Sweetness in the Dark

by W. B. Martin

  “That leaves the debt issue. A gold standard would get our new nation on a stable footing from the start,” Paul stated.

  “It’s just not going to fly with my side. I know the problems the country got into with all the borrowing, but I think other solutions can be found,” Vernon said.

  Paul knew that any system devised would quickly devolve into deficit spending and the new country would be back where the old one had found itself. Originally, the old country had a gold standard and it took the federal government over 180 years to abrogate it. This issue may have to wait for another day, Paul thought.

  The three economists settled into a brisk discussion for the rest of the night. While stumbling blocks still persisted, they were reaching an understanding that would allow the new country to move ahead. And move ahead as a healthy, vibrant nation. One that would provide good-paying jobs for its citizens.

  And one with a safety net for those who truly needed help. Not doled out by a magnanimous federal government, but by local governments. Better to understand the local situation and control fraud, Paul thought.

  Much of the new government would be local. States would recover much of their independence from the old federal government. The era of big government had been crushed by an act of nature. The three men involved were determined that any future calamity would find a nation of many governments ready for the challenge.

  After three straight days they hammered out what they thought would be acceptable to both sides. They knew the Rebeccas of the country would go nuts, but chance and poor thinking had eliminated the majority of the people who thought like her.

  “We need to get some rest. The other delegates will be here in two days. I’ll have my staff work things up for our presentation. Are we going to call this the ‘Alabama Plan’?” Vernon asked in deference to his colleague from Alabama.

  “No, I think the Alabama Compromise is appropriate in this case,” Paul offered.

  “Settled then. We’ll meet the night before the opening and check that everything is correct,” Vernon said.

  Paul headed back to his hotel room. He couldn’t decide which he needed more; sleep or food? Riding up the elevator he decided on both. He’d order room service and hope he could stay awake long enough to eat it.

  He slipped his key into the lock. As the door opened, he was hit by the smell of food. Amanda sat in a chair, reading.

  “What are you doing here? Things don’t get started for another two days,” Paul said.

  “Well, if you’re not glad to see me, I can go find some other room.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m so tired. I’m ready to sleep for the next two days. I might not be much company. What’s to eat?” Paul asked. He lifted the silver tray covers to reveal a ham and egg omelet. Even though it was past eight in the evening, breakfast sounded wonderful.

  He sat and wolfed his food down. With a full mouth he tried to ask Amanda if she was hungry.

  “If you just asked if I’d eaten, yes, a couple of hours ago. Don’t talk with your mouth full. Finish up and go shower. It will help you sleep,” Amanda said.

  Paul chowed down the last of his toast and jam and headed to the shower. Drying off, he stumbled into his clean clothes. Walking into the room, Paul collapsed on the bed. He was out in seconds.

  Chapter 23

  Cheyenne, Wyoming

  Paul rolled over, groggy, forced his eyes open and checked the clock. It was past nine in the morning as he lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. A sound at the door announced Amanda’s return. Paul sat up in anticipation and was not disappointed. Amanda walked in wearing her running outfit. The sweat glistened on her exposed skin as she held a tray of drinks.

  “Good morning sleepy head. You were a tired boy,” Amanda said. “I picked up some coffee and muffins in the little bakery across the street.”

  “Have a good run? What time did you get up?”

  “Sevenish. I met a woman I know from the Montana delegation. She’s a runner, too. We had coffee together before our hour run,” Amanda said. She turned her back and added, “I’m hitting the shower.”

  When Amanda returned, they sat and ate their food. Television was still a victim of the Pulse, so they chatted about the upcoming Convention. Paul filled her in on the compromise he had worked out.

  They had decided that this day would belong to just the two of them. After a morning of getting reacquainted, they headed out into the Cheyenne sunshine for lunch. It was late spring and Wyoming was still cool as the couple pulled their collars up around their necks to shield them from the wind.

  “Hey you two. I was wondering if you were going to show your face at all today.” Paul turned his head to see Lars Lundquist standing on the sidewalk. Lars continued. “I was hoping to catch you before tomorrow.”

  “Oh, hi Lars. I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Paul uttered. He was slightly embarrassed to be caught enjoying time off. “May I introduce you to Ms. Savage? She’s on the Idaho delegation and is an assistant to the governor.”

  “Nice to meet you finally. I’ve seen you at the Convention,” Lars said.

  Amanda offered, “We were just heading out to grab lunch. Care to join us?” Paul was disappointed with her comment. He wanted to be alone with her all day and forget about the business at hand.

  “Love to, where are we headed?” Lars asked.

  The three walked a short distance to a corner cafe, where management enjoyed having the Convention back. It had turned out to be one of the more popular places for many of the Convention delegates.

  Cheyenne had a limited selection of restaurants that didn’t cater to cowboys. If you wanted something a little more exotic than biscuits and gravy, the corner cafe was the best option.

  As they walked in, they discovered the cafe already crowded. Many of the delegates had returned early to have a couple of days of politicking before the Monday Convention start.

  Paul and his party were settling in for a long wait when a loud yell from the back alerted them that they had been spotted.

