Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:38:47 -0700
From: Jacob Miller <jacobmillertex@aol.com>
Subject: Shadow of My Father: Chapter 30

{The Shadow of My Father is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am
above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look
elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in
there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely
accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws as a minor),
if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing
area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading
it, stop reading the story.

This story can't be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my
expressed consent.}

Written by J.P.G.

I rarely do this, but as I wrote this chapter I felt I needed to say a few
words before you start reading it. I try to stay as true to the facts as
possible. As I wrote out this chapter, I researched the events. There is
not much written on the net about the inauguration of the governor of
Texas.

If you read this chapter and you know more facts that my editor or I were
able to locate, please forgive if I didn't get it right. Again I tried to
stay as true to the facts as I could, but I couldn't find much on it. Keep
in mind that this is fiction and at times this story is not going to be
true to the events on the timeline during that time.

Keep that in mind as you read this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. When
you drop me an email, please keep in mind what I just wrote. Please read
and enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for
continuing with me sagas.


				Chapter 30

Rose Hernandez sat looking out of the window as they fly over Texas. She
can't believe that her son will be the governor of Texas at this time
tomorrow. It seems still, as a dream that she hasn't woken up from yet.

For some reason Rose started thinking about her late husband. She knows
that this should be a happy time in her life, but she couldn't help but
think of her late husband. Everything that is going on now is all because
of him. Daniel has not forgotten his father and has always said if it
wasn't for his father, he wouldn't be where he is today.

If only Isaac Lopez, Daniel's father, could be alive today to see all the
sacrifices he made are paying off. How proud he would be standing at his
son's side tomorrow morning as he takes the oath of office. He would never
have imagined that he molded a son who would become the Governor of Texas.

There were times that Isaac didn't know they were going to make it from day
to day. As he grew up, education wasn't a priority. Getting out to work and
help support the family was the only thing he was taught and knew to
do. Unlike today everything is education, education and education. That is
the only way anyone will get anywhere in their lives today is by getting a
higher education than a high school diploma.

Isaac was the only one in his family that took education more seriously as
far as his brothers and sister are concerned. He finished high school and
got a teacher's degree. Although he could only speak Spanish, it didn't
stop Isaac from working.

He woke up at four the morning and would head to Juarez to teach until mid
afternoon. Before heading into his evening job, he would go home and eat a
meal and take a nap. At four in the evening he would head off to his second
job downtown. He managed and worked with a small crew cleaning offices in a
building of twenty floors.

As the years wore on, Isaac was able to buy a small house large enough for
their family. Nothing fancy, just a three-bedroom, one bath, kitchen,
dining room and living room home. To others it may seem like a small home,
but to us it was a mansion.

Isaac did everything for his family. He never once complained or regretted
any decision he had made. In his way of thinking he would kill himself in
order to keep his family fed and in clothing. His family is the only people
he really cared about. If anyone would put his family down he would fight
for their honor.

Until the day Isaac died, he held on to both of his jobs. When he started
to feel sick, he never thought of going to a doctor until it was too
late. When he finally went to the free clinic and got diagnosed with cancer
it was way too late for the doctors to do anything for Isaac at that point.

When Isaac finally ended up in the hospital and started to succumb to his
illness, he asked to go home and die in his own home. The doctors explained
to him and his family that he would not make it past the holidays, but he
didn't care. He wanted to die at home, in the house that he worked so hard
to buy.

The Monday before Thanksgiving in nineteen eighty-eight, his doctors told
him that he was not going to live much longer. A little after midnight on
Thanksgiving Day, Isaac passed away in his bed, in his home surrounded by
his family.

Rose knows that if he was here today, he would want her to enjoy
herself. This is a day of celebration, not a day for mourning. Their son
has accomplished something they thought was out of reach for anyone in
their family.

She got out of her seat and walked over to her son. He stopped talking with
his staff as she approached him. She sat down next to Daniel and grabbed a
hold of his hand. Daniel just looked at his mother as she rubbed their
hands together.

"You know how proud I am of you, don't you Daniel?" Rose looked in her son
eyes as he slowly nodded his head up and down. "You also know that if your
father was alive how happy he would be for you as well. He would run up and
down every street and brag about how wonderful and how successful you are."

"I know mom and I know all that I have today is because of you and
dad. Both of you taught me the meaning of work. Not to take anything for
granted no matter how good your life is going at the moment. There is
always going to be someone or something around the next corner. I am going
to take what you and dad taught me to keep me in my place."

Rose let go of her son's hand and she got up and left. She needed make sure
that her son understands how happy she is and how happy his father would be
if he was still alive. She hasn't really told Daniel in words on how happy
she is with everything he has done in his life. She sat back down looking
over at her grandchildren as they talked.

As the plane approached Austin Bergstrom International Airport, the fasten
seat belt light came on. Everyone took their seats and looked out their
windows as the plane landed. Josh though didn't look out the window until
the plane came to a complete stop.

They noticed the huge crowd that had gathered on the tarmac waiting for
their Governor Elect to arrive. The seatbelt light turned off, letting the
passengers know that it's safe to gather their personal belongings and move
toward the door.

Once they gathered everything, they lined up to exit the plane. They heard
the cheers for Daniel get louder and louder. The greeting felt like they
are rock band getting ready to go on stage. At least that is how the crowd
is acting. Over the crowd, they heard someone knocking on the door, it
opened and the stairs got pushed up to the plane.

Just as Josh and his brothers were about to exit off the plane, they got
held back. They didn't understand why they were being held back, than it
dawned on them. They need to exit with their father as a family.

Daniel with his family stepped out of the plane to the cheering
crowd. Daniel waved at the crowd as he walked down the stairs. Josh and his
brothers actually waved a couple of times as they smiled at the cameras
taking pictures of them with their father.

Josh and his brothers walked with their father as he headed over to the
rope line to shake hands. Josh was surprised when the crowd reached out to
shake his hand as well. He looked over at his brothers and saw that they
are shaking hands with those that extended their hand to be shaken. Josh
smiled and started shaking hands with anyone that wanted to shake his hand.

After shaking hands for almost a half an hour, they walked over to their
limousines. Josh, his brothers and their friends got into one and his
father and the others got into the other. The sirens of the police vehicles
started to blare as the cars started to move.

