Chapter 15
"Why am I doing this?" Asim questioned her for the millionth time. He may not be her biological child but overtime he was becoming more like her. Questioning everything, watching everything and being a little bit too sneaky for her liking.
"Because you are having a problem with your spelling and reading, so we need to check and see how we can best help you." Elizabeth answered him without looking away from her phone.
He tucked his soccer backpack next to him. She tried to smile over at him his khaki pants, his blue oxford untucked with his school sport jacket thrown beside him. But, he stared out the window of the SUV not looking back at her, watching the rain drops move sideways across the window. One by one.
She was typing a text to Jay. Matt sitting in the passenger seat up front, glanced back at him.
"You know, you don't need to spell to play soccer," he kept his gaze out the window.
Chuckles from the front of the car and Blake in the back.
She sighed and dropped her hand that was holding the phone.
"Yes, but you do need it to go to college. So, that's why we are doing this," she looked over at him.
"Why is Dad not doing this? Where is Dad?" he asked again, still staring out the window.
"I told you, at a conference in Chicago," she answered, looking back at Jay's reply.
"Also, he doesn't agree with you," he said back at her, not meeting her eyes.
"Not true," she said back.
"So true." Now, he was just pushing her buttons what she called 'his new favorite activity.'
She put her phone down again, "Asim, we both told you that this needs to happen. You can't go through life just playing soccer. You need to start committing yourself to your schoolwork. If you're having trouble with reading which could be affecting that, we need to figure it out how best to help you. So, it is true that your father agrees with me."
"I heard you both talking about me," he answered back.
Blake now sat a little further back in the back seat bracing himself for what was coming. Staying silent, but letting his eyes follow the conversation. It was not the first time Asim challenged her but might be one of the better ones he witnessed.
She took her glasses off and the others in the car braced themselves as well.
"Right, you did. But, we were not disagreeing with each other. We were trying to figure out our schedules to get this done. There's a lot of paperwork and meetings that come into play with this. What you heard was me telling your father that we needed to make this a priority. What you didn't hear was him agreeing with me. Next time, I will make sure that is a private conversation that you do not eavesdrop on." Elizabeth was firm with him.
"I wasn't evendropping. You were in the kitchen," he fired back.
"It's called 'eavesdropping' when you are secretly at the top of the stairs listening. Yes, I saw you," she clarified. "Asim, this is not negotiable! You are doing this. End of conversation," Elizabeth put her glasses back on.
He continued watching the rain drops go across the window, "I don't even know what that word negotiable means!"
Elizabeth sighed and glanced at Blake behind her, who smirked.
Three hours later, they came out of the office building in downtown DC. Matt watched around them while Frank escorted them into the SUV. Asim all but stormed in front of them and practically threw himself into the back of the SUV refusing to sit with her.
Thankfully it was just the two of them in the car now. Blake had headed back to office before the appointment.
"I'm stupid and I don't want to talk to you," Asim barked at her as soon as Matt closed the door.
Elizabeth was quiet and turned back to look at him, "Asim, you are not stupid."
"You know what else is stupid?" he was furious with her and she had no idea why. He had all but left the testing office without her, running down the hallway until Matt who stopped him halfway to the elevator.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. As he got closer to turning thirteen, their relationship was growing further apart. She turned and faced forward and didn't give him an answer.
"You," he answered. She turned and glared at him and before she could say anything, Frank said quietly, "Asim, respect your mother," from the driver's seat.
Elizabeth gave the painful grin, "Why do you feel that way?"
"Because you are making us move and you haven't even told us. You made me hear it from the lady in there," he practically yelled at her.
"What are you talking about?" she asked him unsure what he was talking about.
"That lady said you are going to become President and we will be living in the White House. She asked me if I was excited to move into the White House," he practically yelled it at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Frank, please take us home. Asim is not going to school today," she said quietly.
"Yes, I am," he argued back.
She turned to her son, giving him the look. He caught on to this one and went back to silently staring at the rain out the window.
She typed a text to Blake, "Clear my schedule. I need to take Asim home."
Then she texted Henry, "Didn't go well. He's upset. Well, furious at me."
Henry was walking through the airport, "Take a breath, Babe. My flight leaves in 20 minutes. Text me when you get home and we can talk to him together."
Once they got home, the entered through the back door, he ran up the stairs taking his now common two steps at time. Not saying a word to her.
She sighed putting her bag on one of the dining room chairs. She texted Henry. "Home. Call when you can." She took off her navy suit jacket and threw it at a chair, untucked her light blue blouse from her navy pants and made herself another cup of coffee.
The phone rang and there was a knock at the front door at the same time. She answered the phone, "Hey…hold on." She opened the door.
Matt handed her Asim's backpack and soccer bag, "He left it in the back."
She gave him her small grin, "Thanks, Matt."
