This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention. Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.
This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage males. It is intended for mature audiences only. If you find this type of material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material; please proceed no further.
Comments are always welcome at: hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com
A Light in Dark Places Chapter 11
I'd been to the White House a dozen times but never like this. We left the hotel and were taken to the Treasury Department, then led into the basement and into a tunnel that connects it to the West Wing. The President and his staff were determined to keep his selection for Vice President a secret, until the moment he made the announcement, as a result, all of the press was cleared out and sent to the East Room. While dad was taken into the Oval Office, my mom and I were placed in the Roosevelt Room until it was time to head to the press conference.
My mom was quiet while we waited; I think she was feeling a little nervous and naturally so. Like me, she'd never been on national television before and this was a major announcement, it would affect U.S. policy for the duration of this administration and it would be seen all over the world. With the lack of conversation, I turned my attention to the Secret Service agents, who seemed a lot more relaxed here, then they had been at the hotel or on the move. That made sense, this was their home turf and the odds of anyone getting near their protectees, in the White House, was slim to none.
After an hour, an aide came into the room and asked my mother and I to follow him. He led us into the Oval Office and a shiver went up my spine, the history that had taken place in that room was almost overwhelming. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to sit behind the president's desk and bear the weight of all that responsibility. It made me feel extremely proud of my dad, that he would be a heartbeat away from this awesome responsibility spoke volumes to the quality of his character.
"Mr. President," said dad, after waving us over to his side, "You remember my wife Vivian, and this is our son, Peter."
"Hello Vivian," said the President, kissing my mom on the cheek.
"And Peter, I'm so pleased to meet you, I've heard a lot about you," said the President, shaking my hand.
"It's an honor to meet you sir," I replied, feeling a little shy and cowed by my surroundings.
I expected the President to ignore me after the introductions where made, but for whatever reason, he seemed interested in talking to me.
"So, is this your first time in the Oval Office?" asked the President.
"Yes Sir," I replied, what did he think, they opened the place for kids to hang out on the weekends?
"What do you think of the place?" he followed.
"It's a little overwhelming," I admitted.
"I felt the same way the first time I stepped into this room," he smiled, "you must be very proud of your dad."
"Yes sir, I think you made the right choice," I stated.
"You see that Jeff," he said to my dad, "we'll be running for re-election in two years and you're already bringing in the youth vote."
"I'm not so sure Mr. President, Peter's always been mature for his age, I think maybe we just sowed up the 40 year olds," dad chuckled, I blushed.
"Don't worry Peter, I'm sure my children think I'm just as embarrassing," the President winked.
After that, the official White House photographer came in and we stood for a family picture with the President. A few minutes later, the First Lady joined us and an aide announced that it was time. There is no direct route from the West Wing into the residence, so we had to take the path outside, by the press room, no one was there to see it though, the reporters having been sent to the East Room an hour earlier, in order to set up for the President's press conference. Mom, dad and I were placed in the Green Room with a television monitor and some of the White House staff, once the President named dad as his nominee, we would walk the few short steps to the East Room and join him on stage.
I wondered what Tyler and Wendy were doing, they should have been in class but this was a major event and I expected our teacher would have the class watch it on TV. I also wondered what they had been told about my absence. There were Secret Service agents at the clinic, securing the grounds for my return, what must my friends be thinking? I was surprised that my first thoughts hadn't been of Connor, he would have loved this. He often teased me about my dad's job but only because he was fascinated by it. He peppered me with questions when we got back from Christmas break last year, and I told him about the White House party I'd been to with my parents.
"Wow, you got to go to a party at the White House?" asked Connor.
"Yeah, we go every year," I replied.
"What's it like?" asked Connor.
"Oh you know, they decorate the place and it's really well done and there's all kinds of food, chocolates and stuff," I explained.
"Does the President dress up like Santa?" asked Connor.
"Uh, no," I stated.
"So the First Lady doesn't dress up like Mrs. Claus then?" said Connor.
"No," I giggled.
"I bet the cabinet doesn't dress up like elves either," said Connor.
"That would also be a no," I smiled, "some of them wear pretty cheap suits, just not elf suits."
"But you did get to see the President, right?" asked Connor.
"Sure, for about two seconds, he came in, shook a few hands then disappeared," I explained.
