The news was bleak. President Donald Trump had just announced he was COVID free a day after the White House doctor said he was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say explicitly whether Trump had tested negative for it.
Trump, who was poised Monday to host his first rally after his COVID-19 diagnosis, declared he was now “immune” from the virus, a claim that was impossible to prove and came amid a series of outstanding questions about the president’s health.
The presidential campaign has been crazy, overwhelming, and exhausting. And he politicized a mask. A mask?
I was feeling anxious and had to get out. From the east balcony of Barr Terrace, the Atlantic Ocean looked calm. I reached for my beach chair and towel. I grabbed a large black coffee from Cream Gourmet Coffee and set up on the beach.
I closed my eyes to experience the location with my soul and not just my eyes. I could hear the waves hitting the shore. The waves hitting each other. The wind making noises. The palm trees moving, speaking to each other. The wind from the bird’s wings. The moisture and warmth in the air gave me chills. The sand beneath my feet going away slowly. The sweet fragrance of the night-blooming jasmine.
As the waves hit my feet, I opened my eyes and swung my chair 180 degrees to witness the magnificent sunset over Delray Beach’s western sky happening right in front of me. The big orange ball slowly going down, watching as it set into the horizon making the sky stunning, leaving behind so many colors. The red sky became sailors’ delight. The birds flew before the sunset bidding the sun goodbye. The ocean engulfed the sun into herself. As the white ball rose, tides had become higher. The bright orange sky turned pitch black in an hour.
The beach emptied and the nap that I unexpectedly had fallen into had me feeling refreshed.
I was thinking about the tumult that led me to the beach. “I don’t know what’s true — nobody could — because even if Trump’s people weren’t the Keystone Kops of public messaging, it’d be hard to trust anything they say on behalf of the president.”
I let out a sigh, feeling something was off. It was dark and I knew it was time to leave the beach, but I just could not muster enough energy to lift myself out of my chair along with my half-finished coffee cup.
Okay, Just Where Am I?
My eyes were closed when I felt the tap.
“Excuse me,” the deep voice said.
I did not respond but the thought of a cop asking me to leave did not seem to measure up to what had sent me there in the first place.
The deep voice continued. “Sir, may I have a word with you?”
“Oh my god,” I mumbled with my eyes closed and teeth clenched. “Fine.”
My eyelids opened sending paralysis through my body causing the luke-warm coffee in my hand to spill on my faded blue Yankees T-shirt. “What was in that coffee? It was the same coffee I’ve been drinking since they opened. Not the coffee. I’m on no meds. I’ve been too depressed to drink for the past few weeks, but this has to be a hallucination. Okay. Okay. Deep breaths. Just take a deep breath. Close your eyes and slowly open. Slowly. Maybe one at a time.”
I opened my eyes, and the image was the same. The man, with the deep grizzled voice, was recognizable but I had only seen him in pictures.
I mustered what little energy I could to stand in front of him. His face was so familiar.
At 6 feet 2 inches, I was usually one of the taller people in the room. But I was looking up. The man stood about 2 inches taller but only weighed about 180 pounds. He had long, gangling limbs and a rather sunken chest. His coarse black hair was gray at the temples. His eyes were gray, the left one being slightly higher than the right.
The stovepipe hat in his hand seemed a bit out of place on the beach as did he, in his long black suit, but then I’m not sure what was going on.
“Sir, might you tell me where a man could get something to eat?”
“Um, ah, uh, well, um, yeah. Sure. Yeah, I’ll show you a few places. Well, um, just follow me.”
We walked through the sand to the walkway leading to an outdoor shower. I placed my chair by the empty steps of the gazebo in front of it and washed the sand off my legs and feet. After toweling off, I put on my flip flops and formally introduced myself.
“I’m terribly sorry. You took me by surprise. My name is Steve. And there are several places for you to grab a bite. It depends what you’re in the mood for.”
His eyes opened brightly as we stared at the restaurants in front of us on A1A.
“These taverns that I see. How are the candles so bright?”
“You mean those lights on their canopies? Well, that’s so the patrons know where they’re going. Ya got Café Luna Rosa and next to that is Boston’s. On top is Ocean 50 and the Sandbar next to that. All fun and really great food.”
“Forgive me, kind sir. My name is Abraham.”
“Um, Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln. I know.”
The new world seemed dizzying to him understanding little of the cars and motorcycles in the street. “How do you know this?”
“Well, to be honest, I think I’m dreaming but, you are one of the most famous people who ever lived. And let me tell you, you were one of the best presidents our country ever had.”
