The Reluctant First Lady (7 page)

“Mrs. Taylor’s decision is important on two fronts. First two working partners is the norm in most American families today. She’s showing that’s also true in the White House. Second she’s a shining example that a woman can choose what she wants to do. You don’t have to go along with tradition or what’s always been done. Progress is what this is all about. We should be continuing to evolve as a nation, and Mrs. Taylor’s decision shows us we are, in fact, still evolving.

“I applaud her. I don’t know if I’d make the same decision if I were in her shoes, but that’s one of the points she’s making. Just because her husband got elected to the presidency doesn’t mean she should automatically have to give up her job. Just looking at the facts, the position of the First Lady doesn’t affect foreign policy or legislation. The job is mainly ceremonial. So, why is this so alarming? This is clearly an issue whose time has come. If a woman were elected president, would our nation expect her husband to be the official White House host? Good for her. Finally, a woman who thinks for herself and is willing to stand up for her beliefs.”

Opposition Party Headquarters

Speaker of the House Ted Hoffman squinted against the glaring lights focused on him as news reporters aimed their cameras and microphones so as not to miss his reaction to the President-elect and Mrs. Taylor’s press conference.

“I think I speak for the majority of Americans when I say this is a travesty directed at an American tradition. If President-elect Taylor can’t influence his wife to accept her role as the First Lady, what are his chances of influencing others to pass needed legislation? Our country was founded on family values, and Mrs. Taylor is casting stones at those very values.

“One wonders how we will be viewed around the world. Our good name may diminish due to Mrs. Taylor’s rash decision and President-elect Taylor’s inability to reason with his wife.

“Who will welcome foreign dignitaries and their wives to the White House? With Mrs. Taylor turning her back on the job, we have no First Lady to act as a national hostess.

“Personally I believe President-elect Taylor should consider whether or not he can serve effectively as the leader of our great nation. This turn of events clearly indicates he’s not ready to govern our country.”

National Organization for Women (NOW)

The president of the National Organization for Women, Patricia Donaldson, faced the cameras. “I just have a short statement to make regarding Mrs. Ashley Taylor’s decision to return to work in lieu of assuming the role of the First Lady.

“Personally I’m glad I’ve lived long enough to see this day come. I agree with Mrs. Taylor: becoming the First Lady should be a choice, not an expectation. There is no right or wrong in this decision.

“I would also like to congratulate President-elect Taylor. While he doesn’t agree with his wife’s decision and would obviously prefer for her to join him in the White House, he recognizes her right to make her own choice. I know how hard it must be for him to be under such immediate controversy so soon after the election. I admire him greatly for accepting his wife’s decision.”

Later that night, the late-night talk shows joined the national debate.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

“I think we all know the top story of the day is Mrs. Taylor’s rejection of the First Lady position. I say, shame on you, Mrs. Taylor, shame on you.” Jon smiled his sweet, sarcastic smile while shaking his finger at the camera.

“Who wouldn’t want to have such a wonderful job? Let’s see, just examining the facts, previous First Ladies have come into office as intelligent, educated women and are turned into fashion icons, trendsetters, and hostesses. I’m sure every father is happy to pay the tuition for a good college education to see his daughter turned into a hostess at Applebee’s. Oops.” Stewart covered his mouth with his hand and giggled. “I meant to say First Lady.”

Stewart swiveled in his chair and looked earnestly into a different camera. “We all know how much Jacqueline Kennedy was loved and admired. Here is some old news footage we found of her after being in the role of the First Lady for just one week.”

An old NBC News Time Capsule interview of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy showing off the White House to the press begins running. Her voice is light and whispery.

Stewart continued with straight-faced sincerity, “I’m not accusing Mrs. Kennedy of being on any mind-altering drugs—that would be libelous. I’m sure she was just very relaxed with all of the lights, cameras, newspeople, and millions of viewers focusing on her every word. Wouldn’t you be? But, after only one week of being the First Lady, they turned an intelligent, articulate woman into a tour guide.”

Late Show with David Letterman

David Letterman stood before his audience with his hands in his pockets. “Did you hear today that Mrs. Taylor, the wife of our new president, says she doesn’t want to be the official First Lady or live in the White House? I find that interesting. Don’t you, Paul?”

Paul Shaffer began playing “Hail to the Chief” and let the strains dwindle into silence. “Yes, I find that very interesting.”

Letterman continued. “Well, we got to thinking. Why wouldn’t you want to live in the White House? I mean it’s a national monument, for God’s sake. Here are some reasons Mrs. Taylor may have decided to forego living in a national monument.

•   Everything in your house is a hand-me-down.

•   Tours come through your house daily.

•   Trying to get a good parking spot is a bitch.

“I’ll bet you can never get a good parking spot at the White House.” Letterman grinned. “I’d hate that. Next.

•   You can’t run around in your pajamas.

•   You can’t paint your house any color you want.

“Here again, don’t you hate it when you live in a neighborhood and there’s some kind of organized rules saying what color you can paint your house? If I want to paint my house lime green, it’s my business.

•   Creepy secret service guys are always around talking into their wrists

“And finally,

•   Your favorite take-out restaurant won’t deliver to your address.”

Michael’s advisors turned off the bank of television sets with the prerecorded newscasts they’d been watching. Each of the networks, the cable news channels, and the special interest groups were all true to form in their opinions and responses. It was going to take some quick thinking, a lot of tact, and a little luck to put the unleashed monster back in its cage, if that were even possible.

9

After the press conference, Michael and Ashley were unusually quiet as they returned to their suite. Maintaining their public persona of togetherness and support was taking its toll on both of them. Once behind closed doors, they were free to release their pent-up emotions and remove their public cloaks.

