Series: Snapshots of the Past
Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The Nobel Laureate
Chapter 40
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: The Bartlets visited the most famous "igloo" in Sweden - the Ice Hotel; Jed and Abbey talked about him running for Congress (chapter 30)
Summary: During a nighttime reindeer sleigh ride through the village to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, Jed and Abbey hold a family meeting
Author's Note: Thanks to all of you for reading and thanks for all the feedback you've given on this story! It's been a fun ride!
After dropping off their belongings and changing into full Arctic clothing and ski boots provided by the hotel, Jed, Abbey, and the girls started on a short walk upriver to a local restaurant where they splurged on a hearty meal of Swedish delicacies and hot berry drinks to prepare them for the night ahead.
It was a daunting task, avoiding the questions that Liz and Ellie fired at them when they left the restaurant. They couldn't understand why their parents insisted on waiting for a driver instead of hiking back to the hotel on foot, the same way they arrived. Zoey, who was frustrated that Jed had picked her up for fear that her tiny body would be swallowed by the massive snowdrifts that surrounded them, cried and whimpered in his arms until she felt the cold remnants of a shattered snowball that bounced off Jed's shoulder.
Jed turned around then to see his sneaky wife spying on him with a mischievous twinkle dancing in her eyes. Liz, Ellie, and Zoey fell silent, giving Jed their full attention as he handed Zoey off to his eldest daughter and kneeled down to pack his own snowball.
Abbey should have known better than to try to escape his retaliation. If there was one thing she had learned over the course of last couple of winters at the farm, it was that Jed Bartlet was the king of snowball fights. Neither she nor the girls could ever beat him, though the four of them had teamed up frequently to try.
Still, she hid behind the wood pillars that flanked the entrance of the restaurant, abandoning her shield when he boldly sauntered around. She had set only one foot on the stoop when he grabbed her by her hips and unapologetically smothered her with a handful of snow. Abbey fought back. With the help of her daughters, she hooked her leg around the back of Jed's knee, and yanked on his arm until he fell flat on his back into the soft cushion of a snow bank.
For once, Jed was overpowered. Zoey crawled onto his chest while Abbey, Lizzie, and Ellie pounded him with snowballs. His salvation came several minutes later when Ellie caught a glimpse of antlers heading towards them in the deep misty fog.
"LOOK!" she shouted.
Lizzie took Zoey so Abbey could help Jed off the ground. Together, they restrained the kids from running out to the middle of the path to greet the arrival of their reindeer sleigh.
"What if we don't see it?" Ellie cranked her neck back so far that the top of her head hit the rim of the sleigh.
"We will," Abbey replied.
"But what if we don't?"
"If we don't, then we'll try again tomorrow."
"But I wanna see it tonight."
Bundled up under a large wool blanket, each with his or her own thermos of hot chocolate, the Bartlets looked up to the sky as the reindeer trotted along the winding Torne River. Though they had never been so cold, Jed and Ellie didn't dare complain. They both knew it was worth the frigid temperatures and the tingling limbs if it meant that, for one second, they could see the phenomenon they had read about in astronomy books time and time again - the Northern Lights.
Lizzie wasn't nearly as excited. "It's really cold. Are we going to stay out here all night or are we going to give up at some point?"
Abbey had to agree. She pulled another blanket out of a wicker basket the driver had given them before he handed over the reigns and she spread it evenly over her three daughters. "That should help."
They crossed a clearing towards the outskirts of town where Jed stopped the reindeer and moved to the other side of the carriage so he could face his family. Ellie sat just across from him, Liz to one side and Abbey and Zoey on the other.
"Are we giving up?" Ellie asked, alarmed.
"No, we're not giving up, but while we wait, we are going to change our focus a little. There's something we want to talk to you girls about."
"I knew it!" Liz triumphantly declared. "I knew there was something going on! What is it?"
"We're going to have a family meeting."
"Here?"
"Yeah."
"But before we start, we want you to know that your father and I didn't bring you up here just for this reason," Abbey began. "We planned this excursion to Jukkasjärvi our first day in Sweden. It was just to have fun. Nothing more. It's important that you know that because we want you to be honest with us. You have to tell us how you really feel about what we're about to say because it's going to affect all of us."
"What is it?" Liz's jubilant tone was replaced with concern.
