Page 41 of Something in Between

“I woke up thinking about you,” I tell him. It’s strange—before last night, we barely even knew each other, but now he’s so important to me. When I reach up to kiss him, he meets me halfway, and soon we’re kissing at the Jefferson Memorial.

“All right,” I say when we catch our breath.

“All right what?” he asks, still cupping my face in his hands.

“After I meet the president this afternoon.”

Royce looks confused. “What about it?”

“I’ll have two free hours before the farewell dinner.”

You can get a lot of kissing done in two hours.

14

My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.

—BARACK OBAMA

THE PRESIDENT IStaller than I expected and more handsome in real life than on television. He greets us in the Oval Office. Each group has five to six minutes with him. He’s smiling the entire time and acts interested in everyone.

“You must be Jasmine de los Santos,” he says when he gets to me. I’m shocked that he knows my name. I’m not even wearing a name tag.

“That’s me, Mr. President,” I giggle. I can’t help it. I’m too giddy.

“What’s so funny about your name?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I just can’t believe I’m getting to meet the president.”

I’m totally starstruck. I’ve never been so pumped to meet anyone in my whole life. After he finishes shaking my hand, I ask him how he knows my name.

“I was a student just like you,” he says with a smile. “I read your scholarship essay. What was the title again?”

“‘Something in Between,’” I say. I’m in total disbelief that the president remembers something that I wrote.

The president continues talking about my essay. “My father was from Kenya. Growing up, I think he felt some of the same things that you wrote about in your essay. And I did too. There are times when being biracial feels like living in two different countries at the same time. I never thought I would evenseethe inside of the Oval Office, to be honest.”

Wow, the presidentislike me; he even said so. “Do you think I could sit in your chair?” I ask.

The president looks taken aback but he smiles gracefully. “You mean right now?”

I laugh. “No. Not that way. I mean, do you think someone like me could be president? I know I wasn’t born in the United States so that will never happen but...”

All of a sudden the president gets serious. “You know, Jasmine. The law—as it is now anyway—may prevent you from doing certain things you want to do. But don’t ever let an accident of birth keep you from what you want to do with your life.”

It’s almost like he knows that I’m undocumented.

The honorees behind me look annoyed that I’m holding up the line, but I know this might be the only time I ever get to talk to the president. “Can I ask you one more question?” He nods. I take a deep breath. “What do you think is going to happen to the immigration reform bill?”

“Ah,” he says, shaking his head. “This may not make you feel better, but I find that the public stances of politicians on these things don’t always match their personal ones. They use these kinds of bills to make statements about themselves. It’s not always about what’s good for the country.”

“So you don’t think the bill will pass,” I say quietly.

“Whether I think the bill will pass or not isn’t the point. It’s that people like you—brilliant, young, educated minds—will turn the tide of some of this country’s backward thinking. This country depends on you. You know, America has a long way to go, but we’re still sending top-notch kids like you and the other honorees to best schools in the nation. And you’re all going on to do great things. Whatever you do, it will make a difference.”

“Thank you, Mr. President, thank you so much,” I say in disbelief as he turns to greet another student.

I want to text Mom, but I can’t just yet, because the Secret Service is holding our cell phones. I want to scream. I want to do another victory lap. I just had a meaningful conversation with the president of the United States. I feel like I’m in this surreal state, levitating above the room, looking down on myself, at everything, at the president by his desk, at Carrie, who’s grinning just like me when she meets him.

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