Mr. President 1(56)

“HELL YEAH!” someone shouts from the back of the room, and I turn back to see that the shout came from one of the reporters. He’s on his feet, ready to applaud Austin, but then realizes that everyone is looking at him and he sinks down onto his seat, embarrassed.

“Sure, my methods might be unconventional. I don’t care about what’s politically correct; I care about results. I care about making this country greater than it has ever been. And this is why Americans all over the country voted for me because they want results. They want things to be better… and things are better. And they will keep on getting better.”

With that, he falls into a deep silence, his gaze wandering over the room with a kind of poised confidence. I half-expect the room to erupt with a million questions but, instead, every just stays silent, allowing everything that Austin has said to sink in.#p#分页标题#e#

“At some point in our recent history, things changed for us,” Austin says from the podium. “It wasn’t about what’s best for everyone, or even working to compromise to make the country great. It began to become about what’s best for me. What do I want, versus what do we want. What’s good for us became uncool when compared to what’s making me feel good right now.”

There’s silence.

“We began to want things for ourselves without paying for them,” Austin says. “And we didn’t want to deal with our problems. And so we forgot ourselves. And we created a machine. A beast that fed our desire to forget.”

Photographers are clicking.

“How did we do that?” Austin asks. He pauses and smiles.

“We created a media machine that began by pitting us against each other. They scared the shit out of us and made us forget that we’re all fucking Americans. But they did it well. They made us forget and they knew that no matter who was elected, they would make money by tearing that person down and half the country would cheer them on. So they’ve been coming after me and my…dalliances and saying it’s the end of the fucking world when I’ve done so much good. They measure the inches on my cock and spend time on that rather than the millions of jobs I’ve brought back. And you can bet your last dollar that when Bob Walker made those accusations, they seized on it.”

There’s an embarrassed silence. Austin looks from his podium.

“I challenge anyone, in this room or in the whole country, to say I’m not the best thing that has ever happened to this country,” he says and, in this very moment, he doesn’t look like a President of the United States; he looks like a God King, descended from the heavens to give fire and wisdom to the humans living under him. If this was a battlefield, I believe that everyone in this room would follow Austin straight into the arms of death.

“WE’RE WITH YOU!” one of the onlookers lining up the war on the far corner shouts and, a few seconds after, more shouts of support start exploding through the room. Before I know it, everyone is up on their feet, clapping their hands and whistling. This impromptu standing ovation lasts for a few minutes, and I don’t think there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind, the country stands behind its President.

I guess that, even though my assignment was a failure, we succeeded in what was our purpose. The country stands with Austin and now… now I’m no longer needed.

“I’m going now,” I tell Tracy, going up to my feet. With all the confusion in the room, I can probably sneak out without anyone noticing.

Except Austin has other plans.

“One more thing,” Austin says into the mic, his strong voice booming over the loud celebratory ruckus. Everyone quiets down in response, and even I turn on my heels to see what else Austin’s going to say. And when I turn around, I realize that he’s looking straight at me.

“Even though my relationship with Ashley started the way it did…” He takes a deep breath, a few cracks showing in his poised posture. “She’s the best damn thing that has ever happened to me. And I don’t want to lose her just because I’m unconventional.” Still looking straight at me, he goes around the podium and starts walking down the aisle, heading toward me. I remain frozen in place, my mouth slightly ajar as I try to wrap my mind around what Austin has said.

Did I dream it? Or did he really say he didn’t want to lose me?

Coming up to me, Austin takes both my hands in his and offers me a gentle smile. The cameras are all focused on us, and everything that’s happening is being broadcasted to the entire world. I’m on the world stage now, billions of eyeballs on me.#p#分页标题#e#