"Well..." Jed waited for Abbey to nod. "You know what I do in the state legislature, right?"
"You make laws," Ellie shrugged as if it was a trick question.
"That's right, I do. Those are laws that are passed for the state of New Hampshire. What if I said I could make laws that affect the whole country. What would you say?"
"Are you going to run for office...like the national senate or congress or something?" Liz questioned.
"Maybe. I've been asked to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. What do you think?"
Surprised, Lizzie paused for a moment, then said, "I think it's great! You'd be so good at it, Dad!"
"You think so, huh?"
"I do, but..." It took a few minutes to register, but when it did, Liz stopped to gather her thoughts.
"But what Lizzie?" Abbey prodded.
"I don't know what it means."
"I don't know what it means either," Zoey agreed.
"Well, it means that if I win, I'll be one of New Hampshire's representatives in Congress."
"No, I know that," Liz replied. "I mean, congress is in Washington. How can you work there? Are we all going to move?"
"No. You and your sisters will stay in New Hampshire with your mother."
"And you?"
"If I win, I'll have to move to Washington."
"Without us?" Ellie was outraged by the suggestion. "Why?"
And if Ellie was outraged, it usually meant that Zoey would be too, even if she didn't understand exactly what was happening. "Why, Daddy?"
"It won't be a permanent thing, Sweetheart. We'll have most weekends. And congress takes so many recesses. I'll be home so often, you won't even know I'm gone."
Abbey sat Zoey next to her sisters and joined Jed on the other side of the carriage. "That's right. He will be home a lot. Now don't get me wrong, if we do this, we're all going to have to make some sacrifices. And there will probably be times that you'll want your dad around and he just won't be able to be there. But if you guys are on-board, we're going to do our best to make it work."
Liz shook her head. "I don't like this idea. If Dad moves to Washington, we should all go."
Jed was touched by her loyalty. "Oh, Lizzie, I'd love nothing more, but we can't all move."
"Why not?"
"All right, back up," Abbey interjected. "Let's take it one issue at a time, starting with the campaign. The reason for this meeting is to get everyone's thoughts. If your father runs, it's going to affect all of you. Do you understand that?"
"Not really," Ellie said softly.
"You know how just a few months ago, there were campaign ads on television? Remember? They kept telling us to vote for this person or for that person."
"Yeah."
"Well, that's what's going to happen here. Instead of your dad going door-to-door the way he does when he runs for state legislature, he's going to be doing campaign ads."
"Daddy's gonna be on TV?" The idea energized the eight-year-old.
"Yeah, he is. And so will the people running against him."
"That's neat!"
"No, it's not, El." The point of their mother's message wasn't lost on Liz. "She's trying to say that the person who runs against Dad may say some mean things about him, the way they did before this year's election. Right?"
"That could happen, yes." Jed answered.
"Why would they want to be mean to Daddy?"
"Because that's how politics works," Lizzie blurted out, inviting Jed's disapproving response.
"Hey, don't say that."
"Why? It's true. All those commercials were awful."
"I know, but we're supposed to be weighing the pros and cons here and you shouldn't be filling Ellie's head with the negatives of politics without telling her about all the positives."
Ellie sunk back into her earlier confusion. "What positives?"
"I'll get to make national laws, for one. And I'll get to represent all the people of New Hampshire. I'll do things to help them, to protect them." When he didn't get much of a reaction, Jed continued. "And I'll be renting an apartment in Washington, D.C. which means that you guys can come to DC any time you want. How does that sound, Zoey? You wanna go to DC again?"
"Yeah!"
"Jed."
He detected Abbey's warning. "I'm just trying to point out the good things."
"Zoey has no idea what all of this will mean. Don't mislead her."
Though it was tempting to draw a picture so alluring that it would at least secure him Zoey's vote, he had to admit Abbey had a point. "Okay. Look, girls, I'm not trying to say this isn't a big deal. It is. It's a very big deal. This decision will determine the next few years for all of us. The reason we're talking to you is because what you have to say is important. If any of you are against this idea, I won't do it."
"You won't run?" Liz was shocked by that possibility. She assumed her parents had already made up their minds and that this discussion was to inform them of their decision.
"No. I won't run."
"Do you wanna run?"
"I don't want to do anything that makes any of you unhappy."
"But you do wanna run."