As they drove out of the airport, all of them glued themselves to the
windows. They wanted to take in everything they see. The limousines are
going slow because of the crowds in the streets gathered to greet the
Governor Elect.  That is giving Josh and everyone a chance to take it all
in.

Just like in El Paso, once they got onto the freeway, the convey started to
go the speed limit. Josh couldn't stop looking out the window as they drove
through the city of Austin. Soon they will be calling this their second
home. As they drove Josh looked around at the city and realized on how much
bigger it is than El Paso and more confusing.

The convoy exited off the freeway and headed over to the hotel. The police
vehicles stopped at the entrance of the driveway as their limousines drove
up to the front door of the hotel. Several bellmen walked over to the
limousines and opened the doors.

As the family and friends got out of the car, they were met with flashing
lights and questions being yelled at them from the streets. Daniel looked
over and waved as he started to walk to the door followed by his kids.

They didn't even have to check-in. They went straight up to their
rooms. Once they got off of the elevator, Daniel called everyone over to
him. He made sure that everyone understood that they are going to be
sharing a room with either one or three other people. The main family will
be in the suite with joining rooms.

Josh and his brothers followed Daniel and their grandmother to the main
suite. As they walked in, they thought they had rented an apartment not a
hotel room. This room has a living room, dining room, with a small kitchen
and three separate bedrooms.

Daniel took one room, their grandmother took the other and that leaves the
third bedroom to be shared by the four sons. As they walked into the room
they found two queen sized beds, a nightstand separating them and a
television.

"Look, why don't we make it easy as far sleeping arrangements. It's going
to be two to a bed so that means that me and Carlos in one bed, and Josh
and Brandon in the other bed." Daniel Jr. pointed to the beds as they
walked in.

No one objected to the arrangement Daniel, Jr. offered.  They walked back
out to the living room as the bellmen brought in their luggage. Each of
them grabbed their own suitcase and took them to their separate
room. Daniel is the last one out to get his luggage so he tipped the
bellmen.

Josh laid his suitcase in the corner of the room before heading out to see
Cesar. The minute he walked out the door of the room, Josh was met by
several armed guards. He froze at the door looking over each of the guard
standing before him.

"You can't leave this room young man, unless you are accompanied by one of
us. Even then you must give us prior notice of where you're going before
you go." One of the guards spoke up as he walked towards Josh.

"You will stop where you're at and not speak to any of these kids that
way. Your job is to assist the main security detail, not run it. Josh is
under my watch, and he is my responsibility one hundred percent of the
time."

Josh looked over to see Jonathan walking towards him. "Josh, come here
please. No matter where you go, I am the one that is responsible for
you. That is as far as your security is concerned. Now please let me know,
where are you going right now?"

"I'm just going over to see Cesar and his room. I didn't know that my
father has asked for extra security detail to be added to his already heavy
security detail."

"From now on your father is going to have more security around him than
he's ever had in the past. He is about to be sworn in as the Governor and
they want to make sure he is safe. But again, Josh, as far as you are
concerned I am still the one in charge of your security detail. With that
in mind, you still need to let me know ahead of time when you are planning
to go anywhere. You know that; don't ever leave without me at your side."

Jonathan patted Josh on his shoulders as they walked to Cesar's
room. Jonathan knocked on the door and walked in. He came back out and held
the door open for Josh to go in. Josh looked around the room and saw Chris
and Cesar standing at the foot of their beds.

"Trust me when I say this you guys I did not asked for you guys to be in
the same room. I guess my father figured that it was best to put you guys
together to keep away from any kind of arguments or fights." Josh laughed
as he walked over to the beds.

"Hey we have two roommates ourselves in here. That means the joke is on
you. Chris and I are going to be sharing a bed. Who knows what that may
lead to?" Cesar playfully grabbed a hold of Chris and pulled Chris to him.

Josh started laughing as he watched he current boyfriend playfully play
with is ex. What made it funnier is that Chris is actually playing along
with it. Josh liked seeing this and that is another sign that they are able
to move on and be friends.

Josh got up from the bed he sat on and tackled Cesar and Chris. They
started to play fight on the bed. Brandon's friends walked in and just
looked at Josh, Cesar and Chris tumbling around on the bed. They walked
over to the bed that wasn't messed up and sat down.

"Hey, hey, this room can't become a zoo. If you guys want to fight or
whatever you are doing, you will need to take it out to another room. We
want peace and quiet in here."

Josh got up and straightened up his clothes. "Look, if you want to act like
old men, fine, but don't ever talk down at me or my friends. You guys don't
even have hair one between your legs and you are acting all superior. We
were just playing, blowing off steam. We all just got off a plane where we
were sitting on our butts for hours."

"I am sorry Josh! It came out all wrong on what I was trying to say. Maybe
I am just tired from that plane ride you mentioned. I know there is no
excuse. I got a little jet lag and want to take a nap, that's all."

"Jet lag, I don't believe in that stuff. I think it is just in your mind
when it comes down to it. You probably hear it on television or you parents
say it all the time and now you feel it because you think it. Anyways, we
are cool; we will leave you to take a nap."

Josh, Cesar and Chris walked out of the room over to his. When they walked
in, Cesar and Chris just looked around it. They can't believe they actually
have this suite and they are stuck in a bedroom with tiny wannabe adults.

"I don't see why we can't sleep in the living room. We can actually make it
like a camping trip or something like that. Please Josh, ask you father and
see if he would let us stay here in the living room. We will not cause any
problems." Cesar walked in front of Josh putting his hands together as he
asked.

"I really don't think I have to ask him. My brothers and I have to share a
room. I'd rather sleep out here with you anyways. Let's just go with the
flow and make it a sleep over. My dad won't object as long as we are not
sleeping together."

Brandon walked in at that moment and jumped into the conversation. "If you
are going to sleep out here Josh, I want to as well. Let Carlos and Daniel
have the room all to themselves. It will make them happy and us happy at
the same time."

Josh walked over to his brother and pulled him towards him. They all sat
down and started watching television. The minute they turned to the pay
per-view channels, they noticed all the movies are on for free. They just
had to choose a movie to watch it.

