Wednesday, January 29, 2014

21. The First Lady's wrath

Rebecca Bates:  "Hello?"

Patricia Gardner:  "Rebecca Bates Please."

RB:  "This is she."

PG:  "Hello, Ms. Bates.  Patricia Gardner here."

RB:  "Well hello, Mrs. President!  What an honor!"

PG:  "Save the theatrics, Ms. Bates.  You are going down."

RB:  "If that's the case, I wouldn't be getting a phone call from you.  I wouldn't be getting a phone call, period.  So what's the deal?"

 PG:  "High treason, that's the deal.  I'm sure you know that blackmailing the President of the United States is not just common extortion, don't you?  And I'm sure you have looked into the penalties for a treason verdict?"

RB:  "Come on, Mrs. President.  Let's not play mind games.  You know and I know that it will never come to that."

PG:  "It depends on what you do."

RB:  "No.  You will never allow that to happen."

PG:  "May be, may be not.  Maybe it won't go the legal or formal route."

RB:  "Is this a death threat?"

PG:  "Of course not, but anything can happen."

RB:  "Who is blackmailing whom?"

PG:  "Be it as it may, if one pixel of that video goes out, you are toast.  In fact, as of this point, whether it goes out or not, you still might be."

RB:  "Negotiation is over, Mrs. President.  It is for the president to pay up within 24 hours, or the video gets blasted all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy."

PG:  "The president has no dsay in the matter.  I'm the controller of our bank account, and I'm not going to release one single red cent."

"RB:  "Then your husband will go down in flames, or should I say, go down in shame.  Since you sound so definite, maybe I won't even wait the 24 hours.  Go check with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox News in a little bit."

PG:  "If any such thing happens, I promise you, you will be looking over your shoulders for the rest of your life, which mercifully may not be all that long."

RB:  "There you go again, dear future ex-First-Lady.  Please be assured that this conversation is being recorded on both ends."

PG:  "Let's say if I allow it, how am I to know that this is a one-time deal?  How can you prove that no trace of it shall remain as soon as the payment is made?"

RB:  "I can't.  All I can say is that should the payment be made, the video will not be released."

PG:  "What stops you from making the same threat some years down the road?"

RB:  "Nothing.  All I'm promising is that if you pay up now, I won't release it now, or, to be charitable, not in the foreseeable future.  In fact, since this is costing the president two years of his salary, I'll promise to not release it at least within a two year period, starting now.  How's that sound?"

PG:   "That sounds reasonable.  But you really expect someone like me to trust somebody like you?"

RB:  "What you can trust is that if you don't comply, the video will be released."

PG:  "And you will be toast."

RB:  "Even so, your loss will be infinitely greater than mine."

PG:  "I cannot and will not entertaining paying the first cent unless and until you have provided irrefutable proof that that video has been utterly destroyed, with no trace of it anywhere remaining.  Once you have this proof, then we can talk."

RB:  "We are beginning to sound like a broken record.  You know and I know that such a proof cannot and does not exist.  It is just deal or no deal.  So, yes or no?"

PG:  "I've said No from the start."

RB:  "Then the video will be released."

PG:  "Then you will be toast."

RB:  "I've heard this before."

PG:  "This you haven't.  Your son Justin..."


RB:  "What about him?"

PG:  "Uh, nothing, unless..."

Click.

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