Presidential Shadows

by Michael Cantwell

Mom called me to the phone early in the morning on New Year’s Eve. I thought it was Bruce asking me to go sledding, until I saw Mom’s smile.

  “Hello, Alex. My mom says I can invite a few friends over for New Year’s Eve. Do you want to come over tonight? My dad is decorating the basement in purple. He’s even going to move a TV down there so we can watch Dick Clark and see the ball drop.”

  “I don’t think so, Wendy. My mom doesn’t let me stay up past 9:30, unless it’s special.”

  “Boys are so stupid. It’s New Year’s Eve, Alex. That is special. Everyone in the world stays up to watch Dick Clark. Bruce is coming. Janet, Erin and Michelle from school are coming over too. They’re sleeping over. You and Bruce have to go home though. My dad won’t let boys sleep over. Hey, why don’t you sleep at Bruce’s house?”

  “Maybe. Mom did let me stay up last year, but I fell asleep before midnight. I’ll let Bruce know if I’m coming or not.”

  I hung up. Mom was still standing there with a wide smile.

  “I think you should go to Wendy’s party. She’s a very nice young lady.”

  “Wait a minute. How did you know that was Wendy and she invited me to a party?”

  Mom gave me a look that only moms can. “We chatted before I called you. I spoke with her mother too. They’re expecting you. It would be good for you to get out of your room and socialize more. You’re going to the party.”

  Ever since that morning, I knew it was true. Mothers do have a secret society. You can deny it, but get used to the idea. Dads know some cool stuff. Moms know everything. I had to learn to deal with it.

  After dinner, I walked down to Wendy’s house. Her dad met me at the door and showed me the way to the basement. Already sitting in a circle was Wendy, Bruce, Michele Haney, Erin Cleary and Janet Brandt. I knew Erin and Michele from school and the neighborhood. They lived on the street behind our house. They were cousins and lived four houses apart. Janet lived far enough away that she took a different bus to school. Janet and I sat together a few times during lunch at school with Wendy and Bruce.

  As I got closer to the circle, I saw the orange ring around Bruce’s mouth to match his orange fingertips. A bowl of Cheetos sat next to him. In the center of the circle was a Monopoly game.

  “Everyone say hello to Alex,” Wendy said. “Erin, you and Michele need to make room for Alex in the circle, please. Alex, since you stink at board games, Erin will be your partner. She’s a good player.”

  It only took ten seconds, but I was ready to leave. We had over five hours until midnight but Wendy had already upset me.

  “Hold on, Wendy,” I said. “Who made you the boss? Why can’t I be partners with Bruce? And I don’t stink at Monopoly.”

  Wendy and the other girls giggled. “Boys are so stupid sometimes. Everyone knows girls are much better with money than boys are. Erin and Michele are good at math. You and Bruce need the most help. I’ll be partners with Janet. It’s the only fair way. You will be partners with Erin and Bruce can be partners with Michele. It’s my house, my rules.”

  I looked at Bruce. He was too busy licking the crumbs from the bottom of the Cheetos bowl to look back. I wanted the night to be over before it even began.

  “There’s soda pop in the fridge over in the corner,” Wendy said. “Go get one if you want before you sit, Alex. Hurry up. We’ve been waiting on you to start. And don’t touch my dad’s beer or he’ll make everyone go home.”

  I wasn’t upset about being partners with Erin. It was the thought of Wendy bossing me around that was irritating. Erin and her brothers were in the park sometimes. When she got tired of her brothers teasing her, she would come sit with me. We had been in the same class our entire lives. I knew her pretty well. Michele was a year older, but only hung out with me if she was with Erin. Janet was quiet in school. About the only thing I knew about her was that her hair was almost the same color as Bruce’s fingertips.

  We rolled dice to see who would go first. Erin and I would go second. I reached for the racecar but Bruce beat me to it. Erin grabbed the thimble. The thimble. Ugh.

  Michele and Bruce went first. Bruce rolled an eight. They bought Vermont Avenue. Erin rolled. We landed on Reading Railroad. I was about to tell Erin that we should save our money until President Lincoln who was now standing behind me, tapped my shoulder.

