“So, did we just make a big decision?” Hailey gulped. “Are we going to college in Boston?”
“Yeah,” Grant nodded with a smile, “we are going to Boston!”
Grant stood up and pulled Hailey to her feet. She jumped on his back, and he began tracking through the snow toward the house.
“I’m sure Jessica and Emily were watching out the window,” Hailey laughed as Grant started up the porch steps.
“Well, let’s tell them the good news,” Grant said as he opened the door.
“Good news?” Emily’s ears perked up.
“What good news?” Jessica followed up.
Hailey turned to Grant. “We’re going to Boston?” she said, still feeling out the possibility.
“We’re going to Boston!” Grant nodded confidently.
Jessica and Emily turned to each other. “They’re going to Boston!” they embraced happily. Suddenly, Jessica, the words just registering, stopped jumping and faced her sister. “Wait? You said Boston? What’s in Boston?”
“Harvard,” Emily smiled, and she ran and flung her arms around Grant.
“Indeed,” Grant winked at her.
“Harvard?” Jessica stared questioningly at Hailey.
“He’s going to Harvard,” Hailey nodded. “I’m going…somewhere close by.”
“What about your basketball scholarship to Tennessee?” Jessica raised a cautious eyebrow. “That’s always been your plan…”
Hailey smiled. “That’s the best part about being eighteen,” she shrugged. “If you’re not happy with the direction your life is going, you have the perfect opportunity to do something about it.”
Jessica wrapped her arms around her sister as Emily did the same. “Are you scared to death of moving to Boston?” Jessica exclaimed, reaching one arm out for Grant and pulling him into their hug.
Hailey glanced up at Grant, her eyes fixed on his. “No,” she shook her head confidently, “I’m really not.”
Hailey was sitting Indian style on Grant’s back, reading a book, as he did pushups on the back porch.
One finger plastered purposefully on the page, Hailey held the book down in front of Grant’s face. “What does bipartisan mean?”
“Well,” Grant said, continuing on with his push-ups. “Bi is a prefix meaning two…like biceps, bicycle, bifocals. And partisan refers to a group or party…in this case political parties…democrat and republican.”
Hailey closed her book as she moved up and down, mindlessly assisting in Grant’s workout. “Remember when you lectured me about the fact that I’m eighteen and need to become a registered voter?” Grant didn’t answer, knowing that Hailey had latched on to a train of thought, and he ought not bother speaking until she was done ranting. “It had never even crossed my mind that someone has to register to vote or that voting in local, state or national elections would ever be something I felt qualified to take part in. You lectured me on the democratic process, scolded my ignorance and shamed me into realizing how blessed we are to live in a nation where the voice of the people matters. You said voting was not just a right but a responsibility…” Hailey tapped Grant’s shoulder, nonverbally telling him to stop with the push-ups and let her off.
Grant obeyed, lying down on the porch exhausted. “I am going to have to object to your verbiage,” he smiled “Lectured…scolded…? That is not how I recall that conversation going down.”
“Oh please, this coming from the most verbose person I have ever met in my life,” Hailey rolled her eyes.
Grant smiled, “Alright, objection overruled…”
“I’ve been reading another one of these books,” Hailey continued as she paced back and forth on the porch, “and they always get me thinking about how unprepared I am to become one of these women.”
Grant rolled over onto his back, curious as to where this train of thought was taking them.
“Think about it!” Hailey declared. “You read Dick Morris; I watch Zack Morris! You ramble on endlessly about your admiration for satire and A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, while I dream of a marriage proposal to a tune by Taylor Swift.”
“We’re not that different,” Grant grinned. “I’ve been saved by a belle,” he winked. “And I’m all about hot, curly-headed, country gals…though I prefer a brunette.”
Hailey groaned audibly. “How do you do that so easily?” She dropped her book into Grant’s hands, and he sat up. “How many times have I told you not to flirt with me when I’m ticked off?”
Grant glanced at the cover of the book, and, seeing that it was yet another book on first ladies, he smiled. “So what seems to be the problem with this book?”
“I don’t know,” Hailey sighed as she paced back and forth. “I would just like to be prepared, I guess…if you ever do become president. I like reading all the stories about women throughout history who married presidents. I like learning about their lives and their journeys to the White House, but I’m overwhelmed by all of it sometimes…it’s like I’m searching for an answer, and I can’t find it.”
Grant reached for Hailey’s hand as she passed. “Please stop pacing; you are making me dizzy.”
Hailey groaned as she sat down next to Grant and leaned back on her hands.
“There is no right answer, Hailey,” Grant smiled. “There is no formula to follow, no manual that teaches you how to transform yourself into these women because, if you’ve read enough, you realize that they are all different. They came from different backgrounds and traveled different paths. Some were from affluent families, others weren’t. Some were approved of by their in-laws, and some were not. Some relished the opportunity to play hostess, and others hated entertaining. Some were educated, and others lacked any formal schooling at all. Some of them played an active role in the politics of the day, and others desired and/or got no input whatsoever.”
“You’re right,” Hailey nodded. “But if I ever get to be a first lady, I want to be remembered as a good one, you know? Take Eleanor Roosevelt, for example. She was so actively involved…”
“And while she was out trying to make a difference, Frankie D. was cheating on her,” Grant shrugged.
“You are choosing to miss my point,” Hailey grumbled.
“No,” Grant shook his head, “I’m just saying that you don’t have to compare yourself to these women. You keep doing this! You read these books, and you start doubting that you’re capable of being a part of the life I envision for us. Then you start into these ridiculous diatribes about Zack Morris and Taylor Swift and Chinese restaurants! Hailey, what you should take from these books is exactly what I said before. Realize that all these women were different from one another. They came from different walks of life; they had different personalities, different interests. Some were beautiful; some were Eleanor Roosevelt…”