“That’s very kind, but it takes a toll.”
“So? What are you in the mood for? Burger? Steak? Fish? Sushi? Oysters?”
“Forgive me but I seem to be having some difficulty in understanding your menu Steve. Sushi?”
“Awesome. Raw fish at it’s best. There’s a terrific place up on Atlantic called City Oysters and Sushi Bar. Just fantastic.”
“Raw fish? Where is the stream that we would catch them?”
“Oh, um, no, see, it’s all made. We just walk in and they serve it to us. All prepared. But I can see from your movement that maybe it’s not your cup of tea. There’s steak at Cut 432 or Burgers at BurgerFi. Okay. I got it. Let’s get some pizza. Nobody ever goes wrong with pizza.”
“Pete what? Now, who is this?”
“Not who. What. Well, it’s an Italian dish. It’s fun. Its dough and cheese, and tomato sauce. Really good. Hey, would you like some company?”
So, What is the Problem?
“I think that would be nice. Maybe you could tell me why I’m here.”
“Me? Tell you? You got me with that.”
We walked to Pizza Rustica and I ordered a large pie with pepperoni and sausage.
I looked at Abe. “You’ll love it.”
“Thank you for dining with me. Now, why am I here?”
I began to rub my forehead and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure why you’re here, but to be honest, Abe…”
“Oh, please call me Abraham. The informality of the name is troublesome.”
“Oh, hey, I’m sorry. It’s just that growing up, we were taught, ya know, about Honest Abe and all that.”
“Yes, well, maybe I may have stretched it a bit once or twice with Mary Todd. She would worry so about my days.”
“Go no further. Been there. Okay, I’ve been upset for the past few months. I mean we have an election coming up and this guy in office is scaring me. He only cares about winning. Not the people. You hear about this pandemic?”
“I did. Listen, in my presidency, a cold was considered a major health crisis.”
“Yeah. Well, this guy has an answer for everything. Public health officials now tell us that we must wear masks. Masks are going to save us. But this guy laughs at a mask. He holds rallies with thousands of people not wearing masks so the virus spreads. He tells us not to worry but over two hundred thousand Americans have died. He keeps saying Joe Biden is a hostage to the radical left, which is not the case. He insults what he doesn’t understand and has divided the country into states that he will help and states he will not help.”
“Let me guess. Republican states get help.”
“Yes, sir. He’s destroying the party you created.”
“Oh, he’s a regular Stephen Douglas.”
“Oh, so you get it?”
“Douglas repeatedly tried to brand me as a dangerous radical who advocated racial equality and disruption of the Union. I emphasized the moral iniquity of slavery and attacked popular sovereignty for the bloody results it had produced in Kansas.”
The hot pizza was still bubbling as our waitress placed it on the stand in the center of our table.
“Oh, you are so gonna love this. Let’s wait a few minutes before eating. It’s really hot.”
“I see no utensils. How will we slice it up?”
“Give it a few minutes and I’ll show you. But I’m losing my mind. Claims to be a rich guy but it looks like he hasn’t paid taxes in the past, well, I don’t know if he ever paid taxes.”
Abraham was staring at the pizza. “But this man was elected.”
I stood up, reached for a slice of the pizza, and placed it on the president’s paper plate. I then did the same for me. I reached for the pizza, folded it in half, and took a bite. “Like this, sir.”
Mister Lincoln’s lips pointed upward. He used the same motion and took a bite as the slice was now pointing downward with the oil dripping on his plate. “I must say, my friend, this is quite tasty. Tasty indeed.”
“Just so you know, they make this in your neck of the woods. They call it deep dish in Chicago. It has a lot more dough. It’s all a matter of where you come from. Me? I grew up in New York. Typically, it was two slices and a coke for lunch. Not a lot of places down here sell it by the slice. But this joint? Fantastic. Just like walking through the streets of New York.”
“Tell me more about this man.”
“He’s a guy that always wanted to be famous. His father was a slumlord in Brooklyn, and he learned from him. He always has this need to embellish. He’s like PT Barnum. He would rather sell it to you without fixing the problem, because, well, because there never is a problem. There cannot be a problem if he’s involved and whatever he’s involved in is the biggest, the best, the grandest. Now, maybe this worked in his business, but not when you’re supposedly running a country. So, he goes from selling real estate to branding his name to being a reality television star to president. And all he cares about are the ratings.”
“Television? Ratings?”
“Oh, well, let’s just say all he cares about is himself.”
“I do remember Barnum. Showman, politician, and businessman. Remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes.”
