Shadow of my Father - 50. Chapter 50

No one noticed Josh as he made his way to his seat next to his brothers. When he sat down, his father wanted to talk with him, but didn’t out of respect to the performer on the stage. Daniel Sr. just reached over and patted Josh on the shoulder whispering ‘good job’, which put a big smile on his face.

Reba was on the stage for about forty five minutes before introducing George Strait. When George came out on the stage, the audience went wild. They can’t get enough of him and he knew it by the way the greeted him. He was supposed to sing for only an hour, but he landed up going an extra fifteen minutes.

As the show came to an end, George thanked the audience, said a special thanks to the soldiers before moving on to the Governor and the President. President Bush and the First Lady went on the stage to personally thank George Strait for doing the concert and asked for Reba to come back out on the stage. When she made her way out, the President and First Lady thanked her as well.

George’s band played George, Reba, the President and First Lady off the stage. Daniel and his family made their way to the back stage while the audience made their way out of the stadium. Just like the President, Daniel went over to the dressing rooms to thank the performers for their efforts on such a short notice.

When Daniel and his family walked into the dressing room, they found everyone there talking. Daniel walked up and shook George and Reba’s hands, thanking them. Barbara, Daniel’s wife, also thanked the two performers as she asked them for their autographs. Josh and his brothers stood back to let their father and the other adults speak.

It didn’t take long before George Strait broke away and headed over to Josh. “Josh you should have gotten up on the stage when the show closed with Reba and me. You performed out there just like us.” George knelt down in front of Josh. “If you ever want to make a career out of this, call me.” George handed Josh a paper.

“I would love to help you get started. There are some out there that will see you as a cash cow and they will try and take advantage of you. You need to watch out for those types of people. That is one of the many things I would like to show you if you decide to make performing your career. There is no doubt that you will sell millions of records with that voice of yours. Your voice has already changed so it won’t go anywhere.”

“Thank you, sir! If I do decide to do this as a career, you will be the first person I call. You seem to have the business down. I know you aren’t the type that will try and take advantage of a person just beginning.” Josh took the paper with George’s personal information and placed it in his pocket.

George got up and stood right in front Josh. “I was serious about next year when you return back to school. Just give me a call and I will set up a date for a concert in El Paso so you and your club can perform with me. I would love to be on the stage with you again Josh. You are a very talented singer.”

Josh thanked George and promised him that he will call him to set up that concert. Before leaving George’s dressing room, Reba signed autograph pictures and shirts for each member of the Governor’s family, the President and First Lady. George did the same thing, and then asked to speak with Josh in private. Daniel Sr. pulled his family out, leaving Josh.

George walked over to Josh with a guitar case. He opened it and signed the western style guitar before handing it to Josh. “I am very serious about you thinking of making singing your career. You are a natural! All you need is someone to mentor you and show you the way, not the wrong one.

Take this guitar and use it to make your own music. It was one of my very first guitars when I started in the industry. I want you to have it even though you don’t know yet what you are going to do. Even if you decide to not become a performer, I want you to have it. Use it when ever you perform and as I said, try and write your own music. I can see you have a lot to say from there;” George said as he pointed to Josh’s chest. “Put everything from there into music and I promise you it will be a hit.”

Josh took the guitar from George, but couldn’t figure out what to say. A thank you doesn’t seem to be enough in Jacob’s mind for what he was given. He has never heard of a performer just giving away one of their guitars to someone that isn’t even a performer.

“I promise to take care of this gift sir. Whenever I am out on the stage performing with my school group or alone, I will always have this one me to bring me luck. You are one of the greatest country singers in the business and to be getting something like this from you, it must be cherished. That is exactly what I plan to do.”

As they shook hands, George wished Josh the best of luck and Josh did the same. When Josh walked out of the dressing room, his father pulled him into him to tell him how much he loved his performance. He explained how he loved all the songs, but the last one he loved the most because it hit him where it counts; right in the heart.

Just like when they drove down to Texas Stadium from the airport, the President’s convoy went before the Governor’s. When they arrived at the airport though was a different story. The President has to be the last one on Air Force One, so he got out of his limousine and walked over to the rope line to shake as many hands possible.

As the President was shaking hands, the Governor’s family made their way into the airplane. The only ones that joined the President and First Lady at the rope line were the Governor and the First Lady of Texas. They joined in and shook as many hands they could before the President got signaled to leave.

While the two leaders and their wives were shaking hands, Josh and his brothers were looking around Air Force One. Not only because they were teenagers that like to explore, but this is the first time they have been on the plane. They realized the very first moment they stepped onto the plane on how much bigger it was than their father’s.

The secret service agents posted throughout the plane stopped Josh and his brothers whenever they were about to walk into an area they weren’t allowed to be in. They didn’t question the secret service when they stopped them. Understanding that they were doing their job so they turned around and headed back from where they came from.

Before the President got onto the plane, a couple secret service agents escorted the boys to their seats. Just as they sat down, Daniel and Barbara joined them. Josh waited for the President, but he never joined them before the plane took off. It dawned on Josh that the President doesn’t sit back here with his guests. He has his own office on this plane.

Once the plane reached cruising attitude, the Air Force Colonel came over the speaker letting everyone know that they could walk around the cabin. Josh undid his seat belt and started to explore the areas of the plane he didn’t get to before they were asked to sit down. Cesar and Brandon joined Josh, while Carlos and Daniel Jr. went the other way.

Just like before the secret service stopped Josh and the others from going into a room that they aren’t supposed to be in. Somehow they got all turned around and as they made their way back to their seats, they accidently walked into the press corps part of the plane. The minute the walked into the area, the reporters jumped up shouting out questions.

Josh quickly turned around and in doing so he ran right into Cesar and bumped his nose really hard. Embarrassed that the press actually saw that, Josh walked out with his hand on his nose as fast as he could. On his way back to his seat, he hoped that none of the photographers got a picture of that. If they did, it would be hard to explain to his friends why he was behaving like such a nerd.

When they got back to their seats, Daniel Jr. and Carlos were already back, but their dad and Barbara weren’t. Josh sat down still rubbing his nose, which grabbed his brother’s attention. Carlos asked what had happened and when he was told, he started to laugh. He didn’t laugh at Josh to be mean, but he imagined what it looked like when Josh turned around and ran into Cesar. In Carlos’ mind it played like a Saturday morning cartoon with all the bubbles of words on top of Josh’s, Cesar’s and the others heads.

Once Carlos stopped laughing, they dropped the subject. They started to talk about how it was going to be like when they start building houses. Josh threw in a few one liners making everyone laugh. They laughed when Josh teased about them never building a house before. The poor people might be better off without them building it because it might actually tumble to the ground when a strong wind blows. The boys know that will never happen because their work will be checked before they move on.

