A Sense of Wonder

When morning came, she woke to find herself tangled with Francis. Her left leg was hooked over his right, her arm was draped across his chest and half her body was actually on top of him, and his left arm was wrapped securely around her waist. It was by no means an awful way to wake up. In fact, it was quite wonderful. The thing was that she couldn’t let him see that that was how they slept, even though he himself had often woke up to find her in that exact position. What mattered was that they untangle themselves before the other person woke up and a thing was made of it. That was what Francis did whenever he woke first. That was what she did that morning. She skillfully maneuvered herself away from him and when she was in the clear, she just sort of lay in bed, struggling to find the strength to leave it.

More than anything she wanted to take a sick day. It was technically flu season, after all. And who’s to say that she didn’t catch something from the long days of campaigning? She could’ve very easily caught a bug in those massive crowds she frequented, but as much as she wanted to lay in bed with Francis all day, duty called. So grumbling all the while, she abandoned her comfortable bed and wandered into the bathroom where she immersed herself in her morning routine. Had Francis not still been asleep, she would’ve straightened her hair via blowout, but as it was she didn’t feel like disrupting his slumber so she took out her straightener and set to work. Feeling a bit lazy that morning, she decided that simply straightening it would be enough, she didn’t feel like going back with her curling irons. After all, her day only consisted of an elementary school visit, a Planned Parenthood rally and an early dinner at a retirement community. After that, there was going to be a fancy dinner, but for that event she was going to have her stylist take over. They could do updos, curl her hair, or whatever else they wanted but she was going to keep things simple and when she finished doing her hair, she applied her make up in a manner that enhanced her features without appearing caked in.

By the time she finished doing all that and dressed and set aside her other two outfits, it was 8:20. Francis had asked to be woken around then and so she went over to his side of the bed, and tried to wake up him up by calling his name. That didn’t work, neither did lightly shaking him, so she playfully spanked his butt and sure enough, he was wide awake.

“The fuck was that for?” he grumbled.

“I was trying to wake your ass up.”

“Well you definitely woke that up.” He smirked despite the fact that he was still half asleep.

She shook her head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Damn right.” He yawned as he sat up. “So where are you off to?”

“Elementary school,” she replied. “I’m the guest of an honor at an assembly.”

“An elementary . . .” he repeated, surprised by the location. “Do you know what grades or is it an entire school assembly?”

“Entire school,” she told him. “Although I told Anne to schedule some quality time with the kindergarteners.”

“That’ll be wicked fun.” He wasn’t being sarcastic.

“Mhm,” she agreed. “Little kids are the best. As long as you smile and act silly, they’ll love you.” She slipped on her heels. “What about you? What’s on the agenda today?”

“Voter outreach.” He finally got out of bed. “From now to the end of the campaign, that’s pretty much all we’ll be doing. We’re going to focus on getting quality face time with as many voters possible.”

“Simple, yet effective.”

“Exactly.” He smiled, glad that she approved. “It’s Central California so we have to keep things feeling intimate and community oriented, so the fact that voters are seeing neighbors engaged in the campaign is what truly makes a difference. It makes them feel like they can trust you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We are going to have one big event though.”

“What’s it gonna be?”

“A party,” he replied. “On Election Day, once the polls close, we’re going to transform our headquarters into a celebratory space. I want the community to come together to watch the results roll in. There’ll be food, refreshments, music, and some games, because people always seem to go crazy without them. It’ll be fun.”

“It will.” She hesitated a moment before saying. “But do you really want to be up there? Not that I think it’ll be a lame party. It won’t. Yours are always rad, but I just . . . I feel like you’d be better off down here on election night.”

“And why’s that?” he asked, although he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Because we’re gonna throw a huge fucking party in LA,” she replied. “And because I need you.”

He arched his brow.

“Look, I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate everything you’re doing up there. I do. I honestly do. When things were getting complicated up there, you took on the responsibility and made sure that everything went on smoothly. You’ve been up there even though you hate it, and I’m so fucking grateful for that, but the thing is I need you with me.” She took in a deep breath. “You started this campaign with me. You were the first person I called when I seriously began considering this. You’re the one who helped me get things off the ground and you’ve been with me every step of the way and it just wouldn’t feel right to have you up there when I’m down here. I need you with me. Regardless of whether I win or lose.”

“You’re not going to lose.”

“Still.” Her face was serious. There was no smile, only an imploring look. “I need you, Francisco.”

