Page 10 of The Politician

Sarah ended the call and moved the starters to a serving plate. She turned at the touch on her shoulder.

Mark handed her a glass of champagne. “How are you holding up?”

She put the glass down and handed him the plate. “I’m good.” She looked towards the living room where her father’s baritone voice rose above the others. “Dad rallying the troops?”

Mark shrugged. “We’ve all got your best interests at heart.”

Sarah touched his cheek. “I don’t deserve you.”

He sipped his drink. “Well, this country deserves you. It’s your time, Sarah. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of is happening right now. I’m so proud of you, and so are your mum and dad.”

“How are the children?”

“Reece is on his phone in the living room. Abi’s in her room.”

Sarah nodded. “I’ll go and talk to her.”

Mark squeezed Sarah’s arm. “She’s fine. It’s just her way. She’s working on an art and design project for school. She’s making a model of an eco-village.”

Sarah chuckled. She remembered doing something similar in her first year at uni. She’d had to design a scale model and demonstrate the science that backed up the proposition, as if making a proposal to a potential investor. She’d loved every minute of it, and the finished product had claimed pride of place in her room for the rest of the year. “I can help her with that.”

“I’ll take these through, and you go and canvass your daughter.” Mark kissed her on the forehead.

Sarah took her glass and made her way to Abi’s room. She stood in the doorway. Abi was resting on her knees with her chin in her hands and elbows on the floor, staring at a large piece of blank white paper. “Hey, can I come in?”

“Sure.”

“What you up to?”

“Designing an eco-village.”

Sarah stared at her daughter, reminded of how amazing she was. Bent over the paper, mumbling through ideas for her project, she was a reflection of Sarah at the same age. “Uh huh. Any thoughts?”

Abi looked up. “Are we going to see less of you when you become PM?” she asked.

Sarah blinked as she processed the words, and a weight anchored in her stomach. She couldn’t lie. “I don’t know, Abs. I hope not.”

Abi huffed out a breath. “So, how should I do this?” She picked up a pencil and started to draw. Most eco-friendly buildings are cost efficient,” she said.

Sarah joined Abi on the floor, kneeling close to her and pondering the piece of paper. “Renewable energies and carbon reduction,” she said.

Abi nodded. “I was thinking solar and wind turbines.”

“What about using ground source heat pumps and having a water treatment plant in your village? Think about using natural lighting and ventilation.”

Abi sketched out the plan. “I’ll stick it next to a river on a hill, so it’ll get the sun and wind and easy access to hydroelectric. It’s a bit far-fetched, though. It’s not possible in reality to create villages like this, is it?”

“We have to start with a dream, Abs, remember.” She stroked Abi’s hair. “Ideas precede technology. If we can imagine it, we can work out how to make it happen.”

“Like you dreamed of becoming PM?”

Sarah sighed. “It’s not just about leadership. It’s about doing good, and sometimes you need to be in a position of power to do good things.”

“That’s bull.”

“Abi.”

“It is. It’s the little people grinding away who achieve the most. Politicians are liars and cheats.”

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