Naptown 21 - Summer Internship - 13. On Top of the World - Kurt

Summer Internship

A Naptown Tales Novel by Altimexis & David of Hope

On Top of the World - Kurt
by Altimexis

“It’s so beautiful,” I said as I leaned my head against Trevor’s shoulder. My arm was wrapped around his waist as we looked out across Central Park from a hundred stories up. The view was magnificent. All of north Manhattan spread before us . . . New Jersey was to the left, across the Hudson . . . Queens and Brooklyn were to the right, across the East River, and The Bronx was straight ahead, just beyond the Harlem River. We’d already spent the last couple of hours on a VIP tour of the NBC studios and ended up here, at the Top of the Rock - the Rockefeller Plaza, that is. Our tour guide had already pointed out all the landmarks on the skyline. The Empire State Building was so close, it looked like you could reach out and touch it.

Even though the major buildings were all to the south, Trevor and I were mesmerized by the view to the north, looking out over Central Park. It really was beautiful. The juxtaposition of so much green space in the middle of a huge city was amazing, and seeing it from so far up put it in perspective. From up here, you could see the lakes and the reservoir, the stables and the pathways, the Tavern on the Green, where we’d be having lunch soon, and a large group of elegant looking older buildings that took up a large part of the eastern edge of the park.

“You know, Kurt,” Trevor said, “compared to the museums of New York, Washington’s a backwater. Sammy would go nuts in this town.”

“I’ve never been here before,” I replied. “Do they have nice museums like the ones we saw in DC?” I asked.

“Nicer,” he answered, “although they’re not free, and they’re not all in one place like at the Smithsonian.” Pointing to the huge complex I'd just been looking at on east side of the park, he said, “You see that large building inside Central Park?”

“I was wondering about that.” I answered. “How’d they get away with building somethin’ inside the park like that?”

“That, my boy, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” he said, “and it’s one of the largest art museums in the world. Sammy could probably spend a week in that place alone, and there are a lot of other museums in New York worth seeing. There’s the Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim, the Cooper-Hewitt, The Cloisters, The Whitney Museum, and those are just the ones I remember. And then there’s Broadway. If you think the play we saw at Ford’s Theater was something, imagine seeing a real live Broadway musical.”

“I think you’re onto something, Trev,” I agreed, “but you know that David and Jer would want to come, too, and the logistics and cost of a trip for eight kids to the Big Apple could be something else.” After thinking about it for a moment, I said, “We gotta do it, though. We’re just gonna hafta think of a way to talk the ‘rents into it.”

“That’s what I love about you, honey,” Trevor said, before he gave me a quick kiss. “We think so much alike.”

Sighing, he added, “We’d better head back down if we’re going to make that carriage ride through the park before lunch.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I agreed, much as I hated to leave the spectacular view we’d been enjoying.

We went back down the stairs from the unenclosed area of the observation deck and found our guide, who was waiting for us below, and she took us to a private elevator car that avoided the line of tourists that were waiting to descend to the bottom. I was amazed to find our carriage waiting for us when we exited at street level, right on Sixth Avenue.

I would have thought that all the New York drivers would be irate being stuck behind a plodding horse and buggy, but I should have known better. There were double-parked delivery trucks and taxis picking up and dropping off fares all over the place. People were used to anything and everything - even a horse-drawn carriage. When we reached 59^th street, we just headed straight into the park, meandering our way through and on up to Cherry Hill, where we overlooked a beautiful lake.

I so enjoyed snuggling up with my boyfriend without a care in the world, and lots of people smiled at us. Some even gave us a big thumbs-up. I’m sure some didn’t exactly approve, but at least they kept their feelings to themselves. New York was a real eye-opener - this was the way it should be. Eventually, we came to West 67^th Street, and Tavern on the Green, where we were ushered inside for our lunch.

The setting was charming - there was no other way to describe it. There was a tree growing in the center of the room, which in itself looked like a greenhouse. We were literally surrounded by the park and it’s greenery. I wouldn’t say the food was exceptional, but it was nice, and the service was impeccable and the atmosphere was simply elegant.

After the meal, we got back in our little chariot and continued our tour of Central Park, skirting around the Jackie Onassis Reservoir and eventually ending up at Harlem Meer, which was quite beautiful. Trevor and I got out of the carriage and walked hand-in-hand around the little lake, enjoying the warm summer day. I was surprised when people kept coming up to us and asking me for my autograph.

We exited the park to find our limo waiting for us on 110^th Street. We were quickly informed, however, that we would have to hustle, as we would be making an unplanned stop at ex-President Clinton’s office. Clinton had asked to meet with us in advance of my appearance on Letterman. Wow!

Meeting President Clinton was an amazing experience . . . not that meeting President Obama hadn’t been thrilling, too, but Clinton has a certain electrifying ‘presence’ that he exudes . . . it was no wonder that people loved him. I’d never really met anyone like that before except perhaps . . . David. Clinton congratulated me on my medals, and encouraged us to ‘hang in there’ when it came to the allegations people were making about us running a gay prostitution ring. He of all people knew what it’s like to live under the cloud of a scandal, and his words of encouragement meant a lot to us.