Before they could finish talking, the pilot asked everyone to take their seats because they were about to land. Josh looked at his brothers and saw that they were as confused as he was. They hadn’t been in the air for that long, maybe forty minutes at the most, but yet they are landing.

Josh knew flying was fast, but not that fast. Then he thought, he was on Air Force One and that is probably why they got to Fort Worth, Texas so quickly. The President’s plane doesn’t have to wait in line to take off, or get clearance to land. Even if the President is behind schedule, they keep the air clear of all traffic until the President is away from the airport he lands at.

As the plane landed, Josh didn’t feel it. It was nice and smooth, even when it came to a complete stop. Just as Josh, Cesar and his brothers got up to leave, the security service agents held them back. They explained to the boys that they will get off the plane before the President and the First Lady, but not before anyone else. The staff and the press corps get off the plane first.

Once the security detail got the all clear, they opened the hatch and let the boys out. As they stepped out to the metal staircase, none of them could believe the crowd of people that came down to see the President. Making their way down the stairs, they saw the signs the supporters were holding. It was a mixture of signs with the President’s and their father’s names. That kind of made the Lopez boys feel like royalty.

They looked around at the limousines and were able to quickly figure out which one is theirs, the one without the Presidential Seal on the door. Russ and the other security heads walked the boys to the limousine that had the Governor’s Seal on the door and opened the door. Once they climbed in, Russ closed the door and went to the SUV in front of the car.

Moments later, Daniel and Barbara stepped out of the plane, followed by the President and the First Lady. They stood at the top of the staircase and waved at those that came down to get a glimpse at them. After a few minutes of waving, Daniel and Barbara started making their way down the stairs, followed by the Bush’s.

It looked at first that they were going to head straight to their cars, but they didn’t. They made a bee-line to the rope line and started shaking hands. As their father and the

President were at the rope line, the boys looked on. They felt that their father took more time shaking hands with everyone than it took them to fly here from Austin.

The boys got bored looking on so they sat back into the seats and either talked among themselves or rested their eyes. Josh closed his eyes, but he wasn’t tired, he was thinking on what George Strait told him. He started to think of his past to make a song. As he thought of everything in the last year, he realized that George was right, he has gone through a lot already that he can make into a few country songs.

Josh got snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open and all the yelling from the crowd. Barbara got in first, followed by Daniel. Daniel looked around at his boys as he settled in. Josh could tell he has something on his mind, but he doesn’t know what. He can’t figure out the facial expression on his father’s face.

“I know this is all new to you boys, but from now on you wait to exit the plane with me and Barbara. We are a family and as a family we get off the plane together.” Daniel unbuttoned his suit jacket. “I am not angry, because I should have explained how all this works before we landed. But with that said, you boys surprised me because you guys have never gotten off the plane like you did here.”

The convoy started to move as their father tried to explain to his sons that he isn’t angry, but he could tell he isn’t doing a very good job at it so he just dropped the subject before he dug a deeper hole. The point he wanted to make, he did. There is no need to beat a dead horse, the old saying goes.

“The President is going to speak at some huge fund raiser tonight. That is where we are going to have dinner. It is going to be boring for you boys since there are not going to be any kids your age there. For that I am sorry, but it is only going to be a week of this and after that you boys will be back in Austin enjoying your summer.”

“Don’t worry dad, we already knew how this week is going to be.” Daniel, Jr. looked around at his brothers and Cesar as they nodded their heads in agreement. “We will make the most of it. Plus we are willing to help out wherever needed.”

Daniel liked what he was hearing. “Thank you boys, I was worried that you guys were going to be bored to death.” Daniel chuckled, causing his kids to laugh as well. “We are going to change before heading over to the ballroom. Barbra and I would like to talk with you boys in the room before we head down. There is something we would like to discuss with you.”

That got Josh thinking. Now he knows why he couldn’t read his father’s facial expression right when he first got into the car. His father was a little angry about them not waiting, but he also had an important matter weighing on his mind as well. In return he had two emotions going at once, and therefore Josh couldn’t get a read.

The convoy pulled up to the hotel. They had to wait for the President and all his people to get out and head in before their limousine pulled under the roof. Once they did pull under the roof, Russ was already there and opened the door. Josh got out first, followed by Cesar and his brothers. Then Barbara and their father got out and immediately they turned around and waved at the crowd that was pushed behind a rope line across the street from them. This time Daniel only waved for a couple minutes before heading in.

Josh thought that they had to go to the front desk to check in, but he was wrong. They made their way through the lobby of the hotel to the elevators, one of which was being held open by their security detail. When they got on, Lloyd informed Daniel that everything was secure on the floor and the rooms were ready.

In order to ensure security, the entire floor was rented for the Governor’s family and another entire floor was rented for the President and his people. Josh was wrong again when he thought they were going to stay on the same floor of the President. He was looking forward to actually seeing the leader of the free world like a regular guy.

When the elevator door opened, Josh noticed a lot more security staff. In fact most of the security staff lined up and down the hall he didn’t even recognize. The other big surprise was that the elevator opened up right into a room. Josh thought they were going to get simple hotel rooms, not the penthouses, but it made sense to him after thinking about it.

As they walked into the main penthouse, the only security detail there was their own, which not only made Josh feel more at ease, and his brothers as well. Lloyd pointed to down the hall explaining that the rooms were there. Daniel didn’t have to say a word to the boys. All he had to do is look at them and they knew they were excused to go and select their rooms for the night.

Since it was only a four bedroom penthouse, Daniel and Carlos got their own room, as well as Brandon. Josh and Cesar were stuck on sharing a room, which of course they didn’t mind. The master suite went to Daniel and Barbara, which they are going to put to good use once they return from dinner.

Not wasting any time, Josh and Cesar got the clothes they plan to wear for the evening and rushed out looking for the bathroom. Lloyd stopped them in the hallway and explained to them that they have their own bathroom. Josh felt dumb that he and Cesar didn’t explore their room first. If they would have done that, they would have found that they had their own bathroom.

When they got back to their room, they found the bathroom. It was right there as plain as day. They quickly got undressed and jumped into the shower together. They got wet all over and Josh stepped up to Cesar’s back. He squirted shampoo on his hand. When Cesar straightened up from wetting his hair, Josh began shampooing Cesar’s hair. Cesar’s head tilted back as Josh firmly worked the shampoo into his hair and massaged his scalp. Cesar was soaking up the attention and he felt Josh’s throbbing cock slipping up and down in his butt crack. Instinctively, Cesar arched his back and pushed his butt back against Josh’s package and he moved his butt to make the most out of the contact. When Josh signaled he was done working on Cesar’s head, he took the cue and leaned forward and rinsed his hair without moving his butt away from Josh’s cock and Josh was making no effort to back away from that sweet butt in front of him.

