The Dawn of Evil

Chapter 1.3

Pushing open the heavy glass door, Chris entered the building and was instantly greeted by Maria. Her youthful face, not yet tarnished by the grueling hours and unrelenting stress of politics, smiled at him as he entered.

"Speaker Condel, I was getting worried," she proclaimed. "It's not like you to get in this late."

Slightly annoyed by her chiding, regardless of how well intended, he responded, "I appreciate your concern, but I am human. Even I have been known to sleep through my alarm from time-to-time."

Sensing that he was in a bad mood, Maria decided to drop the subject. "Sir, I prepared your flight for this evening and your hotel room is booked through Sunday. Will you be staying longer? Should I extend it?" As she spoke, the assistant passed him a folder containing the details of his trip and waited expectantly for his response.

Glancing through the documents, Chris nodded his approval. "It looks excellent. Sunday should be just fine, but I'll let you know if my plans change."

Without pause, he continued walking toward his office. Maria hesitated for a moment, unsure if she was meant to follow. With a huff, he turned and beckoned to her. Jumping to attention, her high-heeled feet clacked across the encaustic tile floors. Chris shoved open the main door to his office and, passing through the homey seating area, arranged with two sofas and a coffee table, he finally entered his private office. Taking a seat in his chair, he reluctantly pulled his laptop out of his bag and placed it on the desk.

Maria watched silently as he slowly and deliberately arranged his personal effects the desk, waiting for him to look up.

"Maria, I need black coffee," he sighed, meeting her gaze. The weariness in his eyes was categorical. Even though she had always resented coffee runs, in his current state, her heart welled with sympathy.

"Right away, Speaker. And then we can review the agenda for today." She reached for the doorknob and set out in pursuit of the imperative caffeine.

Moments later she returned with a steaming mug full of coffee, which she sat gingerly on the desk next to Chris. Glancing up from his computer monitor, he muttered his thanks. He picked up the mug and attempted to take a sip. He jumped slightly as the hot liquid lapped against his lips. Gripping the mug in both hands, he started blowing on the coffee to cool it down.

"Shall we begin?" He prompted, trying to conceal his disinterest and the nagging desire he felt to drive back home and crawl into his enticing bed.

"Certainly, Sir," Maria agreed, extracting her black moleskin notebook from her oversized handbag, which she had hurriedly tossed on a nearby chair earlier in the day. Pulling the ribbon placeholder upward, she quickly found her notes.

"The most pressing issue is the healthcare bill, which as you know, is going up for a vote next week."

"I see, why is it an issue again? We'd already secured the needed votes," Chris responded brusquely.

Maria shifted her stance, obviously uncomfortable with what she had to say next. Fidgeting and straightening her pressed blouse, she replied, "Well, Congressman Dugan has had a change of heart, so to speak, and is swaying others to follow suit. He was making calls all of last night."

Chris shook his head angrily, his lips pursed in deep frustration. Raising his voice, he stated tersely, "I don't understand that bastard. We've given him everything he wanted, short of calling it a single payer system. This was supposed to be a landmark bill; 'the end of bipartisanism'. Have you heard anything regarding his motivation for ruining everything we've worked for at the last minute?" Chris waited, but already knew what the answer would yield.

"I can't be certain, Sir. But it would be a massive victory for our party. From what I can tell, he doesn't want us to get credit for this sweeping reform."

Chris nodded in agreement. "That certainly sounds about right," he breathed. "Is there anything else that we should go over or can I dedicate my morning to dealing with this fiasco?"

Maria glanced over her notes. "I'll clear your schedule this morning. There's nothing that would take precedence over this." Turning to leave, she added, "If you need anything else, just let me know."

Chris was already dialing Congressman Dugan, but gave a brief nod to confirm her words. Dugan picked up on the third ring.

"Hi, Chris. I knew I'd be hearing from you this morning," he beamed. "I just figured that it would be a bit earlier in the day."

Stifling a sigh over being chastised for his lateness yet again, Chris replied, "What is all of this I've been hearing about your flip-flopping?".

"Ah, yes. That's this morning's most pressing question, isn't it?" Congressman Dugan chuckled. "Well, I'd prefer not to discuss it over the phone. Are you free to meet in person?"

"What is this about, Pat?" The annoyance in Chris' voice was growing. "Can't you just cut to the chase for once?"

"I really can't do that. Shall we meet in fifteen minutes?"

"Fine. I'll see you at The Espresso Cafe. "

"Can't wait, Christian. See you soon."

Pat Dugan's excitement didn't seem feigned. The genuineness of the exchange was extremely unsettling to Chris. Hanging up the line, he contemplated what could have put Pat into such an uncharacteristically good mood. Typically, his serious and unyielding attitude made him a force to be reckoned with; After all, it is what had secured him his position as the Minority Leader. Today, he was acting like a child in a candy store, devoid of reason and blinded by unbridled enthusiasm.

Shaking his head subconsciously, Chris picked up his mug and took several long gulps of coffee. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out his hidden stash of Ibuprofen and popped two more, hoping that these two pills would prove more effective than the last four. He stood up and strode out of his office, turning to Maria as he entered the next chamber.

"I'm meeting with Dugan in a few minutes. I should be back in an hour or so." Maria nodded as he walked out into the hallway and disappeared behind the polished door as it swung closed.