by Harper Bliss
“That might be true, but none of those people, I would dare say, held the highest office in their country. Ask the same question to any former president of France, and I think the answer might be very different.”
“Probably, but… those presidents weren’t women. I’m the first female president of France and, whether I want to admit it or not, so many things are different for me.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” Steph pushed herself up and sat on the armrest of Dominique’s chair.
“I have to be,” Dominique said. “I can’t just go blindly into another draining campaign and term—because if I run, I intend to win—just because it’s expected of me.”
“You never really were one to do what was expected of you.” Steph leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I should know.”
Steph
“Are you willing to try?” Juliette asked Claire.
“Work only thirty hours a week? Margot will have me declared insane. She might want to operate on my brain!”
Juliette shook her head and turned to Zoya. “How about you?”
“I’ve considered it and I think it’s a great idea. I think it might very well be the future.”
Steph smiled. Zoya Das had been an excellent acquisition for Barbier & Cyr. She knew her stuff, was a fast learner—she spoke good French already—and wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion.
“I’m not dead set against it,” Claire said. “I’m just not sure now’s the right time to do this trial.” She fixed her gaze on Steph. “I expect Dominique will be in touch about her campaign soon?”
Steph knew Barbier & Cyr had been approached by other political parties. Parties whose policies the staff of Barbier & Cyr generally agreed with much more. “I expect so,” Steph said, although, after last night’s conversation with Dominique, she couldn’t be entirely sure.
“I had a call from Aurore last night,” Zoya said. “She was rather cagey about it. She and Solange just broke up—again. She called to tell Camille and me about that, but I couldn’t shake the impression that she was somehow fishing for PR representation. Apparently, the Socialists have a big budget to spend.”
“They broke up again?” Claire asked.
“It’s no surprise,” Juliette said. “Clearly it’s not impossible.” She winked at Steph. “But having opposing political views doesn’t really make for a romantic match made in heaven.”
“How’s Aurore doing?” Dominique had told Steph about the split late last night—almost as an afterthought after what she had told her first.
“It was hard to gauge on the phone,” Zoya said. “But I did sense a sort of acceptance about the situation. If Aurore’s going to be working on Rivière’s presidential campaign and Solange is Dominique’s campaign manager, it would have become impossible in the end, either way. And it’s hardly been a bed of roses so far.”
“Solange is a pit bull. Once the campaign kicks off, she’ll have no time for a relationship, anyway,” Steph said. She felt for both of them regardless and made a mental note to call Aurore soon.
“Just to be one hundred percent clear, Steph,” Claire said. “Your fiancée will be hiring us for this campaign, won’t she? Other agencies are not in the running?”
Steph took a breath before speaking. She was a partner in this firm now. She had to tell the truth. “She would never choose another firm but… Dominique hasn’t decided to run yet.”
“What are you saying?” Juliette dropped her pen.
Steph had barely had time to get used to the idea herself. Even she was torn about it. On the one hand, she’d love nothing more than to spend more time with Dominique—and finally get married—but, on the other hand, she was sure that if Dominique didn’t run, she would regret it for the rest of her life. But Steph was not the person making the decisions. This was something only Dominique could decide.
“I’m saying that being president is not easy.”
“No one ever said it was easy,” Juliette said. “I just hadn’t expected it from Dominique. She’s such a fighter.”
“And such a political animal,” Claire added. “I think I might be in genuine shock.”
“It’s not a foregone conclusion. She only just mentioned it for the first time last night,” Steph said. “Solange was badgering her about it.”
“Do you think she’ll make a decision soon?” Claire asked.
“She has to,” Steph said.
“I’m not saying our firm can’t survive without running a presidential campaign, but if Dominique doesn’t run we—” Claire said.
“Claire, come on.” Juliette cut her off. “Don’t say something you might regret later.”
“I’m just being honest,” Claire said.
Juliette rolled her eyes.
“Maybe it would suit you if Dominique didn’t run. Then you could cut back your hours even more,” Claire said.
“I know things are difficult at home right now, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t take that out on us, your colleagues and friends,” Juliette said.”
“Sorry.” Claire heaved a sigh. “I’ve seen Margot crumble once before and she never does a half-assed job. When she crumbles, it’s all the way down.” She ran a hand through her hair.
Steph didn’t see her mother that often, but she couldn’t possibly imagine not having her around anymore. Margot had lost both her parents in a very short space of time and she wasn’t dealing with it very well.
“Can we do something to help?” Steph asked.
“She needs to talk about it. Process it. But Margot’s not a talker. She just works,” Claire said. “All the time. That’s why this thirty-hour week idea has been getting on my nerves so much. Honestly, I’d love to work a bit less but I would just spend the majority of my new-found free time waiting for my wife to come home from her eighty-hour work week.”
“I’ll ask Nadia to try again,” Juliette said. “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a friend than to your significant other.”
