NO COMMENT (MA's Challenge)

NO COMMENT

Haley sat in silence in the safety of the office she had been offered. She could hear the buzz that went on just outside her safety wall. She knew she had to say something, but she just couldn’t. Amidst the raised voices of the strategists arguing, the reporter’s voices from various TV channels that were playing in the room and the endless phone calls; she allowed herself the pleasure of traveling down memory lane.

“I love you Jen. Nothing is ever going to change that.”

Those words were playing over and over in every station. Those were the words that were ruining her life. She should have known it would come back to haunt her. For someone like her, these were the types of risks she should not have been willing to take. But who was it again that said “If the gods want to destroy, the first make horny?”

“Haley, things are not looking very good.” Marcus, her brother and closest friend said softly behind her. She hadn’t heard him come in. She sighed and shook her head slowly. She wished he could do more, like shout at her or curse her. It had been a difficult year…a difficult couple of years, and this was one of the most stupid things she ever did.

“You should have known better…you know.” He added with a more stern voice. Now that was more of what she needed to hear. She should have known better. She nodded again in agreement, not turning to face her brother. All those years of battling all the obstacles that came her way, speaking out in places many of her sex never ventured. Three years of enjoying the success of getting to the top, of being proud of herself, of making everyone close to her proud, and making most who knew her angry. And just like that…..within a five minute act, it was all to go down the drain. Five minutes? Of course it was more than that….but five minutes for them to have on the roll was like an armful of ammunition. In those five minutes…she’d been tried, the jury found her guilty, the court sentenced her to death, and basically…she was waiting to hang. Five minutes....

Jenny was messaging her shoulders as she lay on the bed. They were alone, as usual, only this time Jenny was not much of herself.

“It’s different now Jen, you know that. I have to be careful, we have to be careful.”

“Yeah? Well I am being careful Hal..I am. I have been nothing but careful for the last ten years. Am not saying we screw up…am just saying….I need to see you more. Its…lonely.” Jenny had never made a fuss as big as this, of course they didn’t see each other as often as she’d wanted, but, as she had said, they both had to be careful. It had not been an easy job masquerading Jenny as her personal masseur, and then making sure they were always alone in the room, in total black out, with no one watching them from hidden cameras or anything like that. But it had worked, and so they got a couple of minutes together. Of course it was not enough, but in the world they were living in, how could she ask for more?

“What do you want me to do Jen, huh?” she said sitting up and turning to face her. “What exactly do you want me to do? If there was more I could do….”

“Let me move in.” She had blurted out, her face lowered to her lap. Was she insane? She couldn’t just move in, what excuse could she ever come up with for such a decision?

“That’s not possible Jen and you know it. And, after all, even if you lived here….we won’t get time together…to be alone…like this.” She said as she put her finger under her chin and tipped her face up. Blue watery eyes stared back at her. She run her hand softly on her cheek and Jenny slowly closed her eyes. “Please, don’t do this Jenny, let’s not fight…I don’t want to see you like this.” It was the truth, she didn’t like to see her sad. It was one of the very few weaknesses she had.

“But…”

“I’ll look into it baby….I promise.” She had said just before her mouth covered whatever protest she was about to come up with. And with that the argument was forgotten, and passion that had been suppressed for the last twenty hours was profusely released…

Of course that hadn’t made it to the five minutes the world witnessed. The video had started rolling after that conversation…when Jenny’s skillful tongue had been sending wild spasms through her body…when her moans had been increasing in pitch with every slow tongue trick jenny flickered on her most sensitive spots. When she was in her most vulnerable point. A point the world wasn’t entitled to see.

She was brought back to the present by the voice of her husband streaming in from one of the television outside. “No comment.” He kept saying over and over at various questions thrown to him. She couldn’t recall how many times she had heard that particular word being repeated over and over in the last hour.

“We have to go now!” Her brothers voice boomed in the room as he walked towards her and grabbed her hand. She was weak, too weak. She thought to herself as she followed her brother without offering any resistance. She was going home. Away from this crazy place. All she needed was a few hours to gain her composure, to get over everything, to come up with a good strategy….then she will be ready to fight. “We'll use the door at the back, it should be ok there” he reassured her softly. Her brother, doing what not many brothers would do in this given situation, standing by her side.

The door was opened and a quick check was done to make sure it was all clear. Then they all bundled out quietly as they headed for the car packed a few feet away. She was just about to be grateful for the peaceful exit when the buzz started again.

“Ms. President, do you have any comments about the video?”

“….how long have you known Jennifer Applebee”

“….do you know how this clip ended up on the internet”

“….what was your husbands reaction to this?”

“Madam President, how long have you been a lesbian?”

She felt her knees weaken under the weight of her current situation, and was grateful when she was quickly whisked into the car just after she had whispered.

“No Comment.”