The Stranger

A chill went through the room as the tall stranger entered the doorway. No one seemed to recognize or claim him. Rhonda, our hostess, rose from the table and tentatively walked to the hallway. She had a pained look on her face. We all assumed she knew him, but her question put our assumption in doubt.

“Hi, were you invited by one of my friends? There was an open invitation to invite anyone. We are celebrating the election. Are you here to celebrate with us?”

The man took the black hood off his head and just glared at her. He stood silently for at least a minute before answering.

“Yeah.”

“Who told you about the party?”

“Steve.”

“Which Steve? We know a lot of Steves.”

Rhonda’s husband Joe rose from the table and joined Rhonda, He put his arm around her shoulder. The stranger was surveying the room and was not answering Rhonda’s last question. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

Finally, the stranger smiled and nodded. “Look I don’t remember Steve’s last name and I just wanted somewhere to celebrate. Are you going to let me join you or not?”

Joe looked at Rhonda who nodded and said: “Okay, there’s one more seat at the table and lots of food and wine. Why not? It’s a glorious day for the country. We should all share in the joy.”

As the stranger took his seat at the table, we all squirmed a little and exchanged furtive glances. The stranger did not take off his hoodie and maintained a frozen grimace. The festive atmosphere in the room was lost. The light even seemed dimmer. Pierre, the one Franco-American guest, tried to reverse the trend.

“Mon Dieu, mes amis, it’s as if we’ve stormed the Bastille and won. Why the long faces? I welcome our new guest. Maybe he has something interesting to add to our conversation. A different point of view perhaps?”

The stranger shook his head. “Nope. Just want to listen and watch you celebrate.”

His words just made everyone more tense. Rhonda didn’t know how to react, so she just raised a glass and made a toast.

“Here’s to our awesome new president and his administration!”

 After a chorus of ‘here, here’s’ and emptying of the glasses, the conversations resumed. Sally, the New England debutante chose to speak about her lifelong advocacy for fair taxation.

“It’s been a long and difficult road but finally we have someone in office who will make taxation equitable for all Americans. It’s been my lifelong mission. I’ve worked in several advocacy groups and with several presidents. Finally, we have someone who listens.”

Sally’s smile lit up the room.  Her teeth were unusually white and in perfect alignment. Her diamond earrings and necklace reflected the light and gave an angelic glow to her face.

Most of the guests banged the table and nodded but the stranger sat stoically. He was inscrutable. His black hoodie, dark beard and eyes gave him a sinister look.

George, the software engineer from California, was the next to speak.

“The last administration’s policies on guns and crime were ridiculous. Finally, we’ll have some sanity.”

This statement inspired a group nod and several toasts. The stranger pursed his lips and just glared. The guests squirmed some more.

Sylvia was originally from the Bronx and maintained that New York edginess. She had sharp edges which she tried to soften with her attire. This evening, she wore a pink dress with a matching bow in her long black hair.

“I’ve been attending many environment advocacy groups and been disturbed by the trends in this country. It’s friggin’ scary. We all need to get off our asses and do something. This president may be the first to reverse those trends.”

More toasts, more drinks but the stranger sat silently and didn’t touch his glass. The guests squirmed some more.

Nathan was a realtor visiting from Dallas. He was a large jovial red head with the gift of gab. Once he got rolling no none could get a word in edgewise. He had an opinion and expertise on everything.

“Y’all, what about those poor souls coming across the borders? It’s been the challenge of my lifetime. I have been trying to find a house for everyone during my whole working life. I’ve worked with the state government and petitioned the federal government for years. Now, finally, by God, I might get some help!”

More toasts, more drinks and still no reaction from the stranger. We all turned to the one politician in the group. Gavin was an ex-governor and had been recently elected to the senate. He was Rhonda’s first cousin and was due to leave for Washington in the next couple of days. We knew he was passionate about the economy, and all wanted his perspective on the incoming administration’s plans. With all eyes on him, his face lit up. He had had a bit too much to drink so his speech was a little slurred and disjointed.

“Food prices and inflation, yes, we will. You know what I mean. Um, they’ll be gone. No, no, not gone, they’ll be better. Here’s a toast to better!”

We all raised our glasses and drank. Rhonda rose and walked over to Gavin and whispered something in his ear. Then his wife led him out of the room. Rhonda retook her seat and with a smile apologized for her cousin’s behavior.

“Sorry people. Gavin has had a little too much to drink. He’s usually a tea totaler but made an exception this evening because of the celebration. I think he meant to say that he will fight for the economy in the senate.”

Rhonda glanced over at the stranger and noticed that he was smiling for the first time. She couldn’t resist asking him to share his thoughts.

“So, sir, I didn’t catch your name. Did you have something you wanted to share with us?”

The stranger stood and reached under his jacket. There was a group gasp as they expected the worst. Some of the guests actually were ready to crawl under the table and were on the edge of their seat. Nathan threw his body over his wife’s in expectation of what was coming next.

To everyone’s surprise the stranger pulled out an American flag followed by a flag with a Donkey wearing blue with white stars on the top and red on the bottom. As he waved both flags, he yelled: “Viva La resistance!” and then quickly left the room and the house.

There was a stunned silence in the room.  A sense of relief and a lot of nervous laughter was followed by group anger. Nathan was the first to speak.

“I thought that after the election, these low lifers and their party would crawl back into their holes. Guess not. We’ll just have to round them up with all the illegals.”

The group gave one last toast, and the festivities resumed.