Free ReUNION: What if the Civil War had never happened? by Harvey Ardman

shitting me," she
said.
    "He sent an emissary," said the President. "We talked to him,
yesterday just before dinner."
    "The Ambassador?"
    "No," said Eric Wang, "a private messenger from the man himself.
A young Black fellow."
    Ms. Tennenbaum's eyes widened again. "Black, you say?"
    "Man named Roy Pickett," Wang said. "Name familiar?"
    She gave it some thought. "Vaguely. He's been with Bourque a long time. I
always thought he was just a body man. A glorified servant. He wasn't asking
for asylum or anything?"
    "He was here to deliver a personal message to me from Bourque,"
Callaway said.
    "Which was?"
    "Bourque wants to meet with me. Confidentially."
    "Confidentially? He wants to meet confidentially ?" Ms.
Tennenbaum said, dumbfounded. "What century is he living in?"
    "Maybe he could pull it off in the Confederacy," Wang said.
    "Well, it's out of the question here," Ms. Tennenbaum said. "I'm
not even positive we can keep this conversation secret."
    Wang laughed, then stopped abruptly when he realized he was the only one who
was amused.
    "What do you think, Veronica?" Callaway asked. "Should I break
bread with him?"
    "Look, off the top of my head, I'd say no. I mean, what for? What could we
gain? And I can just imagine how smiling Jack Sullivan would ream you out on The
Edge ."
    "Yeah," Wang said, imitating Sullivan's theatrical television voice,
"Callaway's agreement to meet with Bourque is just more proof that our new
President condones racism."
    "Well, maybe he'd have a point," Callaway said. "But Veronica,
you said 'off the top of my head.'"
    "Yes. And I do have a second thought. I'm curious. What does Bourque
want?"
    "Money, we figure," Wang told her.
    Ms. Tennenbaum turned the idea over in her mind. "I’m inclined to agree.
Anyway, I can't speak to the domestic side, but as your Secretary of
State-designate, if you met with Bourque, it would make my life harder. I'd
have to do some serious 'splaining to our friends. Lotta downside, no upside
that I can see."
    "That's just what I thought you'd say," Wang told her, pleased.
    "Thanks for your advice, Veronica," said the President. "What
you say makes a lot of sense."
    "Thank you Mr. President," Ms. Tennenbaum said, beaming. Then she
turned to Wang. "Now do you think you can get me confirmed before the end
of the month."
    "I'm sure going to try," Wang said.
    "You do that, dear," Ms. Tennenbaum said, putting a firm but motherly
hand on Wang's shoulder. Then she headed out of the door, and both men, being
polite, turned their eyes away from her departing figure.
    "So what do you think, Mr. President?" Wang asked, trying to read his
man. "Are you ready to make a decision?"
    "Almost," President Callaway said. "But let's give this just a
little more thought. Are we absolutely sure Bourque wants money from us?
Couldn't he have something else in mind? Maybe we should at least listen to
him."
    "Charl…Mr. President, there are just too many ways it could go
wrong. It could be some kind of trick, meant to embarrass you or the
administration. Maybe it's a political power play for his home audience. I
don't know. But I'm pretty sure that if you meet with him you're going to end
up with egg on your face."
    "You're probably right, Eric, but still—it's such a surprising offer. It
would be a shame to let the opportunity slip away if something good could come
from it."
    "Mr. President, you are at the very beginning of your administration. If
you and Mr. Buddy Bourque meet and it all goes wrong, you could blow your whole
agenda. You'd be putting everything we've been hoping to achieve in
jeopardy."
    Callaway smiled. "Eric, that's a bit of an overstatement, don't you
think?"
    "Not really. Look at it this way, Mr. President," Wang said. "Do
you really want to risk your hard-won political capital by meeting with
the much unloved President of our least-liked neighbor and
listening to him beg?"
    "He's only unloved here, Eric. Veronica says he's very well-regarded in
the CSA."
    Wang frowned. "I