Early the next morning the President phoned her.
‘That was a great job you did yesterday, Florentyna, and I appreciate the way you carried out the earlier part of the operation.’
‘You hardly showed it at the time, Mr. President,’ she said, barely controlling her anger.
‘I intend to address the nation today,’ said Parkin, ignoring Florentyna’s comment, ‘and although this isn’t the time to tell them I shall not be seeking re-election, when the time does come I shall remember your loyalty.’
The President addressed the nation at eight o’clock that night on all three networks. Other than a passing mention of Florentyna he left the distinct impression that he had been in complete control of operations when the Russians turned back.
One or two national newspapers suggested that the Vice President had been involved in the negotiations with the Russian leader, but as Florentyna was not available to confirm this, Parkin’s version went almost unchallenged.
Two days later Florentyna was sent to Paris for the funeral of Giscard d’Estaing. By the time she returned to Washington the public was worked up about the final game of the World Series and Parkin was a national hero.
When the first primary was little more than eighteen months away, Florentyna told Edward that the time had come to start planning for the 1996 Presidential campaign. To that end, Florentyna accepted invitations to speak all over America, and during the year she addressed voters in thirty-three states. She was delighted to find that wherever she went the public took it for granted she was going to be the next President. Her relationship with Pete Parkin remained cordial, but she had had to remind the President that the time was drawing near for him to make the announcement about his intentions to serve only one term in office, so that she could officially launch her campaign.
One Monday in July, when she had returned to Washington from a speaking engagement in Nebraska, she found a note from the President saying that he would be making those intentions clear in a statement to the nation that Thursday. Edward had already started work on a strategic outline for a 1996 campaign so that as soon as the President had announced that he would not be running again, the Kane effort would be ready to move into high gear.
‘His timing is perfect, V.P.,’ he said. ‘We have fourteen months before the election campaign and you needn’t even declare you’re the candidate before October.’
Florentyna sat alone in the Vice President’s office that Thursday evening waiting for the President to deliver his statement. The three networks were carrying his speech and all of them had talked of the rumor that, at sixty-six, Parkin was not considering a second term. Florentyna waited impatiently as a camera panned down from the façade of the White House and into the Oval Office, where President Parkin sat behind his desk.
‘My fellow Americans,’ he began, ‘I have always believed in keeping you informed of my plans as I do not want any speculation about my personal future as to whether I shall be running again for this onerous office in fourteen months’ time’ — Florentyna smiled — ‘I therefore wish to take this opportunity to make my intentions clear so that I can complete this session without involving myself in party politics.’ Florentyna nearly leaped out of her seat in delight as Parkin now leaned forward in what the press referred to as ‘his sincere stance’ before continuing. ‘The President’s job is here in the Oval Office serving the people and to that end I announce that although I shall be a candidate for President at the next election, I will leave the electioneering to my Republican opponents while I continue to work for your best interests in the White House. I hope you will allow me the privilege of serving you for another four years. God bless you all.’
Florentyna was speechless for some moments. Finally she picked up the phone by her side and dialed the Oval Office. A woman’s voice answered.
‘I’m on my way to see the President immediately.’ Florentyna slammed down the phone and walked out of her room toward the Oval Office.
The President’s private secretary met her at the door. ‘The President is in conference right now, but I expect him to be free at any moment.’
Florentyna paced up and down the corridor for thirty-seven minutes before she was finally shown in.
‘Pete Parkin. You’re a liar and a cheat,’ she said, spitting out the words even before the door had closed.
‘Now just a minute, Florentyna. I feel for the good of the nation—’
‘For the good of Pete Parkin, who can’t keep his end of any bargain, God help this country. Well, I can tell you one thing: I am not willing to run as your Vice President for a second term.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said the President, sitting down in his chair and making a note on the pad in front of him, ‘but I naturally accept your decision with regret. Not that it would have made a lot of difference.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Florentyna.
‘I wasn’t intending to ask you to join me on the ticket for a second time, but you have made the whole problem a lot easier for me by refusing to be considered. The party will now understand why I had to look to someone else for the coming election.
‘You would lose the election if I ran against you.’
‘No, Florentyna, we would both lose and the Republicans might even win the Senate and the House. That wouldn’t make you the most popular little lady in town.’
‘You won’t get my backing in Chicago. No President has ever won the election without Illinois and they will never forgive you.’
‘They might if I replace one former senator from the state with another.’
Florentyna turned cold. ‘You wouldn’t dare,’ she said.
‘If I pick Ralph Brooks, I think you will find he is a popular enough choice. So will the people of Illinois when I say that I see him as my natural successor in five years’ time.’
Florentyna left without another word. She must have been the only person who had ever slammed the Oval Office door.
Chapter thirty-seven
When Florentyna went over the details of the Parkin meeting for Edward the following Saturday on the golf course at Cape Cod, he confessed that the news came as no great surprise.
‘He may not be much of a President, but he knows more about Machiavellian politics than Nixon and Johnson put together.’
‘I should have listened to you in Detroit when you warned me this would happen.’
‘What did your father always say about Henry Osborne? Once a skunk, always a skunk.’
There was a slight breeze and Florentyna threw a few blades of grass into the air to determine its direction. Satisfied, she took a ball from her golf bag, set it up and hit a long drive. To her surprise the wind took the ball slightly to the right and into some brush.
‘Didn’t properly anticipate the wind, V.P., did you?’ volunteered Edward. ‘I can only believe this must be my day to beat you, Florentyna.’ He hit his ball right down the center of the fairway but twenty yards shorter than Florentyna’s.
‘Things are bad, Edward, but not that bad,’ she said, smiling, and proceeded to take the first hole with a chip out of the rough and a long putt.
‘Early days,’ said Edward as they were about to tee off on the second hole. He asked Florentyna about her future plans.
‘Parkin is right: I can’t make a fuss, because such an outburst would only play into the hands of the Republicans, so I have decided to be realistic about my future.’
‘And what does that mean?’
‘I’ll see the remaining fourteen months out as Vice President and then I’d like to return to New York as chairman of the Baron Group. I’ve had an almost unique view of the company since my continual traveling around the globe, and I think I’ll be able to effect some new ideas that could put us far in front of any of our competitors.’