From: la095at8@csulb.edu (Michael Ejercito)
Subject: Oval Office-part 4
Date: 10 Dec 1995 00:23:10 GMT
Message-ID: <4ad99e$n21@garuda.csulb.edu>
Summary: Sam leaps into President Dwight David Eisenhower

   part 4

   As Dwight Eisenhower ate his lunch,he looked around the commissary. 
A blue carpet covered the floor. Enlisted personell in white uniforms 
carried trays with food to people eating lunch. There were a row of pay 
phones along the wall to the right of the entrance. A wide-screen 
Magnavox television was perched on the wall to the left of the 
entrance,while several small televisions were hanging from the ceiling. 
The televisions showed scenes of troops fighting to protect Zaire. All 
the tables were covered in blue tablecloth. There was a bar at the 
opposite end of the entrance. 
   Eisenhower asked Al,"Are you married?" He noticed the gold ring on 
Al's finger.
   Al replied,"Yes,I am married. In fact I am celebrating my thirty-ninth 
anniversary today."
   "Happy anniversary. Who is your wife? Do you have any children?"
   "My wife's name is Beth. I have four children. They are all girls. 
Their names are Theresa,Ruthie,Sharon,and Maxine. Ruthie is engaged to an 
Army officer serving in the war. She says she will marry him as soon as 
he comes home."
   "How did this war start? I mean,how did communism gain a foothold in 
Africa?"
   "An Ethiopian nationalist led a military coup to overthrow the 
government forty-four years ago,in 1955. It turned out he was a Marxist. 
He established a communist regime in Ethiopia. Forty-two years later,in 
1997,his communist successors invaded Zaire. The purpose of the invasion 
was to control the diamond mines which is the source of the world's most 
important military resource."
   "Are we winning?"
   "No,we are just in a stalemate. We are in a coalition force with 
European,African,and Middle Eastern countries. But this is just a 
stalemate. While we are keeping Zaire from the communists,we are not 
driving them away. It is a matter of who can hold out the longest. We 
have to keep Zaire from being taken by communist forces,or another Cold 
War may start."
   "Another Cold War?"
   "We just barely won the last one,and only because the Soviet economy 
collapsed. The war is affecting project Quantum Leap. Funds have been 
diverted from all programs,including this one,to finance the war. 
Congress is considering shutting us down for that purpose."
   "It would be a shame if this project had to be shut down because of a 
war."
   "Well,we can't let Ethiopia control those diamonds. Communism has not 
completely died out yet,and our failure in this war might revive communism."
   A tall man walked into the commissary in stiff,robotic movements. Al 
called to him."Come over here."
   The man said in a stiff tone,"Yes,Admiral?"
   Al said,"I would like you to meet Dwight Eisenhower,former President 
of the United States. Mister Eisenhower,this is Captain Earvin 
Singleton,our chief of security."
   "Hello,Captain Singleton,"Eisenhower said,extending his hand. 
   "Hello,Mister Eisenhower,"Captain Singleton said in a stiff,monotonous 
voice. They shook hands. The handshake was stiff.
   Captain Singleton went to eat by himself. Eisenhower asked,"Why does 
he act like that?"
   Jerry answered,"All military people act like that while on duty. I 
took an ensign out on a date last night,and she did not act like some toy 
soldier. She only acts like that while on duty."
   Eisenhower asked Jerry,"How old are you?"
   "I am twenty-four years old. I am the youngest scientist on the staff. 
I was a child math prodigy. I could do simple arithmetic at the age of 
two. At age ten I mastered calculus,at age thirteen I went to MIT. I came 
here a few months ago. I guess it is better than fighting a war somewhere 
in Africa. But if the war continues,Project Quantum Leap will be shut 
down and I will lose my job."
   "Thank you,Jerry."
   A woman with blond hair walked in. She went up to Gooshie and kissed 
him. Gooshie said,"Mister Eisenhower,this is Tina,my wife. Tina,this is 
Dwight Eisenhower,former President of the United States."
   "Hello,Tina,"Eisenhower said.
   "Hello,Mister Eisenhower,"said Tina. They shook hands. 
   Al,noticing that Eisenhower was finished with his meal,said to him,"Do 
you want to finish the tour?"
   "Yes. I think I would like to see more,"said Eisenhower.
   "We have to go now,"Al said to the others. Al and Eisenhower got up 
and left the commissary. 
   "Imagine that. I was talking to a person who died before I was 
born,"Jerry said to the others sitting with him. 

