Zachary's Christmas by M. L. Buchman

Author:M. L. Buchman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Buchman Bookworks, Inc.
Published: 2015-12-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

“What in the world do you do here? Fly the space shuttle?”

“Bonjour, my dear Anne,” Genny turned from her desk, which faced the view, and rose to greet Anne. Her dress of pale rose linen looked both practical and fashionable. Her easy hug was thoughtlessly welcoming, simply a natural extension of Genny’s warmth. “Non. But at times I think that perhaps I could have while it still flew. Such fine technology as this still does not limit the nonsense that it can convey. The many countries of the UN must talk and talk and talk before they can make even the smallest decision.”

It was easy to forget that the First Lady was also the UN “Ambassador” for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. She was the chief peacekeeper and dealmaker for the thousand World Heritage sites and the hundreds under consideration. No wonder she needed so much conferencing equipment. There was little that couldn’t be done at the Darlington’s farm with a phone or a tactfully worded e-mail; this was a very different-colored horse.

Genny waved her to a small side table. Unlike the monster at the Vice President’s residence, this table could seat only four, six in a pinch. However like Zachary’s home it lacked…

“What happened to Christmas?” All Anne could pick out was a two-foot tall Christmas tree standing on a low side table and a small quilt of a polar bear staring upward at a starry sky.

“The French and the Vietnamese are far more understated than Americans about the season. I decorate the Residence for Peter and for the photographers. I decorate my office for myself. For us, the season is about sharing and food.”

And as lunch was delivered, Anne knew that she’d be hard-pressed to argue. A winter minestrone with thick slices of fresh-baked sourdough. A small cup of yogurt and melon drizzled with honey accompanied by small selection of cookies that were, thankfully, White House chef elegant rather than Anne Darlington outrageous.

“You have reached the problem,” Genny was the first to break the silence of good food.

She had. Apparently far too obviously.

“We will ignore that while we eat. Instead, I will speak of what I am troubled by, so that you may stop worrying for a time.” And Genny began discussing the challenges of World Heritage site selection: limited funds, uncooperative governments, rampant poaching in the nature reserves, and no actual authority to implement solutions. “Everything it is a negotiation.”

“Everything everywhere,” Anne agreed.

The Darlington Estate had grown to encompass dozens of different efforts. Everything from horse breeding—they specialized in the Tennessee Walkers, tall majestic animals—to a fine dining restaurant with a menu almost wholly produced on the farm. Flour was one of the few things that was brought in from outside; honey or sorghum was used for sweetenings and wine was “imported” from the next valley over. There was an educational center for Slow Food and local farming techniques. In nearby Johnson City there was even a campaign center for lobbying Congress regarding non-GMO products, hazards of mono-culture farming, and the like.

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