ALL IN: Race for the White House (20 page)

“I’m sorry, Karen. He’s been unable to find work?”

“Joe learned on the job right out of high school and built the business over the last thirty years of his life. He put me through nursing school. He feels like he’s too old at 49 to do anything else with his life now. He’s really depressed because of all the things he’s had to give up.”

Karen looked tired and not only because it was three in the morning. She was 46 but her face looked years older from worry.
 

“Here’s a picture of Joe and the kids.” She wore an acrylic-covered photo on a chain around her neck.
 

“Here’s me and Joe on one side and the kids on the other.”

“That’s you?” I felt bad I had spoken quickly without thinking.
 

“Yeah, I used to have long hair, but I cut it all off. I couldn’t keep it up.” Karen had cut her hair very short and had let it go gray. The picture showed her smiling with highlighted brown hair, obviously a happier time.
 

“Your kids are beautiful, what are their ages?” I asked trying to recover.
 

“Ten and fifteen, same as your kids. I met them earlier; it’s obvious they love their Grammy.”

“Yeah, my mom has always been close to our girls. She used to babysit anytime we needed to be out of town for any reason, we could always count on her.”
 

Karen and I were quietly sitting on opposite sides of the bed, each of us holding one of my mom’s precious hands. We sat and talked for three hours about my mom, politics, places we’d been on vacation with our families. We both loved Disney World and shared stories. I told her I liked sitting in the rocking chairs on the big porch of the town hall people watching. I could do that all day. We both loved the fireworks. Before dawn, I could sense a change. Karen’s finely polished, professional veneer was wearing thin and she started telling me the real story.
 

Joe was severely depressed, his sleep patterns were disrupted, he was up all night with panic attacks and exhausted all day. He was ashamed that he had lost the business and talked of suicide, thinking the family would be better off without him. Sometimes financial problems can be every bit as bad as health issues; but with the added frustration, that a little money would easily solve them.
 

The relationship was taking the brunt of the hurt and he had moved into the garage and was sleeping on a cot. The two girls, once excellent students, were having difficulty with friends as the family could no longer keep up with their extra needs. During one emotionally piqued episode Karen- half out of anger and desperate to do something - locked herself in the bathroom, hysterical. She told me how she had grabbed a pair of scissors and hacked away at her long hair.
 

“I was so sick of keeping up appearances. I wanted some relief, and out of despair, I picked up the scissors and cut all my hair off. I can still see the long strands falling to the floor. The girls were so upset with me they locked their bedroom doors and cried into the night.”

“What caused the blow-up?” I asked.
 

“I don’t even remember. The tension in the house was so high, any disappointment could set us off. The next day, I wrapped my head in a kerchief and did a walk-in at the closest hair salon. I met an angel, the stylist was so kind to me, and she was going through some issues herself and understood what I was going through. She carefully cut my hair, trying to even out the mess I made and then gave me a gray rinse. My hair had to be cut so short, there was no sense maintaining the color, so we made the best of it.”

“What did Joe say? A lot of girls have short hair; he might like it.”

“He won’t talk about it.”

“Well, I think you look nice.”

“You’re being kind.”

I could sense that Karen was the type of woman who was tough to compliment in the best of circumstances, let alone after she had been beaten down.

“No, I mean it; you’re lovely inside and out.”

“Well, it means a lot to me. You’ve managed to make me feel better.”

“I can feel you from across the room. You’re a wonderful person, Karen.”

“I’m so sorry to burden you all night with my troubles.”
 

Around 5:30 in the morning, it occurred to me, “Karen, you know we could really use someone to manage the ranch. My father’s place is enormous and we could use Joe over there, at least until the construction market picks back up.”

“Do you really mean that? It would mean so much to us for him to be back to work.”

“He would be doing us a great service, to have someone of his ability over there who has managed a crew and run his own business. You know, Karen, when did it get to this point?”

“What, Jack?”

