Undoing

Karla swung her feet out of bed. She listened for the noise of Secret Service agents patrolling the corridors. Harry slept in a separate suite alone. Her husband was estranged ever since his workers found the brown paper box. What an idiot, she thought, to think I'd get away with it.

The scenario was worse than she'd imagined during many sleepless nights. The box and its contents weren't her secrets anymore. She expected to see her husband's outrage, disgust, pain, or loss. Instead, she'd received indifference. He treated her like another one of his pieces in the game. He still needed her as part of some presidential strategy and that hurt.

Instead of a blowout fight, Harry offered her a vacation to the Bahamas. This reaction wasn't normal behavior. The Bahamas was where they had spent their honeymoon. It was a power move, a knife in the gut to their union.

It all began when she met Louie, her driver.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Norton. My name's Louie. I'm your new chauffeur," he said.

"Call me Karla. I hope you don't mind me saying this. You look young."

He smiled wide, "I hear that a lot. I assure you Mrs. -er- Karla, I'm qualified."

"Good. I have many places to go, it seems," said Karla.

She fidgeted with her necklace.

Louie reached out to turn the stone right side up. His fingers brushed her collar bone.

"Is that a sapphire?" He inquired.

"It was my mother's. She believed they held protection."

"It's stunning on you." Said Louie. Karla was inches away from Louie when Harry briskly stalked by. He didn't even acknowledge her.

It was hard being First Lady, the pressure to be perfect. She felt like their marriage had become about the public's image of them. They were once so in love that they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Being the president wasn't for the faint of heart either, and they both knew what the job would be. Karla missed quality time they used to share. She'd never been more surrounded in her life. Yet, these people were blended and blurred by her mental isolation.

At first, it was innocent. There were moments like a touch of the shoulder or a brief gaze. A memorized coffee order wasn't cheating. Karla and Louie were simply both kindred spirits. She made excuses to leave to be around him. Where's the harm in taking a drive? She thought.

"Driver?" She asked from the backseat.

"Yes, my passenger?" He joked.

"Let's go to The Backyard."

His forehead wrinkled, "You've made different plans?"

"Yes, a last-minute change of schedule. My friend from India is meeting me to discuss the president's upcoming visit."

"That's upscale, even for you." He winked.

The Backyard was known for its private nature. No questions asked was the policy.

"Should I wait?" He asked.

"Yes, I won't belong." she quipped.

"Don't you mean we?"

"Yes."

She grabbed her bags and headed to the entrance. Two of the Secret Service attempted to follow. "Boys, I appreciate your help. I'd prefer it if you guard the area. Don't follow me in." They looked surprised. She rarely gave orders.

She waited to be shown the room before heading back to the car. The host who let her in stiffened. "First Lady..is everything okay?"

"Fine. My guest has arrived."

From the door, she saw Louie. His gaze melted her like butter. When she gestured at him, his movements were slow and overacted. Surprise evident all over his face. Drivers don't attend fancy meetings with the First Lady.

Karla pointed to the seat across from her.

What's going on? He asked, picking up utensils he didn't recognize.

"My guest couldn't make it. I could not eat here alone, too"

The last words hung in the air. Louie knew about Harry's neglectful ways. He'd listen to her rants with such concern.

"This place is incredible. I've only ever been on the outside. I feel underdressed."

He looked down at his dress shirt and tucked it in; she leaned over and pulled it back out.

He shook his head playfully.

"I like you the way you are." Whispered Karla.

Harry and Karla met on a ferry boat. They immediately noticed each other. Soon Harry sipped white wine and told her his ideas of running for office. Karla thought he was quirky. She was a middle school teacher from Texas. She'd never dreamed of marrying a future president. Harry used to be a lot of fun. When they were younger, they had wild adventures together. They visited Hawaii, where they stood on a volcano. They built learning programs for students overseas. Then they married mere months after their whirlwind relationship.

Karla kissed Louie in the back of his car in a dimly lit alleyway. Louie kissed her back with the perfect set of lips. They tore off each other's clothes. Their hands drifted until they lost themselves in each other. They touched each other with a tenderness that felt foreign to her. She was addicted to his hands, the way they grazed her body. The way his neck felt against her cheek. The way his eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

When the sun began to rise, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. he turned over to lie chest to chest on him.

"What's that?" she said.

"A gift for The First Lady. Although it turns out she's difficult to shop for."

