Chapter 10 - Let the Politics Begin

Bob felt awkward.  It wasn’t as if he were used to being summoned.  Evan regularly had impromptu meetings and pulled him off whatever he was doing at the time.  But this was different.  He knew Evan, he did not know this Johnson guy.

As he entered the Franklin County Democratic Party headquarters, Bob was not impressed.  He found the office to be devoid of much color.  It all appeared bland to him.  He thought that there would be at least some red, white, and blue bunting set out.  Even the walls were just a boring eggshell white.

On the far wall, instead of pictures that might indicate life, there was a huge map of Franklin County.  There were little flags with the Democratic Party emblem punched into the wall over top the names of most of the cities.

“That appears impressive,” Bob thought, “in a very unimaginative way.”

It reminded Bob of the types of posters and visual images his company used to implement.  The intention was to motivate and encourage the employees, but they usually were completely ignored as they just blended in.  That was one of the things that he immediately convinced Evan to change.

A young blonde was seated at a desk just inside the front door.  The rest of the office appeared to be one huge room.  There was a doorway in the back corner of the room, and on the other side of the back was an entry to what appeared to be a copy and supply room.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Bob noticed on her desk was a nameplate.  Her name was Sheila.  No last name, just Sheila.

“Yes, Sheila, you can definitely help me.  My name is Bob Griffith and I am here to see Mr. Johnson.”

Formality was the rule of the office.  Sheila nodded her head and picked up her desk phone.  Almost immediately, a phone rang at a desk less than twenty feet away, yet, near the back of the room.  The attractive redhead picked up the ringing phone and listened as Sheila announced Bob’s arrival.  He could hear Sheila’s voice echoing out of the phone in the back.

Without saying a word in response, the redhead stood from her desk and approached Bob.  She seemed to have a measure of elegance to her walk which caused Bob to respect her.

“Mr. Griffith,” Amber held out her right hand for the obligatory handshake.  “I am Amber.  We spoke on the phone.”

Deciding to maintain formalities, Bob extended his own hand and gave Amber’s a firm shake.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bob nodded.

“I hope my hand isn’t sweaty,” thought Bob.  “I don’t want her to think I am intimidated by any of this.”

“Please,” Amber made a sweeping gesture back towards her desk, “follow me.  Mr. Johnson is anxious to meet you.”

“Anxious?  Why would he be anxious to meet me?”

Immediately, Bob regretted saying that out loud.  He knew nothing about this Johnson fellow but the man did seem to know something about him.

Amber turned in response to Bob and gave him a smile that indicated that she knew something more than he did.

She rapped gently on the door that was next to her desk.  A polite, yet firm, voice responded, “Enter.”

As gracefully as she had crossed the open office, Amber opened the door with her left hand.  Her right hand made a swinging motion in front of her, directing Bob to enter the office.

To his surprise, while he was still in the doorway, Bob could see that Charlie Hughes was sitting in a chair at the front of a desk.  From behind the desk, rose the man he suspected was Johnson.

“Bob, Bob Griffith!  It is my great honor to meet you.  My name is Cain Johnson.  Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.”

They exchanged the customary handshake.

“Firm grip,” Bob thought.  “Just like a salesman, or, maybe, a politician.”

“I would thank you for inviting me, but, I have no idea why I am here.” Bob narrowed his eyes, involuntarily displaying caution.

Cain let out a laugh.  He seemed to be trying to disarm Bob and lighten his mood.

“I am so sorry.  I didn’t really fill Amber in on my reason for wanting to meet with you.  That is my fault.  She works so well with me that I sometimes assume that she can read my mind, too.

“Of course,” Cain turned and motioned with his left hand towards Hughes, “you know Charlie Hughes, City Council President of Hilliard.”

Bob gave a courteous nod to Hughes then turned back to Cain.

“What can I do for you Mr. Johnson?”

Bob resisted the urge to cross his arms across his chest to indicate his impatience.  Since he didn’t know anything, yet, he reasoned that he should try to stay open to whatever was next.

“Please, Bob, have a seat,” Cain pointed to a chair that was also in front of the desk and to the other side of Hughes.  “and, please, call me Cain.  Do you drink coffee?”

“I’m surprised he doesn’t already know the answer to that question.  He seems to know more about me than I think he should,” Bob mentally smirked.

“Yes, and if you are offering, I would be happy to have some now,” Bob answered.

Cain tapped his intercom and instructed Amber to bring coffee for all three men.  It did not escape Bob’s notice that Hughes was not asked if he wanted any.

“Charlie, here, has been good to keep me informed on the progress of the next elections in Hilliard.  He shared that you were going to be submitting your name as a candidate for the mayoral race.  Are you still planning to do that?”

Bob shifted in his seat, “Yes, I just need to submit the paperwork to the City Clerk.  I have thought long and hard on this and I believe I can do this job and do it well.”

Cain leaned back in his chair and smiled.  Nodding, he said, “I believe you are right.  You can do the job of mayor and do it well.”

Bob responded bluntly, “Mr. Johnson, how can you be so certain that I can do that job well?  What do you base your opinion on?”