Although they had the television on loud, they couldn't hear it half of the
time. The room got filled with people coming in and out to visit with
Daniel. Many of them are just people that want to say they have met with
the Governor Elect of Texas.

All of a sudden the room went quiet. Josh looked over to see what caused
this reaction. He didn't recognize the older gentleman walking in with his
own security detail around him. Whoever he is, he doesn't look happy like
the others.

Rich walked out and presented his hand to shake. The man that just walked
in refused to shake his hand. Josh heard him asking to see his father. When
Rich answered the man is when Josh and the others found out who he is.

Governor Puckett waited a few minutes in the doorway until Daniel invited
him in. The governor walked in and looks around the room. Daniel got up and
greeted Governor Puckett as he sat down in a chair.

"Mr. Lopez I do not like to be told no thank you when I invite someone over
to the state house. That is disrespecting me and the office I hold. You may
be Governor tomorrow, but today I am still the Governor of this state."

"Governor Puckett, with all due respect, the last time I took you up on
your invitation you treated me like the plantation owners treated their
slaves in the eighteen hundreds. I won't give you another chance to show me
that kind of disrespect."

"Mr. Lopez, we need to discuss what is going on within this state. You may
not agree with the way I run things but, as of tomorrow everything is on
your shoulders. I want to make sure that you are completely advised of
everything."

"Governor Puckett your staff has been briefing my staff every single day
since I won the election. Unless you held something back from those
briefings, I pretty much know what is going on in this state.

Like you just said that we do not see eye to eye on anything concerning the
way to run this state. You had four years to do it your way, and now it's
my turn. What I am hoping for is to show, at least for the next twenty-four
hours, that we can show bipartisanship as this position is handed off from
your office to mine."

"I don't see why we can't do that. What do you have in mind to show, at
least for the next twenty-four hours, this bipartisanship?"

"You are still the Governor of this state, and I'm not about to step on
your toes. Why don't you, your wife and any family members that are here,
come to dinner with me and my family. For myself, I don't care about any
photo op, but you can have it if you so desire. How does that plan sound to
you, Governor Puckett?"

Governor Puckett sat in this chair thinking about what Daniel said. "I like
the idea of a dinner, but not in public. It will be way too hard to clear
out a restaurant on such a short notice. Why don't we have dinner at the
Statehouse instead? As far as photos, I don't need any because I am done in
politics as of tomorrow."

"It was just me and my family I have no problem having dinner at the
Statehouse. I have to think of all the guests that I invited and I can't
let them fend on their own. We already have a restaurant booked for dinner
tonight. You and your family are more than welcome to join us at this
restaurant."

Daniel and Governor Puckett discuss the location of the restaurant and the
time. They shook hands, and Governor Puckett left Daniel's suite. As soon
as the Governor left, Daniel called in Rich to change the number of people
in their party for their reservations.

Soon after the Governor left, Mr. Edgar arrived at the front door. At
first, the security detail didn't want to let him in. But when Josh cleared
him, they let him in after searching him from head to toe.

"Josh, you are going to hate me for this. I have been wracking my head
against the wall about your solo. The solo I feel needs to show honor and
love at the same time. So I came up with a new song, and you're going to
have to learn it on your own.

This song is sung as a solo with just a voice and either a guitar or
piano. I really do believe your voice is strong enough that you're not
going to need any of that stage performance to bring out the song. You sing
it from your heart and what you are feeling; this song will bring tears to
every person watching."

"I am glad that you believe in me that much. You still haven't told me the
name of this song, Mr. Edgar."

"Hallelujah, originally by Leonard Cohen, produced in nineteen
eighty-four. Since then several rock, country and other artists have
re-produced the song. Your voice can actually carry this song between soft
rock and country music. You do not want to make it to slow or way to
fast. You need to find a middle ground that brings out the song and doesn't
put people to sleep or make them put in ear plugs."

Josh took the music sheets from Mr. Edgar and the guitar as well. He looked
over the music and noticed how long the song is. Most of it's the same
lyrics over and over again, but you got to know when to sing those lyrics.

"Mr. Edgar, if I start to practice this song and run into a wall how can I
get a hold of you, if that issue arises?"

"We are actually in the same hotel, but five floors down. All you have to
do is dial my room number and you'll get me. No matter what you decide
Josh, I will back you one hundred percent. I know your dad has a busy
schedule and some of that involves you being with him and your family."

Mr. Edgar left andJosh walked over to the chair and sat down with the
sheets of music. He started to sing the song in his mind as he read it on
the paper.

About an hour later, Daniel walked into the living room where all of his
kids and their friends are watching television. As he walked over to his
kids he stopped at his mother's room and knocked on the door. She came out
and joined everyone in the living room.

"What do you guys think? Should we go out and have some dinner now?" Daniel
spoke up, slapping his hands together.

Everyone turned and looked at Daniel and nodded their heads up and
down. They all got up and headed to their rooms to get ready. After getting
ready, they met at the elevator. Brandon hit the down button and the
elevator opened.

It seemed like a circus. When they got off the elevator and headed over to
the limousines, as the press is yelling out questions and taking
pictures. Regular citizens are yelling for the Governor Elect to sign
autographs or just wave at them.

It didn't take long to get to the restaurant from the hotel. Josh noticed
as they walked into the restaurant that they only closed off a portion of
it for their party. As they got escorted to their table, Daniel saw that
Governor Puckett and his family had already been seated.

Once everyone got seated and ordered their drinks and food, they started
talking in their own little groups. There isn't one conversation going on
at the table, but several. That didn't matter to anyone, they are all
having fun.

The press corps pressed their cameras against the window trying to get a
photo of them eating and talking. At one point, photographers actually
broke through and started taking pictures as he ran by. Josh and the others
couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

Governor Puckett and Daniel didn't talk about politics during
dinner. Instead they talked about their families. Governor Puckett's kids
are all grown and have families of their own. In fact, he is already a
grandfather times eight over.

"To tell you the truth I'm going to miss going to the office and working
everyday, but not the headaches of this job. Everyone that criticizes us
has never held a political office such as this. Some of the criticism I
deserved and some of it I didn't.