Ashley sat down on the sofa and waited for Michael to join her. Instead he sat on the arm of a chair across the room, distancing himself from her. “It’s almost impossible to express how angry and disappointed I am. I’ve probably experienced every other emotion where you’re concerned, but never this heartrending disappointment. You’ve taken the focus off of my election and the work I hope to accomplish.”

Ashley stood up, kinetic energy surging through her body. “I’m sorry, I truly am. I’ve lost count of the number of times I tried to get you to discuss this with me before the election. Or how many times I’ve urged you to brainstorm possible solutions. What you said at the press conference evidently isn’t true. You don’t respect my right to make my own decision. You want me to succumb to your way of thinking.

“You keep talking about how my decision is going to affect you and your presidency. I recognize that’s a huge focus for you; how could it not be? The presidency is as big as it gets. But what I don’t hear you saying is that you’re going to miss me, just me. I’m disappointed in you too.”

“Then it appears we’re at a stalemate, and we have nothing else to say to one another,” Michael shot back.

“Not true. I have something to say. I’m out of here. I’m leaving immediately for New York. I’ve given you all of the time I can afford. I’ve been gone off and on from my job for over a year to help campaign for you. No matter what I do, it’s never enough.

“When you first ran for Congress, we agreed to try to make things work for both of us. We said we’d always put our family first. You followed your dreams, and I supported you. I’ve never done anything to give you the impression that I wanted to live in your shadow, so acting like my decision is something new is disingenuous.”

Ashley was furious. At times like this, she felt like calling off their marriage. Before things escalated, she left the room and headed to the bedroom to start packing. If only she didn’t love the thick-headed dope, it would make things a lot easier. Now all she wanted was just to get away, from Washington, from politics, and from him. Maybe absence would make their hearts grow fonder.

She wondered if Michael would follow her into the bedroom and try to ease the tension between them before she left. A soft click of the outer suite’s door dispelled any hope of that.

So, that was it? He left without saying a word. Ashley’s heart plummeted. Where were they headed? She didn’t want to think about it. She needed to get away from all of this turmoil.

Despite everything she’d said, the urge to give in, to run to him and make things better was overwhelming. The stress was a tangible force to reckon with. Well, standing here feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to change anything. She needed to move. She needed to get back to New York and to as normal a life as possible, given the fact that her husband had just been elected president.

Ashley picked up the phone and dialed Jeremy’s and Juliette’s extension. “Hi, it’s Mom. Can you come up for a minute? I’m leaving for New York sooner than I expected, and I want to say goodbye.”

“We’ll be right there,” Jeremy answered.

A few moments later, they were all sitting around the suite’s living room, strain showing on all of their faces.

“This isn’t easy to talk about, but I want you to know what’s going on. Your dad and I need some time away from one another. We’re not splitting up; nothing like that has ever been discussed. We simply need a break from one another for a while. He has his work, and I need to get back to mine. I want you to prepare yourself for the possibility of some nasty rumors that the media may create. They’ll undoubtedly be vicious and hurtful. You know you can call your dad or me and ask us the truth if you’re really concerned about something.

“The sooner I get back to work, and the sooner your dad can start putting his transition plans into action, the better it will be for all of us. So I’m leaving for New York this afternoon as soon as I’m packed.

“I think the next few days and weeks are going to be crucial as to how all of this gets hammered out. I’m planning on taking it one day at a time, and hoping . . .”

“Mom, we know,” Juliette interrupted. “We knew this was going to be messy. You and Dad want different things right now. We know how high the stakes are.”

Ashley nodded. “I’d change things if I could, but I can’t commit to something I’d hate.”

Jeremy stressed, “We’re not kids anymore, Mom. We’ll handle what comes our way. I don’t like some of the changes that will happen in my life, but the last thing you need to do is worry about us.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if I could say I wouldn’t worry about you and really mean it? Fat chance. Worrying 101 is a special class we had to take during parent training or they wouldn’t let us take you home from the hospital.

“I’ll give you a call when I get back to New York and get settled in, and please call me when you get back to school. I love you guys. Now, give me a hug and off you go.”

As Ashley watched her children walk down the hall to the elevator, she noticed the Secret Service agents following them and the ones stationed outside the door. Addressing them, she said, “I’m flying back to New York immediately. Would you make any necessary changes that are needed for my departure? I’ll be ready to go as soon as I write my husband a note.”

Ashley sat down at the dining room table to compose a note to Michael. What could she say that hadn’t already been said? Still, she didn’t want to leave without saying something. It was bad enough that they weren’t saying their goodbyes in person, but she couldn’t stomach any more of Michael’s disapproving looks. How she could convey some hope in her words?

Dear Michael,

I can’t think of anything else to say for now, only that I love you. There’s no point in rehashing this over and over; we’ve done enough of that already. We’re just going in circles, so I’m returning to work.

I know you’re going to be extremely busy in the coming days, but please find time to stay in touch and I’ll do the same. Maybe given some time and space, we’ll both be blessed with new insights that our emotions are presently hiding.

I love you,

Ashley

10

While Ashley was en route to New York, Michael was trying to remove the railroad spike his wife had hammered into his heart. He was ready to drop from exhaustion. He’d spent the entire afternoon and into the early night with his advisory team trying to decide the best strategy for dealing with an absentee First Lady. There were other important issues he needed to tackle, but the tyranny of the urgent put the absence of the First Lady at the top of his list.

Michael reviewed the various options he and his team had discussed about the best way to proceed. Every recommendation seemed rife with its own set of complications. His team had debated the pros and cons of not replacing Ashley as First Lady. But Michael felt strongly that if they didn’t replace her or create a position to handle the duties that had been assumed by past First Ladies, they would be sending the message that the First Lady’s role was unimportant. He definitely didn’t want to set that precedent.