by S. E. Lund
I had only wanted to be able to explain things to him about MBS's coverage of the scandal. I hadn't wanted to open up a whole new can of worms...
Ella called from the living room and I knew I had to shut down my mind for the rest of the evening and spend it with my bride-to-be. She deserved my complete attention when I was with her, so I closed the documents I'd been reading, shut off my email and Skype window, and I took in a deep breath. I'd blank the whole matter from my mind and focus on the movie. It was a perennial favorite of my brothers and of course, one of my own favorite movies and Christmas traditions.
It felt good to be including Ella in that tradition. I hoped we would make new traditions of our own that we could pass down to our children and them to theirs.
Smiling to myself as I thought about it, I went to the living room, hopped over the back of the sofa and landed beside Ella. I grabbed the popcorn and started to eat, pretending like all was right with the world. She would only find out about my suspicions when there was some substance behind them and not until.
I loved her too much to worry her needlessly.
I'd been wrong before about these matters, but I had a pretty good instinct for suspicious behavior.
I hoped I was wrong this time.
* * *
We drove to Concord on Christmas Eve, and arrived just before supper. The sky was overcast, and the lights in the city gave it a festive feeling.
"What's the protocol for the night? Will we be sleeping together? Will I be in the doghouse in the backyard?'
Ella reached over and took my hand. "I already spoke with Mom. She said she fixed up the spare room for you."
I laughed. "I guess that settles it."
"Yeah, she wouldn't mind personally, but it's my dad. He's a bit old fashioned in that way."
"What about when you move in with me? What will he do after that?"
"What do you mean, when I move in with you? You mean after we get married?"
I kissed her knuckles. "No. Before. I want us to find an apartment together, one that's our own."
She smiled. "Maybe we can save that for after we get married," she said softly.
"Why?" I asked, curious. "We spend every night together at the apartment. I want us to have our own place as soon as possible."
She smiled but didn't reply, glancing away at the scenery.
"Hey," I said and kissed her knuckles again. "What are you thinking? Tell me."
She shrugged. "I just got my apartment," she said. "I don't want to give it up just yet. It's good to have a place of my own. You know, until we actually do get married."
I looked back at the road, pondering this development. She was reluctant to move in with me before we were married. Was it old fashioned or was it fear of being left at the altar again?
"Whatever makes you happy," I said softly, squeezing her hand.
"When we set a date, we can start looking for a place for after we're married. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect," I said.
Perhaps I was rushing things with Ella. We had only known each other for less than four months, but we'd been very intense for most of that time. I didn't want to be apart from her if I could help it.
We drove up to her parent's place in Concord. Bridges House was a stately old Colonial two-story mansion set on eleven acres of land north of the city. Built in 1836, it had long been the Governor's residence. It smacked of history, and I looked forward to staying there, just to soak up some of my country's past.
As I drove up, Ella took my hand and squeezed. "Just relax. My dad is intense, but he knows how to make conversation, too. He's had a lot of years in politics and can BS along with the best."
"I'll try," I said, my voice cracking with mock fear.
Ella laughed and leaned over, giving me a kiss before we got out of the car. I went to the trunk and removed our suitcases, while Ella waited for me. Then, we went to the front door together and I cleared my throat so that the first words out of my mouth sounded strong and confident.
In other words, not a croak.
I didn't know Governor Carlson, but I knew one thing: he wouldn't respect me if I croaked at him or sounded the least bit hesitant.
The door opened before we even got to it and Ella's mother was there to welcome us, her arms open.
"There you are, you two!" she said, her voice full of emotion. "We're so glad you could make it. Come in, come in! Emmet is in the living room on the phone to someone or other." She gave Ella a big hug and kiss, and then came to me and gave me a big warm hug, too. When she was finished, she stood back and glanced over me, her gaze moving over me from head to foot. "You're taller than I imagined."
I smiled. "I sprung up when I was thirteen and was always the gawky teenage boy whose head was above the crowd."
"Well, you certainly grew into your height," Ella's mother said, her eyes wide. Ella gave me an exasperated look and I laughed, taking it as a compliment.
I put the bags down and removed my coat and boots, watching while Mrs. Carlson and Ella went into the living room from the entry. The house was beautifully kept up, the furniture all 18th and 19th-Century antiques, the paneling warm. A huge fir tree dressed in gold and burgundy with white lights stood in the entry and gave the space a fresh pine scent.
Ella came back and waved me in. "Come," she said. "My father is in his office right now taking a call. The coast is clear. I'll take you to your room."
"Okay," I said and adjusted my sweater. "Do you think I'll pass muster?"
She grabbed my hand and laughed. "If anyone can, you can."
She led me upstairs to the second floor and to a bedroom at the rear of the building. It was pretty small but still, very nice by any standard. I laid my suitcase on the bed and grabbed Ella, taking the opportunity to get in a kiss before we had to go back down to face the parents.
Ella slipped her arms around my shoulders and tilted her head to one side. "My mother thinks you're a hunk. I have to agree."
