She had heard that the President was good for refreshments but short on substantial food. He was always watching his weight and evidently thought everyone else should. A few minutes later she stuck her head in Raymond’s office and they signed out and headed down the street.
Stan’s Deli was a jewel in a city full of unique eating places. No one could beat the sandwiches at Stan’s. The kosher pickles were crisp and had just enough brine to make them mouthwatering.
Sarah had a corned beef sandwich, sliced so thin you could almost read through it, on rye with mustard and pickle. Raymond had the pastrami on Russian rye with brown mustard and two large pickles along with a bag of chips. She had a Jones Cherry Cola and he had a Jones Root Beer. They made small talk while they ate. That is to say, Sarah ate and Raymond wolfed his down. He was finished with his sandwich before she was even halfway done with hers. He decided to go back and get a dessert to finish off the meal.
“Man, I love the food here,” he said, taking a large bite out of the Coconut Cream Pie.
“Best deli in the city,” Sarah agreed.
“You are undoubtedly chomping at the bit to know what I wanted to talk to you about,” Eller said, taking another bite.
“No, I’m chomping at the corn beef she quipped. Of course I am curious. It is seldom that we talk outside of the office.”
“True. I’m sure you are aware that I spent over three hours with the President. You know the general contents of that meeting,” he said, looking around quickly.
“I assume you’re talking about the interview tapes?”
“Exactly. Besides reviewing those, he has asked me to take on another assignment. I can’t tell you what it is about but you’re a smart woman and I am sure you can put two and two together. My assignment will cause me to be away from the office for extended periods at a time. How long I don’t know just yet. It is safe to say that Homeland Security will need someone to stay on top of the daily operations. I have created a new position, Assistant Director of Homeland Security. I would like to appoint you to fill that position,” he said, downing the rest of his cola.
Sarah could hear the words but they did not compute. She was the most junior of the station heads. She was shocked at what he was saying.
“Are you sure? I mean, I am grateful for the consideration, but what about Stuart, Eric, and Laura? Don’t you think they will feel some resentment?”
“Well, I guess that won’t be my problem if you accept the position. You will have to show them why I chose you. I will talk to each of them individually but once I am on my other assignment it will fall on you to keep everything running smoothly. One of the first things we will do after I talk to them is to make an official announcement. You know how Washington loves a new story. The reasoning behind the new position will be explained by our growing caseload and congressional hearings that keep me from performing my job efficiently,” he told her.
“I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m really taken aback by this and I strive to never be surprised by anything. I’m honored, honestly.”
“Good. So you will take the position?”
“Of course. Absolutely. I will have to promote someone into my old job and I can handle that. How long will I have to learn what I need to cover for you?”
“Unfortunately, not nearly as long as either of us would like. I won’t just dump this on you and I will be in touch with you as often as you think necessary. I have total faith in your ability to handle the daily operations.”
“Wow. We should do lunch more often,” she laughed.
“Right, but you pay next time,” he said smiling.
“Thank you Raymond, I really appreciate your faith in me. I won’t let you down.”
“It never entered my mind that you would. One thing I will need you to do immediately is to get Snapp to hold off on any public or private talks about the situation we discussed before,” he said, keeping his voice below the general din in the deli.
“I certainly understand. I’m sure I can buy plenty of time if I tell him that we are taking what he said seriously and are looking into it. We’ll hold on if I promise to give him inside information that we find out so he will have official confirmation to make his report even more authentic,” Sarah said.
“Excellent. Now, what questions do you have for me about all of this?” he asked.
They spent the next twenty minutes talking about her new office, pay lane change, job description, and other practical matters. They agreed that he would wait until he had talked to all three of the other station heads before he released the information. He also agreed that it would be best for everyone if he didn’t attend her first full staff meeting. She needed to establish her position immediately.
