Necessary proposal

Linda checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up tightly, exposing the back of her neck above an expensive, elegant black dress.

She had gotten used to living in the public eye since becoming governor. Once she had announced her intent to run for the presidency, though, those eyes had started staring at her much harder

She was leading for the nomination on the coasts, but still lagged in the midwest and south. People there saw her as too independent. No one would come out and say it, but they believed that a woman should be raising a family, not slugging it out in politics.

That was why she had given John the ultimatum. They had been dating less than a year, but she needed to either get a firm commitment or move on to someone else who could give her one.

She had warned him that if they committed to each other, it would be absolute. No fooling around on the side, no divorce. Her career depended on it.

He had pondered that for a moment. She could see him thinking, tallying up the pros and the cons and weighing them against each other. She could almost love him--or at least this part of him, the emotionless calculator.

Later, they had worked together on his speech. She had made sure he described her as "tender," "and "giving". For the location, she had chosen Costellano's--an elegant restaurant, but still accessible to middle class couples having a special night out.

She washed her hands again, looking at them closely in the mirror. Tonight, John would get down on one knee and put a ring on this finger. And she didn't want to have dirt under her nails when the papers printed the picture.