"Did they tell you he was a senator or that he was being considered as a possible cabinet secretary after the presidential election?"
"They talked about him being a senator and that we had to keep everything secret. I don't remember them mentioning the other part about the election. I remember wondering why he lived in DC if he was from Arkansas."
"Did they tell you that he was married?"
"No, they definitely did not."
"Why do you think they left that part out?"
"Probably because I was just a kid and would not have been able to understand it, much less process it. Honestly, I had enough to process finding out I had a new dad and having to move."
"You said you all three spent a lot of time together. Do you know if your dad and mom had become a couple by then?"
"You know, I don't think so. Until after my dad's divorce from Taylor, I never saw my parents kiss. Lordy, after that, I could not get them to stop kissing. That is how I ended up with two little sisters I never saw coming."
"So you were all together, but you don't think your parents were romantically involved?"
"Correct. Looking back, I can see that the feelings they had for each other were obvious, but no, I don't think they were together, together, if you know what I mean. Ewww. This is so gross. I mean, those are my parents, dude. Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure," said Harvey, nodding. He got it. No one ever wanted to think about their parents and sex in the same sentence. Changing directions, he asked, "How did your life change after the press discovered what was happening in July 2012?"
"Well, Mom and I came to Searcy for a visit. We were staying in a condo in River Oaks. I remember we had gone out for snow cones after my first-ever golf lesson at the Country Club. There was an award-winning golf pro who gave lessons, Bruce Baxley. He and Dad had been friends for years. Dad arranged for me to have a lesson from him. I remember it was a lot of fun but so hot. I had to carry my bag and not being accustomed to the heat, I thought I was going to die.
When we came back to the condo, a news crew drove up in a van. A reporter jumped out and started asking Mom and me a ton of questions about my dad, mom, and Aunt Taylor. At the time, I had no idea who Taylor was. Mom hustled me into the house as quickly as possible."
"What did you say to the reporters?"
"I was so stunned by it all that I don't think I said anything. Dad and Mom had made it pretty clear that I was not to talk about who my dad was. Once back in the house, we closed the blinds and sequestered ourselves there for the rest of the day. The news crew camped out on the street all day. Mom told me not to turn on any lights as it started getting dark. I was sitting in my room playing my cello. I remember my mom coming into my room and telling me to get my stuff and to quietly go to the car. I remember being scared when we had to drive through the horde of reporters, all yelling questions at us as we drove away. The whole experience left me terrified.”
"As we drove through the night, I remember asking Mom where we were going. She said we were going someplace where no one would find us. I also remember asking her who Taylor was. When she said my dad's wife, I understood why we had to keep everything quiet. It was such a shock. By this point, my dad had become my hero. In an instant, I lost all respect for him. I realized why he had kept us hidden."
"You and your dad have a great relationship now. What happened to change how you felt about him?"
"Time. Maturity and learning all the facts. I realize now that my parents were dealing with a lot. To my dad's credit, even though my mom kept me hidden from him for years, he never blamed her for that or tried to use that against her. I don't know if I would be so forgiving if someone kept my child from me."
"Okay, so let's get back to your story. You and your mom are driving through the night. Where did you go, and what happened next?"
"At some point, Mom must have talked to Joules, Dad's right-hand person. Joules is a miracle worker. She can find a needle in a haystack in the dark. Somehow, Joules arranged a house for us in a little podunk town in Tennessee that no one had ever heard of called Bolivar. The little town is about an hour east of Memphis. Bythe time we rolled into town at one in the morning, Joules had arranged a house with a fully stocked kitchen for us. How she did it, I have no idea. She rented it under her name, so no one knew where we were. We unloaded the car and basically fell into bed. The next morning, Mom made us pancakes. I remember because we were watching one of those women's talk shows when, across the bottom of the screen, an announcement said that Senator Carrington had withdrawn his work on the Anderson campaign and was resigning his Senate seat effective immediately.
"As she read it, Mom blanched and ran to find her phone. She went into the bedroom and closed the door. She stayed there for what felt like forever. When she came out, her eyes were red, and I knew she had been crying. She told me that my dad was on his way.”
"She spent the next hour showering and doing her hair and make-up. I was a little shocked. Mom has always been into the natural look. It was weird because I knew she was making herself beautiful for him. But let's not talk about that. Eww.
"Anyway, when Dad got there, he immediately went and gave Mom one of those long, gross kisses that I would soon come to hate. Then, he dropped down on one knee and proposed. And the rest is history. We moved into his house in Searcy. My parents had a small wedding at the First Presbyterian Church. This time, I was promoted from ring bearer to best man, but I still looked very cool in my tux."
"I am sure you did," replied Harvey. "How long was it until your sisters were born?"
"Well, I think my folks wanted me to have time to get used to having two parents and being a normal family. Maybe they just wanted some time together before having more children. Either way, they waited until I was in the ninth grade to have Lizzy. That was fun. Having a mom as beautiful as mine and then having notone but two babies while you are in high school. Talk about taking a ribbing. My buddies did not hold back. But I can't blame them. I would have done the same thing. Giving each other hell is how teenage boys show love."
"So, back to how life was different after you moved here, can you tell me more about that?"
"Sure, the major difference was in a small town like Searcy, everyone knows everyone. If you go out to eat, everyone stops to visit. Driving down the road, everyone waves, even when they don't know you. That was a huge change from being in New York, where no one speaks and everyone minds their own business. Another big change was church. I am not saying my mom was not religious or spiritual, but we did not attend church in New York. In fact, I did not know anyone who did. When we moved here, suddenly we went to church all the time. Most of my friends' activities involved church. At first, it was a little overwhelming. But I got used to it. I made a lot of really good friends through my church youth group. That is something I would have missed if we had stayed in New York."
"Anything you really missed about New York once you were here?"
"The food. We often got Indian or authentic Chinese delivery. Here, that does not exist. If you want food, you have to go and get it. I miss that. I was surprised by how much I missed the cello. In high school, I joined the orchestra. I also continued to compete in chess tournaments. There were only a few a year, but I enjoyed them. To keep my skills sharp, Dad would play with me. Unfortunately, chess is one of the things Dad is not that great at. Don't tell him I told you that. I would sometimes just let him win because I felt sorry for him. I mean, just how many times can a guy lose before he refuses to play ever again."
"Anything else?" asked Harvey.