"He ditched his own Christmas party?" asked Connor.
"Well you have to remember that's one of dozens of parties, it's not that big a deal," I replied.
"Not a big deal, of course, what was I thinking," said Connor, laying it on pretty thick, "everyone goes to the White House for Christmas, my invitation probably just got lost in the mail."
"What I meant was, it's not that big a deal in Washington," I retorted.
"That's cool, so can you take me with you when you go to Buckingham Palace for Easter? Connor teased.
I didn't get a chance to remember my smart-assed retort to Connor's question. The President was nearing the end of his speech and my attention was drawn to the screen.
"... and so it is with great pride that I nominate Senator Jeffery Alan Whitmore, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for Vice President of the United States," said the President, to rousing applause.
We walked into the Grand Foyer and turned toward the East Room, my parents held hands and I walked behind them. We arrived on the stage, where dad and the President shook hands, while I was dazzled by the barrage of flashbulbs. Dad took to the podium and began his speech, mom put her hand on my shoulder and we stood behind him, looking like the All-American family. There were so many cameras in the room that I couldn't count them all. Remembering Marcia Richmond's advice, I tried to keep smiling.
Fortunately dad gave a short speech. He spoke about the man he'd be replacing and his tireless service to his country, then he spoke about the problems facing the nation and how he looked forward to working with the president, etc, etc. I knew the speech was almost over when dad thanked the president.
"I want to thank the President for this opportunity to join him in serving the American people," said dad, "I also want to thank my wife Vivian and my son Peter, for all they've had to endure since I got into politics, without their love and support, I wouldn't be here today."
There was another roar of applause as dad kissed mom on the cheek and ruffled my hair, it was a little theatrical but it went over well. When the press conference ended, mom and I were taken to our Georgetown home, the cat was out of the bag now, there was no reason to return to the hotel. Dad had to make the rounds to all of the cable news stations and while he did that, we took the opportunity to rest. We would be having dinner with the President and First Lady that night, and there would be a reception for the Congressional Leadership afterwards.
When I was safely alone in my room, I took off my suit and hung it in the closet, I didn't want it to get wrinkled, I had to wear it that night. I didn't even bother looking for my pajamas; I climbed into bed in nothing but my socks and a pair of underwear. I'd hardly slept the night before and went out like a light bulb the moment my head hit the pillow. It was after dark when I woke, there was light from the streetlamp filling my room, my dad was there, stroking my hair.
"Dad, what are you doing?" I yawned.
"I just got in a few minutes ago, I thought I'd check on you," said dad.
"Were you going to wake me up?" I asked, I'd never woken up with my dad just stroking my hair before.
"I was about to, seeing you sleep like that reminded me of when you were a little boy," said dad.
"Oh, that was ages ago," I chuckled.
"Seems like just yesterday to your mother and me," said dad, "Peter, you know we love you, don't you?"
"Of course I do dad, I've never doubted that," I replied.
"I just feel so bad for sticking you in that place sometimes, we've really missed you," said dad.
"I've missed you guys too, but it's not bad there, it's not like some institution with padded walls or something," I explained.
"No? They don't strap you down for electric shock therapy?" said dad.
"Dad," I whined.
"I'm kidding tiger, I know it's where you need to be, I just miss my boy," said dad, giving me one of his powerful bear hugs.
"You don't have to worry about me there dad, I have friends, I'm getting better, I'm sure I'll be home soon," I stated.
"What if you stayed here, what if you didn't go back?" asked dad.
"I-I'm not ready," I confessed, "soon, real soon, but not yet."
"You don't still, you know, think about hurting yourself, do you?" asked dad.
"No, I haven't felt like that for a long time, but I'm still healing, I'm still dealing with a lot of issues, you know, like guilt," I explained.
"Son, you don't have anything to feel guilty about," said dad.
"I know that dad, but it's one thing to know it, it's another thing to feel it," I stated.
"I understand," said dad, "you better get dressed, we have to leave for dinner soon. Oh, speaking of which, you might not want to sleep in your underpants like that, some of the Secret Service people aren't real good at knocking."
"I know, I found that out this morning when Agent Martinez came into my room with that barber from the White House, I almost pissed myself," I replied.