“That people would be made to feel like they are winning the lottery to get a job. You know, once you get the job, there’s usually a mountain of work. Employees are asked to do the work of two or even three people because companies can take advantage of the poor economy. I think it should be a two-way street. Employers shouldn’t have the upper hand; the playing field should be more level.”

“I agree with you; there is no dignity in being out of work. You are made to feel less than and it’s very painful.”

“Hopefully we can change that, Karen.” I moved over to her side of the bed and gently hugged her. She felt soft and warm, I thought any man would be lucky to have her tender embrace. I didn’t want to let go.
 

“I’m sorry that you and your family have had to deal with the stress of Joe’s business failing. I know that it’s been hard on all of you. I want you to bring the girls over to the ranch and go horseback riding and enjoy the peaceful surroundings over there.”

“You’re so kind, Jack. Not for the circumstances, but I’m so happy to have met you.”
 

Then, I heard my mother’s sweet voice whisper, “Jack?”
 

I moved my face closer to her so I could hear, “Mom, it’s me, are you okay?”

“I’m tired, Dear. I suppose my body just wore out.”

“Mom, I’ve been talking to Nurse Karen, she’s been keeping good care of you.”

Mom smiled and nodded reassuringly, “But, she says you haven’t been eating very much. Can you try to eat something to get your strength back?”

“I could drink some juice, I think.”

It felt good to hear my mom responding.

Karen said, “I’ll go get her some fresh juice.”

“Thanks,” and turning to Mom, “Karen is going to get you some.”

“I heard her, that’s nice, dear. Jack?”
 

“What, Mom?”
 

“I want to ask you while we’re alone if you’re happy?” She spoke faintly.
 

“I am, Mom, please don’t worry about me We’ve got to get you stronger and back on your feet.”
 

“Jack, you’re always so busy. I am worried that you never get a chance to catch a breath. I want you to think if all this is what you really want.”
 

“I want to make changes in this country, but right now I want to get you better and home.”

“It’s so much, Honey; you’re taking on people who don’t want to change.” She whispered, “I have to be honest, I’m scared for you.”
 

Just then, Karen popped back in with a cup half filled with crushed ice and juice. “Here, Mabel, take a sip of this nice juice,” she carefully placed the straw to Mom’s lips.
 

I said, “Her lips are so dry. That’s what you get from a lifetime of using Chapstick, she has no natural oils left. Her body hasn’t needed to make any for itself.”
 

“All women use lipstick and moisturizer, Jack.”

“I’m sorry, Karen; believe it or not that’s my best attempt at levity at this hour of the morning. When do you think the doctor will be in? I’d like to find out what the plan is.”

“Right now, I think it’s to keep her here until she is able to be moved,” Karen said softly.
 

“Mom, I’m going home to change and eat, I’ll be back later with the girls.”

“That will be nice, dear,” Mom whispered as I leaned over to kiss her cheek.
 

Karen was standing near the doorway, “I’ll be back with her tonight at seven. Thank you for being so nice to me.”

I walked towards the door and gave her a hug, “Everything is going to be better.” I looked deep into her eyes, “You are a wonderful woman and deserve peace in your life.”

Karen followed me out into the hallway, “This must be so hard for you. I know you want to be with your mom, but don’t you have to be back in New Hampshire?”

“Karen, there are so many people running up there. Did you know there are 31 candidates on the ballot? Some of them are crazies with big hats that don’t make any sense, but others are serious people. Some are people who have been very successful in other pursuits who have been camped out there for the last two years trying to get noticed.”

“No, I didn’t know that. I only thought there were a few candidates.”