“You’re so fucking needy.” He tried to joke, but he only earned an offended look from her. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just messing around. Of course I’ll be there. You think I’m gonna pass up an LA party? Fuck that. Even with my skills, I can’t make one in Central California better than LA. What I’ll do is I’ll make sure everything is taken care of up there and once I feel good about it, I’ll drive down.” He watched as a massive smile broke onto her face. “Sound good?”

“Indeed it does.”

“Good.” He smiled in return. “Well I’m gonna go get dressed. Are you gonna be leaving soon?”

“In a couple minutes,” she told him. “I promised Anna and your uncle that they’d have me for an entire hour this morning, so here’s hoping they don’t have anything new to tell me off over. But before I go, do you want to watch the new ad? Fadilah sent me a link to it.”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I want to watch it!”

She took out her phone and since the video was already loaded, she simply pressed play. The following sixty seconds were filled with hard hitting evidence that Fadilah had unearthed throughout her investigation. She had held nothing back with the ad, she not only wanted to ruin Henderson’s political aspirations but she wanted the ad to prompt a federal investigation into the practices of Henderson and Ayres, and there was no doubt in Paulina or Francis’ mind that the ad would do just that. For all the money that the GOP and Super Political Action Committees had pumped into Henderson’s campaign, they had never managed to create an ad that devastating. And that was saying a lot, because they had attacked Paulina nonstop since she secured the Democratic nomination, but despite the hundreds of millions spent, they’d failed.

Francis and Paulina were about to watch the ad a third time, but just as it started, a knock came at the door. It was Jeffrey stating that Anne had sent him to her. He didn’t say it in those terms, he was more polite about it, but that was basically what he was there for and Paulina reluctantly put her phone away.

“Duty calls,” she said as she stuffed her phone into her purse. “Before I go, I ordered you some breakfast. Room service should be bringing it up soon and I made some fresh coffee. There’s that raw sugar you like.”

“Thanks Aurelia.”

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t want to leave, but she knew better than to keep Anne waiting. “I’m gonna head out now. I wish I could stay longer, but –”

“I know,” he assured her. “Politics waits for no one.”

“Precisely.” She took a step towards him. “I know you said not to, but I just want to thank you again for coming. It wouldn’t have been a debate without an accompanying night of shit talking with you.” It was then that she leant in for the hug, her arms wrapped around his waist and his arms pulled her in close. They stood there a moment, not speaking, not thinking, just hugging, and when it felt right, she pulled apart and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Drive safe and text me when you get over there, okay?”

“I will.” He told her. “And you better call me later. I want to hear how it goes with the bodyguards.”

“Ugh!” she groaned. “I’d forgotten all about that.”

“You swear it’s gonna be that bad.”

“It is if they’re irritating,” she countered. “And anyway, it’s just not dignified – and I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but the thing is, I’ve made it this far without any major security issues.”

“Some asshole chucked a boot at you!” he reminded.

“Didn’t hit me though,” she said, dismissively.

“Because it hit me.” His first thought had been to shove her out of the way, but he didn’t think her falling on stage would be a good idea so he jumped in front of her and took a boot to the shoulder. “This is a good idea.”

“You’re just saying that because you’ve been pushing for it since the start of the campaign.”

“So?” he said. “It’s about time you had someone solely dedicated to your security. Henderson has an entire team. He’s had them from the start and don’t you even try to argue. I can see it in your eyes that you think that’s a horrible comparison, but he understood that he’s valuable enough to be a target and so are you. Now go kick some ass before you’re tempted to kick mine.”

“Eres un cabron (you’re such a prick)!” she laughed.

“¿Todavía andas chingando? ¡Ya vete chaparra! (How are you still talking shit? Go away shorty).”

“You swear I’m that short.”

“Last time I checked I’m almost a foot taller than you.”

“That’s because you’re an Irish giant.” She smirked. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“You’re so lame.”

“Just a bit.”

That said, she exited the hotel room and joined Jeffrey in the hallway. The pair then made their way outside, where they were swarmed by individuals from various news outlets. They had been waiting since six that morning, wanting to ensure that she wouldn’t leave without being interviewed. The latest ad had been explosive, her debate performance had set the news channels ablaze. Her calling out Henderson was major and everyone wanted to ask her something. As she had done the night before, she took a few questions from the steps of the hotel and when she felt satisfied with her performance, she bid them good day and then followed Jeffrey into the bus.