Dad laughed at my mornings predicament, then left so I could change. I put my suit back on, fixed my hair and then met my parents in the foyer. We waited there while the Secret Service brought the cars around, then we sped back downtown. Our arrival at the White House was less conspicuous that night. We pulled up to the south portico and were immediately conducted to an elevator that took us to the residence, the part of the White House where the First Family actually lived and which was off limits to tourists. There was a private dining room on that floor and we met the President and his wife there, their two children, Thomas and Katie, were college aged and away at school.
Two months ago, when I'd first checked into the Stonybrook Clinic, they practically had to force me to eat. I'd regained my appetite since then and though the food at the clinic was good, it was nothing like this. The White House chef had outdone himself and I devoured everything that was put in front of me. Had we been in less official company, I might have actually licked my plate. When the meal was over, I was stuffed and sat quietly, taking in my surroundings, while the adults talked about politics. At 8:00pm, we headed back to the East Room, for the reception. I would have walked straight in, but mom placed her hand on my arm and held me back for a moment, we couldn't just enter a room anymore, someone had to make an announcement.
"Ladies and Gentleman, The President of the United States and the First Lady, and The Vice President Designate of the United States and Family," announced one of the White House military aides.
There was a warm round of applause and then the crowd broke up a bit. Everyone wanted to talk to the President or dad, mom mingled with the First Lady and I found myself wandering from one hors d'ourves table to the next. I wasn't hungry but I'd be going back to the clinic in the morning and I didn't know when I'd be able to eat like this again so I continued to stuff myself. The nice thing about this party was that everyone was polite enough, but they weren't interested in me, and the Secret Service felt safe enough here that they weren't watching over my shoulder. I got to wander the room without anyone taking much notice.
I stuffed myself with miniature crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms and chocolate everything, to the point of bursting. When my stomach started to ache, I found a chair in the corner and sat quietly by myself. I was starting to relax, when Penny Mitchell headed in my direction. Penny was a nightmare, she was my age and her father was a Congressman from my home state, Pennsylvania. My family may be Republicans but we aren't right wing whackjobs, Penny and her dad are. I'd met her on several occasions including last year's White House Christmas party, where she made it abundantly clear that she liked me. I'd neglected to tell Connor that part of my White House party story because he would have teased me mercilessly. I looked for a way out, but there was no escape, she took the chair next to me.
"Hello Penny, how are you?" I asked, politely.
"I'm doing well, thank you for asking," she replied.
We sat in an awkward silence, like predator and prey. She was clearly waiting for me to make the first move but as I had no interest in talking to her, that burden fell on her shoulders. I wished I'd walked away the moment she opened her mouth.
"So, I understand you're a gay now," she said, sweetly.
"I've always been `a gay,' I didn't just decide to become one," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Well, if you say so," she smiled, smugly.
"Where did you hear that anyway?" I asked.
"Oh, Capitol gossip, I'm a page now, you know?" said Penny, trying to impress me.
"Well, I'm sure that's fun, for you," I retorted.
"I've been so worried about you," said Penny.
"Oh yeah, why's that?" I asked, unsure just how much gossip about me was going on around The Hill.
"It's this gay thing, I'm afraid for your soul Peter, you've always been such a nice boy, I don't want you to burn in hell," said Penny, and the funny part was that she was being sincere.
"Gee Penny thanks," I replied, sarcastically. I told you she was a whackjob.
"Would you like to come to church with me sometime?" she asked, "I know you're a Methodist or something, I mean a real church."
It's amazing how different her invitation was from the first time Tyler asked me to go to church with him, it managed to be polite and insulting all at once.
"Uh, yeah I'll think about that," I replied, I had no intention of thinking about it.
"Oh good, maybe Pastor Gary can help you," said Penny.
"Help me?" I asked.
"To stop being a gay," said Penny, in her insulting tone, "he's helped a lot of boys become straight."
"I didn't just choose to be gay, I was born this way and some snake handling whacko isn't going to change that," I snapped, she'd succeeded in pissing me off.
"I'm sure you believe that but Pastor Gary says..." she began.
"I don't care what Pastor Gary says, he sounds like an idiot and a bigot and he probably likes boys," I stated bluntly.
"Well my father..." she began, trying a different tactic.
