The Art Of The Next Best by Deborah Nam-Krane Read Free Book Online Page A

nicest thing he had
to say. "In one week I've found enough that I don't know why a
federal grand jury hasn't at least indicted him. What do you think
I'm going to find in a month? I knew Cervino couldn’t be the saint
everyone thinks he is, but I didn't think he’d shaken hands with
the devil so many times."
    Mitch's hand froze mid-air as he was passing
Martin his next beer. " The devil?"
    "The one and only," Martin said as he grabbed
the bottle.
    Mitch groaned. "Oh man. Promise me you are
not going to mention Alex Sheldon in front of Richard or Michael
tonight."
    Martin scoffed. "If I'm not going to talk
about it with Jessie, why would I talk about it with them? Just
keep me well-hydrated tonight."
    ~~~
    "Tell me about David Hwang," Martin asked
when he met Zainab for coffee a week after the Sox game.
    Zainab smiled and sighed. "A nice, smart guy
who could have done a lot of things."
    "One of the few people who wasn't a total
scumbag from SGC?"
    Martin never understood why Zainab's face
flushed a little bit every time someone brought up the University's
Student Government Council. "Yes," she said after a moment. "He
liked hard work, and he did it well. He was elected president for a
reason."
    "And he was working for Lucy for a while,
right?"
    "Yeah, but don't ask me to explain that
relationship." Lucy was Zainab's mother-in-law and Jessie's aunt
and guardian. “Distant parent” was an understatement. She kept
firmer boundaries than anyone else Martin knew, but the few times
she had mentioned David Hwang it had been evident that she felt the
kind of affection for him that most people reserved for a child who
had won their respect as an adult. If Richard and Jessie had had a
closer relationship with Lucy they might have been resentful; as it
was, they were pleasantly surprised that she could form normal
relationships.
    "It seemed like he did what he was expected
to."
    "And if you work for her, you're expected to
be phenomenal." She smiled again. "I was more impressed by what he
did as a community organizer. That car sharing program was a great
idea and it's still helping a lot of people."
    Martin laughed. "And the fact that it shamed
a lot of other people didn't hurt either."
    Zainab snickered. “He had my vote after that,
for sure.” She pursed her lips. "Why are you so interested in
David? Weren’t you guys in the same department?"
    Martin shrugged. “Probably, but he was taking
all the hard Honors classes before I decided to get serious.” He
smiled. "But I still voted for the man when he ran for councilor
and mayor. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so bitter after an
election.”
    “Don’t get me started,” Zainab said after she
sipped her latte. “He was thisclose , and instead we got Jack
Donnelly, whom the Globe basically endorsed as Cervino Two. There
are some things I will never understand.”
    “Mmm,” Martin vocalized. “So tell me how
married life’s treating you and Richard so far?”
    ~~~
    For a little while, David Hwang had looked
like the golden boy of Boston politics. While serving as President
of the University’s student body he had also pitched an idea to
Lucy Bartolome Hendrickson, the most powerful member of the
University’s board, to give comprehensive assistance to students
and their families from elementary school through the end of high
school. The students that made it through would be granted a full
scholarship to the University. Lucy knew a little something about
long term investments; if someone like her thought it was a good
idea, it wouldn’t be long before other universities followed
suit.
    But that kind of change was going to take a
while, and David had seen a lot of low-hanging fruit that could be
picked in the meantime. He joined a community development
organization in Dorchester and within three months found himself on
the front page of the Boston Globe for the innovative car
sharing program he’d worked out with Quick Wheels—and the way the
Department of