Unlike the previous morning, there was no applause awaiting her. No one stood or offered congratulations. Everyone was focused in on their own thing, everyone was trying to get things in order. Janet and Ember were flooded with requests for interviews, they had to craft statements for Paulina to look at and hopefully sign off on. They didn’t have time to try to mingle with her and she was fine with it - just as she was fine with going pretty much unnoticed by everyone else. It was only her bus driver that greeted her, and after that interaction, she went straight to the conference room, where Anne and Michael were already waiting for her. They even had breakfast waiting for her.

“Good morning Anne. Good morning Michael.” She greeted them as she entered the room. “What’s on the agenda for today? The debate? Our latest ad? Henderson’s response?”

“We’ll get to that,” said Anne. “For now sit down, have some breakfast.”

“This is for me?” she hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she saw the scrambled eggs whites with spinach and cheese, and the accompanying toast and fruit. “Are you going to scold me for something or is this because I dominated last night’s debate?”

“This is to make sure you have energy for today.” Michael stated. “And to make sure you have something healthy, because I’m sure you drank last night.”

“Only had two beers.” And she wasn’t lying. She hadn’t even finished the second. “That’s irrelevant though. I feel ready to take on whatever the day has in store and before we delve into whatever it is you want to discuss, I just want to say thanks for breakfast.” She grabbed a piece of toast and preceded to spread blackberry jam atop it. “So has Henderson retaliated?”

“Not technically,” replied Anne. “His campaign released a new attack ad in which they vilified your previous romantic relationship with Prince Harry, but that’s all they’ve done. They haven’t released any ad in which they refute the allegations made against him last night. Only a statement has been issued, but even that was found wanting. I read it over several times before finally giving up on it. I had expected more from them, but I suppose last night truly destabilized their campaign.”

“They’re struggling to keep it together, which is of course, beneficial to us.” Michael added. “And to be honest, we fully believe his campaign manager was ignorant of the matter. Otherwise, a far better crafted statement would’ve been released.”

“That’s why I had you brief me on your liabilities,” Anne continued. “So that in case they were ever leaked to the public, we would be able to face them head on.”

“Why wouldn’t he do that though?” asked Paulina. “His secrets would’ve been protected. That’s why you signed that nondisclosure agreement, so I would feel my secrets were safe. Wouldn’t the same have been offered to him? Wouldn’t he have gotten have?”

“He would have. He undoubtedly did.” Anne replied. “The only thing I can think of is that Henderson and Ayres explicitly warned him against ever mentioning that information. They must have been under the impression that it would never see the light of the day.”

“But then Fadilah brought it out.” Paulina took a bite of her toast.

“Exactly,” said Anne. “And now they’re scrambling. Last night they were trying to minimize the damage, but after our ad was aired this morning, that information is widespread. It’s gotten as far as Washington, where I understand that there is talk of an investigation.” She watched Paulina closely, observing her reaction. “The Senate Seat is as good as yours now, Paulina. You know that don’t you?”

“There’s still a week left.” Paulina put down her toast. “A lot can happen in a week. So I’m trying not to let this all go to my head. I don’t want to get lazy and have Henderson’s campaign come up with a Hail Mary. We’re going to keep pushing. We’re going to work on widening the gap. We can’t afford to get comfortable.”

“Indeed we can’t.” Anne was pleased with her candidate’s response. “Which is why we’re not letting up on the events, but before we delve into what’s planned for today and what’s expected, I want to take a moment to discuss your security.”

“Are they already here?” asked Paulina as she set her attention on her egg whites.

“Not yet,” replied Anne. “They’re set to arrive later this evening, while you’re having dinner at the Senior Retirement Community.”

“I take it they’ll be accompanying me to the fundraiser.”

“They will.” Anne confirmed. “These men come highly recommended by my contacts in Washington. Not to mention, I’ve worked with them on previous campaigns. They’re all former Marines, one was actually in the Secret Service and the other two provided protection at United States Embassies in the Middle East. I am confident they will do well by you.”

“So am I. But don’t you think they’re a little overqualified?” Paulina couldn’t imagine why she would need such highly decorated men with her in California. “I feel like their skillset would be better put to use with someone else. Not to mention, three is a bit much.”

“Three is ideal.” Anne replied. “That way two can accompany you wherever you are, and a third can remain with the vehicle at all times.”

“I understand that, but in my previous experience with security details, one has been more than enough to look after me.”

