Page 12 of Last First Time
I walk toward the assembled crowd and am surprised to find the senator already speaking. “This is the time for Valentine to move into the future, to take a step forward. With the federal funding that I personally helped to obtain for Valentine, every child here at Lakeland Elementary will have access to use of a laptop at school. We’ll be able to offer programming and coding classes, ensuring our children a brighter tomorrow.”
“What the fuck,” I hiss.
Kar looks at me, worry creasing her forehead. “What’s going on, Reed? What is Scrooge McDouchebag doing taking credit for your technology funding initiative?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” I straighten up from where I’d leaned over to whisper with her, and then give her hand a little squeeze before sliding through the crowd toward the podium.
“Senator von Esrington, it’s such an honor to have you here in Valentine.” I smile at him as I shake his hand as viciously as possible.
“Well, well. Reed Harrington. It’s quite kind of you to attend my press conference today. Not many men would be so courteous with their opponents.”
Thank goodness I had a set of parents who drilled into me to never let a single bit of emotion show on my face. I feel like he’s slapped me as the pieces quickly slide into place. I didn’t see this coming—no one had, but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle it. I’m a good mayor, and I care about Valentine. Nobody is going to take that away from me, no matter how rich and asshole-y he happens to be.
“Nonsense. It only makes sense, what with my own speech being due to start in a few minutes.” I give him my best politician smile. The nerve of this fucker. “You’ll be finished by then, right?”
He gives me a cold, reptilian glare. “We’ll definitely be finished in a few minutes. Now if you’ll excuse me.” He waves me off, dismissively. I hiss in a breath but decide it’s better for optics if he is the jackass here, and I am the gentleman. I move over to the side of the stage, next to the Principal.
The Principal eases a little farther away from me. “I’m sorry, Reed. I didn’t know what this was about, but I didn’t feel like I could say no to the senator.”
I sigh. I like Josh Kettelbaum, and it’s not really his fault. “No worries. I get it.” Then I go back to being on the sidelines, while I wait for this blowhard to wind down.
His speech, like the ones he’d made when running for Senate, is full of self-congratulation. As he drones on and on about the federal funding initiative that I had personally steered through the mountain of paperwork in order to make happen, I wonder for the first time what’s happening here. It’s obvious that von Esrington is making a bid for the mayor’s office in Valentine, but what does a big shot D.C. money man want with my hometown?
I am roused from my musings when I hear the senator say my name again. This time, he isn’t even looking at me, but is practically yelling, spittle flying from his mouth. Wait, what? When did children’s technology become a hot button of political contention?
“What’d I miss?” I whisper to Kettelbaum. His eyes flick from the senator to me, and he eases another step away, his face a decidedly gray, ill color.
The projector shows a slideshow of photographs, all me with various beautiful women on my arm at different charity and fundraising functions. I still don’t get what the big deal is. Aren’t we supposed to be talking about our elementary students and the new computers? What does that have to do with me going to charity events?
Then the photograph flicks to one of me in my undergrad days, wearing a toga and mooning the camera. The entire crowd gasps, and then the kids all start giggling raucously. What. The. Fuck. “Now that’s enough.”
“I’ll say it is. The citizens of Valentine have had enough of your playboy ways, Mayor. Time to get someone in office who has some morals and propriety—”
I stride across the stage toward him, then reach across him and unplug the projector. “I said that’s enough.”
“Worried now about the entire town seeing you for what you are, Harrington?” His eyes glitter at me, cold and reptilian.
“My town knows me. Have a little decency, Senator.”
“My point exactly. Have a little decency in the mayor’s office. Elect von Esrington.” And with a grand flourish, he leaves the stage in a knot of bodyguards and oily charm.
I turn toward the crowd, most of whom are staring at me as if I’ve suddenly grown a second head. Or flashed them my bare naked ass. Well, shit.
“Well, now that the theatrical portion of today’s speech is over, I’d like to talk about the exciting things happening here at Lakeland Elementary.”
“Mayor, don’t you have a response to the photographs that were just now released by Senator von Esrington?” This from a reporter I don’t know, some sharp-looking woman wearing a red suit the color of fresh blood.
My mouth presses into a hard line, then I relax it into a smile. “I’m not in the business of being sensationalist, ma’am. My private life is strictly private, and the only thing I have to say at this point is that I’m sorry that the senator seems to think that my dating life is more interesting than what we’re accomplishing here in Valentine.” I clear my throat, wishing desperately for a drink of water.
“But it seems like your dating life isn’t particularly private after all, now is it, Mr. Harrington? I mean, how many different women are you going to be out with before election day?” she retorts loudly, and the other reporters guffaw. What a bunch of jackals. I’m pretty sure that von Esrington has paid her to stir up trouble with me, but I’m not going to be baited like that.
I’ve always tried to keep a clean professional image in place while I was in office and while I campaigned, never stooping to throw dirt on my opponents. I assumed that this was part of what people liked about me—that I was a man of integrity even when I was actively opposing someone else in the political arena.
But I also know that many people thrive on this kind of cooked-up seedy underbelly type story. They like the thrill of seeing someone’s dirty laundry aired, and they love watching someone rich and powerful go down in flames. But I’m not going down without a fight, and I’m not going to sink to their level in order to persevere.
“It may not be private, but it should be. I haven’t done anything that I, or the citizens of Valentine, should be embarrassed about, and I’m not going to apologize for being seen at charity events with several beautiful women. I don’t see what my dating history has to do with the mayor’s office at all.” I straighten my tie. “Now about the new technology funding.”
But with their soundbites captured, the press loudly gathers up their belongings and traipses out to their vehicles. The noise of their departure is almost as disruptive as the slideshow had been. At least I know enough to cut the entire speech short and thank everyone for their support of Valentine’s youth.
