"The best way out is always through."

     "You hear we've got a celebrity up here this weekend?"
     "Oh?" Meg tried not to groan aloud.
     [Dave] nodded. "Yeah. Presidential candidate. You ever hear of Senator Powers?"
     Meg let herself look faintly puzzled. "She's the woman, right?"
     "Yeah." This time, his nod was patronizing, and he spoke in the authoritative voice of a college freshman taking Political Science 101. "Of course, she'll never win."
     Oh, really? "Why not?" she asked.
     "We need a man in the position," he said. "Particularly these days." 
     What a jerk. "We do?" she asked pleasantly.
     "Absolutely," he said, not even noticing that she'd stiffened. "Certainly, Powers is probably qualified, and she gives a good speech, but she wouldn't have the authority, especially in dealing with world leaders ..."
     It would be fun to watch and see how much further he could get his foot into his mouth. She smiled very, very pleasantly. "Why?"
     "No responsibility," he said.
     Within seconds, she was going to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him.
     Or perhaps, not perform it on him.
     "I mean... she'd probably be good at functions - she's poised, and God, no on can say she isn't good-looking. But, you have to have a man at the top."
     It was too late for the Heimlich; they had now moved into emergency tracheotomy territory.
     "But," he smiled at her, "I'm sorry to go on like that, I couldn't expect you to be interested."
     "Why not?" Meg asked in the voice of a champion Ice Queen.
     "Well, you're-" He paused, searching for a word. "I mean-"
     "Look," she cut him off. "Before you say anything else, maybe you should know something."
     "What's that?" he asked, sounding amused by what he seemed to consider her presumptuousness.
     "Senator Powers is my mother," she said.
     He stared at her. "Y-your mother?"
     She nodded. "My mother ... Thanks for helping me up."

Pages 58-59 of my copy

"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul." (Back to Methuselah)