“That was when you were the companion of the famous figure.” Anne stated. “Now you are the famous individual. As such, more precautions must be taken and some might appear a bit absurd, but they’re for the best. And need I remind you that you gave me the go ahead for all this? So you have to just put up with it for the next week.”

“You got it boss.” Paulina lifted her fork, but she didn’t lift it all the way to her mouth. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to devour this, and while I do so, I’d appreciate it if you briefed me on whatever it is you feel is important this morning.”

They briefed her on the most recent threats the campaign had received. The majority of them had filtered in through the internet and their Los Angeles Headquarters address, but one had been personally delivered to the hotel that morning. The individual had slipped the note on the desk when the receptionist was busy on the phone. They were clever enough to slip out unnoticed, but there was nothing clever about their threat. It reiterated that she offended good God fearing people, that her involvement with the LGBT community and the pro-choice movement was appalling, and it even went so far as to say that if she went to the Pro-Choice Rally scheduled for later that day, she’d sorely regret it. That letter wasn’t the first time that some asshole had threatened to publically harm her, but it was the first time that such a letter had been delivered to her hotel. It was unsettling to think that such a deranged individual had been in the same space as she had, but she refused to dwell on it. After all, several threats had been made on her life in the past, but so far no attempt had been made on it, so she dismissed it as she had all the others.

“They can come at me if they want,” she told Anne and Michael. “They’ll see what happens when a Balcázar’s fucked with.”

Anne and Michael didn’t treat the threats as lightly as Paulina did. They took them seriously. They contacted the police department that would be present at the rally, and informed them of the situation. The department assured them that the necessary precautions would be taken, that they’d keep an eye out for anything acting suspicious, but neither Anne nor Michael informed Paulina of that. She’d simply tell them that they were overreacting, that she’d be fine. As such, they kept it to themselves and instead prepped her for the Pro-Choice Rally. They jotted down notes as they heard her rehearse the speech she’d been working on all week, there weren’t many major issues with it, but they helped her fine tune it so that she’d come across as eloquent as ever.

When they finished working on the speech, they filled her in on who would be present at the fundraiser dinner being held in her honor by the Hollywood elite. Despite the fact that there was only one week left in the campaign, they still needed to keep the dollars coming. That was why they had four fundraising events scheduled in the following days. That was why her staff kept putting themselves out there to get Californians to donate whatever they could, even five dollars could make a difference if enough people donated the same amount.

After they finished discussing the fundraiser and a few other topics, Anne and Michael exited so that Janet and Ember could step inside. They filled her in on what was going on with the media, how the various news outlets had taken the information regarding Syria and Henderson, and what questions they wanted answered. Recognizing that they weren’t particularly well versed in the actual topic, they called Fadilah in so that she could assist them wherever they needed, and it was in that way that Paulina spent her morning until they finally arrived at the elementary school.

Upon arrival, Paulina quickly excused herself and proceeded to run to the front of the bus. The morning had been productive and she knew they were in a good place, but there was only so much she wanted to hear about Syria and Henderson so early in the day. She had started the day off well, waking up next to Francis had left her in an incredible mood so she wanted to keep that going throughout the day, and as much as it pleased her to know that Henderson was fucked, that was the sort of thing she would’ve preferred to discuss after lunch, but as it was, it had been discussed in the morning and she was now eager to be among children, to laugh and unwind. She needed to recharge her batteries and there was no better place to do that than among kids.

The first people to greet her were the Principal and Vice Principal, they had been waiting for her outside the school since ten minutes before she was scheduled to arrive. They were both women who were fans of her, women who had voted for her in the primaries and the fact that she was going to be speaking at their school was a huge honor, and they made that clear to her. With the initial introductions out of the way, they led her onto the premises, where she then met with the office staff. She spoke with the receptionist and school nurse, with the registrar and the secretary that the principals shared. Paulina charmed them, she smiled in that endearing way and made sure to make lots of eye contact and to make them feel heard. She lulled them into a sense of comfort and familiarity, had it not been for Anne stating that Paulina was eager to meet the children, they would’ve kept on talking, but Anne did interject, she reminded them of what they were there for and the Principal and Vice Principal showed Paulina to the Kindergarten area.

It was a beautiful space with a playground from its own, it was kept away from that of the older kids, there were tricycles and hopscotches, there were smaller versions of the slide and jungle gym, and when Paulina showed up, the kids were just finishing up recess. They didn’t immediately recognize who she was, children never pay much attention to politics, they just sort of stared at her and her companions, wondering who those grownups were, but then a little girl noticed her smile and realized it was the same smile from the picture her teacher had shown the class earlier that morning.