Cesar wanted more attention. He leaned forward, spread his legs and, without a word, offered his butt to Josh. The water ran down Cesar’s back and removed the remaining shampoo. Josh knelt down and reveled at the sight of his lover’s sweet butt being presented before him. Josh spread the cheeks open and saw the treasure in the valley. Josh buried his face in Cesar’s crack and without a hesitation, went after the rosebud with his tongue and lips. Josh worked his fingers on each side of the love hole and gently coaxed it open to allow his tongue to get in deeper. Cesar’s body was craving the attention and complied with the urgings from Josh; his hole naturally opened to the tongue probing allowing Josh’s tongue in deeper.

Josh rimmed the sweet hole for a few minutes, then backed away and used a finger from each hand to gently encourage the opening to relax and open even more. Josh knew what Cesar was wanting and he was more than willing to give what was wanted.

Josh got back up on his feet and used some hair conditioner to lube Cesar’s hole and his cock. Cesar hadn’t changed position at all and was waiting for what he wanted and what he knew was coming.

Josh stepped forward and placed the head of his cock at the opening and pushed firmly yet gently until the slight resistance gave way and allowed his cockhead to enter Cesar. Once the head disappeared from sight, Josh hesitated, reaching around to stroke Cesar’s cock with one hand and to massage and fondle his sack and balls with the other.

When Josh sensed that Cesar had acclimated to his cock, he slid in to full depth without any hesitation. Cesar’s head dropped back and he growled with pleasure as Josh’s pubes crushed up against his butt.

Josh placed his hands on Cesar’s hips and started to long stroke with his cock. Cesar moved a bit to improve the angle and that made it so Josh’s cockhead would bump his prostate on every inward thrust.

It had been awhile since the guys had been able to be together, so the passions rose to the peak quite fast. Josh was building speed and intensity and Cesar was matching him. Josh felt Cesar’s muscles clamp down hard on his cock and that sent him over the edge instantly. Just as Josh shot hard and deep into his lover, Cesar’s cock pumped hard shots of hot cum all over the shower wall.

As their orgasms subsided and they regained sense of the world around them, Josh slipped out of Cesar and turned him around to see his face. Each wrapped their arms around the other pulling each other into a near crushing hug. Their packages, still aroused, pressed tightly together. They kissed deeply conveying the deep love they both hold for each other.

Once fully back in the here and now, they broke the embrace. They took turns washing each other from head to toe; just another expression of the true depth of their bond.

2

Knowing that the others are probably waiting for them, Josh and Cesar got out of the shower and finished their bathroom duties standing side by side still naked and their cocks not yet totally soft. They bantered back and forth a bit as they dressed. Once they were satisfied that others couldn’t tell they had sex, they headed out to join them. When they reached the living room, everyone looked up at them. Josh noticed the look his two older brothers were giving him. He realized that they knew what had just gone on.

“Okay now that we finally have everyone, why don’t we all take a seat?” Josh and Cesar walked over to the empty spots on the couch and sat down. “You boys know that I love your mother and always will. No matter what she’s done recently, she gave me four wonderful boys and that I will always be thankful for that. Not once had I thought by marrying Barbara I was replacing your mother with her. You guys…..”

“Dad we never thought you were replacing mom with Barbara.” Daniel interrupted his father. “We love our mother as well, but we love Barbara too since she makes you happy. So there is no need to worry about us thinking that she is replacing our mother. Even if she doesn’t want us to think of her this way, she is our second mother and that is how we love her and look at her.”

Daniel reached over and grabbed Barbara’s hand. “I never thought I was ever going to find someone again after your mother, but I have. Thank you boys for accepting her as you guys have. That means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to Barbara.

The real reason I asked for this family meeting tonight is to let you all know about some news we found out last Thursday. Barbara thought she was sick, so she went to see our doctor. The news she got surprised both of us.” Daniel swallowed, looked over to Barbara and back over to the boys and started speaking again. “The news was that she wasn’t sick, but pregnant.”

The room went dead quiet when the Governor said ‘pregnant’. Josh thought it was cool because now his father has another chance to have another child that could be in his image. Daniel and Carlos thought almost on the same thoughts; that their father is to old to be having more kids. Cesar thought it was cool that he was part of this private conversation. They really do think of him as part of the family. And finally Brandon, his thoughts were simple, he will no longer be the baby of the family.

The first one to find his tongue was Carlos and boy did he speak his mind. “Aren’t you and Barbara at the age now that you are too old to have any kids?” That statement made everyone look at him and Daniel Jr. to slug him in the side. “Oww, what I mean is that by the time our little brother or sister, I hope it is a sister, graduates high school, you two are going to be grandparents by us. I think even Josh and Cesar will have a couple kids by the time our little brother or sister gets out of high school.”

Daniel Sr. looked over to Josh and Cesar. “I don’t see why Josh and Cesar won’t have any kids of their own. The technology today will let them actually have their own blood kids.” Daniel turned and looked at Carlos. “Now as far as your first concern, don’t worry about how old we will be. I still will be able to beat you guys in any sport you want to compete in. Barbara and I are still young and perfectly capable of having kids.”

Everyone started to laugh. “Well dad you better go to Wal-Mart now and buy some hair color to get rid of the white hair you are getting.” Daniel Jr. reached over to his father and messed up his hair in the front. “If you continue to get white hair, our little brother or sister will think that you are his or her grandfather.”

Barbara tried to fix Daniels hair, but couldn’t since she was laughing as well. “These white hairs I have earned. Between your boys, my job and all the other stuff going on, I have gotten these white hairs in the last year.” Daniel noticed after seeing that Josh stopped laughing. “And let me tell you guys I won’t trade one white hair for anything. If we didn’t go through what we did in the last year, I wouldn’t have gotten my sons back. I put my military career before my kids, and that won’t happen again.”

That put the smile back on Josh’s face. They talked about what it would be like having a little brother or sister until Lloyd came and told them it was time to go. Knowing that the kids wanted to talk more about it, Daniel Sr. tabled the conversation for later. They got up and made their way down to the ballroom. When they got there, the Governor and his family were announced and immediately seated at the main table. Right behind them, the President and the First Lady were announced as they walked in.

The evening was boring for the boys, which wasn’t a surprise. They loved what was on the menu, steaks, so they cleaned their plates. Josh and Carlos actually had seconds, which surprised the others. Rose whispered to the boys that if they don’t watch the way they are eating, they won’t be able to play any sports next year; they will be too fat.

Even after that, neither Josh nor Carlos stopped. When dessert was placed in front of them, they dug right in. When the evening finally came to the end, the boys were glad. The only thing they knew they were going to get out of this evening was a good night’s rest since they were bored to death.

