Crossing the Aisle
It’s true. A butterfly’s wings can cause hurricanes or set your heart aflutter.
In 1975, I was one of two waiters who served the senators in the Inner Sanctum, a hallowed dining room where even security guards weren’t allowed. Republican senator John Tower ordered prime rib and vegetables, and that’s what I served him. Midway through a Tidal Basin Bombshell joke, Tower began choking. His face turned cerulean.
Everyone froze.
Democrat Ted Kennedy rushed around the table and bear-hugged Tower from behind. My heart sputtered until Tower spat out a chunk of meat, and the world returned to normal.
Michael M. Pacheco is a Latino writer living in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona who has been published in forty-nine literary journals and magazines. Michael received a BA from Gonzaga University and earned a Juris Doctorate at Willamette University College of Law.