“I know you!” she cried out, gleefully. And she was so excited to be the first to recognize their guests that she abandoned her place in line and ran right over to Paulina. “You’re the pretty lady!”

And just like that, she started laughing. It wasn’t a condescending laugh that would’ve sent the kids running into the classroom, it was an inviting one, the sort that would’ve been appropriate for a Disney princess. It was a laugh that set them at ease. She wasn’t some scary grown up that wasn’t going to be any fun, she was a pretty lady with kind eyes and an inviting smile, and feeling at ease, they suddenly charged her and despite the fact that the teachers and their assistants were trying to reign them in, Paulina completely ignored them and just started talking with the children that had suddenly formed a barrier around her. The adults were on the outside, they couldn’t get close to her. This was her time with the children and by God did she enjoy it. She enjoyed it so much that the half hour that had been set aside for the Kindergarten visit, just flew by. She honestly felt as though she was barely getting started, when Anne told her that they had to be getting to the assembly. There was still so much that she hadn’t seen, she hadn’t even gotten to do any finger painting with the kids and several of them grumbled about it when she announced she had to get going.

Before they left the Kindergarteners, both classes and their teachers went outside to their playground area and posed for a few pictures with Paulina. For once, it wasn’t her staff that brought it up first. It was the Principal. She wanted to save the memento, to mount a framed picture once Paulina got elected, and Paulina was only too happy to smile and pose with them. Whenever kids were involved, she didn’t mind being photographed.

With that visit deemed a success, they proceeded to the gymnasium where the older kids sat awaiting the rally, but it wasn’t just the older kids and staff that were there. There were parents who had asked the Principal if they could attend, parents who saw their hopes and dreams for their children in Paulina. Many of them couldn’t vote due to their legal status in the country, but they felt that just being there would be enough, that talking to her would better their lives. And so they sat there in the bleachers as the Principal provided an introduction for her, they applauded when she walked onstage and started not only speaking, but engaging the students. And then, when the assembly ended, they followed her outside to the campaign bus, and despite the fact that there was an interview to get to in Los Angeles, Paulina took time out of her day to meet with those parents. She spoke with them in the three languages she knew. She smiled and hugged the men and women who had gone out to meet her and took the gifts they offered. Some of them made her food, because apparently she looked thin, others offered rosaries and prayer cards, and others small tokens for luck. It warmed her heart to be surrounded by such people, because folks weren’t always so nice. She knew there’d undoubtedly be protesters across the street at the Pro-Choice rally, she’d been around long enough to know that moments like the one she was currently experiencing had to be treasured. So she prolonged her time with those parents for as long as she could and when Michael finally cut in, she thanked them for kindness and then followed him aboard the bus.

The drive over to the news station was spent being mock interviewed by Ember. She didn’t ask softball questions to boost her candidate’s ego, she asked intellectually stimulating questions that demanded the recipient to think before they spoke and to tap into their knowledge, which was something that couldn’t be said of most reporters out there. Sometimes there were questions that made Paulina want to laugh or roll her eyes, but she never experienced that with Ember. Ember worked tirelessly to ensure that Paulina would be able to answer whatever question thrown her way, and not only did she strive to have her candidate answer the question appropriately, but also eloquently and with grace. Preparing Paulina to that degree took hard work and it was fucking time consuming, but Ember never complained. She prided herself on a job well done, which was why Paulina preferred to be interviewed by her instead of Janet. Janet was a fine woman, accomplished and smart, but she didn’t have the same drive as Ember. Janet had established herself long ago in the business, she was one of the best and she hired the best in order to stay on top, but Ember was barely starting out, she was barely making a name for herself, and the fire in her belly was one Paulina related to. They were forging their own paths and there was a great deal of mutual respect there. That was why Paulina had decided that if she made it to the Senate, she was going to ask Ember to accompany her. She knew it wouldn’t be a widely approved decision. Michael would advise against it, he’d tell her that Janet was a safer choice, a reliable one, but Paulina was determined to have Ember as her Press Secretary. And after Paulina’s performance at that afternoon’s interview, she was even more certain of her decision.

