Sally sighed, feeling a deep sadness that she knew would be tough to shake. She turned her attention back to the typewriter, bent on giving her father a hint that it was time for her to get to work.
Fortunately, he took the hint, and Sally inhaled deeply, hoping the rest of her day was uneventful. She'd had more than enough drama lately, and Sally knew she was nearing the end of her rope.
She did, however, make a mental note to get together with Lisa Freeman.
And that was definitely a high priority.
“So have you had a chance to think about it?” Lisa asked as she finished making dinner, smiling with what Sally recognized as her own unique form of eagerness.
“Consider what?” Sally asked, playing coy with her.
“You know, silly! The advertisement,” Lisa said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, that,” Sally asked, turning her attention to the stove. “Just a little bit, maybe.”
She noticed that one of the pots was beginning to boil over, and Sally realized she should point that out to Lisa immediately.
“Umm. . .I'm not sure we're going to be able to have dinner together, though, unless we attend to that,” Sally said, pointing at the hyperactive concoction.
“Oh!” Lisa exclaimed. “You're right. . .I should do something about that immediately.”
She bustled over to the range, barely remembering to grab a potholder before pulling the thing from peril. Sally hovered around her, eager to help, knowing that Lisa could be a bit of a calamity in the kitchen.
“Thank you so much for inviting me over for dinner!” she said, watching the pot carefully as Lisa drained it a bit in the sink. “I really needed the break.”
“Happy to have you,” Lisa said, smiling sweetly. “It's a great convenience, having this place—definitely one of the better benefits of working for a man with the resources of James Devlin. It really is amazing that he allocates these smaller houses for all the members of his staff.”
“Especially the female members,” Sally said. “That's nearly unprecedented. And I'm equally amazed that he hasn't made advances toward you, or tried to exact a far greater toll for what he's done for you.”
“I agree,” Lisa replied. “He does take a small amount from our salary because of it, but he is quite generous. And he gives us the requisite privacy, man or woman, as well as the space we need to do our jobs well. Definitely a man ahead of his time.”
“Would that they were all so,” Sally commented, thinking of Jack and her father, “the world would be a much better place.”
“Perhaps,” Lisa said. “But God leads us all down our different trails, and he does have his plans for us.”
“I certainly hope so,” Sally said, reaching for the plates and utensils as the two women maneuvered around each other in the kitchen. “I know I'm far less than perfect, as hard as I try, and there are times when I have my doubts.”
“I know,” Lisa said, smiling. “But I also know your faith and your determination, and those are the things that will carry you through all this.”
“I think so, too,” Sally agreed as they settled in at the dining table. “Although I'm not sure I would have been able to get this far without your assistance.”
Lisa smiled. “Well, you know how happy I am to have been able to help here and there,” she said.
“You've been a great help,” Sally said. “Shall we say grace?”
“Of course,” Lisa said, bowing her head, then looking at Sally. “Would you like to perform the blessing, or should I?”
“You,” Sally said, nodding at her. “I have this old-fashioned belief that the host should give the blessing.”
Lisa nodded, then launched into a brief prayer. As always, Sally was impressed by her eloquence and her ability to think on her feet, whether her words involved devotion to Christ or a legislative matter.
But she knew Lisa wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily, and when the blessing was done and they'd begun eating, she posed the question again.
“So. . .have you thought about it?”
Sally smiled at her friend's persistence. “Yes, I have,” she replied, knowing Lisa wasn't going to quit until the matter had been given full treatment.
“And?”
“Well, it definitely deserves consideration,” Sally said. “And I am starting to feel more optimistic about it.”
“So you'll do it?” Lisa asked, her expression turning bright and animated. Sally knew the look well, having seen her help James Devlin close several deals on the legislative floor.
Sally rolled her eyes. “I said I'd think about it,” she said.
“Come on, Sally,” she said. “You know we have to do this.”
“Hmm,” Sally said. “You could be right.”
“You know I am,” Lisa said. “It will be our great adventure together.”
Sally's countenance brightened. “So you'll go with me?”
Her friend looked hesitant for a moment, then seemed to regain her determination.
“Well. . .yes,” Lisa said. “I've given it some thought, and I realized you were right. I think it would be the best sort of change for both of us.”
Sally beamed at her. “Well, that does make me feel a lot better about it,” she said, sighing, and suddenly Sally felt some of the tension drain from her body. She grinned. “And it does give you a chance at the same sort of happiness.”
Then Lisa gave her that look, the one that told her something else was coming.
“Uh oh,” Sally said. “I know that expression. . .and I can feel the gears turning in your mind from here.”
“Well. . .,” Lisa said in a way that made Sally even more nervous, “I do admit I've been working on it a bit. . .”
“Working on it?” Sally shook her head. “What does that mean?”
“It means I've been working on it,” Lisa said, giving her a mock pout.
“Uh huh,” Sally nodded. “And does that work include any actual action?”
“Well. . .now that you mention it. . .”