  “Railroads are essential, Alex. I signed the Pacific Railroad Bill that will join the rail system across the nation. I learned while campaigning for president how crucial trains are.”

  Erin and I bought the Reading Railroad for $200.

  Wendy rolled a seven and landed on Chance. Janet drew the card that sent them to jail. I laughed. Wendy frowned.

  When our turn came back around, someone tapped my shoulder again. “Hello, Alex. I am President Herbert Hoover. I served as Secretary of Commerce for two presidents. I’ll assist you in your purchasing.”

  I must have blurted out, “thanks.” I handed Erin the dice.

  “Thanks for what, Alex?” Wendy asked.

  I smiled. “For inviting me. Why else?”

  “You’re weird sometimes. Take your turn.”

  Erin rolled double fives. Another railroad and another turn. I turned to look at President Lincoln. He nodded. We bought Pennsylvania Railroad before rolling again. Double fours, we landed on Indiana Avenue. Another person tapped my shoulder from behind.

  “You must buy Indiana Avenue. I am the only president from the state of Indiana. I am also the only man elected president who had a grandfather who was president as well.”

  I remembered from my reading that the man talking with me was Benjamin Harrison. He was the twenty-third president and the last to wear a full beard as president. Mr. Harrison was president for four years. Grover Cleveland was president before and after Benjamin Harrison.

  Herbert Hoover spoke up. “Wisdom oft times consists of knowing what to do next.”

  Lincoln was complaining. “Save your money for the railroads.”

  “Hush up all of you,” I said.

  “No one is talking,” Wendy said. “Hurry up. Do you two want the property or not?”

  I looked in Erin’s hazel eyes. She handed me the money for Indiana Avenue. She rolled again. Nine. We bought North Carolina Avenue.

  “Bad roll, she missed the railroad,” Lincoln said.

  The other two teams took turns. When it was our turn, we rolled a six. Darn. We landed on the luxury tax and owed $75.

  Tommy Wilson stood behind me snickering. “One of my two favorite spots on the board. You have more properties than the other teams. It’s only fair you stop and pay a tax.”

  It was hard to be nice to Tommy.

  The game continued until all the properties were purchased. Wendy’s mom came down to check on us and bring Bruce more Cheetos. We decided it was time for a quick break. We went upstairs to use the bathroom. I was first back in the basement. Mr. Hoover said, “It’s a joy to see young friends get together like this. Children are our most valuable natural resource. Are you enjoying your evening?”

  The others were still upstairs, so I could talk. “It’s ok so far. I think we have a slight lead in the game. I took President Lincoln’s advice. We bought or traded for all the railroads.”

  “Lincoln was a smart man,” Hoover said. “You did well with your trading of deeds. I have always believed in a strong relationship between government and business. Personally, I made my money in mining. That’s one reason I pushed to have the Boulder Dam built out west. It created thousands of jobs in Nevada and Arizona.”

  “Thanks for the trading tips with our properties. I think we came out ahead in the two trades we made. And, I think they call it the Hoover Dam now.”

  “You’re welcome, Alex. It appears I get along better with you than many of the politicians in Congress during my presidency.”

  “They’re coming back down. I have to stop talking now.”

  The four girls were gabbing away as they came down the steps. Bruce was eating an ice crea
m cone. Bruce loved his junk food. We all sat back in the circle and made a few more swaps. After all the trading ended, Erin and I owned the railroads, the utilities, the red properties and the green properties. Wendy and Janet had the yellow ones, along with Park Place and Boardwalk. Bruce and Michele owned the rest of the board. It was time to build.

  Erin had several good rolls. We made it around the board several times without having to pay much. The other two teams landed on our properties every time around. We kept adding houses. For once, I was happy to pay the luxury tax. We landed on it three times in a row and missed having to pay Wendy and Janet for Boardwalk. Michele and Bruce were low on money. Erin and I bought the purple set from them. We put up more houses.