After the interview ended, Paulina was ushered back onto the bus where a soup and sandwich awaited her. Jeffrey was the one that provided her lunch. While she was being interviewed, he walked a few blocks to a nearby Panera and fetched them both food with the campaign card that Anne had provided him. For the most part, it was only used on food for the both of them. At first, he’d only bought her lunch, but she made it clear to him that she expected him to buy a meal for himself as well. As such, he was the one that sat across from her while she ate her lunch. Everyone else was kept outside, which annoyed them, because they desperately needed to go over things with her, but she told them that she wanted a half hour to herself and she damn well got it.

During that half hour, she got a text from Francis saying that he’d arrived safely, she also called her mom. She filled her in on the fact that she was finally getting bodyguards, something which greatly pleased Irmalinda. From the start of the campaign she’d been urging her daughter to get full time security for herself. Despite not being clued in on all the threats, Irmalinda knew that her daughter was the target of criticism and that there were plenty of people out there that genuinely hated her and wished her will. Irmalinda felt so strongly about security that she even teamed up with Anna to try to get Paulina onboard with the idea, but that attempt had failed. That was why Irmalinda was so surprised when her daughter told her that her bodyguards were going to arrive later that evening, she could hardly believe it, but she was relieved to know that there would be people’s whose livelihood would depend on keeping her safe.

“I love you to, mama,” said Paulina as the conversation winded down. “I’ll see you on Sunday, okay? I’m gonna go over there early so we can have breakfast and then go to the Cathedral. Don’t worry about cooking for the staff, the only ones that are gonna go over are Jeffrey and the bodyguards. I’ll call to let you know though, mama. I love you. Bye.” She set down her phone, sighing softly as she did. “And now back to reality,” she said. “Please let them in Jeffrey. Let’s see what they have in store for us.”

The first person admitted into the conference room was Darrell. He’d spent the morning coordinating with the organization hosting the Pro-Choice Rally. He visited the location in order to inspect the grounds and the stage, he had also gone to scope out whether or not there were anti-abortion protesters.

“From what I was able to see, there were only about nine of them – twelve, at the most.”

“That’s not bad.” Paulina commented. “Not bad at all. I thought for sure we’d have an entire sidewalk littered with them.”

“Thankfully, it doesn’t look like that’ll be the case. Raquel sent me a text not too long ago, and she numbers have been consistent since I left. So I feel confident in saying there won’t be more than twelve protestors, and even if by some miracle, they managed to get twenty out there that’s still manageable.”

She nodded in agreement. “As long as our supporters don’t engage them, we should be fine. I’m not even going to acknowledge their presence. I won’t do them that honor.”

“I’ll get in touch with Raquel and let her know that’s what you want.” He paused a moment before saying. “In fact, I can do that right now, I don’t have anything further to say. Is there anything you wish to discuss with me, Ma’am? Any questions?”

“None at all,” she replied as she smiled. “You’ve done a great job briefing me, Darrell. And I appreciate your hard work and dedication. It’s crucial to this campaign.”

“Thank you,” One of the reasons he enjoyed working so much on her campaign was the fact that she didn’t hesitate in complimenting and thanking people when it was deserved. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He stood up and when he did, Paulina did so as well. She shook his hand and then escorted him out the door. She lingered in the doorway a moment, watching as he walked towards the front of the bus, and when he cleared the halfway point, Michael stood up and made his way to the back.

“I know Fadilah was next.” He spoke before Paulina had the chance. “But I asked her if I could go first and she said it was fine.”

“Is something wrong?” she instinctually asked.

“Nothing.” He assured her. “It’s only that I wanted to have a word with you, privately.”

“Should I ask Jeffrey to leave?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” He replied.

“Alright then. I’ll let him know.” She entered the conference room ahead of him. “Hey Jeffrey?”

“Yes?”

“Would you mind waiting outside for a couple minutes? I want to talk to Michael in private.”

He nodded and without saying anything, slipped outside and closed the door after him. Michael settled into the chair that Jeffrey had been sitting in and Paulina settled into the one across from him.

“So,” she began. “What’s going on? You said nothing’s wrong, but you have this look to you that I’ve never seen before and it has me a bit worried.”

“I feel like I should say that I don’t mean to worry you, but the thing is . . . I do.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t feel comfortable with this rally.” He told her. “And it’s nothing against Darrell or the organizers. I know they’ve been thorough with the arrangements, but I can’t help but think about the threat from this morning.”

“Michael . . .” she groaned.

“Don’t you dare be dismissive of this,” he said, curtly. “Don’t you dare act as though I’m simply being overly paranoid. There was some sick asshole that personally delivered a threat to your hotel, a threat that directly targeted you at this event. Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Wouldn’t make a difference if it did.” Her features softened. “I can’t cancel this. It’s far too important an event to let some asshole ruin.”