  “There’s Vernon, he’s waving at us to come back and join them,” Lars said.

  Paul’s heart sunk. More politicians, and he just wanted to enjoy his Saturday alone with Amanda. He looked at Amanda for sympathy and received none. She was already walking toward the back of the dining area as Paul fell in behind Lars.

  “Ms. Savage, so nice of you to join us men,” Horst Petrasek said. “Here, I’ll move over. Lars sit there next to Ms. Savage. Paul, grab a seat with Vernon.”

  Paul slid in next to Vernon. He looked up at Amanda, sandwiched between the two men. Amanda smiled at him and gave him a little wink. She enjoyed her sudden popularity.

  “Well, what are you having Ms. Savage? It’s on Texas, so live it up,” Horst said.

  “Can we dispense with the Ms. Savage? Please call me Amanda. And I’d like hummus and pita bread please. And some bottled water, with bubbles.”

  “That wouldn’t fill up an armadillo on a sunburnt highway where I come from. Sure you don’t won’t some ribs or something?” Horst asked.

  “Thank you, Horst, but hummus is fine,” Amanda answered.

  “Doesn’t sound like fit food for someone from Idaho. You were born and raised there?” Horst inquired.

  “Yes, Horst, born and breed. Native to the bone. I spent a term studying in Israel in college and got very attached to Mediterranean cooking. It’s very good for you. Helps me keep my girlish figure,” Amanda said.

  “Well, no complaints on that part from me. No Siree, Bob. If hummus does the trick, maybe you could talk to Mrs. Petrasek. She could use a little help in that department,” Horst said.

  The table chuckled at Horst’s comment. The waitress came over to get the three new orders. Paul went with the turkey sandwich while Lars joined the Texans in a more Southern choice.

  “So, Vernon has filled me in on the plan you boys have worked up. I think we can convince our side that it will work for all of us. Have you gotten the OK from your
side?” Horst asked.

  “I briefed my governor on it and sent the details to the others. We have a meeting tomorrow to go over everything. So far I haven’t heard any negative comments,” Paul said.

  “Good. Maybe we can wrap this up and take home a fine document for ratification,” Horst said. “There is one little matter that I was hoping to go over with you ahead of time, though.”

  Paul saw it coming. Maybe this wasn’t an accidental meeting after all. Texas had an issue and what better way to move it along than a chance friendly meeting. The days of the ‘smoke-filled rooms’ might be over, but the days of working things out ahead of time hadn’t stopped in politics.

  “What issue would that be?” Paul asked.

  Now it was Vernon’s turn to speak. Paul knew the routine. Let the leader break the ice to be followed up by the underling. He turned to listen to his booth mate.

  “Since what we have worked out is almost a new document, we felt that we should emphasize that fact to the country. By providing some other new aspects to the Constitution, we could emphatically state that the old regime was dead,” Vernon said.

  The emphasis on ‘new’ was obvious. Paul saw the dance coming as his compatriot offered up his idea in muted tones.

  “What specific ‘new’ language do you feel needs to be added to make our point that this is a new country and a new government?” Paul asked. He was afraid of the answer.

  “We’ve all heard the reports from the Virginia delegation as to the state of affairs in and around Washington, D.C. The militia in Virginia has barely kept the chaos from crossing the Potomac. Even West Virginia had to respond to the hordes trying to escape.”

  “I’ve heard the same reports,” Paul said.

  “Well, if Washington is as damaged as they report, it will be a long time ‘til it’s a livable city again, if ever. Supposedly the roving mobs have looted and burnt down the majority of the city before they left for who-knows-where.” Vernon continued, “I think we need to designate in the new Constitution a new capital for the country. One that has the services and security we’ll need to properly start governing from day one. We don’t have time to be rebuilding Washington.”

  “And I assume you have a new location in mind for our nation’s capital?” Paul asked.

  “Obviously it would have to be a place that was still intact with no mob problems. The electrical grid would have to be fully functional and good transportation available,” Vernon offered.

  “That would mean it would have to be located in one of the original UAS States,” Paul said. He would play along for now. They would have to get to their answer eventually.

  “And being handy to sources of energy would be an asset. With New York City destroyed, having the capital close to existing financial centers would help in a quick recovery,” Vernon said.

  “Kansas City is one of our strongest financial centers now that New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco are history. I suppose we could find a suitable location in the Midwest that would serve the nation well. I think people would like their government out of the clutches of the Northeast crowd. Not that many of them are left,” Paul said.

  Vernon cleared his throat at Paul’s answer and seemed a little flummoxed. Horst looked sternly at his underling to press his cause.

  “Well, Paul, we had a different solution. We felt that Austin fit all those criteria the best,” Vernon finally revealed.

  So finally Texas was making their pitch, Paul thought. The Texans wanted to move the nation’s capital to Texas. It appeared that the largest state with the largest population still mostly intact felt like it was time to assert their power.

  Texas had chafed for years with the rivalry between California and Texas for the most robust economy. The end of the 20th Century found California dying from an overload of benefit takers and a fleeing tax-paying population. New York State had once been a linchpin in keeping the national power in the Northeast, but it had been losing population for decades.

