Woman King (37 page)

At 8 pm we all assembled and indulged in a
light dinner and plenty of wine as the first results arrived. Each
update revealed a slight lead, until finally at 10 pm, with most of
the precincts reporting, Levi had jumped twelve points ahead. It
was astonishing, a better win than we could have hoped for.

As we were regarding the computer screen,
watching the Department of Elections update the results, my phone
vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to glance at the caller ID,
curious since most members of the press and campaign team were
already standing within a few feet of me. The number was blocked,
but I answered anyway, putting the phone to my ear to say
hello.

“Are you going to claim the seat?” said a
voice that was familiar for its unique salty brusqueness. Paul
Levant, head of the California Democratic Party, went straight to
the question, skipping any greeting, as usual.

“I’m thinking about it,” I said. Claiming the
seat meant having us declare ourselves the winner…before Lacy had
conceded losing. It was a bold statement.

“
Christ Almighty
, you’ve got it in the
bag, kid,” Levant said. “Our own number-crunchers are calling you
the winner, with fifteen points to spare.”

“Shit, really?” I was dumfounded. Fifteen
points was a hugely comfortable margin. It afforded a candidate the
kind of maneuvering room that freed him from having to glance over
his shoulder at the opposition too often. Candidates who win by two
points can never say their ideas have a mandate. But win by fifteen
points, and the world is yours.

“There are still a few precincts
outstanding,” I told Levant, unable to overcome my superstitious
nature.

“Suit yourself, kid,” he said. “But I am
telling you Levi Barnes will shortly be Congressman Barnes. I’ll
expect a sizable donation from him to the party
toot sweet!
”
The line went dead, his words ringing in my ears, my pulse in my
throat.

“Who was that?” Levi asked.

“It was Levant,” I said. “He says the seat is
ours by a margin of fifteen points, and we should call the race.”
Silence followed as everyone looked up at the television above the
bar, which was now, in fact, posting election results confirming
our fifteen-point lead, with two precincts left to report.

Victory chants cropped up around the
restaurant. “Levi! Levi! Levi!”

“OK, let’s call it,” I yelled over the din. I
hugged Levi, “Congratulations, Congressman Barnes, I think you
should address your supporters.”

Levi smiled and embraced me tightly.
“Amazing. Amazing work, Olivia,” he said. “The way you took control
and stayed calm. I’ve never seen anyone with better instincts and
courage. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” I said, smiling. “It’s easy to
run a race for someone like you. Promise me you’ll call when it’s
time for re-election.”

“Aren’t you coming back to Washington with
me?” Levi looked puzzled.

“No, not this time. I hope you’ll take Maggie
and Peter with you; they will make great legislative aides.”

Levi squeezed my hand. “You’re not the same
person anymore,” he said. “There is something, a certainty in you
that didn’t exist before.”

“I suppose I know more about what I want now.
Perhaps with not so much certainty, but confidence in my own
decisions,” I said, “which is really about growing older and
knowing oneself.”

“Ah, but they are all
cousins
,” said
Gabriel, who had come up behind us while we were talking. “You
cannot be certain without confidence.”

Richard Lyon was with him. They both urged
Levi toward the front of the room to give his victory speech. I
nodded in agreement and promised to follow in a moment. As they
departed, I stopped and exhaled deeply, releasing much of the pent
up stress and anxiety I had been harboring for weeks. It was over.
We’d won. A weight that had been pressing on my chest lifted and a
feeling of lightness returned to my body. I was about to turn and
make my way to the front when an arm wrapped around my waist
holding me in place. It was William.

“Well done, darlin,” he said, pulling me to
his side. “Now that you’re officially unemployed, can we kiss in
public?”

“Yes, definitely,” I said.