I guess I'm trying to say is I'm going to miss the job, but I'm not. When I
leave office tomorrow I'm going to love spending time with my
grandchildren. I missed out on my kids growing up. Now I'm going to try and
make it up with my grandchildren. I spent all of their youth building my
career.

One thing I would like to leave Daniel is this: Don't let this job run you,
you run this job. I let every job I held in my political career run my
life. In return, I lost moments of my children's lives that I will never
get back. You are young and your kids are young. Don't make the same
mistake all of us old politicians have."

Daniel responded; "You know Governor. I have thought about the very same
thing that you are talking about now. I don't want to uproot my kids from
the life that they know. I chose to be a politician not them. I want their
life to be as normal as possible.

It's going to be hard during the school year when they will be back home in
El Paso. I'm going to miss them every day that they are not with
me. Whenever a special occasion arises, I'm going to be there. Then I'm
going to have them here with me during every holiday. It's going to be
hard, but I have no plans of missing one moment of their lives."

The Governor and Daniel spoke about their families. They talked about their
kids, and what they want for them. In the Governor's case he can only hope
his kids are happy. Neither of them spoke about the pending charges against
Daniel's ex-wife.

The waiter came over to bring the check and the Governor and Daniel fought
over who's going to pay for the meal. Daniel won out and handed the waiter
his credit card. After signing the credit card receipt, they all got up and
walked out.

Before getting into their separate limousines, the Governor and Daniel
stood for the press to take pictures of them together. After snapping
pictures of just the Governor and Daniel, the press asked for the families
to join in.

After taking the pictures, both families shook hands before heading to
their limousines. On their way back to the hotel, no one could believe that
the crowd hasn't thinned down, in fact it got larger. The convoy could
barely move with them trying to get pictures and see the Governor Elect and
his family.

When they got back to the hotel it was after seven. They walked into their
room and sat down in front of the television. No one turned it on, they
just laid there. It looks like the day has actually caught up to them.

The day has caught up to everyone except Josh. He grabbed the guitar and
music and walked out the door. Jonathan followed him to the end of the
hallway. Josh sat down and started to play the guitar. At first, he didn't
sing the chorus. He just kept playing the music only, over and over again.

Josh had no idea he had been in the hallway learning the song for over two
hours until Cesar and Chris joined him. After they told Josh he had been
out here for hours, they sat down and didn't say another word.

As soon as Josh felt comfortable enough with the guitar part, he started to
sing the song in his mind. Chris looked up at Josh and knew what he is
doing. Chris looked over at Cesar and back over to Josh.

"You know how much I love hearing you sing Josh. You use to practice in
front of me for all your competitions. Please, sing the song out loud and
not in your mind. I know Cesar would love to hear it as well."

"I have sat out here with you since you started practicing, Josh. I
recognized the song the moment you started playing it. I wondered when
you're going to start singing the verses. Count me in as one that wants to
hear it as well," Jonathan added.

Josh didn't expect Jonathan to want to hear him sing. He thought that
Jonathan wanted to get back into the hotel room and out of the hallway. He
looked into each of their faces as he picked up the sheets of music.

"Mr. Edgar brought this music over to me to see if I would replace it in my
solo. If I sing it here now with you guys, my father might hear it. If I do
sing this song instead of my other one, I want it to be a surprise to my
father. I do thank you guys for sitting out here with me as I learned it on
the guitar, but you will have to wait until tomorrow."

Josh got up, helping Cesar and Chris up from the floor. He leaned in to
Jonathan and thanked him again for standing outside in the hall with
him. They all walked to the room and joined the rest in front of the
television.

By ten, everyone started to head to their separate rooms. Once Josh's older
brothers got up and went to bed, it left only Josh, Brandon, Chris and
Cesar in the living room. Brandon claimed the large couch; Chris took the
smaller couch, leaving the floor to Josh and Cesar. Josh didn't mind
because he is going to be up memorizing the song.

By two in the morning, Josh finally called a night. He put the music down
and lay down on the floor. The minute he closed his eyes, he went to
sleep. None of them woke up until, Daniel walked around waking them up.

Instead of going out for breakfast, they stayed in. Daniel felt it would be
quicker and easier if they would have breakfast from room service. He
didn't like the idea that much but he also knows he's limited on time.

As they ate breakfast, Daniel went over the agenda for the day. There can't
be any fooling around or falling behind the schedule. After the
inauguration, they can fool around and have fun but until then they have to
follow the agenda to the second.

They all finished eating and hurried getting ready. Each of them took five
minute showers, got dressed in their suits and waited for the others in the
living room. At eight thirty everyone made their way to the elevators. By
nine, the limousines carrying only Daniel and his immediate family drove up
to the Governor's Mansion on Colorado Street.

Governor Puckett and his wife met Daniel and his family at the front
entrance. They walked in to have their coffee and orange juice as they
talked. Governor Puckett gave Daniel and his family and personal tour of
the house. The Governor seemed to be much more at ease from the first time
they met.

They went back to finished their coffee and just talked. The out going
first family explained to the incoming first family everything they learned
from the best restaurants, to stores and how to deal with living in this
house! They sat there talking for over an hour when Rich walked in pointing
to the watch on his wrist.

They got up and headed out to the front of the house. They posed for the
press to take several pictures before getting into their separate
limousines. Governor Puckett's convoy left first, followed by Daniel's. As
they headed down to the State Capitol, the streets are lined with people
waving and cheering as the convoys passed them.

Once they arrived, they got out of their limousines and walked into the
State Capitol building. They made their way to the front of the building
waiting to be introduced. They have to wait for several legislators to be
introduced, the Lieutenant Governor, Governor Puckett and his family, and
then Daniel and his family.

As Governor Puckett was introduced, he got a mixture of applause and some
booing from the crowd. It got quiet before the announcer introduced Daniel
and family. As they emerged from the Capitol Building and made their way to
the stage, the crowd clapped and yelled out their approval of their
soon-to-be Governor.

In modern history, the Governor's that have won have been fossils. The last
time they have had a young governor was in the early nineteen
hundreds. That is why Daniel is well liked form all age groups.

He appeals to every age group. The youth likes him because he is young. The
middle age group like him because he is around their age. The elderly like
Daniel because he is well rounded and knows where he wants to take the
State; back to the time when everything was great and the government was
not in their daily lives.

