Levels of Power

Arnold Allen Lansdale was eighty-eight years old as he stood in front of the full-length mirror in his bedroom in an area of Georgetown. His personal valet was using a small soft bristle clothes brush to remove any suspected lint or hair from Arnold’s dark blue pinstriped suit coat. Everything must be perfect today as it was every day for Arnold Allan Lansdale.
His reflection in the mirror told Arnold he was ready for his last big event in his career. His head of snow-white hair was still full for a man of his age and swept back along the sides of his head. His blue eyes shone brightly and without the need of glasses or contacts. His body weight was within 10 pounds of when he graduated from Harvard Law School so many years ago.
That his physical strength was not equal to the demands of his mind was a carefully guarded secret. For years, he had used a walking cane when he was seen entering or leaving his place of work or at public events. A smooth polished wooden stick with a narrow tip near the bottom and widen to a round ball with a flat top at the handle end. A piece of pewter, embedded into the handle, displayed the emblem of the federal body he supervised.
However, time was working against Arnold Allen Lansdale just as every other mortal being on God’s good earth. The body had started to fail many years ago but now the mind was slipping. He was positive that he was the only person aware of the changes to his mental acuity but his own knowledge was enough. He did not want to wait until it became obvious to the public and the whispers would begin that maybe he needed to retire or was past his prime. 
Arnold took a final look into the mirror and William looked back into the reflection and Arnold’s pale blue eyes. William gave his employer a little head nod and smile to indicate the old man was ready for the big event. With William’s assistance and his walking stick, Arnold maneuvered back several steps and sat down into his wheelchair. He placed the bottom tip of the walking stick on the right footrest next to his leather shoe. William had polished his best pair to a mirror finish last evening.
William pushed the wheelchair out of the bedroom through the wide doorway, into the hallway and towards the head of the stairway. At the bottom of the stairway, Margaret was ready with the main floor wheelchair and together they helped Arnold with the transition to the lower floor mobile apparatus. William pushed and Margaret walked beside the old man.
They walked and rolled together through the hallway to the back door. A ramp conveyed the group down into the private garage where Arnold’s limousine was waiting along with his driver and security guard.
Once inside in car, the driver and security guard quickly entered the limousine. The driver started the car and opened the garage door with the remote control while the security guard used his wrist mike to notify his central command that they were leaving the premises and heading for their final destination in downtown Washington.
Once on the street Arnold was able to watch the other homes as his limousine moved with ease along the beautiful streets of his beloved Georgetown. At Wisconsin Ave, the driver turned right and then very soon took the second left onto M Street. They only needed to travel about one-third mile and then the driver expertly turned onto Pennsylvania Ave.
 His destination was now in sight. The limousine pulled up to the North Gate to the White House. The driver pulled to a stop and a uniformed security guard approached the car with a clipboard in his left hand.
Finally, the car and occupants received approval for entering the enclosed nineteen acres surrounding the White House and home to the President of the United States. As it motored up the north semicircular driveway, Arnold got his last view of the impressive structure.
The limousine pulled to a stop at the north entrance to the White House. Arnold waited patiently for the security guard to exit the car and open the door next to him. Carefully be braced his body and mind for the long and painful walk that he must make for this last part of his journey.
Once through the security checkpoint and using his walking stick he summoned every ounce of strength and walked alongside the Secret Service agent who was acting as his escort. Passing through hallways decorated with some of the country’s finest hand crafted pieces of artwork and paintings, Arnold left the main White House structure and walked the covered Colonnade towards the West Wing and the Oval Office.
Inside the West Wing, he did not have to wait in the lounge area. The White House staff was expecting his arrival and the President’s personal secretary gave him a warm smile as she welcomed him to the most exclusive office complex in the world.
The secretary to the President slowly walked with Arnold down the hallway from the lounge area. They passed the cabinet room on their left and the Roosevelt room on their right until the hallway took a slight right angle turn due to the curved outer wall of the Oval Office.
When they reached the door, the secretary politely and without comment waited for Arnold to catch his breath, carefully adjust his suit coat, and tie with his right hand while using his walking stick in his left hand to balance himself.
Arnold Allen Lansdale gave her a small smile and nodded his head. He was ready. She opened the door to the Oval Office and walked in quickly before the old man. As he passed through the large doorway, she announced his entrance.
“Mr. President, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.”