"I won't lie to you, Lizzie. The idea is an interesting one. Your mother and I have raised you to know how lucky you are - how lucky we all are - to live in this country where every person has a vote. Every single one of us can affect change. It's a privilege to be part of a democracy and it's one I never take for granted. So when the House Minority Leader approached me, yeah, I wanted to run. But I thought about it, about the logistics of the campaign, of winning, of losing, of living so far away from my family and suddenly, it seemed like a really bad idea. Then your mom made a few good points and we talked about it some more...and then some more after that and we realized that we can't just dismiss this opportunity as if it never existed. We decided that we had to talk to the three of you because the only way to do this is as a family."
"So it's up to us now?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah, it is."
Lizzie brought up one of her earlier objections. "What are we supposed to say if they say the kinds of things about you that they said about each other before this year's election?"
"You're not supposed to say anything, Lizzie," Abbey replied. "That's going to be up to us to handle, not you guys."
"But how are we supposed to just ignore it?"
"By realizing that when they say those things, it's because they're scared out of their minds. Your father is an intelligent, handsome, charismatic man and when he speaks, people listen. That's going to scare his opponent. It's going to scare him so badly that he'll want to say whatever he can to make himself look better. Girls, we can't always live our lives based on what other people might say about us. Your dad wants to do amazing things in Washington and I don't think worrying about what people might say is a good enough reason to back out. Do you?"
Though she listened to her mother's speech, Ellie had other things on her mind. "But I still don't want Daddy to live in Washington alone."
"I'm not too crazy about the idea myself, Princess," Jed assured her. "But if I win, I'll have to come back to New Hampshire practically every week. I'm even going to open an office right there in Manchester. I meant it when I said I'll be home a lot. Washington will be where I work. New Hampshire will be where I live." He tucked a finger under Ellie's chin when she lowered her head. "Hey. You believe me?"
"Yeah," Ellie replied. "Will we get to call you?"
"Any time you want! Day or night, it makes no difference."
"And can we visit you in Washington?"
Abbey moved across the carriage once again to sit between Zoey and Ellie. "I'll tell you what, Ellie. If your dad wins, he'll be sworn in in January. Now, you guys have February vacation a month later and then you have spring break in April, right? Well, what if I promise you that no matter what, we'll be in Washington for those two weeks you're off school and your dad will try his best to come home all the weekends in between?"
"I'd like that."
Jed returned the sweet smile that lit up Ellie's face. "I'd like it too."
"You're really gonna help people, Daddy?"
"I'm going to try."
"Are we gonna vote on it?" Lizzie asked.
Jed shrugged. "Are you guys up for a vote?" Liz and Ellie nodded. "Okay then. Lizzie, join me over here."
Liz got up to change her seat. "Why are we spread out?"
"It's our answer to a secret ballot," Abbey replied, staying put between Zoey and Ellie. "We want each of you to vote with her heart and we don't want you swayed by one another. So when we ask for a show of hands, we want you far enough apart that you won't know what the others are doing."
"We're going to raise our hands?"
"Yeah."
"Even me?" Zoey asked.
"Yes, even you, Munchkin."
Liz was apprehensive about the idea. "Couldn't we do something a little less corny?"
"No." Jed dashed her hopes. "We're going to raise our hands."
"Majority rules?"
"Unanimous."
"Really?"
"Really," Abbey said. "It has to be unanimous. We don't want to force anyone into it. It's too important. Now, is everyone ready?"
"Yes," Liz, Ellie, and Zoey answered somewhat in unison.
"Okay, close your eyes."
Lizzie did as she was told, but as she clenched her eyes shut, she repeated, "This really is the cheesiest thing we've ever done."
"Elizabeth, no more talking or else I'm sending you to the igloo," Jed warned her.
"The hotel?"
"No. There's a miniature igloo about ten feet away."
"There is not." Liz peaked through one eye.
"Close that eye!"
She giggled. "You stopped here because of the igloo?"
"In case we got cold. Now close your eyes."
"This is still the cheesiest thing we've ever done."
"I know, but we're doing it anyway." Once she was sure their eyes were closed, Abbey asked the fateful question. "If you're in favor of your dad running for congress, raise your hand."
Jed laughed when he saw Zoey raise her entire arm without hesitation. He turned to see Liz who had also raised her hand, though her gesture had been less animated than her sister's. Finally, he and Abbey both looked to Ellie. Jed thought he had rid her mind of her soft-spoken protests, but deep in her heart, Ellie still had doubts.