Daniel walked onto the stage followed by his family. He shook hands with
whoever presented their hand to be shaken. They finally got to their seats
and sat down. The speaker of the Texas has stood up and started to
speak. As he spoke, Josh made his way around to the Glee club. As soon as
the speaker of the house finishes speaking, he is going to introduce the
Glee Club.

Josh walked up to Mr. Edgar and told him that he is going to replace his
solo with the song that he had given to him last night. Mr. Edgar smiled
and leaned into Josh to whisper to him where no one else could hear him.

"Are you sure that one night of practicing alone is enough Josh? I don't
want you to feel that I am pressuring you to sing this song in any way. I
just thought it better fit the occasion; a lot better than the one we had
chosen."

"Mr. Edgar I stayed up till two in the morning learning this song. I know
the song and I have it down on the guitar. I just hope you are right that
my voice can carry this song alone. You see something there I don't think
that I am ready for."

Mr. Edgar patted Josh on the shoulder. "You are ready to do this Josh. I
would never put you on the spot with anything that you are not ready for
and more so on a day like today. Just sit on the chair and sing to your
family only and forget the audience. If you do that Josh, you will be
fine."

Josh took his seat in the middle of the Glee club front line. The Speaker
of the Texas House finished talking.

"It is my great honor to bring to you a great group of young adults from El
Paso, Texas. They are the Glee Club of El Paso High School where our
incoming Governor's sons attend. In fact one of his sons is in the Glee
Club and will honor us today with a solo as well. Please put your hands
together and welcome the Glee Club from El Paso High School."

The audience started to clap as the Glee Club stood up. They started to
sing the first song they had practiced and went right into the second
song. The audience applauded as they finished the first song and the second
song.

It got really quiet as the Glee Club sat down and a chair was brought onto
the stage. They placed the chair in the middle as Josh went and got the
guitar from Mr. Edgar. Josh walked over to the chair and sat down. He
adjusted the microphone and looked out to the huge audience that showed up
to watch his father get sworn in.

Josh looked over to his father and family and smiled. Daniel Sr. smiled
back at his son as they both looked at each other. Josh looked back to the
audience and started to play the guitar. Immediately everyone knew what
Josh is about to sing.

Josh leaned into the microphone and started to sing. The audience stayed
completely quiet as they listened to Josh sings Hallelujah:

Now I've heard there was a secret chord. That David played, and it pleased
the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do you? It goes like this:
the fourth, the fifth; the minor fall, the major lift; the baffled king
composing Hallelujah

The Glee Club stood up and started singing the chorus with Josh.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

They sat down and Josh continued singing. Little by little the crowd
started to sing along with Josh. Even some of the audience started to tear
up.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the
roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you. She tied you; to a
kitchen chair; She broke your throne, and she cut your hair; and from your
lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before; I know this room, I've walked this floor; I
used to live alone before I knew you. I've seen your flag on the marble
arch; Love is not a victory march; It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

At this point the audience sang with the Glee Club as they stood up to sing
the chorus. More and more faces started to tear up as Josh continued
singing.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

There was a time you let me know; what's really going on below; but now you
never show it to me, do you?  And remember when I moved in you; the holy
dove was moving too; and every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

You say I took the name in vain; I don't even know the name; But if I did,
well really, what's it to you? There's a blaze of light; in every word; it
doesn't matter which you heard; the holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

I did my best, it wasn't much; I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch; I've
told the truth, I didn't come to fool you; And even though; It all went
wrong; I'll stand before the Lord of Song, With nothing on my tongue but
Hallelujah

By this time the audience pretty much had their arms around the ones next
to them singing the chorus with the Glee Club. They started to rock and
both as they sang the chorus, with tears rolling down their faces.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

Josh finished playing out the song on the guitar. Once he finished, it
became dead quiet in the audience. Josh looked out to the audience as he
started to get up from the chair. All of a sudden the crowd broke out in
applause as Josh stood up. He looked over at his family and father as they
stood up applauding Josh.

He turned and mouthed thank you to his classmates as he walked over to
them. They all walked to the middle of the stage and took a bow. Mr. Edgar
walked out and joined his Glee Club as they took another bow. Josh and
Mr. Edgar took several steps in front of the Glee club and they bowed for
third and final time.

As the Speaker of the House walked over to the podium, Josh tried to make
his way back to his family as quietly as possible. But the crowd wouldn't
stop applauding as Josh made his way and joined his family.

Daniel stood and walked over to Josh and hugged him. "You were great Josh!
I am so proud of you! That performance I will never forget! Thank you son!"

Daniel patted Josh on the back and took his seat. The audience after a few
more minutes of applauding quieted down for the Speaker of the House to
speak. He introduced the Chief Justice to administer the oath of office.

The first to be sworn in by the Chief Justice is the Lieutenant
Governor. He stood up and walked over to the podium with his wife at his
side. The Lieutenant Governor's wife held the family bible as the
Lieutenant Governor was sworn in.

After he took his oath, he sat back down. The Speaker of the House got up
and introduced Reba McEntire to sing the State Anthem and then the National
Anthem. Everyone stood and faced the flags as the anthems were sung. As
soon as Reba McEntire finished singing the National Anthem, a squadron of
jets flew above.

The Chief Justice made his way back to the podium as the Speaker of the
House asked for the oath to be given to the governor. Daniel, his sons and
mother walked over to the podium.

Daniel asked his eldest son to hold the bible as he took the oath of
office. He stood there and repeated the words that the Chief Justice
said. As the final words were said, Daniel hugged his children and mother.

They made their way back to their seats. Daniel shook hands with everyone
that he could along the way. Now former Governor Puckett and his wife
hugged Daniel congratulating him. They both shook hands as they sat down
again.

As the audience simmered down, the Speaker of the House spoke for the final
time. "It gives me the greatest honor and privilege to present the
forty-fifth Governor of the State of Texas. Your Governor, Daniel Lopez!"

The audience stood up and started applauding as Governor Lopez made his way
to the podium. Governor Lopez looked out over the sea of people and
couldn't believe his day has come. He is now, the Governor of the great
state of Texas.

