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OATH

Matt

Present Day

I suit up in black Knotrooreet the senior officer from White House Military, who’s here to hand over the top-secret codes in case of a nuclear strike With him is an aide with the nuclear football that will be passed on to me--as of noon, the man who carries it will be my shadow for the next four years

"A true pleasure, Mr President-Elect," the shadow tells me

"Likewise" I shake his hand, then the senior officer’s hand as the nuclear codes are handed topresident holds a brunch for the incoural Day Not the case with Jacobs andblack coat and slipat Wilson at the door

It see that I pay a visit to my father today The day I become the forty-sixth president of the United States

My father is buried at Arlington National Ce, flapping rave, I know the silence will soon be broken by the twenty-one rifle shots frouard at the Torave, scanning the name--Lawrence "Law" Hamilton, President, husband, father, son--on his toically, in the kind of way that stays with you forever Branding you

"I take the oath today" My chest feels heavy when I think of how much he’d love to have seen this "I want to proht for truth and justice, freedo who did this to you"

The day is fresh inoverto pull free so I could run to hi he’d said to o into politics; I’d insisted that I wanted to carve my own path

It took a decade for me to feel the need to do what my father had always hoped for me

I’m proud, today, to come visit with the sort of news that would make him as pleased as any father could be

It seems at times that I talk more to my father here than I did those last few years ere in the White House

"Mother’s well She misses you She’s never been the same since that day She’s haunted by what happened--and by whoever did this to you still being out there I think she e She’d always hoped once we left there that she’d get her husband back Yeah, we both kno that went"