  When Tommy Wilson whispered in my ear, I ignored his advice. He wanted me to give some properties back to Michele and Bruce to make the game more even. I thought about what Grandpa said President Reagan had told him, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” I didn’t want help from Tommy Wilson. The object of the game was to improve your status not share in mediocrity.

  Bruce landed on Park Place stuffed with hotels. He and Michele were bankrupt. Another president appeared. Millard Fillmore asked me to inform Bruce, “An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable one.” Bruce was more intent on watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reruns and eating jellybeans.

  I remembered how President Reagan once said, “You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.” The only thing I could see was that Bruce was going to get sick from all the junk he had been eating all night.

  “Let’s take a break,” Wendy said. “Dick Clark is on. Maybe we should call it a tie.”

  Ulysses S. Grant whispered, “In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Erin said.

  I made a quick count of hotels, properties and money. Despite what Wendy believed, I was good in math too. We were in the lead and had just passed Boardwalk. President Eisenhower sat behind Wendy in my direct view.

  He said in a calm tone, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

  “That sounds good to me too, Wendy,” I said. “Erin and I will allow you and Janet to quit before you lose. It’s obvious that’s all you’re really afraid of.”

  Wendy’s eyes narrowed. Her bottom lip fell slightly. “Nice try, Alex, but everyone did come over to see Dick Clark. The ball drops in twenty-eight minutes. We need to get ready.”

  “Get ready? This isn’t Cinderella’s ball, Wendy. The television is already on. It’s only a frigging ball dropping. You can see it from your seat.”

  They all ignored my plea and moved onto the sofa and chairs in front of the television. I looked inside the box for the rules. I read where whoever had the lead in money when the game stopped was the winner. I presented my case to Wendy and the others. Even Erin wanted to watch Rocking Eve. Whatever. I gave up and squished into a seat with Erin. The other four were sitting on the sofa.

  Midnight was near. We all counted it down. Luckily, I was able to stay awake all evening but once that dumb ball dropped, I would head for home. The ball dropped. Dick Clark called out Happy New Year and kissed his wife. Before I realized what was going on, Erin’s lips pressed against mine. It was over in less than a second but it felt like an eternity. My eyes were wide open staring at her wide eyes as she kissed me.

  “That’s how you a start a New Year,” Erin said after releasing her puckered lips.

  I looked over at the sofa. Four pair of eyes were staring back. Bruce’s lips had every color of the rainbow on them from all the jellybeans he had been eating. Wendy’s mouth was wider than the clown face we throw a ball through at the carnival. Janet was twirling her red curls while Michele looked as if she had seen a ghost.

  “Yeah, Happy New Year. Time to finish the game,” Wendy declared.

  “Hold on, Wendy,” I said. “You said it was a tie. I wanna go home.”

  “Do you want to forfeit to us then, kisser boy?”

  “Stop it. I did not kiss Erin. She kissed me.”

  Erin poked me in the ribs. “It sure felt like you kissed me. I’m not good enough to kiss?”

  “It’s not that, Erin. I wasn’t expecting it.”

  “Both of you kissers. Get over and finish this game or you both are giant losers,” Wendy said.

  Janet kept twirling her curls and popped a bubble from her gum. Michele went from seeing a ghost to closing her eyes and tilting her head on the edge of the sofa. Bruce was rubbing his belly complaining he ate too much. Erin grabbed my hand and yanked me to the floor and the game board.

  “I’ll kiss whoever I wanna kiss on New Year’s.” Erin said.

  We played for fifteen minutes when Wendy’s dad came down the steps. “Bruce, Alex, come on boys, I’m gonna walk you both home.”

  Erin and I were only a few moves from winning. I wanted to ask for more time and finish them off. As I was about to ask, President Eisenhower stood behind Wendy again and said, “War settles nothing.”

  I knew he was right. I knew with the help from a few presidents, Erin and I had won. I was starting to realize how much work it was to keep real friendships. Maybe John Adams was right when he said one hug could change history.

  ~~~*~~~

  Chapter Twenty One