"Jay and Blake are on their way over," he informed her.
"Thank you," she closed the door behind her.
"Henry," she dropped Asim's bags at the coat rack and sat herself down in the chair.
He heard the desperation in her voice. "What happened?"
"Apparently, the woman conducting the testing, mentioned me becoming President and asked him if he was excited to move into the White House. It was bad enough he reluctantly went in. He came out of the room they had him in and he just ran. Right out the door. Matt was able to stop him in the hallway. He stomped his way out to the car. When we got in the car, he basically told me I was stupid."
"Oh no," Henry sighed, running his hand over his face. "Babe, I am sorry. Where is he now?"
"Up in his room. I need to make us some lunch," she said.
"Make him a fluffernutter. He loves your fluffernutters." They chuckled together. "Do you want to put him on the phone?"
She was walking up the stairs, "Yes, heading there now."
At the top of the stairs, she turned right. Made a slight knock at his door.
A sniffly, "Come in" came back.
She opened the door to find him sitting in his window seat, soccer ball at his feet watching the rain pouring down his window.
"Somebody wants to talk to you," she handed him the phone with a smile on her face.
"Hey Buddy!" Henry was on speaker. "Tough morning?"
"Yes," Asim reached up and moved the soccer ball so Elizabeth could sit. She sat down and looked at the raindrops pouring down his window. Reaching over she wiped a tear off his cheek.
"Well, let's begin with clearing some air. Your mother is not stupid and I want you to apologize," Henry spoke firmly to him.
He looked up at her. His eyes still as big as they were when she first met him, "I'm sorry."
She wiped another tear, "Okay. I know there has been talk about me running for and becoming president. That is a big deal. But I haven't made a definite decision yet. We have tried to keep those conversations from you and your sister to give you some sense of normalcy as you are both still young."
"That's probably where we made a mistake and we're sorry for that," Henry added.
"Okay, but I don't want to move there. I love this house. This is our home," he complained to them.
Elizabeth ran her hand on the side of his cheek, "We understand you feeling that way, but it is a couple years away and we have time to talk about all of that. You'll be a little older and may feel differently by then."
"Buddy, one other thing we need to discuss," Henry jumped in. "You are not stupid either. You are just struggling with reading, spelling and understanding some words. There is nothing wrong with that. These are things that can be fixed. But, to figure out how to fix them, you had to go through the testing today."
"But, Aamira is so smart and so are the olders," he said emphatically.
Henry said, "No comparisons. You are all different and each of you have your unique strengths and weaknesses. It is fine. We love you more than anything okay."
"Okay," he sniffled fighting back tears.
"My flight is boarding soon. I'll be home before you fall asleep. I will see you both then, okay?"
"Okay. I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, buddy."
Elizabeth took the phone off speaker and spoke to Henry for another moment. Hanging up she turned to Asim and said, "Fluffernutters and a movie"
"Yes!" he jumped up on his feet, she stood and gave him a hug.
They sat at the table eating their peanut butter and fluff sandwiches and watching historical videos of the White House. Talking about the cool things about living there. She hadn't officially made her decision yet but Asim was smart and he could see she was trying to convince him.
"You really want this, Mom, don't you?" he asked. A knock came at the door.
"Come in!" she yelled.
"We brought McDonald's" Blake announced as they came in the door only to be quickly disappointed by the sandwiches on the table. "You cooked?" he asked with a sad face.
Jay smacked his arm, shaking his head, "Sandwiches is not cooking, man!"
"I'll take the fries," Asim announced with grin, grabbing the bag out of Blake's hand.
Elizabeth looked at him, as he glanced back at her, he recognized that face. He turned back to Blake and Jay and said, "I almost forgot, thank you!"
"Asim, you can put on the TV while we meet ," Elizabeth removed their plates as Asim ran to the couch.
"Can I FaceTime Alison?" he asked.
Elizabeth smiled, "You can try but she might be in class." She loved the special bond between the two of them.
As she closed the door to the office, Jay said to her, "Testing didn't go well?"
She sighed, "The tester made a comment to him about me running for President. While also asking him if he was excited to move into the White House."
Jay dropped the file he had on her desk, "Ahhhh….are you going to run?"
"Look, if I am being honest. I know what everyone is saying including the President. Henry and I have talked about it. Honestly, I am just not there yet and not at the point to make it a family discussion, which is now being forced on me." she was exasperated as she looked at them expecting an immediate response.
Jay thought for a moment, if Blake wasn't in the room, he wouldn't hold back on his thoughts.
"I think you know where I stand on this. But, you have to make sure your whole family stands with you, including your most vocal child," he turned in the direction to where Asim was sitting watching cartoons.
She glanced that way as well, "Well, his reaction was definitely…." she paused.
"Unexpected." Blake finished for her.