Madam President ✓

78. Job Interview

Walter
January 2nd, 2021

   From two seats away, in a temporary area the future congresswoman has set up in her living room- my contenders glare. They don't have to say anything for me to get it: They think I have an advantage just showing up, being a former governor's son. Personally- I've never gotten that. Hundreds of miles away from home, me getting recognized is a rare occurrence.

  I've only benefited from it once, when I got to skip a line in a bookstore because the owner apparently used to be her communications director.

  I shift uncomfortably in my seat, wanting to just get this over with. I went to college at Stanford just to get away from home and came here to do the same. My mother tried to get me a job in Vegas for a local station, and at MSNBC as a graveyard-shift show host- but the first declined to even interview me and MSNBC picked someone who was actually qualified.

  I decided I wouldn't use my last name again after that- or her money, which means I need this damn job.

Tanya Clark and a younger woman emerge from her office- the younger one wielding a clipboard.

  "Walter Adkins?"

  I stand up, try to subtly wipe my palms on my sleeves, and smile. "That's me."

    She gestures for me to join them. I'm tempted to flip the room behind me off- but I doubt that'd earn me any points. I do my best to walk straight, sit respectfully, and make eye contact like my mother taught me.

"All employers are fucking vultures. They'll all see you as replaceable- hell most of my staff are."

"Ms.Clark-"

  "Please don't call me that I'm not.... Fifty."

"What... should I call you then?" I try not to furrow my eyebrows. Politicians are fucking confusing. Each one has their own triggers, their own issues they like to focus on even if others are more pressing in the current moment. From what I've read- Tanya Clark is no different, campaigning on domestic violence prevention and climate change in the middle of an Ebola outbreak in her hometown. When she does talk about it, it's always brief.

  To be fair- there's not much she could do. Ebola-21 seems to spread at unprecedentedly high rates, somehow managing to infect those with the weakest immune systems while they haven't left their homes in nearly a month. The virus is showing signs of dissipating at an equally unprecedented speed- though that does little to ease anyone's concerns. Her rivals in the Republican Party of New York, who funneled nearly fifty million dollars into Fred Rogers's reelection campaign after seeing her as a real threat- tried to put the outbreak itself on her. They said she was aiding the spread with her campaign rallies, and while that may have been true- they held more, often bigger rallies. Fucking hypocrites.

  "Congresswoman or.... Tanya if you prefer." She says. "So we did look over your resume and... it appears that you.... have no work history?"

  Ahhh. The part of the interview I've been dreading. At least I can get it out of the way first.

  "That is correct." I nod. "I wanted to focus on college while I was in California and... I was fortunate enough to be able to do so."

Tanya rubs her chin, thinking about something.

  "You have a bachelor's degree in... broadcast journalism. Have you sought out jobs in that field?" The younger woman asks.

  "I have..... but none of them felt right. I've always seen myself working in or with some level of government official."

"Would you be able to relocate to D.C?"

  "Yes."

  "How do you handle high stress days?"

  "With a lot of alcohol." IDIOT! This is a job interview for a GOVERNMENT POSITION-

Tanya laughs. Some of the tension leaves my body; bits linger in the form of a pounding headache.

  "Well at least you're honest- how fast are you able to write statements? My speech writing interns won't be in D.C until July 5th."

  "In breaking news situations I'd need twenty minutes max. If it's not so urgent or... requires a longer apology or explanation- a few hours. Forgive me if this is too bold  but from my understanding I would be coordinating a lot of said statements  with other representatives' and senators' press secretaries- depending on the content?"

  "Correct."

  "Then it might take... a bit longer to get started but...I stand by that time frame."

  Her and the younger woman side eye each other again.

  "How comfortable are you speaking in front of crowds and answering reporter's questions with no script?"

  "While I don't have professional experience....I've done just that my entire life." Idiot. There goes not using my mother to get a job- welp, might as well stick to it.

"How so?"

"My...." I pause for a second. This is wrong- so, so wrong. "My mother is Elizabeth Adkins."

Instantly, the mood in the room changes. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Saying she was powerful would be the understatement of the century- she manipulated her fellow governors and our state senate into doing her will as often as she breathed- in a way they couldn't tell she was doing it. While average citizens across the country may not know who she is, she's an icon among aspiring politicians.

"She's- oh my god you.... I can see it now." The younger one says. "Big fan of her working on voting rights- I assume you were in the front row for a lot of her speeches?"

I nod. "I was... regularly approached by reporters. There's probably clips somewhere on YouTube."

"Mhmn... and how comfortable are you working on the move? We're floating the idea of a tour with other members of Congress to promote our set of climate change bills at some point in 2021."

"I actually prefer... not working at a desk. They feel much more confining than... moving vehicles. Congresswoman I have no familial or medical obligations tying me to one place. I'd be able to accompany you on any trips across state or... country lines you may take and...."

  "And?"

  "I feel like my.... life experiences have prepared me to deal with a lot."