He left the audience applauded as long as they wanted. Not only is this his
day, but their day as well. All of them worked hard to regain their
government. No one can quiet them down on this day of celebration. After
almost ten minutes of applauding the crowd settled down in order to hear
their new Governor speak.

"Good afternoon, my fellow Texans and citizens of this great country of
ours. Today marks the beginning of the end of government as usual in this
State. When I took the oath of office, it marks a new era for this
State. An era of the new government of the people ran by the people. We are
longer bystanders of our government of this State.

My first order of business as your Governor will be sending the special
interests and fat cats packing. They will no longer hold a seat at the
table as our laws are being made. They will longer influence the way we
live or the way our government is going to be run. Our legislators will no
longer come here to Austin to a line their pockets with as much gold as
possible before they are kicked out of office. Those days are gone as of
twelve noon today when I stood and became your forty-fifth Governor."

The crowd jumped up applauding, cheering and whistling as the Governor
spoke. He looked out to the crowd as they stood in agreement with him. He
cleared his throat as the crowd settled down to let him continue.

"We saw the greatness of our government today. The power of this office was
switched from one person to another without war or violence. One man stood
down as another took the oath by the will of the people of this State.

Governor Puckett and I do not see eye to eye on where this State should go
in the next four years. We saw that plain is day as we campaigned against
each other for this office. Even after the election we saw the differences
between ourselves.

Putting politics aside, Governor Puckett held this office for four
years. No matter if I agreed with his politics or not, he did what he
thought was best for this State. He told me last night that he's going to
miss this job. Through all the criticism he loved walking in and doing the
job that he was elected to do.

Governor Puckett you are leaving this office, and you will be missed. You
have been a cornerstone of Texas politics for over three decades. From
local politics, to State Attorney General and all the way up to Governor of
this great state of ours, you have molded this State's legislation for many
years to come."

Daniel looked over to Governor Puckett and started applauding and the crowd
joined in. Governor Puckett stood up with his wife and looked out to the
crowd. This will be the last time he will ever stand as a political figure
in this State.

"Every new mayor, governor, and president has a honeymoon period of a
hundred days. I will not ask for a honeymoon period. There is so much work
to be done, the minute I walk off of this stage I and my administration
will start working.

The very first piece of legislation we are going to put out is balancing
the budget of this State. We'll going to do it without adding new taxes to
the already over burdened tax payers. In fact we are going to balance the
budget and lower your taxes.

We must hold our government accountable for every penny it spends. If you
and I have to live on a budget every month, so can this government! If by
the end of the month there is no more money to the account, then we can't
spend. We must go back and look where we over spent so we don't do it again
the next month.

There is no more open credit line for this government. We can't spend today
for our kids to pay tomorrow. As I was taught growing up by my parents and
grandparents, if you don't have the money to buy that extra item, then you
don't need it. As long as you have a roof over your head, food on the table
and clothes on your back, everything else is just extra.

Once we balance the budget we will move on to other pieces of
legislation. Ranging from making our government smaller, to helping out the
private sector create new jobs, all the way to boarder security and
everything in between.

Look at what I just said; `helping out the private sector', not taking it
over. The government doesn't create the jobs; they help the private sector
along the way. When the government keeps its hands out of the private
sector, that is when we flourish.

My fellow Texans, we have a lot of work ahead of us. In order to accomplish
and we promise I made you on the campaign trail, we must now unite as one
and work together. The elections are over, the people have spoken, and now
it's time to govern.

Let's put politics aside. Let's put our in differences aside. Let's forget
what party we belong to. Let's stop worrying about what party controls what
body of government and what we can do to harm that party so where the other
party receives control in the next election. Let's just govern for the
people that have elected us to our positions. If we do this, no politician
will have to worry about re-election.

I love this State and everyone I am no sworn to represent. I am not going
to do one thing in office that will hurt any citizen of this state. I will,
at times, not please half of you and then others times I won't please the
other half.

At times when I do something, the press, talk shows and news channels will
rip it apart for ratings saying it isn't good or that I am going the wrong
direction. I am asking you to believe in me and what I am doing. When it is
all said and done, you will see it is for the good of all the people in
this State.

We must all work together and not bicker with one another. If we believe in
ourselves, our government and our neighbors, the future I outlined for this
state will come true. I am honored to be your Governor. I will work every
minute of every day on your behalf. I will not rest until every one of my
promises has been completed.

Thank you for giving me this chance and I will never forget where I came
from. God bless you and this great state of Texas."

The crowd jumped up applauding Governor Lopez as he finished his
speech. The governor walked over to his family hugging them as the voters
looked on. They stood there waving at the crowd before walking with the
former Governor and his family back into the Statehouse.

After talking a while with different legislators from both parties,
Governor Lopez found his family and made his way back to the
limousines. Instead of going to the hotel, they went straight to the
Governor's Mansion to relax before the party.

Governor Lopez walked in and made his way to the Glee Club. He wants to
thank them for coming down to sing for him and the people that watched the
inauguration. After speaking with the Glee Club he made his way back to
Rich.

"Governor, I would like you to meet a very good and dear friend of mine
Alfred Serna. Alfred Serna, this is the Governor of the State of Texas."
Governor Lopez shook the hand of Alfred as they were getting introduced.

"I have heard so much about you and I have wanted to meet you for long
time. Why don't we go into the office and talk a little before I get pulled
way on something else. I would like to see what your plans are for the next
four years."

They walked into the private study of the Governor's mansion and sat
down. Since this is the first time either of them has been in this
house. They have no idea where any thing is at. They just sat down and
started talking with each other.

"I am glad to hear that your grandson is back home and safe. I met him
during the Christmas break. He and my son seem to have hit it off."

"Yes, with him back home, I don't have to worry that much about him. Don't
get me wrong. I still worry about him, and everything that he has to face
in life. It seems as he gets over one hump, something else comes up."

Both of them sat there talking about Josh and Jacob. They both agreed they
could do so much to protect them. But they're going to have a lot of hard
knocks before they even reach college. Hopefully after they get into
college, things might get smoother for them.