“Yes. Yes. That’s it. That’s what has me so depressed.”
The president was wiping his mouth and eyeing the last slice.
“Go ahead, sir. Please take the last slice. Good, right? I did not realize how hungry I was. I’m full besides, I’ll be back but who knows when you will.”
He took a bite of that last slice and watched as the passersby began doing double-takes. “Thank you, Steve. Allow me to remind you of something I said. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. If this man is abusing his power, the people will let him know. We have no kings. That is the very essence of what our framers intended. I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
“So, what I’ve been feeling…”
“Has been going on since the new world and order were formed. So, anything involving dueling war veteran Andrew Jackson was liable to get dirty, but the 1828 electoral battle between Jackson and John Quincy Adams took the cake for mudslinging. Jackson had lost out to Adams in 1824 after Speaker of the House Henry Clay cast a tie-breaking vote. When Adams chose Clay as his Secretary of State, Jackson was furious and accused the two of a corrupt bargain.”
“Who knew?”
“And that was before the 1828 election even got started when Adams was accused of prostituting out an American girl to a Russian Czar. Jackson’s wife, Rachel, was called a convicted adulteress because she had, years earlier, married Jackson before finalizing her divorce to her previous husband. Rachel died after Jackson won the election, but before his inauguration; at her funeral, Jackson blamed his opponents’ bigamy accusations. May God Almighty forgiver her murderers, as I know she forgave them, Jackson said. I never can.”
“Prostituting out? So, he was pimping, huh?”
“Forgive my coarse words. Take back your life. Stop worrying. Move forward. Worry gets us nowhere. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
“Woah. That is so cool hearing you say that. You do know that people still use that very quote to this day.”
“Hmm. And I thought it to be quite lacking in its time. But it does seem to fit this Barnum fellow.”
I wiped my mouth and reached into my pocket to pay the check. “Yes, it does sir. Hey, wanna see something?”
I handed him a five-dollar bill.
“Is this currency? My likeness? May I take this? It is rare that I get to see my likeness.”
I scratched my head as my cash was running low due to the pandemic, what with my surprise dinner expense. But how often does one dine on fine cuisine with one of the most influential people of any century? I simply better not show him the Andrew Jackson. He could wipe me out. “Of course, sir. Enjoy.”
“You know Steve, my inaugural address was stirring. I appealed for the preservation of the Union. To retain my support in the north without further alienating the south, I called for compromise. I promised I would not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which it already existed. I would try to find a way to help them secure slavery if it would make them happy. Things take time but the key is a compromise. I needed the north and the south, but I had to understand it would not happen overnight, but we needed a starting point.”
“Well, it looks like we’re going backward.”
“The union will survive. Time will remember this administration and the tests it placed on you. What did they say about me? Too many of us have retreated behind our walls and now resort to hurling expletives at one another. A verdict on the Lincoln presidency will not be reached until, years to come, cooler heads will have had the benefit of hindsight to render a rational judgment.”
We walked toward the beach. “No more Steve. You have been kind and a fine gentleman. Regardless of the opinions any of us might have of your president, he has achieved the status of a world leader. As such, he will be judged in relation to all who have held positions of power. That will place him on a continuum between the best and worst history has to offer.”
We stood by the ocean where the moon lit up the night sky and the waves laid a soothing, calming charm to the night.
“You’re telling me not to worry. My lord. If they criticized you, can you imagine what your critics would say about this guy?”
“Every leader will be criticized. I had a war to deal with and Americans were dying. Brothers were fighting brothers. This man has a great deal that he will be judged for. He knows about the death that bears his responsibility. I did, as I suppose did General Washington. All you can do is remain strong and vote. That is the American way.”
“Wow. So, what’s next?”
“You stay focused and think about what you must do. I must go.”
“Will I see you again? Hey, next time let’s grab a cannoli.”
“You will not need to. Keep strong. You will do well. The best way to predict your future is to create it. The only need for my return would be with some friends once I tell them about pizza.”
What Happened?
I looked at the sand as my lips turned up. I scratched my nose and looked around. He was gone. I laid my chair against my leg and reached into my pocket. My receipt was gone. I opened my wallet, and my money was there including the five-dollar bill.
My mouth dropped when it struck me that I was full. What happened? I was in the exact position I was before he arrived. I placed my wallet back in my pocket and ran my right hand through my unkempt windblown hair. I began walking toward the blue walkway leading to the exit.
“I don’t know what just happened, but I feel a lot better. Okay. Okay. Go home. Take a shower and tell nobody. Tell nobody what? Exactly.”