We did, quickly, and then walked forward to
the main area of the bistro’s dining room in time to watch Levi
climbing onto a chair to speak to the crowd. I glanced over at
Patrick, giving him a nod to grab a glass and a piece of silverware
to signal to the crowd to quiet down. After a few whistles and
clinks on a beer mug, everyone fell silent and looked toward Levi
as he stood above them. Flush and happy, his blue oxford shirt
rolled up at his sleeves, here was the newest member of Congress
from the great state of California, alone, with no entourage, no
driver, not even a microphone. Remember this moment, I silently
urged Levi; as a consultant I knew it was fleeting,
irreplaceable.

“We did it,” he said to a sea of cheers. “Can
you believe it? We won by fifteen points! I’m not prepared to say
much more except that I want to thank all of you, my supporters,
for believing in me. I want to thank the voters who made me their
choice; I promise to work hard on your behalf. Finally, I want to
tip my hat to Lacy…”

A chorus of boos rang out from the crowd.

“Now, now,” Levi admonished his supporters,
but with a smile. “I do want to thank Lacy Smith. I may not agree
with her on just about
anything
, but I respect her for
raising the issues.”

More applause. More cheers.

I smiled, squeezing William’s hand. When
you’re a winner on election night,
anything
seems possible.
Fly to the moon? Sure. Balance the budget? Immediately! It’s like
getting into your new car at the dealership and driving off into a
brilliant orange sunset. Tonight, at this moment, these people were
ready to follow Levi on a great journey. Would they feel the same
way in sixty or one hundred days? Who knew? And that is the essence
of politics. I really hoped Levi would enjoy the evening, because
tomorrow the real work would begin.

After speaking, Levi stepped off the chair
and disappeared into a crowd of well-wishers. Champagne corks were
popping, the volume on the music rose and the group prepared to
party into the night. It was, after all, officially a victory party
and in politics, there is no better place to be.

My thoughts drifted to Lacy and whether she
would concede. I wondered too, if Halbert would have the courage to
dial my number. My answer came across a television screen, as a
tearful Lacy climbed the stage at her campaign party and spoke into
a microphone to say she “had called Levi Barnes to congratulate
him.”

“This was not our moment,” she said, tears
streaming down her cheeks, her mascara following in streaks. “God
works in mysterious ways and I’m sure he has a purpose for us
beyond tonight’s defeat. This is not the end. We will continue to
fight for the things we believe in.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring her
words. I had no doubt she would live to fight another day, but for
now, she was no longer my concern, nor were her advisers. Still, I
wondered where Halbert was, knowing he would be furious at his
loss. When I opened I eyes, I noticed reporters entering the
restaurant. My job was to lead each one of them to Levi for an
interview. I made sure he gave them each a quote, but I wouldn’t
let him speculate about what he would do next. For now, it was
enough to declare victory and thank his supporters.

I sent word through William to ask Richard
Lyon to stay in the back of the room while the press was around. I
couldn’t ask the man who’d raised hundreds of thousands of dollars
for the campaign to leave, but I felt no compunction at asking him
to make himself scarce for a few moments.

Levi seemed about finished with his
interviews when I realized there was one major player missing from
the room. JP had not been in the building all night. It didn’t seem
possible that the valley’s biggest online journalist would skip the
party, but I knew better than to assume anything. His relationship
with Halbert had been a revelation, one that had taught me to
assume nothing.

Finally, about a half hour after most of his
colleagues had departed, JP appeared in the doorway. He looked
timid, as if he expected to be stoned by the crowd. If anyone had
been sober enough to care, there might have been trouble. In
general, drunken winners are a magnanimous group, and JP was able
to walk inside unscathed. I stood still, waiting for him to notice
me. When he caught my eye, I waved him over.

I began by giving him my most professional
greeting, a gracious winner’s smile. “Would you like some time with
the congressman?” He nodded, a notebook and pen clasped in his
hands. “Will you be videotaping this?” I added, unable to
resist.

“Yes” he said tersely. “But…”

“This is on the record?”

“Yes,” he said. “Exactly.”

“That’s certainly a much better way to do
things,” I said, my heart not really much into scolding him
further.

