Chapter 3
“How’d it go yesterday?” Josh asked when he got Sam on the phone.
“Fine, but then I wasn’t wearing green either.” He quipped.
“Is not wearing green an official part of your campaign? Don’t you think you should have
consulted with me before removing an entire color from your wardrobe?” Josh replied.
Sam leaned his head back against the car seat. “It was a long day.”
“Get used to it. The rally made the national news. They called you a front runner.” Josh
noted.
“Thank God. You should see some of these people, Josh.” Sam explained. “Eddie Ramirez in
running on a single issue platform; opening the border to Mexico.”
“That should make for some interesting debates.” Josh laughed.
”There are a lot of interesting debates around here.” Sam said ruefully. “Hey, what do you
think about proposition 12?”
“The referendum on dedicating a portion of the state budget on…”
“Fuel alternatives, yes.” Sam finished the sentence.
“I think it’s a good idea for California.” Josh hedged.
“As Governor, you don’t think I’d have a responsibility to think more globally?”
“As Governor, it’s your responsibility to take care of the people in California; many of whom
have a two hour, one way commute. Business isn’t going to step up to the plate. They’re the
ones making a fortune off fossil fuels and the products that use them. If the Government
doesn’t create incentives for alternatives, they’re not going to get alternatives.”
“Well, shit.” Sam responded. “Tell me again why you thought this would be a good idea?”
“You’re going to be an amazing Governor and do great things for the State of California.”
Josh said quietly.
Sam was momentarily overwhelmed.
“What do you think of Forbes?” Josh changed the subject.
“Doesn’t matter what I think; Ainsley and Caitlin are crazy about him.” Sam joked. “I like him
personally; I just don’t know if I trust him politically yet. He’s still more issues oriented than
candidate oriented.”
“Give him a chance. I think he’s going to be good for you.” Josh maintained.
“I’m giving him a chance.” Sam assured him. “Just bring your new deputy up to speed quickly,
okay?”
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you later, Sam.” Josh hung up and went to find his wife and son. Ben,
nearly 3, was sitting on the floor of the living room watching his Disney video, but Donna was
nowhere to be found.
“Benjamin? Where’s Mommy?” Ben pointed down the hall without looking up at his father.
“Donna?” Josh called and followed the direction Ben indicated.
She didn’t answer but he could hear her in the bathroom.
“Donna? Are you okay?” he slowly pushed the door open to see his wife sitting on the floor,
vomiting.
“I don’t want to see you right now.” Donna moaned. “This is all your fault.”
“Half my fault maybe, but I distinctly recall you being an enthusiastic partner.” Josh teased as
he wet a washcloth and placed it on the back of Donna’s neck.
“It’s all lies.” Donna moaned again. “I hate you.”
“You know, last time you didn’t hate me until you hit the delivery room.” Josh noted and
rubbed her back.
“That’s because last time, I didn’t have morning sickness like this.” Donna replied.
“I told you it’s a girl this time. Girls are always more trouble.” Josh goaded her further.
Donna hit him with the wet washcloth. “I’m never doing this again; do you hear me?”
“My hearing is fine. Quit hitting me.” Josh insisted. “Let me help you to bed. You can lie down
and get some rest.”
“I’ll lie down on the couch. I want to stay with Ben.” Donna explained. Josh helped her to the
couch and tucked a blanket around her before sitting next to her and giving her a foot
massage.
“Aren’t you going into the office?” Donna asked puzzled.
“Nah. It’s Sunday and we’ve got nothing pressing. The President will page me if he needs
me.” Josh replied and Donna melted a little.
“Maybe I don’t totally hate you.” She admitted.
Ben’s head whipped up and over at his mother. “Mommy, don’t say ‘hate’.” He instructed.
Josh burst out laughing. “Yeah, Mommy.”
*****************************************
Peyton Forbes watched ‘his guy’ work the crowd at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.
There was no denying the man was attractive; the overwhelming number of young female
volunteers at their campaign offices was a testament to that fact. He was comfortable with a
crowd of people and was able to make them feel comfortable with him. He was personable,
engaging, and idealistic. All of these factors played a part in the resulting bump Sam had in
his numbers over the last 2 weeks, but Peyton liked to think his management played a role in
that number bump as well.
