"Everson has outdone himself," the President said when they were in private. "You look and sound just like my daughter Alice."

"Mr. President, I'm flattered that you think I'm suited for whatever job you are offering me, but won't your daughter be upset and view me as a competitor?" she asked.

A cloud of sadness crossed the President's face. "My daughter is a high-spirited lady who seems bent on rebelling against me on almost everything," he said. "I am afraid of the harm she could do at important state occasions when foreign leaders are present. She has let me know that she refuses to attend any of them. I have told her that I will find someone else for these meetings. I told Mr. Everson that I wanted him to hire a woman who could be presented as Alice Lee, who I intended to pass off as a second cousin of my daughter. Who knew that a woman identical to my daughter with that exact name would apply for the job?"

"I see," Alice said. "And the piano-playing?"

"You will be perfect for more informal gatherings. Your knowledge of popular music will show that the Roosevelts are modern."

Alice had considerable misgivings about this, but the salary she was offered was quite decent, her living quarters were luxurious, and people seemed to be mesmerized whenever they heard her play.

She seemed to be doing quite well for a couple months, until one day when Alice Roosevelt burst into her room in a fit of dudgeon. "You are an impostor!" she exclaimed. "There is no Alice Lee. I will see that you are ruined."

"I intend to have something to say about that," said a familiar voice from the doorway. It was Theodore Lee. Alice Roosevelt turned to face him, and became frozen in shock. "The lady that you are so offended by is my daughter," Theodore continued. "We travelled several hundred light years through space in order to enjoy the best that this planet can offer, and you are....."

Alice Roosevelt burst into bitter laughter. "You expected this planet to have anything good to offer? I hate to disappoint you, but almost any planet is sure to be superior."

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "I've been to many planets. You haven't even seen very much of this one. I've also seen more than one era on this planet, and I can show you around. Come with me for a month or two."

Theodore Lee and Alice Roosevelt promptly vanished. Alice Lee didn't have much time to reflect on this latest surprise, as she was expected for a function in thirty minutes.

A month passed. One day, President Roosevelt summoned her to his office. Alice Roosevelt and Theodore Lee were there as well. This was going to be a very strange meeting, Alice Lee thought. This place is like a hall of mirrors. "Thank you, Alice Lee, for your service," the President said warmly. "My daughter has seen a lot since we saw her last." Alice Roosevelt started to scowl. "I think it would be best for the country if it got to know her the way she is, though. We are about to usher the world into an era of peace and prosperity that will last a lifetime." A look of pity crossed Alice Roosevelt's face upon hearing this.

"Mr. President," Theodore Lee said, "I have enjoyed getting to know your daughter, and I would like to get to know you as well, after your years of public service have come to an end. I propose that we take a journey into the future, starting some time in 1918. In the meantime, love your daughter and do your best for the country. My daughter and I will be on our way."

"Where are we going now?" Alice Lee said to her father as they left the White House.

"You've outdone yourself with the piano-playing, and you've served this strange country that is called America," her father said,opening the door of a time machine that was masquerading as a telephone booth. "You deserve a treat. Shall it be Vienna in the 1780s, Harlem in the 1920s, or London in the 1790s?"

"Surprise me," Alice said. "You've done a good job of exactly that so far this year."

Paulh

28.08.23 Front Page

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