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“You hold your head high. Harrison has seen something in you. Don’t let his mother or anyone else bully you around.”
“I’m used to it. Happens all the time in events. Besides, it is a work event. I need to remain professional.”
“Looking how Harrison behaves around you, I would say it may not be all about work with him, my dear,” he says as the emcee announces entrees are being served, and the crowd starts to chatter as their food is brought out. Arthur is perceptive, but I didn’t think he, of all people, would bother looking at Harrison’s and my interaction. Maybe we weren’t as subtle earlier as I had thought we were.
“Let’s go and hide around the back, away from these pompous assholes,” Arthur says, pointing to a private space at the end of the bar.
“Don’t you have a seat?” I ask, starting to panic that they didn’t include him either and wanting to ensure he eats.
“Oh, I have a seat, Bethy, but they are not serving my meal. They are serving some raw Kingfish crap that I don’t eat. So I want to get your thoughts on something, then I am leaving,” he says matter of factly.
I look over to where Oscar is, having already gotten up from the table and now in deep conversation with another businessman sitting on the other side of the room who we are trying to secure support from. When my eyes find Harrison, I see him stand from the table, his gaze already on mine, and I shake my head a little, and give him another smile of reassurance.
We both seem to understand the other without even talking. The two of us in tune; it is like nothing else I have ever experienced with another person.
I don’t want him to be worried about the seating arrangements, but rather focused on his speech tonight. I turn and walk around the corner and sit with Arthur, where we hide for the next hour, skipping the entrees and mains.
“Tell me, why should I be supporting Harrison? Give me your thoughts. You were quiet at our meeting. I want to know what you think.” Arthur goes straight into business mode, and I appreciate it.
“To be honest, it is a big decision. I don’t know half of your history with him or his family. What I do know is that I have known him for merely a few weeks. I have been part of his campaign team for only a short amount of time, yet there is something about him. I don’t know what it is, but he is not like his mother. I never knew his father, so I can’t compare him, but he is solid, dependable. I challenged him in relation to the development of my community center, and he held strongly to his redevelopment idea, but showed flexibility in the approach to it, ensuring that community consultation would happen. I can’t tell you what to do, Arthur, and I am still learning all about this political game. But he has my vote, and I am excited to see what he can achieve once he is named governor,” I say, the honesty flowing from my lips. I love Arthur and I would never just give him a sales pitch. His friendship means more to me than all the money in this room. He is also smart enough to make his own decisions on this, more informed than me on the topic, I am sure.
“Well, if he has your support, Bethy, he will have mine,” Arthur says, taking a sip of his whiskey.
“You are doing this because you want to, right? Not because of me?”
“I am doing this because Harrison will make a great leader. I believe despite his awful parents that he will do good for the community, and if what you say about his investment in infrastructure is correct, then he will be good for the local economy too. Besides, he will win, Bethy. Make no mistake, your world is going to change a lot in a few months when he becomes governor.”
“I am with him for three months for his campaign, then I am back in D.C.,” I state in a rush, feeling the need to clear up any confusion.
“We’ll see. Baltimore looks good on you,” he says cheekily, and I smile. I tend to agree with him. I am so excited, I want to hug him. So I do. With big smiles on our faces, we step away from our quiet corner at the bar and, together, we watch just in time to see Harrison take the stage to give his speech.
He doesn’t miss a beat. The same speech I have heard fifty times over the past forty-eight hours rolls off his tongue with precision, and his eyes look over the crowd, ensuring everyone feels connected.
“Your boy is good, I'll give him that,” Arthur murmurs as the crowd erupts into cheers for him, and I am still on cloud nine from getting Arthur’s support.
It is then that it starts.
Arthur sneezes. Grabbing his handkerchief, he rubs his nose.
“Damn baby’s breath. Didn’t you tell them to leave that out?” Arthur asks, my previous tales of events over the years firmly scorched into his brain.
I sigh. “I did.”
He sneezes again.
“I will leave you to it. I can’t stand these allergies. Chess this week?” he asks, already stepping to the door.
“Maybe, let’s talk,” I say with a smile, and he waves his arm at me as he walks out the door, not looking back.
I turn and survey the room. I see a few men wiping their noses with their pristine white handkerchiefs, while the black uniformed staff members scurry around them.
“So, you must be starving?” Eddie says as he comes up beside me.
“Hey! No, actually. I’m doing fine.” I am so excited about Arthur that I couldn’t possibly eat now.
“I apologize, that was not the table seating that Harrison approved. My mother...”
“It’s not a problem, Eddie, really. No harm.” Even though it made me feel stupid, he doesn’t need to feel bad about his mother’s actions.
