Purple Dots by Jim Lehrer

Author:Jim Lehrer [Lehrer, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-82447-9
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2012-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

Marty entered the living room, his smile as well as his quick, sharp mind at the ready. He had barely glanced at the ancient wallpaper on the walls—it looked French and handmade—when a man dressed in a frock coat and breeches, white leggings and a wig came up to him.

“I’m Charlie Henderson,” said the man.

“Marty Madigan,” Marty said.

Charlie Henderson? This is Charlie Henderson, the warrior? Charlie Henderson the warrior goes around dressed up like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson?

But he was as tall as Marty and surprisingly trim and solid for a man his age. The handshake was also firm. So was his face, which was weathered but still very much alive, it seemed to Marty.

A young man in a white jacket took his drink order. Marty thought he detected a look of surprise and scorn on Charlie Henderson’s face when he ordered only a soda water over ice with a slice of lemon.

He probably thinks I’m a drunk in recovery. I’m just keeping myself alert for our battle of wits, Henderson.

Mrs. Henderson, with a little help from her husband, guided him around the room to meet the other guests. There were ten in all, most of them couples in their late forties or older. Marty did a standard Washington pass-through. He made the smallest of small talk, paying little or no attention to their names or anything else about them.

And soon they were all asked to go across the hall to the dining room. Dinner was served. On with the evening, on with the business at hand.

There was one large round table in the center of the dining room, which, like the hallway, was lit by candles, on the walls and on the table. His place was between two older women. Henderson, thank God, was only one woman away on his left.

The food was absolutely spectacular.

“I have never eaten anything quite so fine,” Marty said to the table about the opening event, a turtle soup. Everyone seemed to agree and the conversation went one-on-one in accordance with standard dinner-party rules.

“Is the president the fool he appears to be or is it all an act?” the woman on his left said to Marty.

Marty had worked hard for a Washington reputation as a valuable dinner-party guest. He knew what this woman was up to and he knew what was expected of him. She wanted to establish immediately that she was a serious and outspoken person. He was to acknowledge that with a serious and outspoken response. They would then bond for an evening of serious and outspoken conversation.

“I think that kind of judgment must always be left to the individual eyes of the audience,” Marty replied. It was a meaningless thing to say, exactly what he intended.

But the woman loved his answer, and she smiled and went for a large spoonful of soup.

And Marty decided to make his move on Henderson. He commented about how pleased he must be about the Bennett appointment; then, after some follow-ups about the Henderson-Bennett relationship, he referred, finally, to Jesus hats.

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