The next morning was more the same. They had breakfast in the room, but when they headed out, they went to a school auditorium where the President could make a speech for to the regular voters. Just like their father, the President opened the floor for questions. Boy did the President get slammed with question after question. The one that kept coming up was the promise he made when he ran for President the first time.

“You told us to read your lips, no new taxes, but we got a tax increase. If you couldn’t follow through with your main promise from your last election, how can we trust you this time? Anything you say basically is worthless because you can’t do it.”

Josh got from the audience that they were angry about the new taxes, but were angrier about the President being unable to deliver on his promise. It seems that the President is having a problem with voter confidence. They simply don’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth, so it means they don’t trust him to lead anymore.

Instead of admitting he couldn’t stop it, the President threw out a prepared sound bite and tried to change the subject. It didn’t work with this crowd because the question was asked again and again. Towards the end of the town hall meeting, one of the audience members used her question for the Governor instead of the President.

“Governor Lopez, you are our Governor. What do you think about our President’s inability to deliver on one of his main promises from his last election? I am sorry for putting you on the spot, but we aren’t getting an answer from our President. We are getting the brush off like a normal politician does, which you aren’t one of.”

The Governor got up from his chair and walked over to the President. “First let me say you aren’t putting me on the spot. I will answer any question that any citizen of my state asks me. Second, this man right here….” Daniel put his arm around the shoulder of the President. “I will vote for him because he is the most honest man running for this position. All those that are running for the democratic ticket, they tell you whatever you want to hear! Depending where they are, their answers will change on the same question.

We understand that when we get elected to the position we run for we have to deliver on the promises we made the voters. But when there is a party in power in the house and the senate that is set on ensuring the down fall of the President, there isn’t much that can be done. The congress in Washington is run by the democrats and they want the White House back at any cost. The truly sad thing is, the cost is your money, not theirs.”

The Governor walked over to the middle age woman that asked the question. “Governors and Presidents don’t make the laws for the states and the nation. That job falls to our elected state and federal representatives. We send down bills, but they are the ones that debate the bill and either pass them or kill them. Our congress in Washington passed the tax increase and made it clear to the President if he doesn’t sign it, all his other bills are dead on arrival. They can carry that out since they have the majority control.

Our founding fathers wanted checks and balances in our government, but not the way it is being run today. There is so much fighting going on at all levels of our government I am surprised anything is getting done. And whose fault is this? It’s ours; yours and mine. We haven’t stopped the old guard from taking what is ours and making it theirs.

We need to send a clear message to every level of government in this election. Once we go to the polls and vote, the campaigning is done. Once those elected are sworn in they need to get to work and stop worrying about who has control of what. Every elected person needs to stop making the other party look bad because they want their party in the White House or control of Congress.”

Daniel walked over to his seat and drank from his bottle of water. “Let me sum this up and hand this town hall meeting back over to the President. Both parties are equally to blame here for the mess we are in. Were there promises made in the last election that weren’t delivered on, yes, but the man on this stage has more integrity in his little finger than all the democrats have in their entire bodies collectively. At least we know what President Bush stands for. What do the other guys stand for? Their stated beliefs change faster than the winds do. They say what they think you want to hear, but they don’t mean it. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d rather have a person in that White House that I know what he stands for.”

Governor Lopez walked over to the President and handed him the microphone. After the Governor’s response to the question that was being asked over and over again, no one else brought it up. They moved on, which made the President and his staff happy.

As soon as the town hall meeting ended, both convoys went straight to the airport and were up in the air less than an hour and a half from when they left the school. The Governor got called back to the President’s office soon after the plane had lifted off. As Daniel made his way to the office, he knew what the meeting was going to be about. When he saw the republican chairman with his state republican chairman sitting there as he walked in, it confirmed to Daniel he is walking into a spanking.

“Please Governor take a seat.” The President pointed to one of the empty chairs. “You know the two gentlemen here, this is…..”

“With all due respect, sure, we know each other. There is no need for any introductions. Why don’t we just get down to business and you tell me why you needed to speak with me.” Governor Lopez not looking once at the others sitting in the office with him.

“Okay that is one of the things I like about you Governor, you like to get right down to business. Mr. James here has been briefing me and the Republican Chairman on your last encounter. He got out of that meeting you don’t need the Republican Party to get things done in Texas and get to get reelected.

Since I am the President, I am the head of our party. There are times I do things I don’t like doing, but I do it because it is the cost on being part of our party. It works the same way on both sides of the aisle. You have to listen to this guy, he knows what he is talking about. Bring our party to the table and let’s work together on getting the best out of each bill that gets sent to the floor.”

The Governor didn’t like the idea that Mr. Field went running to the President and the RNC Chairman. That shows a lack of leadership in his eyes. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he goes to the higher ups and tries to get it. That won’t work here and the Governor won’t be pushed into doing what he knows isn’t right.

“Mr. President you and I have become good friends over the years, but I won’t sit here and be treated like a kid sent to the principal’s office.” The President just looked at the Governor, stunned that he is speaking so freely. “You and I have spoken a lot about the future of this nation and we have seen eye to eye on nearly all of the topics. Not once did you raise a concern in our conversations about the way I am running my state. To be completely honest with you, if you had, I would have changed.

The republican party came to me when their guy got in trouble.” The Governor turned and looked right at the RNC chairman and Mr. James. “You needed someone that had the trust of the people to pull your butts out of the fire. You told me the first day I came on board to run for the Governorship, you don’t expect me to win, but I disagreed with you then. And look at me now, I won, but yet Mr. President, you want me to take their advice.

No sir I won’t. If you do, you are signing your own death certificate of your political career. No one, no matter who they are, will be able to help you win. As I told Mr. James, I will tell you and the RNC Chairman; I was elected by the people, no one else, and that is who I am going to serve. If I have to bring my party into this way of thinking kicking and screaming, I have no problem doing so.”

“You see Mr. President? This is what I have been saying! This guy is so hard headed. He refuses to listen to any one. You are the party head, you need to tell this guy the way he is handling his office. If he doesn’t watch……”

The Governor interrupted; “Mr. James I have not once shown you disrespect in all the times we have talked even when you showed up at my office, unannounced, without an appointment. So I am asking you not to show me disrespect by calling me ‘this guy’. I have earned the title Governor and you will address me as Governor Lopez.” Governor Lopez wanted to get up and strangle Mr. James, but he held back. “In fact, if you have a problem calling me Governor Lopez, you can call me by my other title, General, since I am still in the military. That title I know I have earned with the blood and sacrifices I made over the years in the military.”

“Mr. James, Governor Lopez is right, you will address him correctly. He is the elected Governor of Texas, so you will either say Mr. Governor or Governor Lopez when you talk about him or address him. Governor Lopez you are wrong to a point on your thinking when you said you were elected by the voters. You were elected by the voters, yes, but you wouldn’t have gotten to Election Day without the funds the Republican Party invested into your campaign. So let’s stop saying you don’t need the party.”