“Nadz has tried so many times. Which I greatly appreciate,” Claire said. “I just hope that with time, it will get better.”
“Things usually do,” Zoya said.
“I’ll talk to her,” Steph said. “Margot has always been there for me when I really needed her.”
Claire nodded. “That would be wonderful, Steph.”
Steph’s to-do list was growing. Check in with Aurore about her breakup from Solange. Convince Dominique to run again, lest she regret it for the rest of her life. And have a chat with a grieving Margot. Good thing she only worked part-time at Barbier & Cyr for now, and that she wasn’t willing to invest that much energy in her other part-time job: being first lady.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said. At least she didn’t have to worry about Solange—she would be just fine. She’d much rather avoid Solange until Dominique had made her decision, because Solange would only try to rope her in to force Dominique to make a swift commitment—and if it were up to Solange, there was only one viable decision Dominique was allowed to make.
Claire
To her surprise, Claire found Margot on the sofa when she got home from work. These days, it was hard to gauge what kind of mood Margot would be in, so Claire always trod with caution.
“I’ve made a decision,” Margot said. Her voice sounded even, which gave Claire hope they could spend a nice evening together.
Claire quickly shook off her coat and sat next to Margot. “I’m all ears.”
“It came to me again on the way home. I took a detour to clear my head. I really needed it.”
Claire nodded.
“I think I might try to find my birth parents.” Margot looked Claire straight in the eye.
Claire’s eyebrows shot up. She had to take a moment to regroup. Not once in all their time together had Margot expressed any desire to look for her birth parents.
“That’s a big thing.” Claire shuffled in her seat.
“I know.”
“Is this the first time you’ve thought of doing this?”
Margot shook her head. “I’ve thought about it many times in the course of my life, but I knew it would hurt Mum and Dad if I did while they were still alive. And I didn’t want to lie to them about it or keep it from them. But now they’re dead and I just feel… this extreme emptiness inside of me. An emptiness I hadn’t expected to feel. Their death wasn’t supposed to knock me for six the way it has.”
“If two people that important to you die so suddenly, it’s always going to be unbelievably hard, babe. It’s normal.”
“That they’re no longer here is a thought I almost can’t bear. I don’t know why. This grief just lasts and lasts and I feel like I need to do something big to snap myself out of it.”
Claire wanted to be supportive. There used to be a time when she could be certain any decision Margot made was a hundred percent thought-through, but that time was not now. She had to be the one to think this through for Margot.
“It’s a big leap into the unknown.”
“I know.” The corners of Margot’s mouth drew into a crooked smile. “You probably think I’m crazy and this is a bad idea in the emotional state I’m in, but I need to do something.”
“I understand the need for action.” Claire didn’t want to interrupt Margot too much. Some days, she hardly said a word at all, so when she was talking, Claire wanted her to get as much out as possible.
“I know I’m springing this on you. I’m not talking about leaving for South Korea tomorrow. I want to talk to my sister first, which won’t be an easy conversation. I’ve just been thinking about trying to find them more and more lately, so maybe that’s what I need to do.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Korea.” Claire tried a smile of her own.
“We’ll go together then.” Margot’s eyes brimmed with hope in a way they hadn’t done in a long time.
They sat in silence for a while. Claire wondered if Margot was conjuring up images of the woman who had given birth to her and her sister.
“How was your day?” Margot asked after a few minutes had passed.
“Juliette’s still going on about the thirty-hour workweek.” Claire inched a bit closer to her wife.
“I guess in some professions the number of hours you work isn’t as important as the way in which you use them.”
This remark caused Claire to look up.
“It’s logical,” Margot said matter-of-factly. “The only way a surgery I perform will ever get shorter in time is through medical and technological advancements. Some surgeries used to take eight hours and now only take half that.”
“But has that made you, and I mean you specifically, work fewer hours?”
Margot shook her head. “No, because I need the extra time to learn new procedures and keep up to speed with new techniques. My profession will always be a high-pressured one with long hours. Until the robots learn how to perform surgery on their own, of course.” She snickered.
“Would you let a robot operate on you?” Claire teased.
“If I was the one who trained and programmed it. Why not?” Margot burst into a chuckle.
“Yeah right.” Claire leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I haven’t told you the biggest piece of news from the inner sanctum of Barbier & Cyr yet.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“What?” Margot sounded genuinely curious. It was subtle, but her mood had improved.
“Dominique isn’t certain yet that she’ll be running for re-election.”
“Oh no,” Margot groaned. “She has to.”
“I guess that’s easy for us to say.”
“It might be, but that doesn’t change the fact that any alternative to Dominque as president is just an appalling thought.”
“Rivière isn’t too bad.”
“The Socialists have had their chance. Dominique is doing good things for this country. She needs another term to finish what she’s started.”
“Sounds like they need you at the Elysée to talk some sense into our president, babe.”
