe, luscious lips. They were made for kissing.

“Could I interest you in America’s favorite pastime?” Michael asked.

“What, you want to play baseball now?” Ashley batted her eyelashes at him.

“I was thinking more of this pastime.” Michael picked up his wife and carried her into the bedroom. Words were unnecessary. Their movements were as old as time. A caress here, a stroke there, each motion intended to bring pleasure and satisfaction to the other. The whole night lay ahead of them, and the promise of two satiated lovers was assured.

32

Aweek had gone by since Michael’s trip to New York. Ashley got goose pimples thinking about all of the things they did to one another that night. Sex had always been incredible between them, but it seemed that night they’d reached new heights.

Unfortunately Ashley and Michael had spent a good part of their married life apart; nevertheless, their separations never got easier. She could still see the cocky boy who had won her heart in the man she was married to today. He was still her one and only love though she sometimes felt that life had its own plan for them and it consisted of the two of them never really being together. Well, life, look out. I have some plans of my own and intend for them to become my reality.

Mavis buzzed her on the intercom. “Ms. Winfrey is here for her appointment.”

“Please send her right in.” As soon as Ashley hung up the phone, she headed toward the door to her office. Ashley smiled at Oprah and held out her hand. “Welcome. I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to meet. Naturally I’ve seen you on television, so I feel like I already know you. I’ll bet you hear that all the time.”

Oprah smiled as she took Ashley’s hand. There seemed to be an automatic kinship between the two women. That was undoubtedly one of the reasons Oprah was so successful in her career. She was a natural at putting people at ease. Oprah responded, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, and yes, you’re right, I hear that a lot. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me to discuss the possibility of an interview.”

Ashley led Oprah over to a couple of chairs. “Is there anything I can get for you? A cup of coffee, tea, a soft drink, some water?”

“No, thanks. I’m fine for now; maybe later.”

Ashley began, “I’m not trying to be coy or naïve, but it’s still hard for me to believe that anyone would be interested in hearing anything more about me. The newspapers seem to be filled with made-up articles about me. I realize I don’t fit the image of what a woman married to the president should be like, but you’d think people would be sick of hearing about me by now.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong. Because of who you are and the decision you’ve made, you’re the hottest ticket in town, and I’m sorry to say, you most likely will be for the rest of your life. The very fact that you didn’t fall in line and do what all of the other presidents’ wives have done before you is exactly why they want to know what makes you tick. You’re an anomaly to them.”

“I wish everyone would just let it go. I’ve debated whether giving an interview is the wisest things to do. It seems like anything I say will be redundant, and I’m not thrilled about being in the public eye. How wrong I’ve been about that aspect of my life. My son predicted my rejecting the role of the First Lady would create more curiosity about me than ever. No matter what I say or do or wear or where I go, the media wants to comment on it.”

“I know a little bit about that myself. It takes a long time to get used to all of the attention. To this day, I keep saying to myself, ‘Why all the hoopla?’ I’m afraid those of us in the middle of the storm aren’t always the most perceptive when it comes to ourselves. I know you’re hesitant about giving any interviews, which is why I’m here. I wanted to talk to you about it in person. Giving an interview isn’t going to make the media go away, and an interview isn’t going to satisfy the public’s curiosity about you. They’ll always want more; it’s the nature of the beast. But what it will do is give you a chance to talk about other things besides your decision not to become the First Lady. It would provide viewers an opportunity to understand a little more about who Ashley Taylor really is.”

“You live in the public eye. Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“Yes, I do. I have to cope with the media just like you. They always want more. It does get annoying, and yet I recognize as long as I’m in the position I’m in people are going to be curious about my life. So I try to give them a little bit of myself on my terms. That way it doesn’t feel so intrusive.”

“That’s quite a tightrope you’re on. Since I’ve decided to do this interview, could it be somewhere private, with just the two of us and a cameraman?”

“That won’t be a problem. In fact, if it would make you more comfortable, we could do the interview here in your office.”

“What about the questions? Could we discuss the parameters of the questions before the interview?”

“Yes. I’m not trying to blindside you; however, sometimes a question does come to me on the spur of the moment. Or an idea occurs to me because of something you say. Just because a question is asked, it doesn’t mean you have to answer it. I was thinking we could talk about where you grew up, your background, how you met the president, your first date, your children, your job, and lead up to the reason you made the decision you did, that kind of thing.” Oprah waited for a response.

“I’d be lying if I said I was excited about doing an interview. Still, since I’m going to do one, I’m glad it will be with you.”

“I’m glad you feel that way because I’d very much like to interview you. When would be the best time for you, Mrs. Taylor?”

“Let me check.” Ashley brought up the calendar on her computer. She wrote down several dates and times on a sheet of paper. “Here are some available times I have now. Why don’t you look at your schedule and get back to me with a date that will work for you?”

“I’ll call you when I get back to my office. Thank you for agreeing to do the interview. I promise to make you as comfortable as I can.”

