Letter To Laura And Jenna Bush

Dear Laura and Jenna,

This past Friday, April 25, I delivered a letter to you at your Borders book signing in Washington DC at the promotion of your new children’s book “Read All About It”. It was a beautiful spring afternoon and I had stood for about an hour among your admirers: young couples with children in hand, well-dressed middle-aged women, and teenagers, all twittering excitedly at the prospect of a glance from you and an autograph for their newly-purchased books.

The line was long but I finally reached your table where you both sat, heads-down, busily and competently signing books as they were passed to you by your handlers. “I’m a teacher too”, I said, when I finally reached you. What I really wanted to say was “ I was a mother once”. You both looked up, smiling. Jenna, as you began to sign, you responded to my comment with, “So you know what boys like Tyrone are like!’

The moment I was handed the signed book, I pulled my letter, hidden inside its pages, and handed it to you, asking you to read it. But it was instantly snatched from my hands by one of your people as you paused from your signing. Before I was made to move away, I asked you once more to read it. Your mother was no longer looking at me, instead, she made a studied effort to continue the signing, but you were still looking, Jenna, and you promised to read it.

I am not going to fool myself into believing that you might have actually demanded to have the letter given to you so you could read it.