“Mr. President I don’t need the party and let me tell you why. I didn’t take one red cent from the Republican Party or any of its donors. I got to Election Day by small campaign donations made by the people of the state of Texas. Even if I did take money from the Republican Party or its donors, the party or the donors wouldn’t own me. I won’t sell myself for any amount of money or any job.”

The President was lost for words. He had thought that Governor Lopez had gotten all his money from the party or its donors. Now that he knows that the Governor didn’t, it is an entirely different story. No one in this room can threaten to take something away from him that he has never used in the first place.

“By the looks of it, you brought me in here to try and strong arm me, and that gentlemen will never happen. I don’t care who you go to Mr. James, I will run my office the way I have been and nothing will change that except the voters.” Daniel got up from his seat and walked to the door of the President’s office.

“If that is all sir, I would like to go.” The President nodded his head. “I will fulfill my agreement with you Mr. President and go with you on this tour around the state of Texas the rest of this week and the week in July. I will do so mainly because it will cause too many questions if I don’t; questions I have no time to deal with. I just thought we knew each other and you should have known how I was going to react before you asked for this meeting.”

Daniel looked over at Mr. James. “For you sir, I don’t want to hear you were anywhere near me, my staff, the mansion or my offices while I am Governor. Trust me Mr. James I plan to be Governor for a very long time; a lot longer than you will hold the seat you have right now. I will make sure of that.

You just made an enemy out of someone you don’t want as an enemy. I promise you before the year is out, you will be replaced and so will anyone that comes to your support. If you try and run for any office, I don’t care if it is in my state or another, I will do everything I can to make sure you don’t get that office. Never before have had I threatened anyone like this, but you just brought the worst out of me. You wanted a fight, you got one, but when the dust settles, I will be the one left standing.”

Governor Lopez walked out of the office, leaving the two RNC personnel and the President speechless. Mr. James turned to the RNC Chairman asking for his help to stop the Governor and when he didn’t get the answer he wanted from him. He turned to the President for help to settle the Governor down.

“No sir I won’t help you get out of the mess you got yourself in. I asked you when you came into this office are you sure you wanted to take the Governor on. You told me yes after I warned you over and over again this is a man you don’t want to anger. We all warned you, but you still wanted the meeting, which I gave you.”

“But Mr. President I thought he would have seen that you were behind me and would have fallen into place. I never thought he would have done what he did here. Now he is going to come after me. I can’t have a popular Governor like Governor Lopez coming after me. This position is just the beginning of where I want to go.”

“You were warned by me and the RNC Chairman. I even went further than warning you by telling you I didn’t want to have this meeting because I knew how Governor Lopez was going to react. But again you kept asking, so I gave you the rope and guess what? You hung yourself with that rope!

There is no doubt in my mind that Governor Lopez will be sitting in this seat in ten or fifteen years from now. With what he is doing in Texas, he will have my job without breaking a sweat. In the mean time, I will warn everyone not to make an enemy of him; make him your friend.” The President got up and shook Mr. James hand as he wished him the best of luck; luck he knows Mr. James is going to need in the very near future.

Just like Governor Lopez promised, he didn’t leave the campaign around the eastern part of Texas. They patched things up with each other, but the Governor lost a little respect for the President for what he did. Even after losing some respect for the President, Daniel believes that the President is the best person to run the nation.

Their next stop after Fort Worth was Dallas. Since Dallas is one of the states largest cities, the President did several speeches around the city on Tuesday, stayed the night and did a couple more speeches Wednesday morning before taking off. By eleven they were back in the air heading to Tyler and then Waco before getting into San Antonio.

Daniel knew that all his kids were bored, except Josh, so he let Barbara take them to Six Flags while he and the President did their speeches on Thursday in San Antonio. It was his way on thanking his kids for helping out. When he found out that the President had blocked out the afternoon to talk with donors, Daniel took his leave to join his family at Six Flags. In all his years in Texas, he has never been there. Now his has a little free time so he wants to enjoy the theme park with his kids.

When he arrived, his kids were surprised to see him. None of them asked why his plans changed, they were just happy that he was able to join them. As they went from ride to ride, other visitors to the theme park took pictures or video taped the Governor and his family having fun. It didn’t take long before the local news channels arrived and went live with the scene of the Governor being with his family.

After the local news went live with the Governor and his family at Six Flags, the national news channels like CNN went live with the story. They showed the Governor being a father with his sons at the amusement park. They weren’t cutting in lines or asking for certain parts of the theme park to be closed off. He and his family went from attraction to attraction as every other person there that bought a ticket.

The Governor had no problem talking or answering questions with other people as they waited in line to get on the rides. When they asked to take a picture with the Governor or an autograph, he didn’t hesitate, he did it. It made people feel that their Governor is one of them. He made himself approachable to ask or talk with when ever they wanted to. Daniel was nothing like what they have gotten used to with their politicians.

Even when it came time to eat, the Governor and his family grabbed something to eat from the theme park restaurants. They decided to have old blues Bar-B-Q at Crackaxle Canyon. By the time they were finished eating, they wished they brought a change of clothing. The food was great, but a little messy.

Although it was getting late, Daniel, Barbara and the boys didn’t want to leave yet. They decided to ride a couple more rides. They headed over to a ride called the Frisbee. When they got off, they had wished that they never gotten on. The meal they just had was about to come back up on them. Luckily they were able to keep their food down.

In order not to get their stomachs upset again, they got on slower rides. The first was bumper cars, and boy did they have fun. Daniel Sr. road around the course like a mad man, but his boys tagged teamed him and got in some good hits. The news channels followed the first family of Texas as they rode the rides, loving every moment.

Once they knew that their stomachs were able to handle the faster rides, they headed over to Goliath, Poltergeist, S.S. Overboard and Superman: Krypton Coaster. It as already getting dark when they were getting off the Superman ride, making it a nightmare for the security detail to keep them safe! Reluctantly Daniel called it a night and he and his family headed over to the limousines parked at the front entrance.

The press followed the family, trying to get the Governor to answer their questions. The only comment the Governor made to the press was that he and his family had fun and wished they had more time. That didn’t satisfy the press, but they had no other choice but to accept his answer.

The next morning, the President had a breakfast fund raiser before he made a speech in front of a little over ten thousand residents of San Antonio at the airport. Before they knew it, they were getting off the plane in Laredo for the President to make another speech. Then they got right back on to head to Brownsville, the last stop on this tour.

The President made another speech at the airport, and then again in the ballroom at their hotel. The ballroom was a private event. It was for those that donated or will donate huge amounts of money to the President’s campaign. They get to sit and have dinner with the leader of the free world, but the speech was almost the same as the speech he gave at the airport. There were a few differences, but it was the same.

