Sadie sat in uncomfortable silence. Slowly she noticed her bag vibrating and after a careful glance at her back-seat companions she dug into her capacious bag to find her phone.
She saw that it was a White House number, and answered it cautiously, ‘Hello?’
‘Hello, Mam, it’s the Housekeeper for the President’s apartments; I believe you’re on your way here?’
‘Er, yes...’
‘I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you, mam, but we’ve had a terrible gas leak and we’re asking everyone not to come until further notice.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh. Well, sure. I mean, thanks for letting me know, I guess.’ Sadie hung up. ‘Strange,’ she muttered. ‘Er, driver, it appears that we’ve been uninvited; can you please turn us around and take us back to the Vice President’s residency? Thanks.’
The driver looked su