  Florida and Illinois were the other power centers in the nation. Illinois was already broke before P-Day, and now it was decimated. Florida and the Northeast were also in ruins.

  After P-Day, all the competitors to Texas had been eliminated. The new country was going to be dominated by Texas, Paul thought. He needed to be careful in his answer to this proposal. He sat and thought of a solution.

  If he acquiesced, the smaller states would see through the ploy. They had made plain that they weren’t interested in trading one overseer for another. Meet the new boss, popped into Paul’s head as he hummed the ‘Who’ song, trying to focus.

  “Oh good, lunch.” He took the opportunity that the waitress provided to put off an answer. The Texas men looked frustrated as the food was passed around.

  The talk turned to more mundane things as they ate. The knot in Paul’s stomach almost resisted his sandwich and it was all he could do to get his food down. He looked at Amanda, who seemed to be enjoying her position. She was in tight contact with each man alongside of her as she ate her hummus. When she finished, she broke the silence that had overtaken the booth.

  “Gentlemen, I believe we have a standoff,” Amanda said. “A Texas standoff, if I may.” That comment brought a smile to the Texans’ faces.

  But Paul wasn’t smiling. The group of states that had supported the Idaho Plan would never agree to move the national capital to Texas. Then it dawned on Paul, This is why the Texans had been so accommodating on reaching a compromise on the new Constitution.

  They were maneuvering to have the capital in their midst all along. With the capital firmly in the middle of Texas, they would be able to better control the new government. Local people would be hired to work in the new bureaucracy, and over the years those same people would rise up to control things.

  Slowly, the entire nation would be run by Texans, just as the Washington bureaucracy had been dominated by the East Coast. Paul would have to come up with a solution or, the country was at risk of division. But what other answer would satisfy the Texans? From their looks as they stared at Paul, everything hinged on the national capital in Texas. The stillness in the booth overshadowed the clamor of the other diners around them. The tension of the standoff was palatable.

  “I believe I might have a solution,” Amanda said. Her voice startled the men. They all turned to look at the young woman sitting with them. They had forgotten she was even there.

  “Ms. Savage, I do declare, I’m right interested in your views,” Horst replied.

  “Remember, it’s Amanda, Horst,” she admonished her neighbor. She was sure that the re-joiner would register with the powerful Texan.

  “Amanda, yes,” Horst returned. “What do you have for us?”

  “As I see it, you have a strong argument for moving the nation’s capital to Austin. Makes good sense in lots of ways. And it’s certainly a nice place to live in comparison to Washington. You have the infrastructure already built to handle what would be a new large city going in there,” Amanda started.

  “But with the new Constitution limiting the size of the government, we wouldn’t see such a huge city there,” Vernon said. Paul could tell from his response that he didn’t relish his hometown being swallowed by a huge city.

  “That’s what the Founding Fathers thought, too. They never set out to create such a bloated whale that we ended up with either. We can assume that even with the changes you’ve worked out, the new government will one day be out of control,” Amanda offered. “If I remember Thomas Jefferson’s view on the matter, he felt that a revolution every few generations was the only solution to the bloated whale syndrome.”

  “He referred to bloated whales?” Horst asked.

  “Just embellishing on Jefferson a bit, to make my point,” Amanda said. “We didn’t abide Jefferson’s advice and went too many generations without another revolution. We were heading to a financial revolution when the sun interceded for us. Sort of forced the issue.”

  “An understatement, fo
r sure,” Lars said.

  “Exactly, but because the more conservative states were prepared and the more liberal states were not, we have a paradigm shift in the political reality of the country,” Amanda said.

  Paul was impressed. This young woman was laying out the basis of the new country.

  “You have our full attention, please continue,” Horst said.

  “Why, thank you Horst,” Amanda replied. “And now as evident by those shifting demographics, the great State of Texas is the sole large state still standing.”

  “Here, here!” Horst said.

  “But that’s the crux of the problem, too.” Amanda stayed on message. “Previously, California or New York or a combination of large states could block any one other state’s grab for dominance. That reality is gone. Now we have one large state and a slew of Lilliputian states, if you will.”

  Horst looked at his friends in confusion.

  “Small,” Vernon offered.

  “Yes, and small states will be very anxious about any Texas move to dominate a new nation. They will conclude correctly that moving the nation’s capital to Austin is a power grab. I’m afraid they will resist,” Amanda said.

  Paul loved this woman. She put the issues right on the table and in blunt terms that the Texans could understand.

  “But, you said you had a solution, I believe,” Lars offered.

  “I was reading over the new details you worked out. The changes you will be offering on Monday include a major change in the configuration of the government. I think in those changes, we can find a solution,” Amanda said.

  “Why don’t we go back to the hotel and work this out then? I think they need our table anyway,” Horst said.

  Amanda slid out and Horst immediately took her arm to escort her to a hotel meeting room. Paul joined in behind with Lars and Vernon.

  Outside the cafe, Lars leaned over and whispered to Paul. “Your friend has Horst right where she wants him. This may all work.”