The Best Laid Plans

‘Whoa! Hold on there. What are you talking about?’

She turned to him. ‘I’m talking about Oliver.’ Her tone was bitter. ‘He spent last night in a motel with my best friend. She couldn’t wait to call and tell me what a wonderful lover he was.’

The senator stood there in shock. ‘Couldn’t she have been just –?’

‘No. I called Oliver. He – he couldn’t deny it. I’ve decided to leave. I’m going to Paris.’

‘Are you sure you’re doing –?’

‘I’m positive.’

And the next morning Jan was gone.

The senator sent for Oliver. ‘I’m disappointed in you, son.’

Oliver took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry about what happened, Todd. It was – it was just one of those things. I had a few drinks and this woman came on to me and – well, it was hard to say no.’

‘I can understand that,’ the senator said sympathetically. ‘After all, you’re a man, right?’

Oliver smiled in relief. ‘Right. It won’t happen again, I can assure –’

‘It’s too bad, though. You would have made a fine governor.’

The blood drained from Oliver’s face. ‘What – what are you saying, Todd?’

‘Well, Oliver, it wouldn’t look right if I supported you now, would it? I mean, when you think about Jan’s feelings –’

‘What does the governorship have to do with Jan?’

‘I’ve been telling everybody that there was a good chance that the next governor was going to be my son-in-law. But since you’re not going to be my son-in-law, well, I’ll just have to make new plans, won’t I?’

‘Be reasonable, Todd. You can’t –’

Senator Davis’s smile faded. ‘Never tell me what I can or can’t do, Oliver. I can make you and I can break you!’ He smiled again. ‘But don’t misunderstand me. No hard feelings. I wish you only the best.’

Oliver sat there, silent for a moment. ‘I see.’ He rose to his feet. ‘I – I’m sorry about all this.’

‘I am, too, Oliver. I really am.’

When Oliver left, the senator called in Peter Tager. ‘We’re dropping the campaign.’

‘Dropping it? Why? It’s in the bag. The latest polls –’

‘Just do as I tell you. Cancel all of Oliver’s appearances. As far as we’re concerned, he’s out of the race.’

Two weeks later, the polls began to show a drop in Oliver Russell’s ratings. The billboards started to disappear, and the radio and television ads had been canceled.

‘Governor Addison is beginning to pick up ratings in the polls. If we’re going to find a new candidate, we’d better hurry,’ Peter Tager said.

The senator was thoughtful. ‘We have plenty of time. Let’s play this out.’

It was a few days later that Oliver Russell went to the Bailey & Tomkins agency to ask them to handle his campaign. Jim Bailey introduced him to Leslie, and Oliver was immediately taken with her. She was not only beautiful, she was intelligent and sympathetic and believed in him. He had sometimes felt a certain aloofness in Jan, but he had overlooked it. With Leslie, it was completely different. She was warm and sensitive, and it had been natural to fall in love with her. From time to time, Oliver thought about what he had lost. ‘… this is only the first step. You serve a term or two as governor, and I promise you we’ll move you into the White House.’

The hell with it. I can be happy without any of that, Oliver persuaded himself. But occasionally, he could not help thinking about the good things he might have accomplished.

With Oliver’s wedding imminent, Senator Davis had sent for Tager.

‘Peter, we have a problem. We can’t let Oliver Russell throw away his career by marrying a nobody.’

Peter Tager frowned. ‘I don’t know what you can do about it now, Senator. The wedding is all set.’

Senator Davis was thoughtful for a moment. ‘The race hasn’t been run yet, has it?’

He telephoned his daughter in Paris. ‘Jan, I have some terrible news for you. Oliver is getting married.’

There was a long silence. ‘I – I heard.’

‘The sad part is that he doesn’t love this woman. He told me he’s marrying her on the rebound because you left him. He’s still in love with you.’

‘Did Oliver say that?’

‘Absolutely. It’s a terrible thing he’s doing to himself. And, in a way, you’re forcing him to do it, baby. When you ran out on him, he just fell apart.’

‘Father, I – I had no idea.’

‘I’ve never seen a more unhappy man.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘Do you still love him?’

‘I’ll always love him. I made a terrible mistake.’

‘Well, then, maybe it’s not too late.’

‘But he’s getting married.’

‘Honey, why don’t we just wait and see what happens? Maybe he’ll come to his senses.’

When Senator Davis hung up, Peter Tager said, ‘What are you up to, Senator?’

‘Me?’ Senator Davis said innocently. ‘Nothing. Just putting a few pieces back together, where they belong. I think I’ll have a little talk with Oliver.’

That afternoon, Oliver Russell was in Senator Davis’s office.

‘It’s good to see you, Oliver. Thank you for dropping by. You’re looking very well.’

‘Thank you, Todd. So are you.’