Conrad gives Elizabeth a call while she's out on the campaign trail.
"Ma'am," Blake is knocking on my hotel room door. I check my watch and realize it's not as late as I thought, and I'm tired. Campaigning is the most exhausting thing I've ever done. I didn't realize that embarking on this journey meant being this exhausted. I'm a politician. I admit it now. But campaigning for President is more personal than I thought it'd be. And I miss the fuck out of my husband and my kids.
"Yes?" I inquire as I open the door.
"POTUS is on the line for you." He says, holding my cell phone. I grab it, thinking about where I had left it for Blake to have it in the first place. "Thanks," I mouth back to him.
"Yes, Mr. President?" I assume he's going to ask a foreign policy question. He still does that from time to time. He says it's because he doesn't want to make a mess for me to clean up later. I like that he does that. It reminds me of what I'm working towards. I sit on the couch in my hotel room and try not to yawn. I really should be sleeping.
"I am calling to let you know that you have shown an especially meritorious contribution to the security and national interests of the United States and world peace. I invite you to the White House next week to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom." I sat silently for a moment, stunned by the way I was when he asked me to serve as Secretary of State. Why would he want to give me that particular honor? I'm nobody. At least, I still feel like nobody.
"You've earned it, Bess. More than anyone else I have given that metal to." He continues sincerely. I nod as if he can see me. I don't feel like I earned it. Does anyone who receives an honor like this feel like they've earned it?
"Thank you, Mr. President. I would be honored to accept your invitation." He laughs at my formality, but it felt appropriate. I've spent much of my adult life trying to be someone my parents would be proud of, especially my dad. I was always a daddy's girl. Some of my first memories are of my dad reading the newspaper to me in the mornings before he left for work. He would make up news stories about a queen who ruled her kingdom fairly. She would go on adventures to other kingdoms and work to make alliances to catch pirates and thieves. She would hold town halls and let her people vote on policy.
My father is the reason I fell so easily into diplomacy. My father, born in 1938, had witnessed three major wars in his lifetime. Being born just a year before Hitler invaded Poland and watching World War II's effects on my grandfather, who fought with the Navy in the Pacific Theater, made my dad particularly insightful on how conflicts should be resolved. My dad is the person who taught me about President Wilson's 14 points and about how the UN worked. My dad taught me the importance of voting for candidates based on their service record, not just their campaign promises. My dad taught me how to fight for myself and, in turn, how to fight for the world.
I have fought for the world. I have fought for democracy. I have fought to end wars. I have fought to destroy the world's most powerful weapons. I'm not done fighting. I will keep going as long as the American people allow. I will continue to stand for what is right. I will continue to make my father proud.