“Cancelling the event isn’t what I’m asking for,” he said. “What I’m asking is that you take the necessary precautions.”

“Such as?”

“Minimize the amount of time you’re among the crowd.”

“What do you mean minimize? I can’t minimize that. You know I can’t. The reason so many people come out to my rallies is because they know I get in the thick of it. If I didn’t do that then I’d be letting them down.”

“You’d be protecting yourself.” He argued. “You have to be mindful of your safety.”

“I am being mindful. I have bodyguards.”

“Who’ve yet to land at LAX.” He reminded. “They won’t be here for the rally. They won’t be getting in until much later. So it’s up to us to ensure you’re safety, and I know you sometimes think I’m just being an overly paranoid Kennedy, but I genuinely believe you have to minimize your time out there and that includes waiting backstage to be announced.”

“What – w-why?” she stuttered. “The hell would I do that for? I love walking onstage from outside, it makes me feel like a UFC fighter.”

“Be that as it may, it’s unnecessary exposure.”

“You’re acting like someone’s going to attack me. They won’t.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Because they’ve been threatening me since I secured the nomination and nothing’s happened. Going off those threats, I’m supposed to have died at several events already, but here I am.”

“This is different though.” He argued. “The person threatening you isn’t hiding behind a screen anymore, they risked being seen in order to deliver a threat. That alone raises the seriousness of the situation. And as your Special Assistant, I am advising you to take necessary precautions to ensure your safety.”

“Michael –”

“What point is there in my being here if you’re not going to take my advice?” he interjected “I have nephews that are running for Congress back home. I could’ve been working on their campaign, but I chose to stand by you.”

“I know you did and I’m grateful for everything you’ve –“

“Aren’t you scared?” he asked once more. “Aren’t you afraid of what could happen?”

“Of course I am!” she snapped. “I’d be an idiot not to be, but I can’t afford to let my fear get the best of me. I can’t allow myself to go into a crowd wondering whether or not someone might pull a gun on me. If I did, I wouldn’t be any fucking use. I’d tense up and go running back onto the bus. And I can’t let that happen! I have to be charming and engaging. I have to shove my fear aside because otherwise this campaign’s screwed.” She shut her eyes tight and breathed deeply to calm herself. Michael knew better than to try to talk to her at that moment. He simply sat there in silence until she spoke again. She was embarrassed by her outburst. As such, she decided to partly give Michael what he wanted. “Since you feel so strongly about this, I’ll cut down the mingling from half an hour to ten minutes. We’ll say I have another event to get to, but I’m keeping my intro walk. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“Fair enough.”

They sat there a moment in awkward silence. Michael wasn’t sure as to whether or not he should leave. Paulina was trying to apologize for snapping at him. He’d kept pestering her until he finally got a response, but she wasn’t proud of having gone off on him like that. He just had her best interest in heart. And to be honest, she didn’t want to piss off such a trusted advisor. That man could’ve assisted his own family with their campaigns. Instead he chose to honor a promise.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” she said, softly. “I know you’re just looking out for me and I’m grateful that you do, it’s just . . . sometimes this campaign gets overwhelming. You know?”

He nodded.

“We’re okay?”

“There was never any need to apologize. Although the sentiment is appreciated.” He smiled. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to tell Anne we don’t have as much to worry about.” He stood up. “I’ll send Fadilah and Jeffrey in.”

Fadilah took up what was left of Paulina’s time. She showed Paulina another ad that she had been working on and asked whether or not it should be put into circulation. It was, if at all possible, harsher in its censure of Henderson. So much so that for a moment Paulina hesitated in giving it the okay, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go that negative, but that thought quickly passed, and as Paulina changed into her outfit for the Pro-Choice rally, Fadilah uploaded the video onto the campaign’s official YouTube channel.

When they arrived at the clinic where the rally was to be held, they were greeted on one side by smiling faces and cheers, and on the other, there were protest signs and bloody images. There were far more than the nine protestors Darrell had seen earlier that day, but thankfully there numbers didn’t break twenty. It was a relatively small assembly compared to the hundreds that had crammed into the parking lot area of the clinic, and it was on that large crowd that Paulina focused on. She forcibly blocked out the jeers and hateful faces. If she acknowledged them then she would remember the threats and she couldn’t afford to do that, so she focused on the smiling faces, on their infectious energy, and for the moment that was enough to cast away her lingering fear.