I caught sight of Patrick from across the
room and signaled that he should join us. Since the two men knew
each other, I didn’t make introductions. Instead, I simply asked
him to find a quiet place where Levi and JP could do an interview.
As they were leaving, I pulled Patrick aside and whispered in his
ear to keep the interview short and not to allow any questions
about the fundraiser that was the scene of the controversial
recording.

“If he dredges up the past even for a
second,” I said, “stop the interview.”

Patrick nodded and escorted JP out of the
main dining room.

“That was very magnanimous of you,” William
said, coming to stand beside me again. “You could have been much
harder on him.”

“I haven’t any energy left to be that petty.
I could sense his shame the minute he walked in, and besides, he
doesn’t know it, but I already promised an exclusive interview to a
rival publication when Levi arrives in Washington. JP will be
furious, but it will make us even as far as I’m concerned.”

I closed my eyes again, this time feeling
weary as I thought back to JP’s video and the damage it had
caused.

“Let me take you home, love,” William said,
pulling me close. “You look exhausted.”

I was completely spent, and serious fatigue
was creeping into the corners of my body now that the adrenaline
had finally receded.

“Let me say goodbye and then we can leave,” I
agreed, making my way through the crowd. On my way out, I promised
to meet Gabriel and our small inner circle for dinner the following
evening. I scanned the room, waving to a few acquaintances and
noted with pleasure that Josef and Lily were out on the dance
floor, dancing cheek to cheek.

“Does he know she is a fairy?” I asked
William as we were leaving.

“Yes,” he said. “Everything is always more
complicated when you mix species, but they’ll be fine. They both
live very openly in the human world, so it probably gives them
something in common.”

“Is he giving her a lift home?”

“Don’t worry, darlin,” William said. “All of
your baby chicks will get back to the nest safely.”

“I’m a worrier, I know,” I said, smiling.
“I’ll stand down for the evening.”

As we departed, I turned back, savoring the
image of celebration. Victory was finally mine again. I had
overcome my demons, helped a good man win a seat in the United
States Congress, and I had recovered my sense of identity along the
way. I leaned into William, as I peered through the glass, enjoying
the sensation of a partner at my side.

“Not a bad day’s work, darlin,” William said.
“What’s next? The Senate? Maybe the presidency?”

“For now…Paris,” I said, feeling content.
“I’ve been thinking about places we should visit,” I continued.
“Maybe we can take a trip to Normandy, see the coastline. I’d like
to visit the memorials and maybe visit your father’s grave.”

I continued rattling off potential
destinations, blissfully unaware that Stoner Halbert was
approaching. It was only when William gave my hand a painful
squeeze and I looked up to chide him, that I noticed the teetering
figure coming toward us. Halbert was drunk, almost to the point of
incapacitation. Fifteen points is a bitter loss to swallow,
especially when you’re supposed to have the advantage. William made
a noise next to me that sounded almost like a growl.

“Halbert,” I said. “What brings you here? Did
you come to congratulate me?”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you,” he
slurred. “Shall I get down on my knees and tell you how magnificent
you are? You’re all the same—not happy until the man has been
ruined and humiliated.”

“I think you have the wrong person,” William
said. “Olivia has never done a thing to you.”

“She’s never done a thing for me,” he said,
almost incoherently.

“Halbert, what is this about? First you steal
my clients, then you try to ruin my reputation as a consultant, and
now you’re here to what…hurl insults at me? You need to call a cab
and go home. It’s one election, sleep it off and get a life.”

“You made an ass out of me,” he said, coming
to stand directly in front of me. “Lacy threw me out of her
campaign office.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You did that
all by yourself. Now go home.”

Halbert swayed back and forth, clearly trying
to formulate a response, but no words escaped his lips.

Finally, after a few awkward seconds, I
turned my back on Halbert, grabbed William’s hand and walked
away.

For a moment, I felt sorry for him. The pain
and disappointment of his life hung about him like a cloak. It
permeated the air, giving him a rank and bitter scent. This, I
mused, was an example of human betrayal left festering, and I felt
some compassion for the man whose life had been so disturbed by his
wife’s ambitions and dishonesty.