Julie Hyzy - Eggsecutive Orders

Those of us on staff had been told what the visiting public had not. All yellow bunnies were performers. The rest of the “hare” staff, aside from the official “Easter Bunny,” of course, were Secret Service agents in disguise. They would keep in character by mingling and interacting with the kids, but in case of trouble, the pink, purple, and blue rabbits were on call.

The yellow bunnies on the balcony were pretending to conduct the band while the families on the ground stared up, enjoying the beautiful music and crisp spring day. When the song ended, Mrs. Campbell stepped to the microphone. She gave a short speech of welcome and reminded everyone that the races would begin when her husband blew the whistle.

From that moment on, it was a whirlwind. My team and I worked the grills, barely getting time to look up and enjoy the show. When we did, during the infrequent lulls, I watched the little kids run around in bouncing bunny ears while happy parents looked on. Next to us, a kiddie band played nursery rhyme songs, and in spite of all I had on my mind, I found myself humming the ditties by early afternoon. Catchy little buggers.

At some point soon, the Marine Band would be called upon to play. I thought how much Mom and Nana would be thrilled to hear them.

I checked my watch. They should be here by now. After a quick confirmation that things had slowed down and everything was under control, I asked Henry to oversee the process while I went to find my family. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He waved a spatula at me. “Take your time.”

I made my way down the gentle slope toward the Ellipse, where guests were still arriving. I had told Mom that I would be stationed near the East Wing, so I hoped to find them somewhere in the approaching crowd.

“Ollie!”

I turned. Nana was waving-her smile as bright as the day had turned out to be. I changed directions, and was about to ask where Mom was when Nana closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm. “Guess who we ran into?”

“I have no idea-”

“Ollie!” Kap called as he and my mother made their way around a group of stroller-pushing parents. “Wonderful party.”

I gave him an auto-pilot response: “Thanks.” Then collected my thoughts. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Do you have grandkids participating?”

He laughed. “No, unfortunately. I have a little business to take care of today.” Well, wasn’t that cryptic. “It’s amazing what events you can attend when you pull a few strings. But I am delighted to see you again.” At that he tugged my mom’s arm tighter into his. “This has been a most pleasant surprise.”

Nana nudged me. What she wanted me to say or do, I had no idea. “Mom, I want to be able to take you inside later,” I said, and then turning to Nana, “Both of you.” So as not to appear too rude to Kap, I added, “My family has never been inside the White House.”

“Then you are in for a treat,” he said. He looked about to say more, but his eyes tightened. I followed his gaze. Phil Cooper and his wife had just struck up a conversation with Ruth and Joel Minkus. Why Kap should be distressed by this, I had no idea, but I read his concern as clearly as if there were a neon sign above his head advertising it. “Will you excuse me?” he asked. With that he turned and walked away.

“That was strange,” Nana said.

The Coopers and the Minkuses looked to be engaged in lighthearted conversation, but when Cooper leaned forward to say something to Ruth, she instinctively leaned back. Body language rarely lied, and I wondered what vibe she’d gotten from this man that made her want to keep her distance. No matter. I found it more interesting that when Kap approached, all conversation stopped. So, why not join the happy little party to find out more?

“Let’s go say hello,” I said, and led Mom and Nana closer.

“Good to see you, Ruth. You, too, Joel,” Kap said, shaking Joel’s hand. Ruth murmured politely.

Kap held a hand out to Cooper and introduced himself. Cooper obliged and both men acted as though they had never met before. What was up with that?

Kap shot me a look that reminded me of my promise not to mention his presence at the White House the other day. But none of this made any sense. D.C. was a small enough town. They could have run into one another any number of ways-and they had both been at Minkus’s wake. Their charade made me curious and the hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle.

“It’s good to see you, Ollie,” Ruth said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “This event is so cheerful. And we needed something to cheer us up. We’re very glad we came, aren’t we, Joel?”

Joel put his arm around her. “Very glad.” He turned to me. “My mom needed a break. She’s been staying in the house by herself all the time.”

“Look over there,” she said excitedly. “Senator Fredrickson. Go say hello.”

He shook his head. “I’m here for you today, Mom.”

I was close enough to hear her whisper, “And the whole reason we came out was for you to network. So get going. You will never win that senate seat without help.” She pushed at him. “Go on.”

He obliged, clearly under duress.

“Now that the crowds have died down, maybe you ladies would like something to eat?” Kap asked. “How about we sample these lovely buffets?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Mom said. She and Nana joined Kap. And, much to my surprise, the Coopers and Ruth followed.

“Help yourselves,” I said, “while I make sure everything is under control.”

I checked in with Henry, who waved me off. “We’re doing fine,” he said with a wink. “I have done this before, you know.”

Cyan called me over. “Henry is enjoying his time in charge again. Take advantage of it. Go enjoy your family. We’re fine.”

Mom and Nana had gotten in line in the right-hand buffet behind Ruth Minkus and Francine Cooper. Kap and Phil Cooper went to the left. As I passed behind the two men, I heard Cooper whisper, “I told Ruth we were getting close.”

Kap’s reply was tense. “You didn’t tell her what was missing?”

“No, of course not. She still thinks it was an inside job.”

“She doesn’t suspect?”

Cooper almost laughed. “I think she suspects you.”

Kap kept his voice low. “She despises me. But I understand why. And if Joel has political aspira-” He stopped himself when he saw me. “Ollie, what can I do for you?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you finding everything you need?”

Kap gave me a puzzled look. I could tell he was wondering whether I’d overheard them. What did Ruth not suspect? That her husband had been poisoned by some missing tetrodotoxin?

Cooper seemed unfazed by my sudden appearance. He smiled, and brought his face close enough to mine that no one nearby would be able to hear him. “Thank you, Ms. Paras, for not mentioning our visit the other day.” He glanced around. “At least not to those outside the White House.”

“I will be the first to admit I don’t understand,” I said. “But-”

“Yes, thank you,” Kap said, cutting me off.

Just then Mom and Nana joined the group, looking for a place to sit. “When you’re finished,” I said to them, “I can take you on that tour.”

Because I didn’t think it appropriate to sit and eat with the guests, I meandered over to watch an egg roll race, reflecting on how this was exactly the sort of family event that our nation was famous for. I talked with a couple of volunteers and then made my way back to the buffets. Ruth was waiting for me. “Why is Kap sitting with your mother?” she asked.

I shrugged, not thrilled about the situation myself. “They’ve been seeing each other,” I said. “Socially.”