Ashley leaned forward and hugged Oprah on the spur of the moment. “I don’t know why I feel like thanking you, but I do. Maybe we could have lunch together sometime, and you could give me more insight on how you’ve learned to handle the public and the press. I’m sure you could teach me a great deal. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

Once Oprah left, Ashley picked up her phone to call Michael. He was unavailable, so she left a message with Georgia. She hoped she’d made a wise decision. She felt if she could trust anyone, it was Oprah. Ashley believed she would try and make the experience as painless as possible.

33

Welcome back.” Oprah smiled into the camera after coming off a commercial break. “In case you’re just joining us, I have the distinct pleasure of having Mrs. Ashley Taylor as my guest. We were discussing how she and President Taylor met. Ashley, why don’t you pick up your story from where you left off?” Oprah encouraged Ashley to continue.

“Sure. We both grew up in California, me in Berkeley and Michael in Sacramento. My parents were divorced, and my dad lived in Sacramento where most of my relatives still live. I lived in Berkeley with my mom, but I spent all of my vacation and free time with my dad, aunts and uncles, and my cousins in Sacramento.

“As I’ve said before, Michael and I both came from working-class families. The biggest difference in our upbringing was my mother worked outside the home, and Michael’s mother was a stay-at-home mom, which I know from experience is every bit as much work.

“I actually met Michael through my cousin, Sienna, who went to high school with him. Michael and I met at a drive-in movie during the summer between our junior and senior year of high school.”

Oprah said, “Ah, high school sweethearts. Was it love at first sight?”

Ashley laughed. “Hardly. We were both a little standoffish at first. In fact, we weren’t sure we even liked one another. About a week later, we’d become inseparable. You can always get a good family argument going over who made the first move.”

Oprah began, “We’ve talked about your background, your family, and your job. I’m sure you’re aware that everyone is interested in the woman who doesn’t want to be the First Lady. Ashley, would you explain why you made that decision? I mean it’s a huge departure from tradition.”

“There’s not one simple answer. Actually, the easiest thing to do would have been just to go along with the program and do what everyone wanted me to do. But as I’ve repeatedly said, I’ve never liked politics. I’m not wild about being in the public eye or for that matter having my every move tracked by the media. My passion has always been and remains the arts. I love my job and don’t see why I should have to give that up because my husband is very good at what he does.

“Plus—and your audience has heard this before—why should the spouse of the president be expected to assume a role simply because her husband—or someday wife—is elected? One wonders if the same set of expectations would be applied to a First Husband. I think probably not. When our first president, George Washington, was elected, they had to scramble to figure out what to call his wife. History tells us as our new nation was being formed, the politicians of the time were very careful not to use any language associated with royalty. At that time, women were expected to be good hostesses. I think the whole role grew out of an extension of being a housewife.”

“Do you still think you made the right decision?”

“Yes, I do, for me. I’m not cut out for political life. I believe the wife of the president should really want to be there. It’s a grueling schedule, and many demands are made on the First Lady’s time. We’ve had some amazing First Ladies, whose popularity was actually greater than their husbands. I believe you either step into the position one hundred percent or should consider not doing it at all, as I have.

“You know, when you’re young and in love, it never occurs to you that one day your future husband might become the president of the United States. It’s just not how most of us think. You aren’t prepared for all of the twists and turns your life will take together. But, through it all, Michael and I have tried to respect what the other one has wanted to do and have tried to be supportive of one another.”

“Do you ever see yourself changing your mind about assuming the role of the First Lady?”

Ashley smiled. “I learned a long time ago to be very careful about using the words ‘never’ and ‘always’; however, I can’t imagine it right now.”

“What would you say has been the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make since your husband became the president?”

“That’s easy. The loss of privacy. The media is constantly around. Also, dealing with security. You never feel like you’re alone or have any privacy. It amazes me that the family of the president is considered fair game for the media and the public. We really are just an ordinary family that’s ended up in extraordinary circumstances. It seems the public wants us to be this perfect family, but we’re no different from other families. We have good days and bad; we argue; we worry, just like everyone else. Yet the media analyzes and talks about every sniffle, glance, or expression.”

Oprah added, “Not everybody’s husband is the president of the United States, so that does make you different. There isn’t a celebrity out there who can’t identify with what you’re saying about your privacy, but you and they live lives that most people only dream about.”

“That may be true, still I wonder if your audience would truly want to give up their privacy, have expectations heaped on them, and be expected to participate in something in which they weren’t interested. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”

“Last question. What do you think of the nickname you’ve been given, the Reluctant First Lady?”

“I just ignore it. Still, the sentiment is true.”

“Before we close, I want to thank you for giving me and my viewers a chance to get to know you a little better. You certainly are one of a kind. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us.”

Ashley smiled. “Thank you, Oprah, for making this interview as painless as possible. I appreciate your kindness more than I can say. It really didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.”

Oprah and Ashley smiled and continued talking quietly until someone behind the camera yelled, “That’s a wrap.”