American Girl (Washington, DC)

Washington, DC

Olivia Hastings stretched her body across her new bed. The housekeeper who showed her the bedroom stated that the four-poster was an antique. Thomas Jefferson may have slept on it. Olivia rolled her eyes. It wouldn’t have phased her if Jefferson, Washington and Franklin had an orgy on it. She couldn’t care less.
The last few years proved confusing for the teen girl. At one moment, she felt ecstatic, then she plunged into a great depression. Up and down, up and down went her fragile emotions. Olivia remembered the good times before her parents’ divorce. When she was a little girl, her father worked at the corner car lot selling used Fords, Chevys and Toyotas.
“I could sell snow to Santa Claus,” Wade Hastings stated, grinning from ear to ear. He lifted his daughter onto his shoulder and paraded her around the room.
Olivia loved him. Her father made her laugh. Her mother, on the other hand, became less and less amused by her husband’s antics. Channing Hastings wanted more from life than a used car salesman could provide. She urged Wade to find a better job so they could move from their two-bedroom Memphis apartment.
“Sell snow in a real dealership, Wade,” Channing urged, plunking the meatloaf onto the dining room table with a thump. “You’re barely treading water in that corner lot.”
“You know Ralph needs me,” Olivia’s father argued. “I can’t leave him stranded.”
“Your cousin can put that no good son of his to work,” her mother responded hotly.
“Jonathan?” Wade practically cackled. “Jon can’t get out of his own way.”
“Perhaps he should learn how,” Channing remarked cuttingly. “That boy was coddled through life. It’s time he faced reality.”
“Jon’s special,” Wade made excuse. “You know he’s got ADHD. He can’t concentrate for more than ten minutes at a time.”
“That’s his problem.”
Olivia stared at her mother and father in turn. She liked her cousin Jonathan. Unlike other adults she knew, he crawled around the floor with her playing fort and Barbie dolls. Jon was just like a bigger kid. Sometimes he stared into space for long periods of time; sometimes he talked too much. Still, she loved it when he babysat her.
Channing finally won her arguments. Wade went to work for Ford and began selling new cars. His popularity grew along with his sales record. The promotion to manager came a scarce two years after he began working for the dealership.
Olivia was sad when they moved from their small apartment. She had lived there her entire life. It was the only home she knew. It also meant she didn’t see Jonathan so much anymore. The Hastings’ new home was spacious with a backyard pool. After a while, Olivia didn’t miss the old neighborhood quite so much.
Wade worked long hours. He bought a cabin in the mountains for the weekends. Channing continued to urge Wade to do better. When the opportunity arose, he gathered all his funds and bought the dealership. The Hastings moved again—to a huge house with a wall around it and a gate blocking the driveway. Olivia began attending an exclusive private boarding school.
When Olivia returned home for summer break, she found the house full of people. Her father was running to become a local schoolboard member. Channing took charge of the campaign while Wade addressed the community with long-winded speeches.
During the following years, Wade became more involved in local politics. The family suddenly moved into the mountain cabin, and her father became Mayor of the local small town. Then he became a State Representative. Olivia was taken out of school frequently to join Wade’s campaigns. All the media attention embarrassed her.
Olivia watched her mother blossom. Channing’s clothes became more expensive and her smiles phonier. Wade grinned all the time, shook hands, kissed babies and promised away the moon and stars. Olivia watched him and began feeling less and less a part of his life.
“I was happier in the two-bedroom apartment,” Olivia groaned, turning her face toward the wall. She should have felt proud of her father’s accomplishments. After all, very few people got to sleep on Thomas Jefferson’s bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Olivia never saw Uncle Ralph or Cousin Jonathan. Over the years, her mother distanced the family from her father’s relatives. They weren’t good enough for Channing. Channing hobnobbed with Senator’s wives and partied with government officials.
Olivia began to love the sanctuary of her boarding school and dreaded going home. Chaos greeted her every time she returned. She spent her holidays at a friend’s house to avoid political talk, campaigns and her mother’s social life.
“I wish we had a normal life,” Olivia complained to Sophia Masters. She considered the Masters’ home her home too. Sophia was her best friend and roommate at boarding school. “The media has a camera in my face no matter where I go. I hate it.”
“But your father’s Wade Hastings,” Sophia exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “Everyone knows who Wade Hastings is.”
Olivia’s father ran his campaigns as though he were selling used cars. Although she loved his antics when she was young, his gimmicks embarrassed her teenage self. She wished he’d stop; she wished he’d go back to selling cars.
While she stayed at the Hastings, Olivia received a text from her father stating that Channing had left him. She never heard from her mother. She learned about the divorce a few months later from the news media. Channing showed up in Hollywood on the arm of a popular actor. Her father began dating his campaign manager’s sister. Olivia learned that from TMZ.
Olivia was summoned from her history class during her sophomore year. Wade greeted her with wide open arms and a toothy grin. His daughter stared at him as though she didn’t know him. His new wife introduced herself, but Olivia gave her the cold shoulder.
“I’m taking you out of school, sweetheart,” Wade stated, ignoring his daughter’s frosty attitude. “I want you front and center on my campaign. Meet the next President of the United States.”
“Dad, I…I…” Olivia stammered, perplexed. “I’d rather stay in school.”
“Nonsense.” Wade’s flashing white teeth glimmered in the fluorescent lights. “I want you, Brittany wants you, Brittany’s son and daughter want you. You’re an intricate part of the family structure. That’s important.”