“Last time I ran, I spent months in coffee shops and lunch counters and outside of workplaces shaking hands. It’s so hard to know what to do. My mom would want me to be up there, but my heart tells me I have to be here. People are polite and happy to meet you, but even if you worked at it around the clock, you’d be lucky meeting two percent of the voters. Most people only see the candidates on the TV anyway. The real race is won in living rooms blasting your message when people are in a receptive state.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The rest of Monday and all day Tuesday we spent visiting with Mom. I told Roger and the Colonel about Joe and arranged for him to get started at the ranch. Sarah wanted to stay behind and take care of Mom for at least the next few days. Then we’d have to get the girls back to Alexandria for school. Preparations were made for me to fly up to New York for the fundraiser. Bud, Tip, and Lisa would be there waiting for us. The pilot would stop off at Reagan to pick up Sandy and Bill before flying on to New York. The plan was to arrive at the fundraising event around 8 p.m., then watch the returns of the New Hampshire Primary. A win would mean that I would give a brief interview with a local news crew Lexi would make available. Finally, we would fly our people back to Reagan and I’d head back to Lexington to be with my family.
 

As planned, the jet was ready to fly me up to Reagan when I pulled into a private hangar at 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening. I phoned Bud, he was at the Syracuse Home of billionaire Gene Hobbs making arrangements for the evening and the interview later.
 

“Everything all set up there, Bud?” I asked.

“You’re going to be surprised. Gene told me he has one hundred and seventy-five people who confirmed they were coming. If you’re super rich, this is the hottest ticket in town! We should do well tonight.”
 

Gene Hobbs was heir to one of the largest fortunes in the United States. The family had one of the original land grants dating back to pre-colonial times. The Hobbs fortune was the epitome of old money; the family was invested in multiple industries including vast amounts of raw land held for generations. Politically, Gene leaned Republican. He believed in dramatically lower corporate taxes, reduction in social services for the poor, and favored reduced government. Contributions from him and his ilk had pressured Congress over the years to reduce banking regulations. The lack of oversight on Wall Street and the Banks had drastic consequences, causing the longest and deepest recession in American History. Naturally, his political beliefs dovetailed nicely with his business interests, which by some accounts had his fortune at the fourth largest in America.
 

One other interesting thing about the Hobbs Dynasty is they seldom, if ever, sold land, preferring to lease for ninety-nine years. That strategy allowed the holdings to earn substantial income while staying with the family. Hobbs was very reclusive and never granted interviews, preferring the seclusion of estates all over the world. Bud told me that Gene never dealt directly in business, preferring his attorneys handle everything. Tonight would be a rare exception. Gene wanted to deal directly with me and asked Bud to arrange a private meeting between the two of us.
 

It was 7 p.m. when we made our approach at Reagan International. As usual, Captain Ben made a perfect landing and quickly taxied over to hangar 82. Due to the frigid conditions, he instructed the ground crew to pull us inside. We were running a little behind schedule and I asked him to turn it around as quick as he could.
 

“We should be ready to refuel in about fifteen minutes, then we can leave,” he said.
 

The crew prepared the plane and pushed us partway outside to refuel. It was a clear night, so we wouldn’t need to waste any time deicing. I got up and walked towards the front of the plane. I saw that Bill had already arrived and was sitting in the small waiting area reading a magazine.
 

I called over, “Hey, Bill, you made it. Any sign of Sandy?”

Bill got up and started walking toward me, “I spoke to her, she is on her way. I told the driver to bring her directly over here and I informed security that she was coming.”

“Good thinking, Bill,” I said as I descended the jets stairs, “I’ve got to hit the bathroom; I’ll meet you inside the plane.” In a gesture of friendship, I grabbed Bill’s shoulder as I passed him, “Are you good?”
 

“Yeah, I’m okay. Steve made it to Namche Bazaar.” Bill’s son had joined a group of 15 adventurers in Nepal. They were making final preparations for a Trek to Base Camp at Everest to begin acclimating to the altitude. In a couple of weeks, they would attempt a climb to the peak. Like any good dad, his thoughts were with his son.
 

“That’s awesome, Bill. I want to hear all about it.” The hangar was empty except for our plane. The crew told us that Brenner and his entourage had taken the other two jets, leaving for New York earlier in the day. He was close friends with Gene Hobbs and the only one I knew on the guest list. His group would be on hand tonight to watch the results with us.