Dynasty - John F Kennedy

II

June, 1951

The restaurant smelled like cigars and perfume, precisely like Maddie remembered it. The Saturday evening had brought many couples to fill up the establishment, with the exception of a few families. Everyone in New York knew about Le Pavillion; it was the usual spot of the elite. With glamourous decor, expensive foods, and sophisticated music, it made for an excellent place for braggarts and highbrows. Maddie hated it. She went there once with the family to celebrate her brother getting into Harvard, and she had never found food and music that joyless. However, this time people's laughter seemed more potent. She wondered if it was because she was with Jack.

While waiting for the host to show them to their table, Maddie took a minute to take it all in. The lights, sounds, his hair, his neck. The way he carried himself made him seem like he belonged on the silver screen. His self-assertion intimidated her in ways she didn't understand.

The brunette fiddled her hand covered with the white satin gloves as she followed her companion to their table. She tried to think of something witty to say when they sat down, as she envisioned all the ways the conversation could go wrong, and then scolded herself for being intimidated by a chap.

She was almost impressed when Jack didn't move to pull out her chair for her but just motioned for her to take place before him. 

"Do you need a drink as much as I do?"

"YES," she said too eagerly for her own liking, but she absolutely needed a drink. Preferably something strong.

Jack chuckled as he bit the inside of his lower lip, mesmerized by her bluntness. He ordered two martinis as an apéritif and received a content nod from Maddie, who quickly took a generous sip.

"So... We should discuss the situation," Jack's bottom lip disappeared into his mouth, as it always did when he was nervous. Which he rarely was nowadays.

"Before dinner? Didn't take you for a gentleman, but that's almost barbaric," she said, leaning back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. He could only respond with an impressed laugh, as he had found himself doing multiple times since he met with her an hour ago, "However, I agree. Let's get the nasty details out the way, and enjoy the rest of the evening."

Maddie's mouth twitched, turning into a tight smile. She genuinely liked him, way more than she thought she would. Sadly, the fact that they both had a not-so-hidden agenda ruined the entire image for her.

On the other side of the table, Jack felt the engagement ring burning in his pocket. How should he approach this? He had no clue, despite thinking about it constantly.

Just as Jack opened his mouth with a proposal, a waiter with fiery red hair and a kind face served their entrées. Maddie promptly stuffed one of the stylishly arranged canapés in her mouth, relieving herself of the stress of talking, forcing Jack to take the word.

"Well, the way I see it, a marriage could be mutually beneficial for us," he lowered his voice into a husky whisper and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the clothed mahogany table. "I need a wife with a spotless reputation and as likable and intelligent as you, and you want a husband that won't rob you of your liberty."

"How romantic," she pouted her lips in thought.

"You don't need romance. I mean, if it comes, it comes. What you need is stability, autonomy, and companionship," spoken like a true politician.

Rage fled through her veins as she tried to keep herself from screaming. She wasn't only mad at him but at the circumstances that had brought them here. And how fucking dare he. "Now you listen real close, Jack. I don't need you to tell me what I do and do not need. I will not let myself limit for the sole reason of being married. I'll do all the formal crap that it comes with. But you and I will be equals, and I will settle for no less than that."

"Understood," her no bullshit-attitude shook him to the point where he felt shivers going down his spine. This sure as hell was going to be interesting.

"Good," she nodded once, acceptingly. 

"So. You'll let me-" 

"Yes, Jack. I will let you marry me, but if you get down on one knee before I have finished my meal, I swear to God; I will scream."

No words seemed fitting to say, so Jack merely kept quiet. He had met his match.

Maddie took off her gloves as Jack ran a cigarette back and forth over his lips and at last positioning it in the corner of his mouth. A heavy silence fell between them, letting the noise of other guest's chattering take over. The brunette refused to be embarrassed by her outburst. However, she still felt a cold droplet of sweat run down her back, and her hands wanted to cover her face. Now that she had said what she needed to, she was ready to return to the jargon present earlier but didn't know how to.

The red-headed waiter returned with their meals and an unreasonably overpriced white wine that he naturally recommended. The waiter eyed the two, unable to read the mood and unsure how to approach them.

"Anyhow, tell me, how do you like things in the House?" She asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Jack had been a representative since '47, and Maddie hadn't seen him since the summer of that same year. Bobby had asked her to accompany him to his brother's election celebration, and for a short moment, she thought she end up with him. A few weeks later, Bobby stopped calling, and Maddie found out that he had begun rendezvousing Ethel.

"It's alright, but I'm ready to move on from there. I think I'll do greater things in another place.""Yeah, you don't strike as the kind who would settle. Are you gonna run for governor?" She asked, thinking it would be an obvious next step for him.

"Close," he sheepishly smiled at her. Her shoulders relaxed as she realized he hadn't taken her words to heart.

"Of course, I should have guessed. Naturally, you're gonna run for President," she joked, clapping her hands sarcastically.

"Perhaps someday, but I'm planning to run for the Senate next year," she suddenly understood why he needed to marry her so badly. It was questionable that he would win a seat in the Senate unmarried.

"Mother of God! Then I'll be the First Lady," Maddie waved to an imaginary crowd, holding a hand to her heart, to which Jack laughed but tried to get her to finish the act. She didn't identify the seriousness behind his words, but he let it slide.

Maddie stopped, delighted to have embarrassed him. She took the final bite of her meal and laid the silver fork gently on the table. Jack nodded at the empty plate, "Are you ready?"

"You bet your sweet cheeks I am," she gulped the last of her wine as Jack got down on one knee in front of her.

"Madeleine Eva Ruston, will you do me the great honor of giving me your hand in marriage?" He spoke loudly to attract attention as he opened a blue velvet box to reveal an elegant ring with the purest diamond. Now, Maddie understood why he had taken her to the Pavillion. It was to make a statement to the public; Jack Kennedy was to be a married man. And everyone ate it raw. All eyes were on them.

She smacked her hands on her face, unmistakably exaggerating, but no one seemed to notice.

"Yes, Jack. Thousand times, yes," she gave up trying to squeeze out a tear, as Jack placed the ring on her finger, and the two embraced. Everyone in the room applauded and cheered as Jack went to whisper in Maddie's ear, "Gosh Maddie, you have the subtlety of a hand grenade, don't you?"