“I might just give Solange a call.”
Claire scanned Margot’s face. “You’re not even joking?”
“We are Dominique’s friends. If she needs us to make the best decision, we have to be there for her.”
“The best decision for whom, though?”
“For everyone.” Margot nodded forcefully.
“Oh, and Solange and Aurore broke up,” Claire added.
“I didn’t even know they’d got back together after their last breakup.”
“Political differences,” Claire said. “Not every relationship can withstand the issues they bring up.” She kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her.
“Opposites can attract for a while, but those two are both way too consumed by their beliefs. I never gave them much chance for the long term.” Margot patted her knees.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Claire manoeuvred so she sat with her back against the armrest of the sofa, then stretched out her legs and put her feet in Margot’s lap.
“If Dominique does make the unthinkable decision not to run, whatever will Solange do with herself?” Margot asked.
“Work on the campaign of whoever else runs for the MLR, I guess.”
Margot caressed Claire’s ankle with her fingertip, exactly in the spot where Claire enjoyed it so much. “That will be a lost cause. If Dominique doesn’t run, it will be a two-woman race between Marechal and Rivière.”
“Oh, the horror.” Margot squeezed Claire’s big toe.
“You can’t compare Rivière to Goffin. Just like Dominique is so very different from the previous MLR president. They’re a new generation. And they’re women.”
“Let’s not talk about politics tonight, babe.” Margot, who was massaging her heel now, said on a sigh.
“Fine with me.” Claire moaned as Margot’s fingers found that special spot again.
Margot
“We need to talk,” Nadia said. “Urgently.”
Margot checked her watch. “I have surgery in fifteen minutes.”
“Maybe I should tell you afterwards then.”
“What are you talking about?” Margot crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Some potentially upsetting news for you.”
“Oh Christ, what now?” It couldn’t possibly be more upsetting than the news of her father dying of a heart attack and her mother of a stroke four weeks later. But ever since that had happened, Margot had become more sensitive to bad news. She wished she could surround herself with good news only, but she worked in a hospital as a trauma surgeon so that would never be an option.
“Come into my office for a second.” Nadia led the way, then ushered Margot inside and closed the door behind them.
Margot regarded her expectantly.
“I heard a rumour,” Nadia said.
Margot breathed a small sigh of relief. Rumours couldn’t touch her. Not the way deaths in the family could.
“Inez Larue is back in town. The board might force me to at the very least interview her for a position here. She comes with a killer résumé, and, well, her uncle still thinks he runs this hospital.”
Margot rolled her eyes. “That’s your potentially upsetting news?”
“Well, yes, I figured you’d like to know. What with how things went down—”
Margot waved off Nadia’s comment. “I have zero feelings left for Inez. In fact, I may have sub-zero feelings for her. If she’s the best person for the job, then by all means, hire her. I truly couldn’t care less.”
“Are you sure?” Nadia fixed her gaze on Margot.
“I’m a married woman now, Nadz. Exes don’t have the same effect on me anymore. Plus, I find it easier to put things into perspective these days.”
“Okay.” Nadia’s posture relaxed. “I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks for telling me.” Margot checked the clock on the wall. “She’s always been a stellar doctor. I
have to go now.” She walked to the door, then turned around. “Don’t worry, this news won’t influence my performance in surgery.” She winked at Nadia and hurried to the operating theatre.
Did Nadia really think that, after all this time, Inez could turn up and turn her life upside down—again? Margot snickered. There was just no way.
After surgery, Margot found Steph waiting for her.
“Are you having lunch today, doctor?” she asked.
Margot clocked the secret service agent lingering in the corner of the corridor.
“What are you offering?” Margot asked, then kissed her friend on the cheek.
Steph held up a brown paper bag. “Presidential salads.”
“Made with taxpayer money?”
“Of course not,” Steph said, but didn’t elaborate further.
“Actually, I’m glad to see you. I want to talk to you,” Margot said.
They walked into her office. Margot didn’t care about the secret service guy and closed the door behind them.
“Don’t tell me,” Steph said. “The news has spread already.”
“As a worried citizen and a proud supporter of our president, I have to express my concern.” She sat and gestured for Steph to take the other seat. “She has to run, Steph. There’s just no other way.”
“I’m not the one you have to talk to about this.” Steph unearthed two containers from the bag and thrust one in Margot’s direction.
“How does it make you feel?” Margot asked.
“Like my life is now reduced to Dominique’s dilemma, and it will be until a decision has been made.”
Margot nodded. “The things we put our significant others through.”
“I actually came here to see how you’re doing,” Steph said.
“How thoughtful of you.” Margot checked the ingredients of the salad. “Really.” She meant it. “I’m doing fine.”
“Well, that’s the end of that conversation then.” Steph smirked.
Margot leaned back in her chair. “Have you been asked to come here?”
“I don’t need to be asked,” Steph said.