The stop at Glide Memorial Church for instance, had been his idea. True, it leaned more left
of center, but it’s reputation and the amazing public service it provides made it a match made
in heaven for Sam Seaborn.
“I read that your kitchen serves more than a million meals a year. How do you manage that
kind of traffic?” Sam asked.
“We have 27 staff members, most of whom received some sort of services from Glide
Memorial themselves, and they are supported by a dedicated crew of volunteers.” The
Director replied.
“And in addition, you provide housing, health care, child care, and employment training.”
Sam shook his head in wonder. “That’s amazing. You should be very proud of the work you
do here.”
“Thank you, we are.” The Director continued. “Unfortunately, the number of people who need
our help seems to be ever increasing.”
“What could we do at the State Government level to change that direction, in your opinion?”
“Honestly, sir, the biggest issues for most of our people here are health care and child care.
None of our people can afford either. It’s a catch 22. They can’t get a job without affordable
childcare, and they can’t get health insurance without a job.”
“It’s a conundrum.” Sam agreed. “The health plan that I’m proposing would be subsidized by
State and Federal dollars and extend UCare to more families who don’t qualify under the
current plan. The Universal health plan for children under 6, that I helped President Santos
enact helps, but we can’t stop there either.”
“No, but I like your idea of incorporating preventative health care into the day care centers.”
The Director noted.
“So many illnesses and medical conditions could be caught earlier and successfully treated
for far less money if we made sure that all the children in California were receiving
preventative care.” Sam pointed out.
“Mr. Seaborn, this is Wayne Norton. He was a resident here at Glide Memorial after his wife’s
catastrophic illness wiped his family out financially. They’ve been able to work themselves
back up again, but they still take the time to volunteer here twice a week.”
“It’s great that you’re giving something back.” Sam shook Wayne’s hand. “How is your wife
doing now, Mr. Norton?”
“She’s in remission and doing very well right now, sir, thanks for asking.” Wayne seemed
nervous about meeting the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff. “We appreciate you
taking the time to come see us today.”
“It’s been my pleasure. I’m hoping that as Governor, I can use this model to create more
‘Glide Memorial’s’ across the state.” Sam told him.
“You’ve got my vote.” Wayne promised.
“Thanks so much.” Sam replied.
“No offense, but we were hoping to see your wife with you today.” Wayne said.
“Our daughter came down with an ear infection, and Ainsley wanted to stay with her until she
started feeling better.” Sam smiled. Ainsley was fast becoming the big draw at these events.
Her southern charm combined with her outspoken personality always made for an interesting
event.
“I hope she feels better real soon.” Wayne offered.
“Thanks.” Sam said again and caught Peyton’s high sign that it was time to move along. “I’m
being waved off for my next appointment, but I truly appreciate the time you’ve taken to show
me how you run things here. I’m extremely impressed. Please keep in touch.” Sam shook the
Director’s hand and the hands of the people who’d gathered to hear him speak earlier. It was
another 20 minutes before he was finally able to extract himself from the crowd and jump into
the car with Peyton.
“Josh called while you were on your tour. He wants you to call him back ASAP.” Peyton
reported.
“Yeah, okay. Just give me a minute.” Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head back against
the car seat. “All those kids, Peyton. I kept seeing Caitlin there and it just broke my heart. We’
ve got to do better than this.”
This was the part Peyton worried about. Sam’s idealism was inspirational, but it also wore
Sam down when he got a cold dose of reality like he had today.
“There’s a lot you can do from behind the Governor’s desk.” Peyton answered. “Call your
wife and check on your daughter.”
Sam smiled and did as he was told. After hearing that Caitlin was sleeping comfortably and
Ainsley missed him, he felt his stomach unclench significantly. Peyton listened to the
conversation with something close to envy. For all the political squabbling between those
two, they obviously loved each other very much and were able to ground each other even
while they went through this rigorous election process.
Once Sam hung up with Ainsley, Peyton got Josh on speaker.
