Casual
Husted, Lauren Trotta
Casual SWEET SIXTEEN-HUNDRED I'll admit, I didn't have the highest expectations for our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife. I was afraid that with marriage would come a tapering off of...
...Several commented on the new efficiency that has overtaken the White House or expressed open admiration of the Bushes...
...I came away thinking maybe no man is a hero to his own valet— unless he sticks to his schedule...
...After an elaborate check-in process at the East Gate, complete with a search for weapons, we were buzzed in, and our friend joined us...
...It's ivory with a thick rim of gold...
...the staffer said...
...My husband and the guard smiled at me...
...George and Barbara Bush simply added an oval platter, white with a red rim, to an existing White House set of dishes...
...See all the circles...
...Pictures of Bush's wife and twin daughters were on the table behind his desk...
...As we left the China Room, another staff member rushed up to our friend with a large photo of himself and a recent White House visitor...
...As we made our way down corridors and up stairways, every staff member we ran into compared notes with our friend: "How do you like it so far...
...Bush...
...Some seemed to be in a state of amazement at having reliable hours and weekends off for the first time in years...
...In the main hallway, below the great stairs leading to the private residence, the guard told us that the president had gone outside, as is his nightly ritual...
...But to my delight, my husband surprised me not only with long-stemmed red roses at the office, but also with something I had wanted for the longest time: a private tour of the White House...
...I asked about Barney, the new puppy...
...By contrast, no one seemed eager to talk about the former occupants...
...And I was grateful to our friend, a true romantic, who'd stayed at work late on Valentine's Day to give us our personal tour...
...In the Oval Office, we saw the pastel rug that has replaced Bill Clinton's bright blue one, as I'd read in the paper...
...If you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his horse, what can you tell about a president from his china pattern, I wondered...
...Our tour wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the West Wing...
...he turned out to be in Texas with Mrs...
...Our friend pointed out the small office off to the right, saying, "Sometimes President Clinton had private lunches in there...
...I was afraid that with marriage would come a tapering off of certain romantic attentions...
...As we wound up our tour, I felt inspired by the mood of respect and even enthusiasm for the new president...
...One flashed me a glimpse of Bush's daily agenda...
...Now I can't wait for our first anniversary (hint: Air Force One...
...He gets a lot done...
...That means he accomplished each task or meeting on time...
...We looked at each other and held our tongues...
...Woodrow Wilson's china was stately and presidential...
...He was walking his dog, Spot...
...Several other staffers gathered around to look...
...Right away, we could sense the excitement of the transition...
...A couple of the staffers we encountered were effusive about how courteous and punctual the new president is...
...It was my favorite Valentine's surprise ever...
...The Clintons ordered new china...
...A national celebrity or foreign president, I assumed, or maybe royalty...
...As we toured the ground floor of the main house, our friend told us about events that had happened in each of the famous reception rooms...
...I was surprised when it turned out the man in the picture was an aging Tom Wopat, from The Dukes of Hazzard, a show that went off the air over fifteen years ago...
...It was tasteful and understated, much as I hear the elder Bushes are themselves...
...I whispered to my husband, "I love this guy...
...The Bushes have a cat, too...
...It was an awkward, unpleasant moment...
...We lingered in the China Room...
...LAUREN TROTTA HUSTED...
...Part of the fun of living in Washington is having friends in high places, and a friend of my husband's has been on the permanent staff at the White House since early in the first Bush administration...
...Impressive VIPs walk these halls every day, I thought...
Vol. 6 • March 2001 • No. 25
