“He’ll have enough funds to do whatever he wants.”
“Thanks to Chester Radliegh, Senior.”
“Yes.”
“He’s being paid to retire. Bribed.”
“Some people take their financial security very seriously. His congressional seat happens to be his major asset.”
“Which he can sell.”
“Yes.”
“To Radliegh and son.”
“Yes.”
“Sure. The Congressman shouldn’t sit on his asset. Whose ambition is this? Radliegh’s, or son’s?”
Shana sighed. “Chester believes strongly that what good can be done ought be done. With his father behind him, Chet can accomplish far more for this district, for the nation, maybe the world, than can the present incumbent.”
“I daresay. So it is believed that for his political career Chet needs a savvy, presentable wife.”
“You’re lookin’ at her.”
“There are gay members of Congress now.”
“Not from Georgia. Not at this time, there aren’t,” Shana said. “Sodomy laws have been removed from the books so recently here you can still see the dust from the eraser.”
“If this is Doctor Radliegh’s ambition, why is Chet going along with it?”
“Why not?”
“It means living a lie.”
“It would be fun. Chet’s very popular. All-American quarterback. Handsome. Bright. He’s got to do something with his life. Can’t live here playing Ping-Pong with his little sister all his life.”
“He doesn’t have to go into politics.”
“It’s what his father has always wanted. Chester is trying to shape Duncan up as the titular head, figurehead, whatever you want to call it, of the Radliegh business interests.”
“Good luck to him.”
“Yeah,” Shana said. “Good luck.”
“So Chet agrees to this marriage.”
“Agrees? Yeah. He agrees. We like each other well enough. Why not? He’s a bright, charming guy. As long as everything is understood. He gets to do what he wants, discreetly. This way Chet gets a degree of freedom, gets off Vindemia—”
“He’ll never be his own man in Washington.”
“Who ever is?”
“The Constitution expects a member of Congress to have a constituency of more than one.”
“One genius like Chester is probably worth more than the intellectual abilities of a sizable population.”
“So Doctor Radliegh knows his son is gay.”
“Yes. This is the arrangement he has made for his son.”
“It’s more than an arrangement. It’s a deal.”
“It’s a deal.”
“What happens to Chet if he doesn’t accept this deal?” Shana tried to make herself more comfortable in her chair. “Not stated.”
“What’s inferred?”
“Chet worries he’ll be cut off. Find himself on some South Pacific island selling pocket mirrors.”
“Nonsense. He must have his own abilities.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t know what you mean.”
“It’s all or nothing. If Chet wants the benefits of being Chester Radliegh’s son, which benefits are considerable, he has to conform to a pattern of behavior, at least image, which permits him to accomplish all that Chester Radliegh’s son can. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”
“Do you have any idea how Chet himself feels about this?”
Beautiful in her yellow bikini in her cushioned white rattan chair, Shana looked uncomfortable. “Rage.” She cleared her throat.
“What?”
“Rage. He’s enraged. He’s got his nose right up against a brick wall. His father pushed him into sports, football in particular. Chet found himself building this hunk body. Became All-American. His father pushed him academically. Chet became Phi Beta Kappa. History. His father pushed him through Law School. You see, Chester had this plan for him all along. Chet always knew he was gay. He was straight with his father about it. When Chet discovered his father had had this book written for him, he was furious. Hurt. When he discovered his father had established what you might call a retirement plan for the local incumbent congressman, he was even more furious. He flunked the Bar Exam. I believe he flunked it on purpose. Chet had never failed at anything in his life. He knows for a certainty that whatever he does he cannot satisfy his father. Being gay doesn’t worry Chet at all. It’s that he can’t satisfy his father no matter what he does. He can’t get away from his father’s ‘arrangements’ unless he gets entirely away, gives up everything. Do you see?”
“I guess.”
“Do you have a, you know what I mean, father, Jack?”
“Yes.”
“Does any of this seem familiar to you?”
Jack shook his head. “He’s never been a problem to me. Not enough of a one.”
“That’s nice.”
“Unusual, I guess. I mean … I don’t know what I mean.”
“Fathers are confusing.”
“I guess.”
“I told you about my father.”
“Yes.”
“A cheap, undisciplined weasel of a man who gladly rapes truth for a Mercedes-Benz.”
“So it was Doctor Radliegh who chose you to be Chet’s wife.”
“Yes. He brought me here last spring on the pretext of business and told Chet that he, Chet, is to marry me.”
“How did Chet react to that?”
“He gets to keep his … whatever. His stableboys.”
“Shana?” Jack asked. “Are you and Doctor Radliegh lovers?”
“Yes,” Shana answered.
“I see. Are you real lovers?”
“Oh, yes. Chester doesn’t play around.”
“Oh.”
“We have been for over a year. Since we found ourselves alone one weekend in Berlin. Neither one of us planned it, expected it. I didn’t. To me, Chester was Big Boss, as formal as a royal reception. It was unimaginable to me he would ever react, relate to me, in any way, except as courteous boss. There was a snowstorm. Some business people didn’t show up for dinner. We found ourselves having dinner together. Laughing. Then throwing snowballs at each other in the street. Then licking the snow off each other’s faces. Then in bed together. Have you met Mrs. Radliegh?”
“Briefly.”
“She can’t stand success. She thought she was marrying a college instructor. She found herself some kind of an Empress. It depressed her totally. Some people can’t stand changes. Her misery depressed him totally. She works at it. She made him miserable. Chester could never bring himself to divorcing the poor mess. I understand that. Well, her misery depresses him less now.”
“Since you two got together.”