Cain appeared shocked.  Bob wondered if it was shock over his boldness or the question.

“You should know, Bob, that Charlie and I have had extended conversation about you and this position. We both agree that you will make a wonderful mayor for Hilliard, don’t we Charlie?”

Hughes looked away but still nodded positively.

“This isn’t like the diner,” Bob surmised, “Hughes is not in control here.”

After another gentle rap on the door, Amber entered the room carrying a tray.  Three coffee mugs with emblems of the Democratic Party decorated the tray.  Smoothly, Amber handed each man a mug.

“Would you like any sugar or cream?”

Amber’s voice seemed to sing the question.  Her face lit up with a gorgeous, compelling smile as she looked directly at Bob.

“Um, no,” Bob stammered as he was disarmed by the gorgeous questioner.  “I like my coffee black.”

“Here’s the thing, Bob,” Cain disrupted Bob’s focus from Amber.  “We like you.  We like the man that you are.  You are honest, a man of integrity. You are also a ‘get ‘er done’ type of guy, too.  Everyone that knows you speaks very well of you.

“The Democratic Party, myself included, is always looking for talented people, like yourself, who have a heart for people.  You approach your current work position as a servant, carrying for the needs of your people.  On top of that, you get great results.  The fencing plant is in the greatest shape both in moral and financially, then it has ever been.  The word is that you are the primary reason for that.

“We want to offer you our support for this election.  Why, I hope that it goes a whole lot longer than that.  You are a man who embodies the beliefs of the party.

“By support, I mean that we will guide you through the election process to assure your victory.  After that, we will help guide you through the maze of public service, seeing that the people of Hilliard get everything that they need, as we work with you to represent you at the county and state levels.”

Feeling leery, Bob shifted in his chair then took a long sip of his coffee.

“This is quite an offer you are making to a man who has never held a public office.”

Before Bob could continue, Cain jumped in, “As I said, we have found nothing but praise for you, Bob.  Everyone loves you and the greatest asset in public service is the respect and admiration of your people.”

“But how can you assure that I could win the election?”

Bob wished he hadn’t asked that question.  It just burst out of his mouth.  He was concerned that he wasn’t going to like the answer.

Cain smile once again, and leaned forward towards Bob.

“There is only one other candidate.  His name is Royal Willims.  He is a bit of a kook.  The old-timers know him.  He once started a petition to make Hilliard the state capital instead of Columbus.

“The one thing that old Willims has is name recognition, something you lack. We have funds available to support your campaign with signs, newspaper ads, and local media exposure.  We know how to get everyone to think that you are the only true candidate, the only name they see and hear daily.”

Cain now sat back in his chair.  He still held to his smirking smile.

“What do you say, Bob?  Do you want to be the next mayor of Hilliard?”

Bob slowly put down his coffee mug and now crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.  He reached for his chin with his right hand.

“I need to be deliberate in how I answer,” Bob reasoned.

“This man is driving me crazy,” Cain thought.  “While I love that he is not just some puppet just swallowing up whatever I throw to him, this one seems like a no-brainer.”

“Before I answer your question, which we both know the answer is ‘yes’, let’s get to my question.  If I were to accept your help, what would it cost me?”

“Wow, I do like this man!”

Cain could not contain his enthusiasm.  Hughes, whom both had forgotten was even in the room, twitched as he was startled.  Even Bob reflexively tightened the grip of his arms around himself.

“Here is the deal, my friend,” Cain now rose from behind the desk and moved so he stood next to Bob.  “I think that I want you on my team.  I only say ‘think’ because you haven’t done anything to prove yourself, yet.  As mayor, I would want your full support for the Franklin County Democratic Party agenda.  I suspect that you would want a voice in that agenda.  I wouldn’t blame you.  But, as long as that voice is contributing to the advancement of the party, I would welcome it.”

Cain firmly gripped Bob’s left shoulder with his right hand.  Bob was filled with a mixture of emotions.  He was sensing some pride over the thought that he would have county-wide influence when he was only moments before thinking of influence in Hilliard alone.  On the other hand, he felt a strong bent towards caution, after all, he did not know how these things worked and who, exactly, this Cain Johnson was.

Bob unfolded his arms and reached for his coffee.  Cain released his grip and let out a short breath.  It seemed to Bob that Cain was disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm.  Possibly, he wanted Bob to jump up screaming ‘YES’.

“I would like to talk with my wife before making a commitment,” Bob spoke softly.  “Don’t take this response as a negative sign.  You are offering to make this a sure thing, something I had never envisioned.  To this point, I had hoped to win.  If I did, then great.  If I didn’t, then great.”

“If I accept your offer, then reasonably, I should begin right away to transition my life for public service, something my wife would be actively involved in with me.  I will call you tomorrow with my answer.  I won’t make you wait or string you along.”

Cain paused for a minute to soak in these words.

“Alright, that’s fair, Bob.”

Bob rose, “Thank you for your time and you will hear from me tomorrow by the end of the day.”

Bob headed out the door.  The walk to the car and then the drive home, were all a blur.

“What will Dixie say?”