Beyond One Life

Impatiently Waiting

To your dismay, Ambassador Gottfried shook his head. "I'm sorry, __________, but I can't disregard procedures. You won't be considered 'trustworthy' enough to be with them regularly until several years into a Foreign Services career. Not to say you'll never see them during your internship, but participating in big events like G7 or G20 meetings is strictly out of your capacity, and the World Conference goes without saying. You'll just have to wait if you want to be a secretary like your father."

You felt your heart drop to your stomach, and you fell back into your chair miserably. You knew it was a long shot, and you told yourself time and time again to prepare for this, but the bite of disappointment didn't hurt any less. "I had to try. Thank you, Ambassador," you mumbled.

He reached across the table and patted your hand sympathetically. "You've worked hard to be here, so don't let this get you down. You'll see them again, maybe even this summer. They all tend to live near government buildings and hang around embassies when things are going on. I've even bumped into a few on the streets! It'll be okay. I promise.

"Now then," he grunted, standing up. "It's about time we get back."

Knowing that there was nothing more you could do, you walked back to the embassy with him, struggling to keep your head up. You found it difficult to focus, because your mind was beginning to fill with fantasies of seeing them again, how none of them would appear any differently, how they wouldn't recognize you, how they might even be indifferent to seeing you again. But that was okay. As long as you were by their sides, you could be happy.

The first day of orientation drew to a close, and your group walked a few streets over to a nearby inn, generously paid for by the program. The dozen or so interns you were with were chatting excitedly, sharing their ambitions and talking about where they were from, but your thoughts were elsewhere as you checked into your room and sat on the bed. Being in DC reminded you of how little you cared for meeting the President when you were five, and it brought an amused smile to your face.

But you were especially preoccupied with thoughts of him; after all, you were in his capital . His bright blue eyes, his cheerful demeanor, the glasses you almost broke on more than one occasion, and the blonde hair with the ahoge you'd always pull when it was within reach. His warmth and absolute joy when he played with you was unforgettable. Of course, you were too old and too big to be held now, but damn, you would give anything just to receive one more hug from America.

"Hey, you're ___________, right?"

You were jarred from your thoughts by your roommate. You looked up at a young woman of African descent and about your age standing over you, with smooth medium brown skin and cornrowed hair that was tied up into a bun. She was wearing a magenta blazer and matching pencil skirt, and she smiled with blindingly white teeth and extended her hand. "I'm Keyanna. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, right," you replied absentmindedly, and shook her hand firmly. "Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you."

"This is so exciting, isn't it?" she gushed with an endearing Southern drawl. "I've never been to DC before! Have you?"

You nodded. "Er, yeah, a few times."

"Oh, that's awesome! I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the National Mall with me and the others? We were talking about it on the way over."

You paused. It was past five, so there was plenty of time to see everything, and now that you thought of it, you never saw any of the monuments at night before. But you were tired, and honestly kind of sad. It was a serious blow to know it would take a long time to see America and the others again, and despite the good ambassador's encouragement, you remembered that America lived in New York City and not DC. Any hope you had of reuniting with him was dashed, and that made you miserable enough to want to stay in.