that?”
“You’re the mayor. I’m just a teenager.”
“Yet we all make choices. And they have repercussions.”
Choices.
My father made a choice. He chose loyalty to one thing over another.
Questionable loyalty
, as Mother put it, and his choice changed my life forever.
I make choices, too, and I change other people’s lives forever.
Sam’s life, for example. And the mayor’s.
I freeze with the pen in my hand.
Why am I thinking about this now?
A single step and I will be at the mayor’s neck. I will be finished. I will be moving again, away from this city, this place, from Sam.
A single step.
I do not take it.
The mayor sighs. He turns toward me.
“You’re very kind to put up with me,” he says. “As you see, I’ve got a lot on my mind, and a very big decision to make about my future. Sorry to bore you with it.”
“It’s not boring,” I say. “Just a little beyond me.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” he says.
He looks at my hand.
“Why do you have a pen?” he says.
At that moment the office door opens and Sam steps in.
“What are you doing in here?” she says.
I stare at her for a second, surprised to have been caught with the mayor.
I hesitated, and now my opportunity is gone.
I twist the pen cap to the left. Safe mode.
Sam waits, her hands on her hips.
“What am I doing?” I say. “I was about to embarrass myself by asking your father for an autograph.”
“This is a private part of the residence. You shouldn’t be here,” Sam says.
“I invited him in,” the mayor says. “And we had an excellent discussion, didn’t we?”
“We did,” I say.
The mayor throws me a wink.
“Okay. Sorry,” Sam says.
The mayor walks toward Sam, his lanky body a little stiff. Sam gives him a big hug.
“My daughter is very protective,” the mayor says. “Do you know her, son?”
I am not your son.
“My name is Benjamin,” I say. “And I’m just getting to know her. There are a lot of layers.”
The mayor laughs. He has a warm, easy laugh.
“Indeed, Benjamin,” he says. “She’s just like her mother that way.”
“Hey, guys, I’m in the room,” Sam says. “I can hear what you’re saying.”
I glance at the desk. A picture of the three of them—Sam, the mayor, and her mother, the woman whose picture I saw in the Facebook profile. They’re all posed in front of a monument somewhere in the Middle East.
Sam says, “Why don’t we get out of your way, Dad. I know you’ve got work to do.”
She starts to pull me from the room.
“Just a minute,” the mayor says.
He comes toward me. He holds out his hand, palm up.
“Your pen,” he says. “Give it to me.”
I take out the pen, click open the point.
I place it in his hand.
Gently.
He leans across his desk, pulls out a card with the mayoral logo. He shakes the pen. Then he uses it to write something. He folds the card up and passes it back to me.
“Nice to meet you, Ben,” the mayor says.
“You, too, sir,” I say.
We shake. His palm is warm and dry.
“I hope it won’t be the last time,” he says.
“I’m sure it won’t.”
I take two steps toward the door, then I stop.
“Sorry to bother you, sir, but my pen—”
He looks back toward his desk. The pen is sitting there.
“Of course,” he says.
He hands it back to me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
THE PRO IS STANDING OUTSIDE THE OFFICE DOOR.
Waiting.
How long has he been here?
What if I had finished my assignment and walked out to find him here?
But that doesn’t matter now.
The Pro looks at Sam, then at me.
“You’re not allowed in this part of the residence,” he says to me.
“This is my friend Benjamin,” Sam says.
He talks to Sam, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“What were you doing in your father’s office?” he says.
“Talking to my father. Privately.” She emphasizes the last word.
He looks at Sam, nods, then cracks the door and peeks in, checking to make sure the mayor is in there.
“Satisfied?” she
“You’re the mayor. I’m just a teenager.”
“Yet we all make choices. And they have repercussions.”
Choices.
My father made a choice. He chose loyalty to one thing over another.
Questionable loyalty
, as Mother put it, and his choice changed my life forever.
I make choices, too, and I change other people’s lives forever.
Sam’s life, for example. And the mayor’s.
I freeze with the pen in my hand.
Why am I thinking about this now?
A single step and I will be at the mayor’s neck. I will be finished. I will be moving again, away from this city, this place, from Sam.
A single step.
I do not take it.
The mayor sighs. He turns toward me.
“You’re very kind to put up with me,” he says. “As you see, I’ve got a lot on my mind, and a very big decision to make about my future. Sorry to bore you with it.”
“It’s not boring,” I say. “Just a little beyond me.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” he says.
He looks at my hand.
“Why do you have a pen?” he says.
At that moment the office door opens and Sam steps in.
“What are you doing in here?” she says.
I stare at her for a second, surprised to have been caught with the mayor.
I hesitated, and now my opportunity is gone.
I twist the pen cap to the left. Safe mode.
Sam waits, her hands on her hips.
“What am I doing?” I say. “I was about to embarrass myself by asking your father for an autograph.”
“This is a private part of the residence. You shouldn’t be here,” Sam says.
“I invited him in,” the mayor says. “And we had an excellent discussion, didn’t we?”
“We did,” I say.
The mayor throws me a wink.
“Okay. Sorry,” Sam says.
The mayor walks toward Sam, his lanky body a little stiff. Sam gives him a big hug.
“My daughter is very protective,” the mayor says. “Do you know her, son?”
I am not your son.
“My name is Benjamin,” I say. “And I’m just getting to know her. There are a lot of layers.”
The mayor laughs. He has a warm, easy laugh.
“Indeed, Benjamin,” he says. “She’s just like her mother that way.”
“Hey, guys, I’m in the room,” Sam says. “I can hear what you’re saying.”
I glance at the desk. A picture of the three of them—Sam, the mayor, and her mother, the woman whose picture I saw in the Facebook profile. They’re all posed in front of a monument somewhere in the Middle East.
Sam says, “Why don’t we get out of your way, Dad. I know you’ve got work to do.”
She starts to pull me from the room.
“Just a minute,” the mayor says.
He comes toward me. He holds out his hand, palm up.
“Your pen,” he says. “Give it to me.”
I take out the pen, click open the point.
I place it in his hand.
Gently.
He leans across his desk, pulls out a card with the mayoral logo. He shakes the pen. Then he uses it to write something. He folds the card up and passes it back to me.
“Nice to meet you, Ben,” the mayor says.
“You, too, sir,” I say.
We shake. His palm is warm and dry.
“I hope it won’t be the last time,” he says.
“I’m sure it won’t.”
I take two steps toward the door, then I stop.
“Sorry to bother you, sir, but my pen—”
He looks back toward his desk. The pen is sitting there.
“Of course,” he says.
He hands it back to me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
THE PRO IS STANDING OUTSIDE THE OFFICE DOOR.
Waiting.
How long has he been here?
What if I had finished my assignment and walked out to find him here?
But that doesn’t matter now.
The Pro looks at Sam, then at me.
“You’re not allowed in this part of the residence,” he says to me.
“This is my friend Benjamin,” Sam says.
He talks to Sam, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“What were you doing in your father’s office?” he says.
“Talking to my father. Privately.” She emphasizes the last word.
He looks at Sam, nods, then cracks the door and peeks in, checking to make sure the mayor is in there.
“Satisfied?” she
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