“I’d rather stay in school,” Olivia repeated flatly.
“That’s not going to happen, sweetheart,” Wade cajoled, throwing his arm across her shoulder. He pulled her close to his side and kissed her temple. “The voters love a happy family.”
The words ‘happy family’ struck Olivia hard. The Hastings weren’t a happy family. The happy times she remembered were back in the two-bedroom apartment. Happy family meant her mother and father were still married. Happy family included Uncle Ralph and Cousin Jonathan.
“We’re not a happy family,” she stated, turning away. The bell rang ending her history class. She promised to meet Sophia in the cafeteria for lunch.
When the schoolmistress appeared with Olivia’s suitcase, she knew she didn’t have a choice. Reluctantly, she left school without saying goodbye to her best friend. It irked her to leave under such circumstances.
“Let’s go sell snow to Santa Claus,” Wade chortled when their limo pulled away from the school. Several huge black SUVs followed them along the driveway.
“Why are those cars following us?” Olivia asked, peering out the back window.
“Secret Service,” her father stated bluntly.
“Oh.” Olivia sat between Wade and Brittany. She felt uncomfortable with her father’s second wife.
“We’ll get her hair cut, new clothes and cosmetics,” her stepmother stated, talking over Olivia’s head. “She looks dowdy, but it’s probably that awful uniform she’s wearing. Once she has a make-over, she’ll look more presentable.”
Presentable. The word hurt. Olivia liked the way she looked. She had grown her hair long and didn’t like to wear a lot of make-up or jewelry. Her baggy jeans and sweatshirts were comfortable. All-in-all, her appearance suited her just fine.
“Candice will show her how to dress,” Brittany continued. “I’m sure she has something in her wardrobe that will fit Olivia.”
“Who’s Candice?” Olivia asked. Brittany rambled on, ignoring the question. She cut down Olivia’s posture and her pert nose. “Who’s Candice?” Olivia asked again.
“My daughter,” Brittany interrupted herself long enough to answer.
“Candice is a year older than you, honey,” Wade stated. “Bart is your younger stepbrother. He’s twelve.”
“Oh.” Olivia kept her voice flat. She already hated Candice and Bart. She didn’t want to wear Candice’s clothes or take her advice.
Candice took over Olivia’s life, nevertheless. Bossy like her mother, she ripped through Olivia’s wardroom and threw away her jeans and sweatshirts. They travelled to New York and shopped on Fifth Avenue. Olivia didn’t recognize herself when they finished.
Pulled from pillar to post, Olivia Hastings appeared with her father at rallies and on late night TV shows. She loved and hated every moment simultaneously. Mostly, she wished election night would come and, although she chastised herself, hoped Wade would lose.
Olivia loved her father. She couldn’t deny her feelings for him. She just wanted a normal life. She could not think of herself as a First Daughter. Olivia missed the people from her past: Channing—her mother, Uncle Ralph, Cousin Jonathan and, more recently, her best friend, Sophia Masters.
Wade sold snow across the nation. On election night, he won by a landslide. Suddenly, her father was President-Elect of the United States of America.
“Yippee.” Olivia waved her flag on the stage with less enthusiasm than Candice and Bart. She wasn’t feeling it.
Olivia and Candice attended the inaugural balls on the arms of Senator’s sons. Olivia realized she had never had a real date or a real boyfriend. All her escorts were staged to promote her father’s ascent into the land’s highest office. Her unemotional kisses were photographed and all-over social media. It irked her.
“Goodnight, honey.” Wade poked his head into his daughter’s bedroom. His perpetual grin seemed frozen to his face.
Olivia glared at him.
“I said goodnight, honey.” Her father stepped further into the room. His smile faded. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know,” Olivia practically cried.
Wade stepped further into the room. He watched his daughter’s sad face for a moment. Then, he sat on the edge of the bed. Olivia moved into his strong embrace.
“I want my daddy back,” Olivia sobbed, burying her head into his chest.
“I’m still your daddy,” Wade answered, hugging her close.
“I mean my real daddy.” Her forehead furrowed as she tried to think. “I liked you best when you sold used cars in Memphis. That’s the daddy I want.”
“Oh.” For the first time in a long time Wade didn’t know what to say. He was used to having all the answers on the political trail. His daughter surprised him.
“I want you and mommy and Uncle Ralph and Cousin Jonathan.” Olivia chose her words carefully. “It was fun then. It’s not fun now.”
Wade fell into a long silence. Suddenly, he liked the old days too. He’d risen too high, too fast. The political whirlwind took him too far away from the things he really cherished. He wanted to relax, take his shoes off, stretch his feet before a roaring fire. He thought of teaching Olivia how to swim in Florida and dancing with her at her first father/daughter dance. Those days were long gone.
“I can’t change the immediate future, darling,” Wade finally stated, “but I can try to make it better for you. We can ask Ralph and Jonathan for a visit and try to get back to our roots. I’m still the President, but that doesn’t stop me from being your dad.”
“Ok.” Olivia lapsed into silence. “Do you think Uncle Ralph will come?” Throughout the years, her father hadn’t treated her uncle with kindness. He flouted his political power against his relationship with his brother. Most of it lay at Channing’s doorstep, but Wade had followed through with the angst.
“I’m sure he will if you ask him nicely.” Wade’s grin returned but it seemed more real, more down-to-earth.
Olivia grinned back.
“I love you, daddy,” she whispered, burying her head against her chest. “I love you, Mr. President.”
“I love you too, Princess,” Wade Hastings answered. “I love you to the moon and back.”

Special Note: This is the final story in the American Girl series. I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone who read these stories for their ongoing interest and support. It was a fun series to write. I hope you--the reader--enjoyed it as much as I did. Again, thank you.