Josh thought that was pretty funny. The rich people of this area is giving thousands of their dollars to get only a few different things, a meal and a chance to shake the President’s hand and maybe talk with him. Josh couldn’t help but think if he was in their shoes and was giving that kind of money to this campaign he would want more than a fancy chicken or steak plate and the same old speech.

The boys wanted to go out to South Padre Island, but Daniel didn’t let them. Instead he made them a deal to hold off until they see the President off in the morning and they will spend the weekend in Brownsville. That was okay with the boys because they were originally supposed to leave right behind the President in the morning.

When Josh, Cesar and his brothers woke up on Saturday morning, they couldn’t wait until they saw the President off. It wasn’t because they didn’t like the President. It was that they wanted to tour the island and they couldn’t do that while being with the President. They thought their security was bad, the secret service is even worse.

Before they headed down for breakfast, the Governor and his family went up one floor to see the President. When they walked in, Josh saw that the President’s penthouse wasn’t much different than theirs. It looked like it had a few more rooms and fancier furniture, but other than that, it was the same as theirs.

The President and First Lady met the Lopez family as they got off the elevator. At first the President spoke generally to the family. He thanked them for everything and making the trip around their state more interesting. Then he went to each of them and thanked them personally for their help and if they did anything extra.

When he reached Josh, just like it happened when he arrived in Austin, the President spoke a little longer to him. He thanked Josh for singing for him, the First Lady and the audience the first day in Austin. Just like George Strait, he told Josh he should look into making performing his career. And finally he gave Josh what he asked for when he first arrived, a picture of them two together.

Once they said their personal goodbyes, they headed down for breakfast. After breakfast, the President did a couple of speeches as he and the Governor headed to the airport. This time when the President leaves, the Governor and his family won’t be aboard Air Force One. The Governor’s plane flew in right before the Air Force One landed the night before.

“You and I have become very good friends Daniel since we first met. The other day in my office, I am sorry about that. Unlike you, I have taken money from the RNC. In return sometimes I have to listen to them bicker about one thing or another. I should have never allowed the meeting to happen, but I can’t do anything about that now except apologize and hope it really won’t affect our friendship.”

Daniel felt bad with what he was thinking, but he can’t help it because it was the truth. The President knows he was wrong and knew he was wrong when he called him into that meeting. It was a meeting that the President should have never wasted his time on!

“Mr. President, you and I agree on a lot of the issues. Not all of them, but enough that we don’t bicker like an old couple. You know I am a man that tells the truth no matter what the truth might cause me to lose. The friendship you and I have I want to keep, but not at the expense of you finding out what I truly believe and lose your trust.

With that said, what happened in that office was wrong. You don’t bring in a Governor or anyone in your party the way you did. Even if you agree that a person in your party was wrong, you deal with that person one on one, not with an audience. So I have lost a little respect, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you aren’t the best person to run this nation, because you are. I will say that all the way to Election Day.”

Just then, the convoy drove up to Air Force One. The door opened, the Governor and Barbara stopped out, followed by the President and the First Lady. They stood side by side waving at the crowd little over fifteen minutes before they walked to the staircase. The Governor and his wife shook hands with the President and the First Lady before the President and the First Lady started up the stairs. When they reached the top, they turned waved again at the crowd before stepping into Air Force one.

As the staircase was getting removed from the plane and the door shutting, the Governor and Barbara made their way to the rope line. They shook hands with as many people in the crowd as Air Force One took off. Once the President’s plane took off, the Governor and his wife thanked the audience and made their way to their limousine.

When they got back to the hotel, they found the boys already ready to go to the beach. Daniel couldn’t help but laugh seeing them standing there in shorts, holding their towels. He and Barbara went to their room, changed into casual clothes. As soon as they were ready, they headed out to South Padre Island.

The last time Daniel was here was when he was running for office. He did make it to the beach, but not for fun like today. It was for a meet and greet after making another speech in a seemingly endless days of speeches. Today he is going to relax and enjoy himself and even more so now that the President is gone. He is truly relived that nothing happened while he was visiting.

Josh looked out of the window as they went across the long bridge that connects the island to Brownsville. He saw nothing but ocean, which he loved. Back home all they have is nothing but sand if they aren’t in the city. The closest thing they have to a beach is the Rio Grande, which there is no comparing the two.

As they got over the bridge, it wasn’t much longer to get to the beach. Like when they went to Six Flags, the Governor and his family shared the beach with the public. The Governor didn’t feel right to have a portion of the beach closed off from the community. After all he needs to lead by example. Over and over again the Governor has said that he or anyone in public life is no different than those that put them into office.

The boys ran out to the beach, tossing their towels on the sand as they made their way to the water. Barbara went over and picked up the boys towels and anything else they had thrown on the ground. She took them and laid them down next to where she unfolded her towel and placed it on the sand for her to sit on and get a sun tan.

For a while Daniel stayed with Barbara, but just like his boys, he wanted to get into the water. He kissed Barbra on the cheeks and went running towards his sons. This really got the security detail nervous. Not only the Governor’s kids are in the water, now the Governor is. They can’t secure one hundred percent from any threat under the water. Anyone can swim under the water and get to the Governor and they wouldn’t know something was happening until it was too late.

The Governor started to have fun with his kids and didn’t even notice the press crews arriving. After swimming for an hour or so, the Governor got out of the water, followed by his boys. They lay down on the sand and just relaxed. None of them said a word. They just laid there soaking up the sun in silence.

All of a sudden a beach ball came flying out of nowhere, hitting the Governor’s leg. He got up and looked around to see what was going on. The beach ball was laying off to his right side and his security detail getting on the people that the ball belongs to. He got up, grabbed the ball and walked over to the group asking for the ball back.

“Here you go you guys!” The Governor handed the ball over to the guy that looked like was the father of the group. “I see you are here with you family like me.” The older guy answered yes. “My boys and I would like to play a game of volleyball with you guys. That is if your family is up to playing a game with us.”

The guy chuckled. “Not only we are up for a game, we will tear you apart!”

“Okay, we have ourselves a game then. Why don’t you guys go on over to the volleyball net and we will meet you there.” Daniel smiled at the guy as he walked over to his boys. After explaining to Daniel Jr. and the others what was going on, they jumped up and followed their father to the volleyball court.

As soon as they arrived, the other family was ready to go. Before they even got the game on its way, the court was surrounded by people that were on the beach. The press corps had to push their way through and once they got to the front, they had to fight to keep people from walking in front of their cameras.

The other family served first, and the ball kept going back and forth for a while, but ultimately the Lopez family got the ball. Once they served, they started to rack up the points. The one thing that this family either didn’t know or care about is that the Governor and his boys are very physical people. His boys are into sports and the Governor kept himself up by going to the weight room a couple of times a week.

