Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Part Forty-Six

"I'm still waiting to hear about your Congressional testimony," said Kelly Flinn with a mouthful of currant scone.

Raoul rolled his eyes. "Oh, that."

"Did you meet any important people?" asked Florence, nibbling on the edge of her scone.

"No, but we sure met a lot of unimportant ones," said Raoul.

"Raoul almost got into a fight with a guy from the Sierra Club," said Peggy.

"He was full of this grandiose self-importance that made you want to take a tree branch and clobber him," said Raoul.

"That's one way to get attention," said Luke. He took half of his scone in one bite.

"Unfortunately it was the wrong kind of attention. Raoul almost got us kicked out," said Peggy.

They were on the 5:20 a.m. ferry. Peggy, feeling unexpectedly upbeat, had made scones the night before and brought them in for everyone.

"Okay, I'm getting all that. But what did you actually say?" said Kelly.

Peggy took a sip of her tea. "We each spoke from different parts of the research paper that we had prepared. I talked about multiple uses of land, such as recreation and development, and Raoul talked about legal precedents for converting private land to public land."

"And how was your testimony received?" asked Kelly.

Raoul laughed. "We're not even sure they heard it. We were all in a conference room down the street, speaking to the subcommittee via video teleconference. At the end, some sweaty-looking guy came on camera and thanked us for speaking. Frankly, I think they had the sound turned off."

"Raoul expected more of a dialogue with the elected officials," said Peggy.

"And besides, our issue was a moot point by the time of our testimony," said Raoul.

"You mean, because of the Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain?" asked Kelly.

"The what?" asked Florence.

"Exactly," said Raoul. "They have basically said it is okay to take land from one private owner and give it to another private owner if it can be shown that the transfer benefits the public. Fairly shocking if you ask me."

"But what did that have to do with the flooding here in Washington?" asked Kelly.

"You see," said Peggy. "One argument was that private development never should have been allowed along certain parts of the Washington coast. The property losses people have suffered due to flooding were avoidable, according to that reasoning. So the question is, should the state take that land back, and is that the same as taking land for, say, an energy right of way."

"Hmm," said Kelly. "That's a tough one. I'm always in favor of preserving natural lands. On the other hand, out in the rural areas there are many people barely getting by because all the jobs have moved overseas or to the cities, and small family farms just aren't viable any more. Seems to me the last thing you'd want to do is take their land away to boot."

"I agree," said Peggy.

"On the other hand, once a law is in place, then people with the right knowledge and money can use it to their advantage," said Raoul.

"That would be the business you are in," said Kelly to Raoul.

"That would be the business I'm getting out of," said Raoul. "I made a decision a few weeks ago to leave the world of corporate law and set up a small practice advising nonprofits."

"Is that so?" said Florence, suddenly alert. "Raoul, I simply can't imagine you trading your pin-stripe suit for a pair of khakis and hanging up a little shingle in your driveway."

"As a matter of fact I can't wait to do just that. Within a few weeks I won't be commuting on the ferry any more. I'll be working full time out of my house on Bainbridge Island."

The others reacted with surprise, but not Peggy. Raoul had phoned her to say that he was finished reading a book that she wanted to borrow and he'd bring it in the morning. It struck her that the call was not entirely necessary. She suspected he just wanted to talk. While they were on the phone he mentioned the news about working full time on the island. It was not entirely unexpected: she was with him in D.C. when he first announced his intended career change.

Peggy's reaction was to make scones. She didn't know why she should feel elated about Raoul's news, but she felt a refreshing sense of lightness. Maybe it was because she thought she could be more objective about him when she didn't see him every day. They would have to make an effort to see each other. It would be a test. She welcomed a test.

"And before I forget, here's the book," said Raoul, pulling his copy of 'The Bear Went Over the Mountain' out of his bag and handing it to Peggy. Their eyes met briefly as she took the book. His expression was open and smiling. "It contains some surprising observations about male-female behavior from the point of view of a bear."

"One can never learn too much," said Peggy. And she realized how much she missed his company.

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