Chapter 28: Body Double
Alistair Bowmore had met his 'body double' during the first few weeks of his presidency. He'd been informed that the man was not to jump in for him if he was sick, or to take his place in any way, but much rather someone that could be used as a distraction in case of an emergency. If, for example, he got many death threats over a time-period and he had to attend a meeting away from the secutiry if the whitehouses walls, they could sent the double in a car to make sure there was no one planning to take him out on the way. "Great, I have my own fall guy," he'd said, making everyone including Barry Stein the 'stuntman' himself to laugh. To Alistair's surprise he got along splendidly with his 'body double'. The man didn't look exactly like him, but close enough to be able to pass for him behind the tinted windows of a car, or from a bit of a distance.
Barry Stein's wife had become a good friend of Monica's and they often went out to dinner together. That Saturday, after the meeting with the CEO of CarboCar and Co and a few long and tiring meetings with various secretaries, President Bowmore and the small group of friends and family met in one of the prettier dining rooms to enjoy a meal together. Although they usually ate what the white house cooks cooked, they'd decided on wanting to get something 'else' that night. They wanted take-out from some nearby restaurant.
"I'm leaning towards chinese food," Barry said, speaking his mind, or rather, voicing his tummy's opinion, "I used to go to Anjing, that place was super good."
"Yeah...I'm not really in the mood for chinese food though..." Monica said, rubbing his stomach softly, "I'm sort of craving euro meat."
"Do you want greek food honey?" Alistair asked.
"No, not really. Just euro meat and some cheese maybe..." Her phase of strange eating habits had started to settle in. Alistair had always been a bit revolted by some of the things she ate as a French women, but she'd pointed out all the crap that's in a McDonalds cheeseburger which had got him to shut up, 'even snails are better than that fake food!'.
"We could all order from different places," Daria proposed. "I don't want chinese either, but I'm also not craving...cheese and euro meet. I'm thinking maybe a good steak, or fish..."
"We could also just get McDonalds," Alistair said, purposly teasing his wife. She rolled her eyes at him and pinched his arm. "I'm kidding darling." He kissed her on the cheek and then proceeded to lay his hand on her tummy. Their future child was rolling around in their; and he'd eat everything his mama ate. "How about the salad bar?"
"Yeah! That's a good idea!" Barry said. "I can get some seaweed on mine and everything."
"And I can get chicken or strips of steak on mine, I'm down." His wife Daria said.
"Me too, I love that place." Alistair agreed.
"I guess that's fine, they do make really good salads..." Even Monica agreed. Daria was the one to fetch the food, Barry and her were both out of the public eye, but considering that he looked like the president it wasn't too smart for him to go fetch the food either.
"How was the start-up company?" Barry asked, eating sunflower seeds. He usually had a pack on him. He'd quit every kind of drug including alcohol, and it had left him with the need to devour sunflower seeds constantly. He'd crack the shells open, spit them into a bowl and eat the seed. When he was outside he usually just spit the shell onto the floor, at least, he'd done that until there was a complaint about the grounds being littered with shells.
"It was good, I think the founder had a great idea. I actually bought a few of the capsules."
"Wow, you almost never do that."
"Yeah, I thought this one was really good...and of course it was simple, something that is easily done and not too expensive."
"Give me the name, I'll look into it too, maybe I can buy some of those for Daria's car. She's just bought this big SUV. I was like; girl, why are you buying the car that's about the worst possible for the enviroment but she argued that she likes the comfrot and whatever."
"Yeah, you guys should definitely use the capsules."
"Do you ever go with him?" Barry asked Monica. She nodded.
"Before I was pregnant I came to a few of the start-ups, but not all the time and now I don't really want to. I'm often sick in the mornings, and Alistair usually leaves early."
"Yeah. Makes sense." Barry agreed. "Daria," he spit out a shell, "her morning sickness was so bad with our first kid. But the second time she got pregnant, nothing at all. Nobody knows why." He shrugged an spit out another shell. "Speaking of the devil," she walked in with the delivery, placed it on the table and gave her hubby a kiss on the cheek.
"Watch out tiger," she warned, "call me the devil again and I'll leave you." But she was joking and he knew it. Barry and Daria had been together since high school. They were best friends as well as lovers, something that Alistair couldn't say for him and Monica. While eating the salad he was quickly reminded of Anneliese. He'd see her again, soon. He couldn't wait...
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