After winning the first game, the other family wanted another chance. So they agreed on two out of three, which by the end of the second game the Lopez family won hands down. They bowed out and allowed another family to take their side of the court. They got closer to beating the Governor and his family, but they couldn’t. Just like the family before them, they went out after two games.

This went on for a couple of hours until finally the Lopez family got tired. They wanted to just give up their side of the court, so they let the last group they played beat them. It went to three games and all three games were very close. When they lost the third game, the Governor and his family thanked everyone they played as they headed back to their towels. They rested a few minutes before going back into the water.

When the boys got hungry, they called it a day. As they walked to the limousine, the security detail had a hard time keeping the crowd and the press away from the family, but they did. Once they were securely in the car, Lloyd and the other heads were able to breathe a sigh of relief that this day is finally over.

On their way back to the hotel, they stopped and ate dinner at the Texas Road House. When they walked in, Josh thought that maybe this restaurant would be different than theirs in El Paso, but he was wrong. Same set up; just the pictures are done differently. He figured since the restaurant wasn’t different, the food shouldn’t be either. So he ordered the same thing, a full rack of ribs and all the sides. His brothers and Cesar ordered the same thing, but Brandon only ordered half of a rack of ribs.

As they ate, the others in the restaurant kept looking over as if they were some attraction at the zoo. Josh was about to say something when his father stopped him. After hearing out his father, he understood and felt bad that he was going to embarrass his family. He apologized to his father and went back to eating his ribs.

By the time Josh finished eating, he regretted ordering the barbecue ribs. The barbecue sauce leaked on his shirt and shorts. When he tried to clean it off, he made it worse because all he did was smear it even more all over his clothes. Daniel Jr. and Carlos started to laugh as Josh turned his clothes light red.

Russ walked over to Josh and handed him the running pants he was wearing when he first got to the beach. Josh thanked Russ as he got up from the table. He walked over to the bathroom to wash up and change. When he was finished and walked out, he found his family waiting for him in the waiting area.

When they got back to the hotel, Daniel and Barbra went to their room to watch TV, leaving the boys up front. Since they didn’t bring their game system on the trip, they were stuck watching whatever was on TV. Lucky for them, the hotel offered all the pay channels like HBO, Showtime. They flipped through those channels until they found a movie that they all could agree on watching.

For most of the evening they sat in front of the TV watching movies until they got tired. By one in the morning, Daniel Jr. and Carlos got up and called it a night. Shortly after they called it a night, Josh and Cesar got up to go to bed. Josh noticed that Brandon had fallen to sleep in the chair. At first he was going to leave him there, but decided against it.

He tried to wake Brandon up by whispering his name, but it didn’t work. Since whispering didn’t work, Josh lightly shook Brandon to try and wake him up. Again it didn’t work. Josh realized his little brother is dead to the world when he sleeps, just like him. So he shook him even harder and this time Brandon woke up groaning.

Helping him get up from the chair, Josh let his little brother lean on him as they walked to his room. The minute he sat down on the bed, he fell back and went right back to sleep. Josh didn’t try to wake his little brother up again. Instead he took off his shoes and made sure there was nothing that could hurt him as he slept before rolling him into his covers. Josh checked one last time to make sure his brother was okay before leaving the room.

Being that the next day was Sunday, the Governor decided to have his town hall meeting in Brownsville before heading back to Austin. The morning he spent with his kids, but the afternoon he and Barbra headed down to one of the local high schools. When he was told that the town hall was going to be held in the stadium, the Governor wasn’t happy.

He felt that town hall meetings should have a couple of hundred people at the most. For one reason it is easier to keep order. The second reason is that he wanted to try and give everyone in the room a chance to ask a question. When the audience reaches into the thousands, there is no way order can be kept at all times. There is always going to be a group in the crowd that won’t let others speak or ask their questions because they don’t agree with them.

Just like the other town hall meetings, Daniel made a short statement and then handed the microphone over to the audience. The first few questions were the same questions he has had asked of him a million times already, his divorce, having a gay son, remarrying and on and on. It started to sound to him that he was making a stump speech since he answered the same questions over and over again the same way, with candor and the truth.

Finally around the twenty-first person, a new question got asked. “Governor, you haven’t had much luck bringing both sides of the aisle together. The Governors before you have been able to do that right at the beginning of their term, but you haven’t even been able to do that. What are you doing wrong and can you fix it?”

“You know I have asked myself that same question sir, and to tell you the truth, I am not doing anything wrong. When I ran for this office I told the voters I will try to bring both sides together if elected. But let me tell you, if I have to compromise on the bills to get what you the voters need the most to make that happen, well I’d rather have them angry with me rather than you guys hurting.

I will always try to bring both sides to the table and reach a middle ground. No one person has all the answers to a problem. At the same time I, once again, won’t give your hard earned money to the rich or the special interests. I truly believe there is nothing broken. It’s just the old guard of this state got used to getting everything their way. Those days ended the day I took the oath of office.”

“Governor Lopez the question I have is way out there in left field, but every Governor of this state gets asked this question. Would you ever push or consider a bill that will break our state away from the union?” The Governor was stunned on the question that was just asked. He couldn’t help but chuckle at first.

“Ma’am, as you know I served this nation in the armed forces for about two decades. I grew in rank to commanding general of ground troops in Dessert Storm before I went into the reserves and ran for this office. Too many young American men and women have spilt their blood in wars around the world. Many of those men and women are children of our state. To even consider that is a dishonor to them and those that are serving now.”

Governor Lopez walked over to the middle of the stage. “Are there times it appears the leadership in Washington has lost their way, yes? But that is what elections are for. If there is a person in the senate, house or even our President isn’t doing our bidding, we send them packing. Our nation isn’t perfect, but we are young and still growing.”

The next couple of questions were follow ups to the question that Daniel was just asked. He tried his best to explain how he stands, but he could tell there were a few people in the audience that didn’t like his answer. The one thing they have forgotten is that Texas tried already to be its own nation, and it failed. Things aren’t much different now to make reason that the outcome would be any different than before.

“Governor Lopez, my name is Miguel and I was just laid off from my job where I worked for eleven years. Many of our factory jobs are closing and leaving, going south of the border. Is there anything you can do as Governor to keep this from happening? If not, what can you do to help people like me find work to support our family?”

“Miguel, I certainly understand where you are coming from as far as factory jobs leaving our state faster than we could ever imagine. I hate to say this, but there is nothing we can do to keep companies from up rooting their factories and moving to Mexico. They own those companies and they can do what they want with them. I hate saying that, but I won’t stand up here and tell you what you want to hear, which would be a lie.

What I can tell you is that we can make it more expensive for them to bring things back over the border to sell here in the US. As Governor I can raise the tariffs so high, it would be cheaper to keep their business here. But then they simply raise prices and pass that cost onto to you, the purchaser of their product. The end result is that you will lose again. The best solution to that problem is that we as Americans only buy American made items, and I know what I just said is falling on deaf ears.

