Rep. Deval Harrelson pulled his Mercedes out of his Georgetown garage. His wife, Celia, wondered why he decided to leave in the dead of night. Their bedside clock stood at 12:15 am when Dev shook her awake. He hovered over her, dressed in black slacks and a black tee shirt. Half-awake, she ogled him.

"Get up, C," Dev urged in a whisper. "C'mon. We gotta boogie."

"Boogie?" Celia groggily questioned. That particular term for hurry went out of style in the 1970s. She groaned and rolled over.

"No, c'mon, C," Deval tried again. Reaching out his long arm, he prodded her. "I'm not kidding. We're, like, splitsville. Now."

"Hmmm," Celia Harrelson moaned, yanking the covers over her head. She hated early mornings; she hated traveling during early mornings.

"Look, something's up, Celia honey," Deval stated, perching on the side of the bed. "Any minute and the shits gonna hit the fan. We gotta get outta here. Dig it?"

"What shit?" The word caught her attention. Abruptly she sat up in bed.

"I'll tell you on the way," Dev stated. Urgency crept into his voice.

Satisfied, Celia finally slid off the bed. Deval stopped her as she headed toward the bathroom. Throwing him an evil look, she dressed. It irked her to start the day without a clean, refreshing shower. However, she realized her husband's resolve. Usually, he remained the most laid-back person she knew. In fact, his relaxed attitude drew her to him. However, if he were in a rush to leave, he had a good reason.

In the next room, Rep. Deval Harrelson woke his grandchildren. Following his daughter, Maliaka's overdose death, he provided a home for her offspring. Six-year-old Niesha and two-year-old Quiana slept peacefully. The youngest hugged a yellow stuffed rabbit against her chest. Deval hated to awaken them, but he wanted to get moving.

When Ginger Hartley discovered he had blown the whistle on her scheme, her fury would escalate. Her longtime Congressional yes-man would become the target of her wrath. Dev wanted to put as many miles as he could between his family and Washington, D.C.

Tenderly, Deval Harrelson lifted Niesha from the top bunk. Wrapping the child in her Winnie-the-Pooh blanket, he turned to carry her from the room. Behind him, Celia cuddled Quiana. The toddler's curly head poked out of the matching blanket. The plush toy dangled from his wife's arm. Stealthily, the group entered the garage.

Sliding into the front seat of the Mercedes, Deval backed the car out. Fearful of tampering, he wanted to make sure the auto remained safe. He would not allow Celia or the children to enter with him. Slowly, Dev reversed to the end of the driveway. Then, he turned the car off.

Celia stood at the open garage door. Beside her, Niesha stood with two fingers stuck in her mouth. The little girl leaned against her grandmother's leg. She found it challenging to stay awake. Unaware of the situation, Quiana slept peacefully in Celia's arms.

Deval grinned broadly at his family. Leaving D.C. felt like a good idea. It felt like an idea he should have had years ago. Perhaps, when things simmered down, he would return. Or maybe not. The time may have come to exit the political arena. Retirement—he had not considered it. Now, the word stood out like a neon sign.

Dev longed to watch the girls grow up. If he retired, he could give them more time than he gave his own daughter. The child of Annys, his first wife, grew up in boarding schools and took her holidays in her classmates' homes. Only on rare occasions had Deval devoted time to her.

Maliaka resented her father's inability to connect. Running wild, she became pregnant with Niesha during her junior year in high school. When questioned, she could not name the father. Angrily, Deval pressed her for answers. Nevertheless, Maliaka nonchalantly claimed there were too many men to know for sure. Furthermore, she refused a DNA test. Following the birth, his daughter disappeared with the baby.

Four years later, Maliaka returned with Niesha and a newborn, Quiana. Strung out of drugs, she contracted syphilis and died several weeks later. Ginger Hartley adeptly covered up the situation. The news media carried a story claiming Rep. Deval Harrelson's only daughter passed away after an aggressive bout with breast cancer.

Deval decided to make up his relationship with his daughter by spending time with his grandchildren. Pleasantly, he considered beach vacations and trips to an amusement park. He saw the girls' smiling faces covered with melted chocolate popsicles in his mind. They would graduate from high school and attend college. Perhaps, in place of a father, he would walk them down the aisle at their weddings.

Grinning broadly, Rep. Deval Harrelson waved to his wife. In the dimness of the garage, her white teeth sparkled. Celia returned his wave and then prodded Niesha. The little girl lifted her hand and waved too.

Dev leaned forward and turned the key in the ignition. Then, he shifted into drive.

The Mercedes exploded.

The force of the explosion sent Celia Harrelson sprawling. She landed hard on the garage's concrete floor, breaking her back and neck. Her head bounced twice, and she knew nothing else.

