Opening Up

Please

Jackie was at Caroline's nursery school that sat on top floor of the White House. She had established the school when for her daughter, and a handful of other children, so that her children could have some much needed privacy. She sat with Caroline and colored as the other children frolicked around them. She was trying her best to play the role of the "protective mother" and shield her children from the catastrophe the missile crisis had become.

Jack had told her snippets of developments in the conflict, but she didn't like to pick his brain too much. She was still concerned. She sometimes went as far as to strolling by the cabinet room while they discussed it, just to get the rundown.

Jackie was also trying her best to help Jack. He was crumbling as the possibility of nuclear war inched closer and closer. Bobby has advised Jackie to stay close to him, and she did. However, not too close. She felt like she should put their marital struggles aside to be a good wife during crisis, but she also had to stand her ground.

'No more naive, push-over wife' she promised herself after their last fight.

It got harder and harder to not give him all the affection she could. He was vulnerable and cracking under the pressure, and all she wanted to do was ease the pain with her love. As distant and cold as she could be, Under her strong, First Lady exterior, would always be the shy girl from Newport who's desperately in love with a handsome, young senator.

Just as Caroline was handing her mother a different color crayon, a White House aid tapped Jackie on the shoulder.

"Mrs Kennedy," he whispered urgently. "The president requests you in his office." She nods and he briskly leaves.

"Mummy, where you going?" Caroline frowns as her mother gets up.

"I'm sorry, baby. I have to go see daddy. Go and play with your classmates." She says as she crouched over to kiss her forehead. Caroline reluctantly trudges towards the sea of giggling children as Jackie exits. Although just a child, she sensed that something wasn't right. She had not had time to play with daddy for 4 days now.

Jackie hustled towards the presidential wing, wondering what Jack could possibly want with her. She reached the room leading into his office. This was where all the secretaries and interns worked; most of which, Jack had of course bedded. She always hated passing through this section. All the women always stared at her, most of them with disapproval masked by a fake smile. They often claimed she was snobby behind her back. Their secret reasoning being they were jealous that she was deemed the "worthiest" of the president's women, by the president himself.

Jackie nods at them as she makes her way to Mrs Lincoln's desk, making sure to give them a flash of her disapproving eyes. She nods at Mrs. Lincoln before slipping into Jack's office. Jack is drowning in papers and barely notices her.

"Mr. President, what should I do with those papers?" She said in a whiny, high-pitched voice. A rather accurate impression of his ditzy interns.

"I can't be bothered ri—" He looks up and sees Jackie smirking against the door and breaks into a huge grin.

"I'm good, aren't I?" She winks. He chuckles and gets up from his seat.

"Very." He smiles.

"So why'd you call me down here?"

"Will you walk with me? I could really use a walking partner." He says scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah." She smiles sympathetically. She takes his outstretched arm and they walked outside into the brisk, October air. They walk in silence until Jack begins to talk.

"So they uh, well Khrushchev, sent a wire today. They're not backing down."

"He's all talk." Jackie assured him. "You know he's pacing his bearskin rug, worried about the dashing young president who might out-wit him. Soviets are softer than you think. "