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ILOOK AROUND THE ROOMat the guests, and I can’t help but think that tonight is a Who’s Who of Atlanta socialite and celebrity life. The governor, mayor, and several city councilmen and women are here along with key figures from the local media. CEOs of well-known businesses, attorneys, athletes, and other notable celebrities all rub elbows.
“How do you know all of these people?” I whisper to Kenneth.
He smiles down at me and winks an eye. This man of mine is arrogant on top of everything else that he is.
“You underestimate your man, my love. I’ve worked hard to cultivate my network, but aside from that, people want to see me in the Senate.”
“Why though? You’ve not proven yourself yet.”
“Proven myself? I worked my ass off to get the resolution for three-quarters of a million dollars worth of training for our police officers each year,” he hisses.
“Yes, and as I recall, that was up against the resolution to provide funding for new computers for the inner-city schools in the metro area along with services to provide summer lunches for those same children and starting the plans for a new park in Old Fourth Ward,” I argue.
“Something has to take a back seat, honey,” he says, squeezing my fingers.
“Will it always be this way? The things that serve your best interest take precedence over mine?”
“I didn’t know that those things mattered to you. There will come another time when you can get your interests served.”
“Or what about when a constituent presses you to vote a certain way? Is that the way you’ll lean regardless of my feelings or the impact it may have on me?” I ask.
“She’s starting to think like a Senator’s wife, my boy,” Graham Parks, a local judge, says, coming up behind us and clapping Kenneth on the back.
Kenneth’s red skin turns redder after realizing our argument was overheard.
“And the sooner she realizes the argument is a moot point, the happier she’ll be,” Graham’s wife, Amy Parks, says, smiling comfortingly at me.
Kenneth smiles and says, “Your Honor, Mrs. Parks, this is my fiancée, Piper Chambers. Piper, this is the Honorable Graham Parks and his lovely wife, Amy Parks.”
I shake Mrs. Parks’ hand and smile at them both. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Judge Parks says, taking my hand in his and then kissing it as he looks up at me and winks.
I feel slimy and even more so when I notice that Mrs. Parks looks away wearing an uncomfortable smile. Something about how she’s handling this says that it’s not the first time and that she’s accustomed to his behavior.
I pull my hand back, and he lifts an eyebrow. Kenneth squeezes an arm tightly around my waist.
“We were just discussing—” he begins before the judge cuts him off.
“Oh, I heard what you were discussing. There’s someone else that I’d like you to meet,” the judge says, nodding his head toward a group of men across the room.
“Someone that will be beneficial to raising funds for my future campaign, I hope,” Kenneth says teasingly as he walks away with Judge Parks.
Mrs. Parks and I follow behind the men, and I hear Judge Parks say, “These men could fund your entire campaign if they chose to or they could kill it so make sure that you kiss ass.”
“Grown men still playing little boys’ games,” Mrs. Parks mutters.
I smile wanly at her. “Does it ever change?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes and then gives me a warning look. Mrs. Parks stops walking and places two hands on my shoulder, turning me to face her. “Honey, the sooner you learn to accept that they will never see things our way and getting in the way will only get you hurt, the sooner you’ll find peace and happiness.”
“But I don’t want to sit back and accept whatever comes. This city means a lot to me, and I’m passionate about it, the families that our communities serve, and—”
“So, take that passion and pour it into a charity, a function, or a foundation even.”
A smile comes to my lips no sooner than she speaks the words. My mind turns back to earlier when I was talking to Rashida. I don’t know where all this passion comes from because I’ve never concerned myself with things like this.