Niesha crawled to the bundle next to her grandmother. Pulling her little sister onto her lap, she soothed the toddler's head. Her small hand entangled in dark hair, and she crooned a lullaby.

The Mercedes blazed, sending orange and red flames into the midnight sky. Running footfalls echoed around the lonely street. In the distance, sirens wailed. A man's form emerged, and he knelt before the frightened children.

Senator Wallace Henry helped Niesha to her feet. His wife, Greta, lifted Quiana. Opening her eyes wide, the youngster cried. Her ululating wails overpowered the oncoming sirens. Greta comforted her, then carried her home. In a daze, Niesha followed her little sister.

******

Speaker of the House Samuel Grisham accepted the news of Rep. Deval Harrelson's death. He nodded grimly and dismissed his aide.

The bad news spread like wildfire. Deval's information concerning the death of President Abraham Q. Morton stunned Sam Grisham. He could hardly comprehend it. Nor could he understand why Minority Leader Hartley kept the news under wraps.

Sam Grisham did not dislike Ginger Hartley. However, he did not understand her. Once, when they first arrived in the Congressional Halls, he befriended her. They both had the same objectives but approached them differently. Then, she became Speaker, and her attitude changed. Bipartisanship disappeared. Ginger made demands and shut out suggestions contrary to her opinions. It became difficult to work with her.

However, Sam Grisham tried. For three terms, Ginger Hartley held the Speaker's position. With each new term, her associates found it difficult to work with her. Yet, her party remained in the ascendency. The American people began to grumble. Then, in the last election, she lost her position. Hartley descended; Grisham ascended.

Minority Leader Hartley attempted to obstruct procedures. She encouraged open rebellion. Keeping a keen eye on her activities, Grisham felt a pang of remorse for her. However, no matter how sore she became, she had to realize she was no longer the Speaker.

Representative Ginger Hartley disrupted the normal course of the law. She plotted to overthrow a duly elected government. Withholding information concerning the President's death rose to treason.

"Too many deaths," Grisham muttered to himself. The VP succumbed to the plague three days previously.

Without the leadership of President Abraham Morton, the country fell into chaos. The death of the Vice President meant no one would immediately step into the Oval Office. Ginger Hartley stood in the way of progress. Speaker Grisham should have taken the presidential oath days previously.

The plague continued to spread. Hospitals groaned with patients. With so many waiting for medical help, the gurneys lined the hallways. The promised vaccine did not appear. People sheltered in place and kept to social distancing guidelines.

When the Speaker of the House became President Grisham, the situation would change. Sam promised himself he would take immediate action.

Determinedly, Samuel Grisham exited his office. Across the hall, the Minority Leader's door remained firmly closed. Sam cast his eye toward it. He should go in and have a word with Ginger. Perhaps he could talk her out of her plans. Tentatively, he gripped the door handle, then changed his mind. He did not wish to confront her.

Senators and Representatives gathered in the Rotunda. As Sam Grisham crossed the tiled floor, several of his colleagues called his name. He offered a wave to several but did not stop. They spoke of recent events. However, Sam felt he should not become involved.

A sudden bang muffled conversations. Speaker Grisham stopped in his tracks and listened. The sound barely penetrated, but an uneasy feeling crept up his spine. Then, he continued on his way.

"Shot!" a voice rang out.

Swiveling, a mob of congresspeople and guards rushed toward the voice. Samuel Grisham pushed through the bodies jamming the corridor. A Congressional Guard blocked the Minority Leader's door. When Sam maneuvered his way to the front of the pack, Officer LeBeaux stepped aside. Hastily, the Speaker entered and stopped in his tracks.

Ginger Hartley's red hair spread across her desk. Beneath it, her head twisted sideways. Her wide green eyes stared deadly at the wall to her left. A pistol dangled from her fingers.

"Oh dear God," Grisham breathed. "Suicide."

******

The funerals took place, one following the other. Side-by-side, Pres. Morton and V.P. Ramirez lay in state. Due to the lockdown status, mourners did not line up to file past. Arlington National Cemetery received both bodies.

Representative Deval Harrelson's body entered the Rotunda the next day. At first, he was to lie next to Minority Leader Hartley. However, evidence concerning the explosion that killed Harrelson pointed directly back to the Ex-Speaker. Dev and his wife Celia lay together in the family cemetery in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

For her many years in Congress, Rep. Ginger Hartley received due acclaim. Her constituents recalled her as a firm and well-respected leader. The news media omitted Hartley's part in the delay in reporting Pres. Morton's death. Nor was her connection to the explosion that killed Rep. Deval Harrelson explained. Speaker Grisham did not believe the furtherance of such information necessary.

"Let the people who loved her continue to do so," Sam Grisham stated, ending the situation.

The following Saturday, Speaker of the House Samuel Grisham placed his hand on the Bible and took the Presidential Oath of Office.

"I do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," the new President gravely stated.