As had been previously decided, all the staffers except for Jeffrey and the bus driver, left. Jeffrey had to stay with Paulina, he was the one that would tell her when to exit the bus, and the driver had to keep an eye on her baby. There was always the possibility that someone might tamper with the vehicle, so it was best to leave it looked after.

Jeffrey sat in silence as Paulina paced up and down the bus. She was rehearsing her speech and every so often would stop mid-step and pretend to greet a supporter. She would smile and laugh, initiate small talk and then get right back to her speech. She didn’t sit down for a moment while they waited on the bus. She couldn’t rest. She had to get things right, because this was her last big Pro-Choice event. In the coming days, she would certainly mention the subject and voice her support of it, but there would be no further visits to clinics or Planned Parenthoods, so she had to make it count.

The moment her staff met up with the organizers, the rally truly began. There had been some speakers earlier in the day that stressed the importance of women having the basic right to govern their bodies and to make decisions regarding their reproductive health. The majority of those speakers were medical professionals, but there was also an actress in there, an established celebrity that went on that stage and spoke of her own experience as a teenage girl that didn’t have access to a safe medical abortion and who found herself at the brink of death due to a back alley abortion. It was a touching story that left everyone in the crowd with a lump in their throat, but she urged them not to pity her, she told them to fight so that no one else ever finds themselves in that position. It was after her moving speech that the director of the clinic walked onstage and delivered her introduction for Paulina. She was a passionate woman in her sixties who deeply believed in the cause and she was eloquent in her lead-in for Paulina. She roused the crowd from their sorrow, and as she was about to finish her speech, as she was about to utter Paulina’s name, Darrell picked up the phone and called Jeffrey.

Jeffrey didn’t even have to tell her that it was time to go. She heard the crowd go wild. She heard the speakers begin to blare Bruce Springsteen’s gripping vocals. Even if Darrell had forgotten to call, that would’ve been enough for her to go off of. So she pushed her shoulders back, held her head high, and put on that smile of hers that was so often referred to as disarming. It was in that matter that she stepped off the bus, and when she did, the crowd truly roared. There was no barrier between herself and the people, she hadn’t opted to have a designated path, she was going to walk amongst them, to shake hands and smile while she made her way onto that stage. She was aiming for that Bobby Kennedy feel, for that electrifying intimacy that he managed to bring to his rallies, and sure enough, when her heels touched the ground, her supporters swarmed her. They packed her in tight, she was mere inches from their bodies and as she slowly made her way through them, she reached out and shook hands, she smiled wide and her eyes twinkled with delight. She embodied the fantasy that they had of her in their minds. She was beautiful. She was personable. Her gaze bore into their very being and just by looking her in the eyes, they felt as though they knew her.

And as she walked amongst them, she became engrossed in the high that she only ever felt during rallies. It was a sensation so pure, so powerful that it was better than smoking out or fucking, it was euphoric. She fed off their energy. She lost herself in them to the point where she could remember no life before that rally. Her memories began when she stepped off that bus, her thoughts were consumed with the faces smiling back at her and the voices calling her name. These were her supporters – her people. They were the ones that would make her dreams come true and so she walked on, having completely forgotten all about the threat from that morning, and so she walked on, blissfully unaware that there was a man in the crowd making his way towards her.

She didn’t see him coming. How could she when her back was turned to him? And even if it hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have suspected that he meant her any harm. He was young, no older than twenty-two. He was handsome, nothing like the disgusting man she’d imagined in her mind. He was smiling brightly. He was even wearing one of her campaign shirts. Everything about him blended in. He wasn’t a person of interest. He’d walked right by the cops, he’d even talked to some of them, and they didn’t suspect there was a Lark River hunting knife in his pocket. He blended in so perfectly no one suspected him when he reached into his pocket. There was only one person standing between him and her, it should’ve been a red flag, the people around should have noticed that he was reaching, but they weren’t paying him any mind, not when Paulina was right there, and even if they had, they would’ve thought he was pulling out something to get signed, but he wasn’t. He was pulling the knife that he had meticulously sharpened that morning, he was taking out the knife that had been blessed to carry out a sacred duty in the name of the unborn, and it wasn’t until he shoved an elderly woman out of the way that the knife was spotted, but it was too late. The screams and panicked looks weren’t enough warning. Paulina only managed to move slightly before the knife was sent plunging in.