However, the older Pauline could not let love and empathy blur her vision. Pippa had to learn not to let an argument become a fight. Pauline had to steer her carefully. Like most political problems this could not be solved by brute force, only by finesse.
Gerry returned with Pippa. She was short for her age and slim, like Pauline. She was not conventionally pretty, having a wide mouth and a broad jaw, but a sunny personality shone out of that plain face, and Pauline felt swamped by love every time Pippa walked into the room. Her school outfit, a loose sweatshirt and blue jeans, made her look quite childish, but Pauline knew that underneath she was rapidly becoming a woman.
‘Come and sit by me, honey,’ Pauline said, and when Pippa sat down she put an arm round the girl’s small shoulders and hugged her. ‘You know how much we love you, and because of that we need to understand what’s happening at school.’
Pippa looked guarded. ‘What did Ms Judd say?’
‘Forget about Ms Judd for a minute. Just tell us what’s troubling you.’ Pippa was silent for a few moments, so Pauline prompted her. ‘It’s about history lessons, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Tell us about it.’
‘We’re studying the Nazis, all about how many Jews were murdered. We’ve seen pictures of the camps and the gas chambers. We learn the names: Treblinka, Majdanek, Janowska. But what about the people wiped out by us? There were ten million Native Americans when Christopher Columbus landed, but by the end of the Indian Wars there were only a quarter of a million left. Isn’t that a holocaust? I asked when we would be studying the massacres at Tallushatchee, Sand Creek, Wounded Knee.’
Pippa was indignantly defensive. That was what Pauline expected. She did not think Pippa would crumble and apologize – not yet, anyway. ‘That sounds like a reasonable question,’ Pauline said. ‘How did the teacher answer?’
‘Mr Newbegin said he didn’t know when we’d be studying that. So I asked, isn’t it more important to know about atrocities committed by our own country than by other countries? I even think there’s something in the Bible about that.’
‘There is,’ said Gerry, who had had a religious upbringing. ‘It’s from the Sermon on the Mount. Before you try to take a speck out of your brother’s eye, make sure you don’t have a big piece of wood in your own eye, obstructing your vision, Jesus suggested. And he said, “Thou hypocrite”, so we know he was serious.’
Pauline said: ‘What did Mr Newbegin have to say about that?’
‘He said the curriculum was not set by the pupils.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Pauline. ‘He chickened out.’
‘Exactly.’
‘How did you come to be excluded from the class?’
‘I kept asking, and he got fed up. He said that if I couldn’t sit and listen I should leave the room, so I did.’ Pippa shrugged, as if to say it was no big deal.
Gerry said: ‘But Ms Judd told me this had happened three times. What were the second and third arguments about?’
‘Same thing.’ Pippa’s face took on a look of outrage. ‘I had a right to an answer!’
Pauline said: ‘So, even though you may have had right on your side, the result is that lessons continue as before, except that you’re not in the class.’
‘And I’m in deep shit.’
Pauline pretended not to notice the profanity. ‘Looking back, what do you think about the way you handled this?’
‘I stood up for truth and got punished.’
That was not the answer Pauline was looking for. She tried again. ‘Can you think of any alternative responses that might be worth trying?’
‘Suck it up and shut my mouth?’
‘Would you like to hear a suggestion?’
‘Okay.’
‘Try to think of a way the class could learn about the genocide of Native Americans and the Nazi Holocaust too.’
‘But he won’t—’
‘Hold on. Suppose Mr Newbegin agreed to devote the last lesson of the semester to the Native Americans, and to let you make a presentation, which could be followed by a class discussion.’
‘He would never do that.’
‘He might.’ He would if I asked him, Pauline thought; but she kept that to herself. ‘If not, doesn’t the school have a Debate Society?’
‘Yes. I’m on the committee.’
‘Propose a motion about the Indian Wars. Were the pioneers guilty of a holocaust? Get the whole school involved in the discussion – including Mr Newbegin. You need him to be your friend, not your enemy.’
Pippa began to look interested. ‘Okay, that’s an idea – a debate.’
‘Whatever you do, work it out with Ms Judd and Mr Newbegin. Don’t dream something up then spring it on them. The more they think it’s their idea, the more they’ll support it.’
Pippa smiled. ‘Are you teaching me politics, Mom?’
‘Maybe. But there’s one more thing, and you probably won’t like it.’
‘What?’
‘Everything will go more smoothly if you begin by apologizing to Mr Newbegin for disrupting his class.’
‘Do I really have to?’
‘I think you do, honey. You’ve hurt his pride.’
‘I’m a kid!’
‘Which makes it worse. Put a little ointment on his wound. You’ll be glad you did.’
‘Can I think about it?’
‘Sure. Now go and wash up while I call Ms Judd and then we’ll have dinner –’ she looked at her watch – ‘in fifteen minutes.’
‘Okay.’
Pippa left.
Gerry said: ‘I’ll tell the kitchen.’ He went out.
Pauline picked up the phone. ‘Please call Ms Judd, the principal of Foggy Bottom Day School,’ she told the switchboard operator.
‘Certainly, Madam President.’ The staff of the White House switchboard were proud of their ability to find anyone in the world. ‘Are you expecting to stay in the East Sitting Hall for another minute or so?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you, Madam President.’
Pauline hung up and Gerry returned. Pauline asked him: ‘What do you think?’
‘I think you handled that well. You persuaded her to make amends, but she’s not mad at you. It was skilful.’
It was loving, too, Pauline thought, with a touch of resentment. ‘You thought it was a bit cold?’
Gerry shrugged. ‘I’m wondering what this tells us about where Pippa is at right now, emotionally.’
Pauline frowned, not really understanding what Gerry was trying to say; but the phone rang before she could ask him.
‘I have Ms Judd for you, Madam President.’
Pauline said: ‘Ms Judd, I hope I’m not disturbing your evening.’
There were not many people in the world who would mind being disturbed by the President of the United States, but Pauline liked to be polite.
‘Please don’t worry, Madam President. I’m happy to speak to you, of course.’ The voice was low and friendly, though a little wary – which was hardly surprising in someone speaking to the president.
‘First, I want to thank you for the concern you’ve shown for Pippa. It’s appreciated.’
‘You’re welcome, ma’am. It’s our job.’
‘Pippa has to learn that she can’t take control of lessons, obviously. And I’m absolutely not calling you to complain about Mr Newbegin.’
‘Thank you for that.’ Ms Judd began to relax slightly.
‘However, we don’t want to crush Pippa’s idealism.’
‘Certainly not.’
‘I’ve had a talk with her, and I have strongly recommended that she apologize to Mr Newbegin.’
‘How did she react to that?’
‘She’s thinking about it.’
Ms Judd laughed. ‘That’s Pippa.’
Pauline laughed too, and felt she had achieved a rapport. She said: ‘I’ve suggested that Pippa should look for a way to make her point without disrupting the class. For example, she might propose a motion in the Debate Society.’
‘What a good idea.’
‘Of course this is up to you, but I hope you agree with the general principle.’
‘I do.’
‘And I hope to send Pippa to school in the morning with a more conciliatory attitude.’
‘Thank you, Madam President. I appreciate that.’
‘Goodbye.’ Pauline hung up.
‘Well done,’ said Gerry.
‘Let’s have dinner.’
They left the room and walked through the long Center Hall and across the West Sitting Hall to the Dining Room on the north side of the building, with two windows onto Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square. Pauline had restored the antique wallpaper that showed battle scenes from the American Revolution, previously covered over by the Clintons.