"You know what, you're father is the reason why a lot of guys like me are afraid to come out, I'm not interested in hearing any of his opinions," I informed her, I also noticed that people around us were starting to pay attention.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," said Penny, as she got up to leave.
"Oh, dear," said an older woman, I think she was the Secretary of Education's wife, "It looks like you sat in some wine."
Penny turned her head and tried to look at the back of her dress, as she turned, I caught a glimpse if the dark red stain. There was a matching stain on the white chair, it took me a moment to put two and two together but sufficed to say, she hadn't sat in wine. As soon as I figured out the source of the red stain, I started to laugh.
"Shut up, Peter," Penny scolded.
But that only made me laugh harder, in fact, I was howling with laughter and then the unthinkable happened. I don't know if it was the result of all the rich food or nerves from my confrontation with Penny, but I doubled over and threw up, all over her shoes.
"Yuck, Peter, gross," Penny squealed and stormed off.
Yeah, throwing up is gross but ovulating on a chair, that's perfectly acceptable. Before I could offer that comment, Agent Stark seemed to appear out of nowhere. He took me by the arm and quickly guided me to the nearest restroom. A White House steward moved in to clean my mess before anyone had the chance to get too grossed out by it. The incident went unnoticed by the majority of the guests.
The Presidential security detail consists of the president's team and then sub-details broken off from there. There was a sub-detail assigned to protect the First Lady and the First Family, one to protect my father and mother, and one to protect me. The agents of the various details were in constant communication with the White House command post, all of our movements were on display on the electronic status board in the basement. At present, the status board read:
ZEUS: WH, East Room
HERA: WH, East Room
APOLLO: Harvard University, Student Center
ARTEMIS: Columbia University, Dorm Room
TIMBERWOLF: WH, East Room
TULIP: WH, East Room
FOX: WH, First Floor, Restroom
The President and his family were all given codenames in honor of the gods of Mount Olympus, he was ZEUS, the First Lady was HERA, their son Thomas was APOLLO and their daughter Katie was ARTEMIS. Dad was TIMBERWOLF, mom was TULIP and I was stuck with FOX, a codename I planned to leak to the first reporter I had a chance to speak to. I'd heard that the Secret Service would change it, once it became public, I hoped to something less cutesy. Agent Stark reported our movement to the command post, before he removed me from the East Room. One of the agents assigned to guard mom had picked it up and as a result, she was waiting for me when I emerged from the bathroom.
"Peter, what happened, are you alright?" asked mom, putting her hand to my forehead, checking for a temperature.
"I'm fine mom, it was just something I ate," I stated.
"Are you sure, I saw you talking to Congressman Mitchell's daughter, it didn't look like it was going to well," said mom.
"It's fine mom, just something I ate," I replied, I didn't want to get into it with her, she wouldn't be real proud of my manners with Penny.
Mom let the issue go and had Agent Stark put me in the car, it was time to leave anyway, she just went back to the East Room to collect dad.
"If you ask me, the bitch had it coming," winked Agent Stark, as he put me in the back of yet another government SUV.
My parents and I said our goodbyes that night. Dad would be up early, he had to start making the rounds on Capitol Hill, mostly visiting Congressmen who might be on his conformation committee. Mom had been invited to breakfast with the First Lady and the cabinet spouses, and I would be returning to Massachusetts as soon as I got dressed. That was a nice thing about flying with the Air Force, I didn't have to make the flight, the flight was waiting for me.
I'm glad I didn't see my parents that morning, I'd had one of my nightmares and I didn't want any questions about why I was drenched in cold sweat. I've come a long way with my therapy, but the dreams won't stop, sometimes they'll skip a night, but they always come back. I shook of the lingering effects of the dream on the way to Andrews Air Force Base, this part of my dad's appointment was exciting and I wanted to make the most of it. I looked around excitedly as we sped through Washington D.C. I was taking in all of the sights but the tourists were all looking at me, wondering what government official was being whisked through town with a police escort. They'd probably be fairly disappointed to learn that it was just me.
When we arrived at the plane I'd be taking back to Massachusetts, I climbed aboard and once again, we were moving before I even had my seatbelt buckled. I snuggled up in my seat and took a nap, thinking about all of the things I had to tell Tyler and Wendy.