Zmansionthegovernorsmansion

By MaryClaire Schulz

June 24 Last night, or early this morning, I suppose, I left the house I had lived in for 9 years. I'm not quite sure if I'll ever return to it because I'm not really making my own decisions anymore. When I applied for the job as the governor's chauffeur, I thought it would be a temporary thing. Mary and I had been planning to move out into the country for a while; she had grown up there and always been a country girl. At the time, Matthew had been only 3, and Janie was practically newborn. We had always wanted to raise our kids in the country. But money got tight, and my bus driving job just wasn't cutting it. Without a college degree, my options were slim. When I heard about this chauffeur job working for Governor Knight, I knew I had to seize the opportunity. I could save up enough money to buy a little house and a little bit of farm land, and we would be set. But six months turned into a year, and a year turned into several. I had fallen into the routine of driving Governor Knight around the district to give speeches, make appearances, the usual governor's public duties, when I was called into his secretary's office one afternoon. When I entered his young secretary Janet's office, I immediately noticed her eyes looked swollen and bloodshot. Seeing me enter, Janet turned away, looking embarrassed. She simply handed me a sealed white envelope. I quickly left the office to leave Janet alone and tore open the envelope in the hallway.

"Dear Sir or Madam," it read. "Governor Knight has recently decided to construct and move to new quarters outside of the district. He has asked you to consider remaining part of his permanent staff at his new residence. This means you will move to the new home along with him. Unfortunately, your immediate family or others you may reside with may not move to the new property, for press reasons and lack of space. We regret to inform you of this, but we hope you will still consider our offer. Of course, for this sacrifice, we will raise your pay considerably and you will be allowed to send it home to your family. If you do decide to accept this offer, we also ask you not to reveal these plans to your family. They will be assured of your safety and that you are not able to reveal your whereabouts due to government privacy. We please ask you to notify us of your decision no later than Friday, by way of personal email to Governor Knight. Thank you for your time."

This was the most shocking letter of my life, and no one took the time to personally address it.

Later, I realized Janet must've gotten the same later. She had been working for the governor for only a few months, and I know she needed the money. It made sense that she was upset; right around the same time she started working for Governor Knight she had gotten engaged.