“Lisa!” she exclaimed. “What exactly have you gone and done this time?”
“This time?” Lisa asked, knowing she was referring to her occasional tendency to act rashly whenever she came up with some kind of innovative idea.
“Yes,” Sally said, nodding. “I've seen more bills than I can count end up with last-minute riders because you came up with one of your ideas just before the closing bell at the end of a session.”
Lisa pouted, then grinned. “All in the service of the public we're duly sworn to serve,” she said, tipping her nose in the air a bit. “I remain at their beck and call.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Well, yes, I suppose,” she said. “That part has been far more true than either one of us would prefer.”
“Amen to that,” Lisa said, nodding as she speared a bite of her salad. “But all of that's about to change, I think.”
Once again, Sally rolled her eyes. “Why don't you just tell me what you've done?”
“All right,” Lisa replied. “How about if we just finish up with dinner first? I'm just about done.”
“Me too,” Sally agreed. “I could barely handle another bite. . .you know how many times I've told you that the stews you create are wonderful.”
“Well, thank you,” Lisa said, blushing slightly. “You know it's always a major pleasure to have someone to cook for.”
“And I'm available any time for that, as you well know,” Sally said. “I'm more than happy to take advantage of you in that regard.”
“I think it's a mutual advantage for both of us,” Lisa added. “And I'm definitely glad we took the time to do it tonight.”
“Me too.”
They finished up and cleared the table together, which was a well-polished, time-honored ritual for both of them. They'd reached the point where they were like an old married couple, knowing just when to stay out of each other's way and exactly what to do to finish things as quickly as possible.
When the tabl
e was cleared and the dishes done, Lisa wiped down the table, then disappeared into the bedroom for a moment. She'd mentioned needing to get something as they were clearing the table, but she wouldn't say what it was. Sally had smiled to herself, knowing how much Lisa liked to create a mystery every now and then.
“So. . .” Lisa said when she reappeared. She was carrying a file, and Sally frowned and sighed, hoping that whatever was in that thing had nothing to do with work. “I think it's just about ready here.”
Sally stared at her, more than a little puzzled.
“Lisa,” she began, “I hope that isn't a bill you've got there.”
“Heaven forbid!” Lisa replied instantly. “Perish the thought.”
She opened the file, then nodded at the chair, then at Sally. “Sit, please.”
“Yes ma'am,” Sally said, rolling her eyes. Then she looked at the paperwork in the file, which actually just consisted of a single sheet.
“So what is it we're doing here?” she asked.
“Fixing this,” Lisa said, setting up her best pen along with the inkwell.
Sally leaned over, peering at the paper. “And just what is it?” she asked.
“Your reply,” Lisa said simply.
“What!?!”
“You heard me,” Lisa repeated. “Your reply.”
“My reply to what?” Sally shot back. “Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?”
“You know I am,” Lisa replied, giving Sally her sweetest smile, the one designed to sway the intent of even the stubbornest legislator.
“So you did it,” Sally mused as she stared at the paper.
“Of course,” Lisa said matter-of-factly. “It had to be done.” Then she paused as she looked at it. “Or at least started.”
Sally shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness you didn't just send it,” she said. “That would have been unpardonable.”
Lisa smiled. “Believe me, I thought about it,” she said. “But I couldn't quite push it through to final draft, so I thought we could complete it together.”
Sally cocked her head and nodded at the paper. “Well, it is akin to what we do for our livelihood,” she said.
“True.” Lisa pointed at the paper. “So shall we get to it?”
“All right, then,” Sally replied, giggling slightly.
Lisa pushed the file over to her. “You can read it through, then tell me what you think,” she said.
Sally sighed, then squared away the file and the paper so she could read it. She knew Lisa was a brilliant writer when it came to bills and legislative notices, but she couldn't recall ever reading her personal correspondences, especially since she'd tended to be quite private about prospective beaus and love interests in the past.
Scanning the paper, Sally slowly felt a grin spread across her face, and something inside her began to feel quite warm.
Dear Mr. Jackson,
I am very impressed by both your background and the integrity of your intentions, and I am equally intrigued by the prospective life you mention as well. I also am interested in a Christian marriage, one that includes raising a family and doing good works in the name of our Lord in the political arena.
I, too, currently work for a legislator here in the great state of Maryland, but my situation is quite different from yours. For a variety of reasons, I am feeling a deep need to leave Maryland and start over. Simply put, I must make a great change in my life.
I am equally intrigued by the possibility of doing that in Last Chance. It sounds like a wonderful place indeed, and I look forward to seeing it. The part involving mail order brides sounds intriguing indeed!
If you will have me, I accept your proposal, and I look forward to making a life together with you as man and wife in the bonds of holy matrimony. I will be traveling West together with my best friend, Lisa Freeman, who also works in politics and has a similar background and interests.
I await your reply with great eagerness and anticipation,
Yours in faith and hope,
Sally Galvin
When she was done reading, Sally shook her head, then looked up and smiled at her friend.