So the best thing I can tell you Miguel is that I won’t wait and see what the federal government is willing to help us out. I have a bill about to go to the state houses that will give business here in Texas incentives to stay. It will also attract new business to come and set up shop here in our state. It won’t loopholes in the tax code or giving them free land or anything like that. I don’t believe in hand outs either.

At the same time the bill has funding for training programs to jobs that won’t leave our state to Mexico or anywhere else in the world. Also while you are learning a new trade, you will be able to get into the program I have spoken about many times in past town hall meetings. The program lets you purchase things at cost at grocery stores and other participating vendors in our state. Also offices are being set up in every city in our state that its sole purpose it to find the unemployed a job.

As you can see there are a lot of programs I have already put out there and trying to get out there for those that are hurting now. Not one of them offer handouts or will raise taxes on anyone in our state. They are fully funded with cutting measures that we have done in Austin on unnecessary things. It is time that your government starts working for you.”

It seemed the Governor’s response not only didn’t answer the question, but is raised a lot more. The rest of the town hall meeting he was asked about details of his bills and what exactly does it translate in plain English to help them right now. Once the Governor took them step by step through the bills, they understood and saw the benefits. By the end of the town hall meeting, they all agreed that the bills are going to help them out a lot.

When the Governor left the stadium, the audience clearly saw that their Governor is actually working for them. He doesn’t go around saying what he does and then doing the opposite in Austin like so many before him. They saw that he can be trusted and taken at his word. Now all they have to do is help him get their state senators and congressmen to work with their Governor to get these bills through as quickly as possible.

TO BE CONTINUED………………..

WRITER’S CORNER:

Welcome back to another filled chapter of Shadow of My Father. This chapter went through the pre- election tour of the sitting President. It covered more politics than normal, but it also showed the personal side of the Governor with his family. This was a great chapter because it set up so many plots for the future. I hope you guys remember many of the things that happened in the chapter because when the plots open up in the future chapters, you will recall they started here.

Let’s talk a little about the campaign. This trip that President Bush made to Texas was more of a fund raiser than actual campaigning. He did try to even out his speeches, but the big events, besides the one in Austin, was with the donors. The sad thing about our politics is that this does happen.

No matter what position a person runs for, they need money. The only way they can get the money is by doing events like the President did in this chapter. To bad it isn’t like the old days of Truman and Roosevelt. At one point in the Truman campaign, he had to pass a hat around to collect money from the people that were riding with him on the train to keep the train moving. I thought it was funny when I read about that in his story.

What the President did with the Governor and the RNC Chairman of Texas and the nation was wrong to a point. The President is the party leader until he or she retires and the one that won the party ticket takes over. So when ever they have issues, they go to the party leader to solve them. I wish the President would have told Mr. James where to stick it instead of risking the relationship by calling in the Governor.

The Governor lost a little respect for the President, but he still believes the President is the right person for the presidency. Just like any friendship, things are done that the other doesn’t like, but if the friendship is strong, it will weather the storm. I really believe what happened on this trip will be put behind both of them before they meet again on the second foot of the Presidents tour of Texas. These two have a friendship that will be able to handle any stresses thrown at it.

What do you guys think about Six Flags and South Padre Island? The sad thing that happens when a person is elected to a political position, they forget how to be human. The Governor has a family and they are still young boys. So of course whenever they are around places like Six Flags and South Padre Island, they are going to enjoy themselves. I am glad to see the Governor is able to forget his office for a time and show he is still human, not political robots like the others.

Now let’s talk about the new plot that was opened up in this chapter, the Governor and Barbara having a baby. First it was a big surprise to find out this piece of news. I like how the boys handled it. At first they teased a little about their father being too old, but they accepted it. In fact they want to have a little brother or sister, which that should have surprised their father, it did me.

Josh is a different story all together. He needs to stop thinking about himself the way he does. His father and the rest of his family have accepted him being gay. So he needs to stop looking down at himself and saying things like he did in this chapter after hearing the news. His father doesn’t want another chance with another kid because he loves Josh the way he is. This way of thinking happens way too much in young teenage kids. They feel that they have let their family down with the way they turned out, which they didn’t.

I know this chapter covered a week, but it covered just the tour around Texas. Again I know it was a lot of politics, but again it is setting up future plots in the story. In the next chapter the other plots that are open will be touched, like the volunteer work, Brandon’s therapy, what is going on back in El Paso with the gang, Martha and much more. So stayed tune, as I keep saying this story has so much life in it, you can’t miss a chapter. If you do, you will be kicking yourself.

So many open plots and so many more plots to come in this story. I love the political scenes a lot and I hope I am not offending anyone with them. Keep in mind it is only a story and I am trying my best not to preach my beliefs. Please stay tuned and I promise that you guys won’t regret opening every new chapter.

I could stay here all day long, with all the open plots already in this story, but I won’t. I warn you though! Don’t skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR’S CORNER:

Josh meeting George Strait was a real stroke of luck. He now has an heirloom, signed guitar from one of the most popular country stars in the country. I wonder if Josh will try his hand at being a performer. I sense that Josh is going to do a lot more important things in his life than being a professional singer. It would be something he could do just for fun while he’s still young, however. A few years of success performing could give Josh his own stash of funds for his future.

The experience of being on the political tour was a once in a lifetime and very special event for the teens. Being in close quarters to the President and First Lady could only be a dream for the vast majority of people, teen or adult. Although the boys were in the background, they were very supportive of their dad’s responsibilities and they behaved admirably. Daniel Sr. noted this and saw to it that they were rewarded for their support and perseverance.

I don’t know if anyone else was surprised when Daniel and Barbara announced the pregnancy, but I wasn’t at all. Very often when there’s a marriage a bit later in life, a second round of offspring results. We got hints here and there that Daniel and Barbara do make passionate love, so this should be no surprise. I wonder if they had actually talked about it or if they just got caught by surprise themselves.

I agree with JPG that Josh needs to quit feeling like his being gay is a disappointment to his father. He needs someone to sit down and talk him through this and get rid of that baggage. This could be something Josh’s uncle Isaac would be perfect dealing with. Josh is emotionally fine overall, but he has to get past this one issue to be free to live his life in happiness without guilt.

The Lopez family taking time out for some fun at Six Flags and South Padre Island is fantastic. The teens got to blow off some pent up energy from the days prior. Daniel and Barbara were able to just be themselves too. Daniel Sr. is wise. He knows that the family needs some recreation to relieve the stresses that their lives are experiencing being the family of a high level elected official. I truly hope that they can all find ways to adjust and compensate as time goes along. I sense that this is only the beginning.

Until next time,
“Daddy” Rick