She didn't understand the game of politics. The only time in her young life she had ever seen the competitive nature of an election play out in front of her was when Abbey challenged Jed on a ballot initiative. But because her parents had shielded her from the negativity of that race, she hadn't truly been exposed to the last election cycle and the firestorm of negative ads that Lizzie described.
She didn't like thinking about them and she couldn't comprehend why her father would want to open himself up to the possibility of such a thing. And more importantly, she didn't like the idea of Jed moving far away. Families should always be together, he had raised her to believe. What he wanted to do now contradicted that sentiment and for that reason, she thought about voting against the idea.
But then she remembered what Jed said when he told her about it. He would be helping people, she reminded herself, and despite the drawbacks, the end result would be a positive one.
With Jed and Abbey watching, Ellie's hand rested comfortably in her lap for what felt like an eternity. Then, slowly, her fingers began to move and she started to lift her wrist. Just as she reached her shoulder, she stopped though. Jed held his breath, confused by what she was thinking. Once again, Ellie raised her hand and this time, she extended her arm all the way above her head.
"Are you guys sure?" Abbey asked. "If anyone wants to change her vote, she can do it now." No one moved. "You're sure?"
"Yeah," Liz and Zoey replied.
"Yeah," Ellie answered a moment later.
The girls opened their eyes and stared at their parents.
Abbey watched Ellie's reaction as she told them the news. "So, it looks like we're gong to run. It's gonna be fun, right?"
Lizzie was clearly thrilled. "Are we gonna help?"
"Of course," Jed replied. "You can help if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to."
"I wanna help."
"Me too!" Zoey added.
"I wanna help too." Ellie's response eased Jed and Abbey's concern. She may have been hesitant before, but now, she seemed a little more confident. "When do we start?"
"We won't start actually campaigning for at least a year."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Liz asked.
"In the meantime, we enjoy the last night of our vacation."
"I wish we could stay here longer."
"I do too." Ellie looked at her mother, pleading. "Can't we stay till Christmas?"
"I'm afraid not. For one thing, what about Santa?"
"What about him? Daddy said that Santa always knows where we are. He can bring presents to our room at the hotel."
"Girls..." Jed tried to interrupt the conversation when he saw a flicker of light high in the sky.
"We don't have a chimney in our room. How's he going to get in?"
"Girls..." Jed repeated.
With a sinister grin, Lizzie said, "The same way the boogey man does. Through Ellie's bedroom window."
Ellie glared at her sister while Abbey whispered to Zoey, "She's kidding."
"Girls..."
All eyes turned to Jed and he directed them to gaze up at the stars, where for the next few minutes, ripples of red, blue, and purple flames shadowed the green streaks that lit the sky. Like curtains blowing in the wind, the colorful rainbow of lights passed over them quickly and the bright points swirled like rhinestone-studded pinwheels for mere seconds before fading into an even emerald glow.
"Was that it?" She was initially uninterested, but even Lizzie had to admit that was the most spectacular sight she had ever seen.
"I wanna see it again!" Ellie stood up as if that would provoke another sighting. Liz followed her lead.
"Jed?" Abbey called out to him.
"Yeah?"
"You were right. That was pretty incredible."
Ever since he was a little boy, Jed dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, the real spectacle, not the cloudy and obstructed version he occasionally caught over the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Now that he finally had, he was practically speechless. It was more incredible than he expected it to be, more breathtaking than he could have ever imagined.
All the books he had read and the pictures he had seen didn't do it justice. He realized now that no one could come close to describing the magic of the Aurora Borealis unless they had seen it themselves, and as he sat back in the sleigh and listened to the cold Arctic breeze humming around them, he counted his blessings that he had his family there to share it with him.
"It was, wasn't it?" he replied to his wife.
"What are you thinking about?"
He looked at each one of his daughters, then locked eyes with Abbey. "This...the five of us sitting out here, talking, bickering, complaining. Years from now, when I look back on our trip to Sweden, it won't be because of the Nobel Prize. This is what I'll remember."
Abbey stepped to his side of the sleigh and slid in beside him, holding up the end of the blanket to snuggle under it. "Me too."
The End
To Be Continued in Changes