"Oh, yeah?" I said, smiling. "I just hope your father thinks I'm more than a hunk of you know what."
"Don't be silly. You're amazing."
"No, you're amazing," I said and kissed her again. "I wish my father could have met you. I think my mother would have definitely liked you. She was her own woman, even for her day so she would have seen herself in you."
Ella sighed. "I wish I could have met them, too. I feel so lucky that I have both my parents. Yours had such bad luck."
"I know. I hope I can escape the Macintyre bad genes for cancer."
We embraced, and I felt bad that she'd never know my parents, but at least in a couple of days, she'd get to meet my brothers. All of them.
I knew they'd love her, too.
* * *
We went to the living room and I walked around the room, taking in its splendor. The architects and decorators took great care to retain the old character of the house, upgrading where it made sense, but keeping everything stately, as was fitting for a Governor's Residence. Other than official paintings and decor, there was a small part of one wall set aside for the Governor's personal family photos, and I got to see pictures of Ella as a child, and then when she was older, taken in various locations. As an only child, she would have had all the attention of two very well-educated parents. No wonder she was headstrong.
"I was such a geeky kid," she said when she came to my side, taking my arm. "My mom taught high school English and encouraged me in my dreams to become a writer or editor at a publishing house."
"You're lucky. A lot of parents discourage their kids from the arts, out of fear they won't be able to earn a living."
"I'm not doing so well yet," she said with a laugh. "Unpaid internship and all."
"That's the way to get inside," I replied, taking her hand in mine. "That way, the people not paying you will learn your character and skills and will be willing to risk hiring you for pay. A credential such as a degree or certificate often isn't enough to know if someone will
fit into your organization and be a good employee."
"That's why I did it," Ella replied. "I could have got a job at some random company writing copy for ads, but I want to be a book editor. I want to be in publishing."
"Then you picked the right course of action," I said and bent down to kiss her. We pressed lips together, and I pulled her against me, enjoying the moment. Of course, it was at that precise moment that Governor Carlson picked to come into the living room.
He cleared his throat, and we quickly pulled apart. I caught Ella's eye and she had this look of oh, oh, now it starts...
Or maybe that was me.
You'd think, given that I had survived boot camp and four years of service that I'd be able to face on father of my fiancée, but you'd be wrong. At that moment in my life, pleasing Governor Carlson was the most important thing next to making Ella happy.
"So, I finally get to meet the mysterious Joshua Macintyre Jr," Governor Carlson said. He stood there, his hands on his hips and gave me the once over like he was assessing me. I knew I passed muster in a general masculine sense of one man assessing another. I was tall and well-built, handsome in a boyish way (or so I had been told) and was well-dressed. I had military service under my belt and a degree as well from a top university. I was worth millions and one day, maybe billions.
Yet, his assessment of me mattered a whole lot more because I knew my name ad family had all this baggage with him that would predispose him against me.
I extended my hand. "Governor Carlson, I'm so honored to finally meet you."
He almost -- almost-- withheld his hand, but finally offered it and we shook, his grip very firm like he was testing me. I was taller than him by maybe two inches and a couple dozen pounds heavier, but of course, he was a governor of an important state in the Union and in some ways, was more important overall than me, despite my family's fortune and influence in the world of commerce.
"So, you're the son of the man who sent my partner to jail over some petty financial accounting mistake and a personal misunderstanding."
I was taken immediately aback by his words. It wasn't a petty financial accounting mistake. Not by a long shot. It was clear insider trading and an attempt to hide it after the fact.
My instinct was to throw it back into his face, because if he really believed that, he was wrong and needed to be better informed. If he knew that was a lie, he was outright lying to my face.
"Daddy, that had nothing to do with Josh," Ella said beside me, her grip on my arm tightening like she was afraid he and I would come to blows.
"Emmet, you promised," Mrs. Carlson said, grabbing his arm and squeezing. He gave her a glare and then turned back to me.
"I hope we can put all that behind us, Governor Carlson," I said and squeezed Ella. "Ella and I are in love and want to spend our lives together. I want us all to be on the best terms and it would really help if we could just let the past be the past. I had nothing to do with what happened and so I hope any responsibility for it rests with people who are no longer with us."
"Yes, Daddy, Josh's father only died a few months ago. Please, don't try to re-fight old feuds."
Finally, Governor Carlson held up his hands as if in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll let it go. I just want you to know that I haven't forgiven your father for what happened. It destroyed my partner's career. He spent several years in prison."
I bit my tongue, not wanting to make things worse. I could have said that he stayed at what was like a luxury boarding school compared to normal prisons in the country and that he went back to his private world of wealth, with only his reputation, and not his bank account, tarnished, despite making a boatload of money from his transactions. While he had to forfeit that money and pay a hefty fine on top of his jail sentence, he still had a massive investment account that was unaffected by any of his fraudulent actions.