Their conversation switched from their kids and grandkids to politics. As
more and more that Al spoke about his belief in government, Daniel started
to like him and realized what Rich sees in him. Al believes in almost the
exact same things as Daniel does. The very few things that they don't agree
on won't be on the agenda.

"Al, as we start to work and get into the every day running of this office,
there are things I will be learning on the job. I will need a strong
political man that is knowledgeable of not only the law, but can get the
pulse of the people. I can get the pulse of the people really good because
I came up from the people. But I will get lost from time to time and I will
need someone to direct my attention.

What I'm trying to say here Al, I would like to offer you a political
position on my staff. The position I would like to offer you is political
adviser to the Governor. You will have the full support and backing of my
office whenever you speak on behalf of me or my office. You only answer to
me or Rich and nobody else."

"Governor Lopez, I would be honored to serve on your staff. In order for me
to not get blinded of the every day business of Austin, I would like to be
able to advise you as an outsider looking in. That is the only way you will
get the honest truth."

"I have no problem with that at all Al. In fact, that is a very good
idea. That way you can come in and help whenever it is needed. Like if we
need to call you to help get legislators on board on any kind of
legislation, political questions or just your advice, you can do it without
being blinded by the business of this city."

The Governor and Al sat there talking about Al's duties. Neither of them
had any objections and pretty much agreed down the line. They finished up
talking when the door opened and Rich walked in.

"The Lieutenant Governor has been waiting outside to speak with you
Governor Lopez. He has been getting a little antsy. If you and Al are done
talking, you can squeeze in the Lieutenant Governor before your next
appointment."

Governor Lopez nodded his head in agreement and asked Rich to bring in the
Lieutenant Governor. Daniel and Al got up as the Lieutenant Governor walked
in. They greeted each other and sat down. This time Rich didn't leave the
room nor did Al.

"Governor Lopez I came down to get right down to business with you. A lot
of the legislators got very nervous after your inauguration speech. Those
people that you call special interest groups and fat cats are those that
helped us get elected. We don't have them at the table as we make laws like
said, but we do special favors here and there for them when we can."

Daniel smiled wryly and sad; "With all due respect to you and all the
legislators that has spoken with you about their concerns. I am going to do
what I said in my inauguration speech. They should not be given any kind of
special rights or privileges that other regular Texans don't get.

We share the duties in this State, you and me, but I sign the laws. If any
law is passed by our state legislators has pork in it, I will veto it. From
now on the laws that are passed must be for all Texans, not just for a
small group of Texans.

So go back to those that spoke with you and tell them they should be
afraid. If they promised those that gave to their campaign fund something
special, they will not get it through unless it works in the positive for
all Texans, no matter if they are poor, middle class or rich."

The Lieutenant Governor just sat there in his chair trying to
regroup. Daniel couldn't believe this is the first battle he is going to
fight with his Lieutenant Governor. This is not something he or any of the
legislators want to take on as a battle. No matter if you are Texan or not,
everyone is tired of the special interest groups and fat cats.

"Don't you realize that you need the legislative branch more than they need
you? You do not want to anger them, because if you do, none of your agenda
will get accomplished and then you will not get reelected."

"Let me tell you something here and now as clearly as possible. I am not
going to govern by the polls, what is popular and what is not or what I can
do to get re-elected in four years. I am coming into this job with a mind
set as a one term governor. That is the only way things are going to get
done for the people of this State. If I do the job as the people want it
done, I won't have to worry about re-election; that will take care of
itself."

The Lieutenant Governor looked at Governor Lopez as if he just killed his
dog. These two men do not see eye to eye on anything. Governor Lopez wants
smaller government and the control of the government in the hands of the
people. The Lieutenant Governor believes in the opposite. The government is
the answer to everything. These two men are going to clash with each other
in the next four years.

"If that is all you came to speak with me, I have several other meetings on
the books to get to. If you have anymore concerns, you can make an
appointment with my office and we will speak again. I am more than happy to
talk about anything with you or anyone else that may have a concern. My
door is always open to anyone."

The four men got up and shook hands as the Lieutenant Governor left. Rich,
Al and Governor Lopez spoke until his next meeting. They made plans on how
to handle the Lieutenant Governor. After they finished discussing that,
Rich and Al made their way out as the Governor continued with his meetings.

Josh, his brothers and friends started to explore the Governor's
Mansion. One thing they noticed right away realized is that a lot of the
things in this house are pretty old. They have to be very careful on not to
break anything.

As the got to the bedrooms, they started to walk in and out of them. Just
then Daniel Sr. walked into the hallway and called out for them. They
walked over to their father to see what he needed from them.

"Boys, you need to get ready for dinner and then for the party tonight. Any
of these rooms you can pick as your own, but once you pick your room, that
is going to be your room while we live in this house. There is not going to
be any switching at all."

Before the Governor could say another word, Josh and his brothers started
running back into the rooms. They had already claimed certain rooms to be
theirs if they were given the choice of rooms. Daniel couldn't help but
laugh as he watched his kids be kids.

Josh, Cesar and Chris ran into the room that Josh wanted to be his. They
started to explore every inch of the room when the door opened. Jonathan
walked in to inform Josh and his friends that the luggage has been brought
from the hotel.

They walked out of the room and went over to the luggage in the middle of
the hallway. Each of them grabbed their own luggage and went back into the
room. Quickly they pulled out what they are going to change into and hit
the showers. As soon as they got ready, they made their way back to the
dining room, getting lost a few times on the way.

As the boys were getting ready, the house emptied. Everyone had left to get
ready for the party this evening. The only ones out side the family that
stayed is the kids friends, Al, Rich and a few other people the kids have
not met.

They all sat down and had their first meal in the Governor's Mansion. It
felt weird to Josh to have everything being served to him. If he wanted to
have seconds, get another drink, or just get another spoon, someone from
the kitchen staff would do it for him.

After dinner, the boys headed to the back yard of the Mansion. They started
to explore as much these could before they had to leave for the
concert. They couldn't even get a quarter of the backyard covered before
they got called in.

They met their father, grandmother and a few others at the front door. They
loaded up in the limos and headed out to Texas Memorial Stadium for the
concert. As they walked in, the audience started to cheer and applaud.