“You've really thought this through, haven't you?”
“Yes!” Lisa exclaimed. “I'm totally convinced that what we're doing here is a dead-end life. You've seen the corruption around us here. How long do you think it will be before it reaches up and swallows all of us?”
“You make it sound so nefarious,” Sally said.
“Only because it is,” Lisa said. “It happens so slowly, over time. That's the terrible thing about it.
We've seen this so many times with our friends and other women we know. Time starts passing, there's a compromise marriage, or one that's practically arranged, and then you're stuck in the muck with no way out.”
“True,” Sally replied. “It does seem to be a repeating cycle.”
“And this is our way out,” Lisa said. “I'm convinced of it.”
“But what about you?” Sally asked. “Let's say this man does accept me. . .what will you do? You'll be alone out there.”
“No, I won't,” Lisa countered. “I'll be with you.”
“Ha!” Sally shot back. “You may find that to be of small consolation if things don't go as planned.”
“I'll be with you!” she insisted. “And besides, I'm used to thinking on my feet.”
Sally shook her head. “No argument there,” she said. “Any man in the legislator who's dealt with you at any level would truthfully testify to that.”
“So we'll be fine,” Lisa concluded.
Halfway sold, Sally turned her attention to the specifics of the letter. She read it through, then read it again.
The wording seemed impeccable to her, which was normal with anything Lisa wrote. The bills she edited were considered airtight, to the point where they almost automatically passed if they had her name on them.
Finally Sally looked up. “Well, I'm certainly not going to be able to improve on this,” she said.
“Good! So we're agreed, then?”
Sally frowned slightly. “Agreed about what?”
“That we're going to send this,” Lisa said, clearly bent on closing the sale.
Sally cocked her head. “OK,” she said finally. “It certainly can't do any harm.” She smiled. “At least not at the moment.”
“Exactly!” her friend exclaimed. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Sally smiled. “I've heard that somewhere before,” she said, kidding Lisa about her favorite phrase.
Lisa rolled her eyes, then slid the paper over to the envelope. “So I'm going to post this tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Sally said, nodding as she tried to convince herself. “I think we should do it.”
“All right then,” Lisa replied. “I'll make sure it goes out with the daily legislative mail.”
The next day, Jack was at it again. This time, he was the one who turned up at Sally's desk bright and early, an event that was even rarer than an early appearance from her father.
“This is unusual,” Sally commented when she saw him waiting for her, making sure he could hear the suspicion in her tone.
Jack gave her his phony grin. “Urgent business,” he said, nodding at the sheaf of papers in his hand.
“Nothing I was told about,” she said. “At least not during my last conversation with my father.”
He plopped them down on her desk, and Jack seemed to take some satisfaction in doing it.
“I saw him last night, in the Senator's Club,” he said. “He left a note that I should meet him there, and that it was important. Harlan was in a late meeting, and we ended up having a drink together and discussing this.”
He nodded at the stack of papers, and Sally bit her tongue. And how drunk was he, that was the question she truly wanted to ask.
Sally looked at the papers with a growing sense of dread. “So what are they?”
“A new bill,” Jack replied. “Or rat
her, an addendum to an old one, I should say, to be more accurate.”
“What bill is that?” Sally asked, suddenly confused.
Jack grinned. “The one you finished yesterday,” he said. “Or the one we thought was finished.”
“It was done!” Sally insisted. “I'm sure we can't add anything to it. . .at least not according to the Senate rules.”
“Apparently this change has been grandfathered in,” he said, his grin growing. “I think your father called in a favor.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Well, heaven knows there are enough of those,” she said. “The list seems endless.”
“Perhaps,” Jack acknowledged. “All I know is he told me that the completion of this one is quite urgent.”
She frowned. “As in how urgent?”
“As in it, too, must be finished by the end of the day,” he explained, then shook his head. “I'm really sorry about this, Sally.”
His insincerity made Sally want to spit in his eye, but she quickly reminded herself of her “do unto others” mantra. Instead, she studied the size of the pile of papers in disbelief.
“That can't be!” she exclaimed. “This must be at least 50 pages!”
“Close to 70, by my count,” Jack said, giving her a sly smile.
Suddenly, Sally realized what this was about. Jack must have gone to her father again. She should have known the minute she saw him at her desk.
“And when does it have to be done by again?” she asked.
“Like I said,” he repeated. “Close of business and end of session today.”
“That's impossible!” she nearly screeched. “This is completely unfair.”
“I don't disagree,” Jack said. “But you know what they say, Sally. . .one hand washes the other.”
Her eyebrows arched. “What do you mean?”
Jack shrugged. “Perhaps if we'd been busy with our social discourse, I could have found someone for the secretarial pool to handle this,” he said, tilting his head in thought. “But then I thought, maybe it's too important to be handled that way.”
Sally knew he was playing her, and she also knew there was nothing she could do about it. She felt trapped and cornered, so she decided to remain silent.
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