   In the White House,Sam was exploring the rooms. The last time he was 
here,he could only visit certain rooms. But now he was the President of 
the United States,and he could go where he pleased. 
   He wondered,what did Dwight David Eisenhower do wrong that Samuel 
Beckett had to fix? As President of the United States,he could right any 
wrong. He could even drop an atomic bomb on Moscow if he wished.
   As Sam was in the Green Room pondering the powers and responsibilities of 
being the leader of the most powerful country on Earth,he heard a door slide
 open. "Al,"he said as Al walked into the imaging chamber."Does Ziggy 
know why I am here?"
   "No,"Al replied. Sam paused for a moment,then asked,"How was the tour?"
   "I enjoyed it,and so did Eisenhower. We went to the control room,main 
lobby,commissary,security office,power generator,and my own office. I 
showed him personal computers,push-button telephones,and color 
television. He is in the waiting room reading newspapers and magazines."
   "Al,I have to go to a conference with Republican party leaders in a 
few minutes,"Sam said,looking at his watch.
   Al said,"Don't spoil this,Sam. Remember,you must not ruin his chance 
for reelection."
   "Don't worry,Al."
   Sam was in the presidential limousine with Al and a few Secret Service 
agents. The limousine was rolling down the streets of Washington. Police 
cars to the front and back shielded the limousine. They passed the 
Smithsonian Institution and the Capitol Building. The limousine parked 
beside a hotel entrance. A man in a tuxedo opened the door for Sam. Sam 
and the Secret Service Agents walked out of the limousine and towards the 
hotel. Al walked very close to Sam. Sam said to Al,"Must you breathe down 
my neck?"
   Al said,"I have to be here to make sure you don't make a mistake. 
Remember,you are the President."
   One of the Secret Service agents heard Sam and said,"Mister 
President,we have to breathe down your neck. We can not let some nutcase 
blow your brains out."
   "Tell that to Kennedy,"Sam muttered.
   "What,Mister President?"
   "You're doing a good job."
   They walked through a rotary door. Sam pushed the door to get in,while 
Al just walked through the solid glass frame. They went to a door marked 
"CONFERENCE ROOM". Inside,they saw Vice-President Nixon and Republican 
Party leaders. Nixon said,"Nice of you to join us,Mister President."
   Sam took a seat at the end of the long table. He said,"I think we are 
here to discuss the upcoming 1956 election."
   One of the Republicans said,"What issues will you stand for,Mister 
President?"
   "For one thing,I will support civil rights for blacks."
   "Blacks?"one of the Republicans asked,not knowing what he meant. 
   "You know,Negroes,"Sam said in reply.
   Al said,"I think you should use fifties terminology."
   Sam continued. "For one thing,I will support school integration. Last 
year,in Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka,Kansas,school 
segregation based on race was declared unconstitutional. I intend to 
support and enforce the Supreme Court ruling."
   "But what about the South?"Nixon asked. "I do not think they would 
like that."
   "I am a man of principle,"Sam said to Nixon. Sam looked at 
Nixon,thinking about Watergate. Nixon certainly had no principles,Sam 
thought. He hoped that Nixon would remember what he said when he resigns.
   Later that night,after the meeting was finished,Al was talking to Sam 
about what he said. "I liked the way to told Tricky Dick over there about 
being a man of principles,"he said to Sam. "I have to go now. I'm 
celebrating my thirty-ninth anniversary."
   "Goodbye,Al,"Sam said as Al opened the door to the imaging chamber and 
left. 
   Al was in the parking garage,a huge,cavernous space. "Celebrating your 
anniversary?"Gooshie said. 
  "Yes,"Al said as he got into his Corvette. He started the car and 
backed out of his space. He went to the exit and told the parking 
attendant to open the door. The door opened and Al drove out into the 
desert.
   Al and Beth were in their house celebrating their anniversary with 
their children and other relatives who flew in. A banner hanging from the 
living room read "HAPPY THIRTY-NINTH ANNIVERSARY AL & BETH". Al was 
talking to his daughter Ruthie. 
   "So,Ruthie,how is Dennis doing?"he asked his daughter.
   "Dennis is doing fine. I received a letter from him. He is over in 
Zaire fighting that war,"replied Ruthie. Ruthie held a strand of her 
black hair. "I hope he comes home so I can marry him."
   "He is a good kid,"Al said. 
   Dennis was an Army lieutenant who was engaged to Ruthie. He was 
sarving in Zaire protecting the diamond mines and other mineral resources 
which made the area an important source of strategic materials. 
   Beth said to Ruthie,"Well,it is when he is away is when you know 
whether you love him. When your father was a POW in Vietnam,I realized I 
loved him and I did not seek a divorce. If he had not been captured by 
the VC,none of you would have been born."
   "Thanks,Mom,"Ruthie said. She had always believed this story. She 
wanted her fiance to come home. "I hope I get to have a thirty-ninth 
anniversary with Dennis."
   Sharon and Maxine,the youngest of the children,gave their parents a 
gift. "I hope you enjoy it,"Sharon said. "Happy anniversary!"added 
Maxine. 
   Theresa asked Al,"So,Dad,how is you career in the Navy?"
   "It is going fine,"said Al. "That is all I can say. How is your job 
flying for Continental Airlines?"
   "It's great,Dad. Before I got here,I had to fly in from Chicago. We 
had an emergency,there was a fire in the engine. We all had to evacuate 
and just as we left,the plane burst in flames."
   "I guess flying a civilian passenger jet can be as dangerous as flying 
a Navy bomber." Theresa could see Al was relieved that she was not 
injured or killed. 
   Back in the White House,Sam was in Eisenhower's bed with Mamie. He was 
wearing pajamas,and Mamie a nightgown. Sam was thinking of Al,about the 
anniversary he made possible.
   "Is there anything wrong?"Mamie asked.
   "Just the pressures of leading the nation,"said Sam.
   "Good night,Dwight,"said Mamie as she kissed him. 
   "Good night,Mamie,"Sam said before turning off the lights and 
plunging the room into darkness.