Josh, Cesar and Chris made sure they sat together where they could talk
through the concert. Country music isn't their thing and they don't want to
fall asleep. They have been up since six this morning and still have a long
night ahead of them.

After the concert, they will return to the Mansion and there is going to be
a private party there. The performers here are going to do a private
performance for the Governor, his family and close personal friends at the
mansion.

The concert started and the audience loved every bit of it. Just like any
singer, when they got into their older music, the audience sang along. At
one point, the audience started to chant out their Governor's name.

Daniel made his way to stage. He thanked the audience for coming and
celebrating with his family. He introduced George Straight to the
stage. George didn't let the Governor leave though. He got him to sing
along with him several of his songs before Daniel was able to make his way
back to his seat. He made his apologizes for not being a good singer like
his son as he left the stage. The audience laughed along with Daniel.

After the concert, they made their way back to the Mansion. Soon after they
arrived, the back yard got filled with guests and family. The final party
of the night got on its way. This party wasn't as formal or as boring as
the concert.

They didn't have to just sit and watch the performers. They could actually
get up to dance or just roam around. Several times through the night,
Daniel got up and danced with Barbara, his personal assistant. Daniel
seemed to love being around Barbara. She is bringing out another side of
Daniel that the boys haven't seen before.

Josh sat there looking at his father happy that he is happy right now. He
never saw his dad this happy with their mother in all their years of
marriage. It is starting to look like his father might be falling in love
with Barbara.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{This chapter I looked forward to writing. I know it only covered two days,
but two important days. It is setting up how all four of my stories are
going to come back together. If you read it close enough, you will see a
familiar character in this chapter.

Alfred Serna, Jacob's grandfather, appeared in this story for the first
time. In the last couple of chapters, Jacob and Joey have appeared in this
story. I know it is weird to see them together because where we are at in
"Jacob Finding His Way". It is just the time line is different and everyone
needs to remember that. Now it is important that Al is here at the
beginning of Daniel's political career.

Now that Daniel is the Governor, he will be in Austin and the kids will be
back in El Paso. That doesn't mean that you won't hear much from
Daniel. This story will be split between Austin and El Paso. The only
reason for that is where you understand how Daniel continues to further his
career in politics and still be a father to his sons.

We learned at the beginning of the chapter about Daniel's father. We saw
earlier on in the story Daniel's mother appear, but we never knew what was
up with his father. I never got any emails on it, but I felt I needed to
answer a question that might be out there. This guy will not appear out of
no where and he wasn't a bad guy. He just had bad luck in life culminating
in his early death.

We also saw Josh, once again, perform for his father with the Glee
Club. This is the first time I put the verses of the song in the story, I
hope you guys didn't mind. I wanted you all to feel as if you were there
watching everything.

Also we had another speech from the Governor in this chapter. There is a
reason I put it in and as the story unfolds you will see. We all know from
the beginning of the story that Daniel makes it all the way to the White
House, but how he gets there is still a question. From now on you need to
pay attention to all the nuggets I drop as far as what Daniel does. That is
how he makes it to the White House.

We also have the Lieutenant Governor in this story. With Martha gone as of
now and Elizabeth in the background, we need a new villain in story. The
Lieutenant Governor is going to be the one, but in a different way. He is
going to be major thorn in Daniel's side and cause a lot a political
drama. You don't want to miss that at all.

This chapter only covered the inauguration and that is it. In the next
chapter the kids will spend a week with their father, but will be returning
back to El Paso. All that drama, open plots and villains will come back.

We will find out if Martha gets away with what she did. In the last
chapter, Elizabeth popped her head out, but in the chapters to come she
will be coming at Josh full force. We still have the unfolding
relationships between Josh and Cesar, Patrick and Frank, and the brothers
are going to have their girlfriends. Chris and Josh are becoming good
friends and Chris is going to find his own Cesar along with Eric and
Bernice being out there as well and getting to know one another.

School has just started on their second semester. So there are a lot of
things in the wings that are going to develop in the story. If you think
the first semester was a roller coaster ride, you have not seen anything
yet. It has all just begun.  Buckle up and get ready, the ride of this saga
is about to get even more exciting.

So many open plots and so many more plots to come in this story. I love the
political scenes a lot and I hope I am not offending anyone with them. Keep
in mind it is only a story and I am trying my best not to preach my
beliefs. Please stay tuned and I promise that you guys will not regret
opening every new chapter.

I could stay here all day long, with all the open plots already in this
story, but I won't. I warn you though! Do not skip a chapter, or you will
be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading
the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am
doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

Even with the chapter only covering two days, it was sure packed!  It
seemed like a long haul from the election to the inauguration. Sometimes
the "getting ready" is harder than the "doing" in a job like Daniel is
taking on. He now has the power of the office behind him so he can actually
get something done.

So, he's scared the old guard politicians.  Hmmm...this is 1991...and I
think we could use a strong dose of that with our politicians in 2010 !
With Daniel's popularity with the electorate and the press waiting at every
corner to get a word from him, the old guard had best lay low. With a
single two minute chat with a reporter, Daniel, at this point could kill
someone's political career.

I noted with interest that Al Serna is going to be a special advisor to the
Governor. We know from "Jacob Finding His Way" that Al is a very savvy
operator and I'm sure he's going to come in handy when the Governor needs
touchy issues handled discretely, under the radar.

Ah, a new dastardly villain!  I'm sure the Lt. Governor is going to bring a
lot of excitement to the tale. He seems to be so steeped in the "business
as usual" type of politics that Daniel is dead set against. I wonder if the
man is dumb enough to take on the new Governor. Daniel and Barbara...it
will be interesting to see what develops there.

I wonder how long it's going to be before Rich gets gay rights issues in
the Governor's agenda.  Will Rich reveal his sexuality to his boss?  I also
wonder about Rich's personal life. Does he have one worthy of note or is
Rich the consummate professional, married to his work?

It was interesting to get a glimpse into Daniel's past and learn about his
father. Although his father died earlier, it seems he firmly planted great
values in Daniel that have served him so well throughout his adult life.

It's going to be interesting to see how everyone reacts to the new life
realities that are being set in motion with Daniel working in Austin and
the family being in El Paso.

I hope that this finds all things well in your world.

Until next time,

"Daddy" Rick