What alarmed me was that Governor Carlson, then the man's business partner, was never implicated in any of his crimes. He escaped closer scrutiny for some reason, and I suspected it was either that he was innocent and raised no red flags with investigators, or he was dirty as hell and bribed his way out of trouble.
I hoped it was the former and not the latter.
Ella grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the living room. "I'm going to give Josh a tour of the house," she said, her voice a bit shaky. "We'll get our rooms set up and meet you and Mom for a drink before supper. How does that sound?"
"Sounds perfect, sweetie," Mrs. Carlson said, visibly relaxing. She grabbed Governor Carlson's arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. "We're going to go check on supper and maybe Emmet will get us a nice bottle of wine from the wine cellar." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully at Governor Carlson and before we could respond, Ella had me into the hallway and towards the other side of the building.
"Oh, my God," Ella said, her voice exasperated. "I thought Mom would have whipped him into shape by now, but he's a stubborn man."
"He has a solid backbone, that's for sure,” I replied, trying to let go of all the animosity I felt in reaction to Governor Carlson.
"It's made of steel," she replied with a light laugh.
"Give us time," I said and squeezed her hand. "The very last thing I want is trouble between your father and me. I wanted us to be respectful in our disagreements, if any, and on friendly terms. He's important to you and I want to be on better than friendly terms with him."
"Good," she said. "Someone has to back down between the two of you."
"I'm happy to be the one to back down," I replied. "For you. Because I love you and want us to be happy to spend time with your parents. I want your father to like and admire me. I'll be a good boy on my best behavior if it means I can get him to forget about the past."
"Thank you," she said and leaned her face up for a kiss, which I gave her gladly.
The way I figured it, the man was going to be my father-in-law -- the only father I would have for the rest of my life. He was a very respected man in politics, and I didn't want him on any side against me or mine. Christian was a professor of law and wanted to get into politics one day. I didn't want Governor Carlson to be an enemy in the federal party.
We did the tour through the house and Ella showed me the grand kitchen with its chef-level appliances, just like my house in Montauk. I imagined that given the heavy entertaining schedule a governor would have, they would need a professional kitchen, even if most of the food was catered. Next, we visited Governor Carlson's office which was all decorated in rich warm paneling and had a lovely fireplace and mantle with a portrait of some notable historic Governor hanging over the mantle.
Finally, she took me to the back patio, and we stood in the cold, our breaths visible on the cold air, and took in the property. It was a pretty nice old historic building.
"I know it can't compete with your family property in Yonkers, but it's nice."
"It's very nice," I said. "With deep historical significance. Money isn't the only measure of value."
"I know," she said and squeezed my arm, pulling me back inside. "It's just that I'm aware of how privileged you were, growing up. It must all seem pretty mundane to you."
"Not at all," I said and kissed her. "I have tremendous respect for the history of our nation and institutions. This is part of it."
We went into the kitchen where a tray of appetizers was laid out. Governor Carlson and Mrs. Carlson were busy getting glasses and the bottle ready. Governor Carlson even smiled at me when we entered the kitchen.
"Would you like some wine, or perhaps a bottle of beer?"
"Beer would be nice," I replied, preferring a beer over wine when given the choice.
He went to a small built-in chiller and pulled out a bottle of beer from some local craft brewery, which impressed me.
"Thanks," I said and removed the cap, placing it into the trash beside the counter. "I love a good craft beer."
"Me, as well," he replied. "I'll have one, too."
That was a good sign
. He was at least trying to be friendly with me. Drinking beer with me was like a message that the two of us men could be on good terms.
At least, I hoped it was...
I watched while he opened the bottle of chilled white wine and poured a taste for Mrs. Carlson. She took it and smelled the wine's bouquet before taking some into her mouth. So, she was a wine aficionado. I'd have to remember that.
"It's nice," she said, and Governor Carlson poured two glasses for Ella and her mother.
For the next hour, we sat in the living room and listened to some jazz on the sound system, then talked about nothing important, carefully avoiding all talk of current politics. Instead, we talked about the weather, the stock market, my brothers and their various occupations, and of all things, Brexit. It was the closest we came to anything political. I was glad Governor Carlson was being a good boy. I did my very best to be one as well.
We had a very nice dinner, and then I was careful to drink the wine that he chose for the meal. I didn't know a great deal about wine, but it was clear that Ella's parents did and took pleasure in commenting on the wine and its quality and vintage.
Ella sat beside me and we held hands beneath the table, our legs touching.
Finally, after a delicious dessert, we went back to the living room and Governor Carlson played some Christmas music on the sound system and we opened one present each, which was a tradition in the family.
Luckily, I had made sure to buy something for both Governor Carlson and Mrs. Carlson, based on what Ella told me about each of them. I bought a biography of FDR for the Governor which was topping the charts at the time and which was published by none other than Macintyre Publishing. I bought a literary work for Mrs. Carlson -- one of her favorite authors. And for Ella, I gave a beautiful diamond necklace that had once been my mother's.