"Louie..." she pulled out a Sapphire ring with the words "yours forever" engraved on it. She covered her mouth. He slipped it on her hand. "For your protection."

If Harry were aware of their affair, he didn't show it. They barely saw each other unless they were required to go to a public event. There the cameras captured America's sweethearts, hand in hand. They were called the idyllic marriage. The tabloids romanticized their relationship. To the public, they had everything. Harry put on displays of affection and made Karla uncomfortable.

A few weeks later, Harry and Karla had a private dinner. Their seats were at opposite ends of the table.

"What did you think about the dinner party last week?" Asked Harry.

"It felt the same as they all do." She shrugged.

"Don't sound so thrilled." He smirked.

"Is that supposed to thrill me?"

He slammed his fist on the table.

"It should! Many women would kill to be in your shoes."

Karla set her fork down and stood up.

"Maybe it's not what it's supposed to be! Here we are on opposite sides of the table after you paraded me around like a stallion earlier. You can fool everyone, but you can't fool me!"

"I work my ass off to run the country. I don't have time for this."

He wiped his forehead with his napkin.

"You're right. You do everything but love your wife." She snapped

Karla knew her time with Louie had to end. She had to tell Harry. The news would break. She would be the woman who cheated on the president. On the day she decided to tell Louie, they stopped for coffee at the café. She purposefully sat him facing away from the car where the Secret Agents stood. They would notice his reaction and find it suspicious. Her throat went dry. She didn't know how to break a heart. So she took off the ring and slid it towards him inconspicuously.

He sipped his coffee and slid it back.

"You know I can't keep it." She said.

"That ring belongs to you and only you. " He strained.

Her tears threatened to run.

"I'm sorry Louie. I am. I never wanted to hurt you or mess with your heart. You're so special to me. Please know that." She pleaded.

"I know. First Ladies don't end up with drivers."

He smiled, the pain evident behind it.

"I've caused enough grief, I think. Once the press finds out, I'll be the last person anyone will want."

"You don't see why people are enamored with you? Or why the people root for you?"

"I'm the First Lady."

"Like a sapphire, you are elegant yet strong. They will forgive you."

She took the ring back.

"Will you forgive me?"

She forced herself to stay away from Louie. She couldn't face him. First, she had to face the consequences of her actions. She locked herself in her room for a long time. She dreaded unveiling the affair. She fingered the ring that she carried in her coat pocket. She placed it in a brown paper box, one she got from the café. Next to it, she positioned a stolen spoon from The Backyard, and a cuff link of Louie's that had fallen into her bag the night they made love.

Only three items went into the box. These items had the power to change life as she knew it. It was proof that she loved and was loved. Behind her mirror was a hidden hole the size of two fists. It was just big enough to slide the brown paper box in. She closed the mirror and let go of Louie. Her sweet lover who somehow saw something she didn't as she peered into the mirror. Someone worthy of love.

To her horror, the box was discovered by housekeepers before she could explain anything to Harry. She met him in the Oval Office, signing paperwork. Was this how a scorned man looked?

"Well, look who's here. You've never visited me at my desk, honey. "

She cringed. "We need to talk privately." She eyed his secretary in the corner.

"That problem with the driver has been resolved. His replacement is already on the way. Not to worry, darling." He declared condescendingly.

Karla wanted to slap him. His relaxed demeanor proved what she feared. She was a pawn to gain power now. To be kept in her place and manipulated as needed. He had leverage.

She shot him a piercing look, "Is this what you wanted?"

"I'm a businessman, always have been and always will be."

She shoved the contents on his desk to the floor.

The secretary stepped forward. "Let's cool off, Mrs. Norton. Why don't we go outside?" asked the secretary.

"It's Karla. My name is Karla." She glared at Harry, who was picking up papers.

"See you later, dear," he added.

The secretary gently led her into the corridor. Her fate was worse than imagined. He had the leverage to destroy her.

Karla called a divorce lawyer the next day. Harry wasn't about to pull strings anymore. She'd face backlash before being caged.

She was ripped apart in the media, but Karla was patient. She knew the shock would calm eventually. Immediately, Karla moved out of The White House and into a quaint lakeside cabin. She stared at the Sapphire ring on her hand, the man standing near her smiled.

"Do teachers end up with drivers?" Said Karla.

" Yes, they do." Said Louie.