After the ordeals of our recent interviews, our stint on Late Night was a major relief. Maybe it was because Letterman grew up in our hometown, but he treated us like long lost friends. He had us both on the show, and reminisced about growing up in the Midwest, and how much things had changed since he was a boy there. He even talked about a friend of his he’d known growing up whom he’d later found out was gay, and how tough life was for him, and how unfair. I was really touched. Letterman even gave us each a hug at the end of the show. It didn’t feel like a fake hug, either - it felt like it was from the heart.

The News Hour with Jim Lehrer ironically has its main studio back in Washington, but there was no way we could get back to DC in time, so we were interviewed in the WNET studio in New York. The interview was conducted the same way as with Larry King Live last night, with a live video link so that I could see Jim Lehrer down in Washington as he asked me his questions. This one was entirely my interview, and with the exception of a brief mention of the allegations raised by the man in Virginia, which I of course quickly dismissed, the entire focus was on my medals. I was pleased to see that Mr. Lehrer simply gave the allegations the due they deserved, which was basically nothing.

The whole interview lasted about fifteen minutes, and once I was done, we headed back to Penn station for the trip back to Washington. This time we traveled in style on the ACELA Express, which was a whole lot nicer than the regional train we took on the way up. Lulled by the gentle, rocking motion of the train, Trev and I slept most of the way, waking up only when we reached Union Station back in Washington.

Before heading to ABC’s Washington studio, we stopped back at Webster Hall - after all, it was mere blocks from Union Station - and dropped off our things. It was nice to be able to say hi to David and Jeremy, and while we were at it, we washed up and brushed our teeth, and were on our way.

All of the good feelings of the afternoon vanished as soon as we arrived at ABC. From the moment we arrived, it seemed, there was an atmosphere of sleaze. I’d heard it wasn’t always that way, but there was no doubt from the way we were being treated that showmanship was the name of the game. I could see Trevor could feel it, too, and as ‘makeup’ was getting us ready, I leaned over and asked him, “Why do I get the feeling we’re here for them to exploit us in any way they can?”

“Stick to the truth, Kurt,” he replied, “and no matter how much they try to make it look like there’s something else going on, don’t dignify them by letting your emotions show. Don’t give them anything to exploit.”

I smiled back at him and gave him a big thumbs-up.

Once we went on the air, if there was more than a brief mention of my having just received the Congressional Gold Medal, I sure didn’t hear it. I guess Trevor decided the task of reminding the viewers why I was there in the first place was going to have to fall on him, as he sure took every opportunity to mention it. The entire focus of the Nightline segment was on our alleged involvement in a prostitution ring and the emergence of yet another scandal involving the Congressional Page Program. The question was even raised as to whether or not there should even be a page program. In the latter half of the program, we were completely ignored while the talking heads debated the merits of simply disbanding the program. That was almost worse than being accused in the first place.

Finally at the end of the program, just as time was running out, we were all asked for final thoughts, which gave us each a chance to have a say in the matter. Trevor said, “The bottom line is that some homophobe didn’t like the fact that a gay teenage boy did some very heroic and brave deeds for which he was awarded the highest honor in the land. Rather than celebrating the wonderful person that is Kurt DeWitt, they decided to drag his name through the mud by starting an unfounded rumor.

“Tonight’s program isn’t supposed to be about the totally baseless allegations of what someone says he and I have done, nor is it supposed to be about the merits of continuing the Page Program. What tonight should be about is the wonderful things Kurt DeWitt did for which Congress voted unanimously to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. He is the youngest recipient in history to receive this honor. That is the real reason he is here tonight.” I almost teared up hearing Trevor say that - it was awesome!

But I felt there was an even more important message, and I went on to say, “I do want to put in a word in favor of the Page Program. It really is an outstanding opportunity for the best and brightest youth of our country to see how Washington works, first-hand. Yes, there have been scandals in the past, but they represent a tiny fraction of the history of the Page Program. I should also point out that the fault is generally not with the pages, but with the politicians they serve. Politicians as a group seem to have a history of zipper problems . . . or perhaps it’s just that the news media are particularly vigilant at reporting them . . . but they certainly have a responsibility to protect the youth who serve as their employees in the Page Program.

“Teenagers are naturally curious about sex, but politicians are adults and should know better than to become involved with anyone underage. Yet, I have been approached more than once in the short time I’ve been here, I suspect because it’s known I’m gay. I have of course turned these offers down. I am completely faithful to my boyfriend. I am a gay Christian with firmly Christian values, which is why the whole idea of my being involved in prostitution is preposterous. For those who think being gay and being Christian aren’t compatible, give me an hour and I’ll turn your whole idea of what’s in the Bible on it’s head. But seriously, if there are problems in the Page Program, blame the people who take advantage of the pages . . . not the pages themselves.”

After we were finished and our makeup was being was being removed, Trevor said, “Wow! I’m so proud of you, Kurt. You really put everyone else on the program in their place with your final argument. You took the high road and made the Nightline staff look like fools. God, I loved you!”

“I'm just glad all this shit is over,” I answered my lover. “It’ll sure be nice to see things get back to normal.”

“Amen to that,” Trevor agreed.

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