“The President doesn’t keep you busy enough over there?” Sam asked him once they got
the Chief of Staff on the line. “You seriously have time to critique my campaign?”
“You should feel privileged that I put you on my call sheet.” Josh replied. “How’d it play at
Glide Memorial?”
“He did great.” Peyton chimed in. “But they asked for Ainsley.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m calling about.” Josh sighed. “An old friend of yours wrote an
op/ed that’s going to get picked up out there.”
“An old friend?” Sam repeated.
“Kevin Kahn.” Josh answered.
“Saying what?” Sam asked with trepidation.
“It’s a rehash of all the Golden Oldies; Laurie, the California 47th, MS hearings, etc. There’s
nothing new except for the Ainsley component.” Josh told him.
“The Ainsley…component?” Peyton questioned.
“He lists a number of items where he alleges that you and Ainsley disagree; policy-wise. I’m
emailing you an advance copy I got from a contact on the paper. It’s nothing you can’t spin.
The rumor is that he may be coming out there to work for Taylor.” Josh added.
“What am I missing here?” Peyton asked.
“Kevin Kahn and I have a personal as well as professional history.” Sam explained. “We
faced off when he ran Ritchie against President Bartlet. It got…ugly.”
“Sounds like fun.” Peyton noted.
“The point is, Kahn knows Sam very well and he’s got a serious axe to grind. You need to
watch your back.” Josh advised. “Take a look at the email and we’ll talk later about how you
want to respond. I’ve got to go.”
“Thanks Josh.” Peyton signed off and hung up the phone. “This Kevin Kahn, you know him
just as well as he knows you, right?”
“Sure.” Sam agreed.
“Then you’ll have a good idea of how he’ll act and react, too.” Peyton remarked. “And don’t
forget that by targeting you, he’s made you the presumptive nominee. That’s actually good
news for us.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Sam laughed. “Why is it again that you’ve never run a candidate
before?”
“I think it had something to do with being an extremely liberal, gay, activist.” Peyton decided.
“I guess that would do it.” Sam noted and both men laughed together.
******************************
“What am I supposed to do with these?” Josh asked.
“Look them over. Help me pick a preschool for Ben.” Donna called out to him from the
kitchen.
“Donna, seriously, I think you’re capable of making this decision on your own. And do we
really need to enroll him in preschool if we’re just talking about being there for a few months?”
“Four months and yes, we do.” Donna replied. “He needs to have a routine and friends
there.”
“Why can’t he just come with us?”
“Campaigning across the state with a 3 year old? Are you addled?”
“Sam says they take Caitlin everywhere with them.”
“Caitlin is just a few months old and sleeps most of the time.” Donna pointed out.
“Oh, yeah.” Josh acknowledged. “That’s different, I guess.”
“Just a bit.” Donna agreed. “How did Sam react to the op/ed?”
“He’s mostly annoyed at this point. Kevin Kahn is making a mistake gunning for Sam. That’s
the problem when you let politics get personal.”
“You always let politics get personal.”
“Yeah, but that’s me, not other people.” Josh argued.
“Oh, okay.” Donna rolled her eyes and rubbed her back. At nearly 4 months pregnant, the
morning sickness had eased, but now the backaches and foot swelling had begun. Ah, the
joys of pregnancy.
“Are you having second thoughts about going out there?”
“No. Not exactly. It’s just that the timing isn’t so great. I’m not sure I like the idea of the baby
being born in California.”
“We don’t have to go.” Josh said immediately. “Or we could go for a few weeks and come
back home.”
“We promised Sam.” Donna reminded him.
“You think he wouldn’t understand?” Josh chuckled.
“No, I know he would, but I want to do this too. This is just hormones. Will you just look over
the note cards and help me pick a preschool for Ben?”
“I’ll look at them, but I still think you don’t need me for this.”
“I want you for this.” Donna corrected. “Parenting we do together.”
“Right.” Josh smiled. “And if I pick one you don’t like?”
“Then I’ll explain the error of your ways to you.” Donna smiled back. “See how lucky you are
to have me?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Josh replied before he pulled her closer for a kiss to prove he knew exactly
how lucky he was.