LA CANDIDATE

POLITICAL KABUKI

The French citizens waited, and Severine thought the more she made them speculate, the better. The period gave her time to prepare.

"You should keep your hand on your knee."

"Don't use your hands unless you want to empathize a point."

"Don't nod. It shows adhesion."

Severine knew the power poses and postering leaders and other politicians used.

The coaches were multiple. Body language experts worldwide came to help Severine learn and read people's gestures.

The woman could easily detect her opponent's uneasiness. She knew their mimics. Severine developed a series of fake twitches to mislead people. She touched her wedding ring to show concern, even when she wasn't. Smiling was mandatory, whether nervous or mocking; Severine served one at every sentence. She also incorporated other gestures, such as open palms to display openness and the annoying head-up slightly tilted backward stance that made it seem like one overlooked a situation. Eye contact, Severine never lowered or had her gaze stray away from her interlocutor.

She prepared all this for what she called cross-examination. The first in line was the show Sorell advised her to appear in. The candidate prepped herself for the kill.

She had to prove she ran the show.

"There's what the party wants and what the people want."

Cara approached her, "What do you want, Severine?"

Severine smiled in the mirror and waited for the makeup artist to finish applying the lipstick. Pat McGrath's MatteTrance vendetta was the day's winner. The richly pigmented medium dark red lipstick left a light mat veil and perfectly contrasted with the very neutral face she asked for. Thus, all eyes would focus on her lips, as she wanted.

Severine wore a long-sleeved spiral-cut A-line dress from her favorite American designerㅡno bust or arm display for the humble side of things. The dress was a few seasons old, and with a bit of luck, no one would pay attention to the brand.

"You're too pretty. It's a handicap. You need to look a little less primed." Paul, her spin doctor, said a few days earlier.

Severine had laughed. Another unsaid requirement was not to be too alluring. Attractive male politicians were praised, while women were reduced to porcelain doll status.

Her election wardrobe had neither prints nor patterns. She took no risks. Severine refused to be whistled at and booed like Cecile Duflot in the national assembly when she entered the hemicycle in a flower-printed dress. It was a man's world, not to say the least.

Severine stood behind the scenes as the talk show presenter did his intro. She knew none of the co-hosts would be tender. Though advised to start with a one-to-one interview, Severine opted for the upgrade with not one or two hosts but four. All supported different parties, and none were Liberal. Her party called the show an ambush.

"Please welcome Severine Lafarge."

"Bonsoir, Severine."

"Bonsoir, Jean."

"First show?"

"Yes," Severine replied, looking at the audience.

"Nervous?"

"No, should I be?"

"No, we're all eager to speak with you. Pauline especially wanted to know your thoughts."

Pauline smiled at her. She was about the same age as Severine. She hosted a morning radio show called France, comment tu vas? Severine guessed Pauline would be the most annoying of the lot. "First, I just want to say I'm not into politics. It's boring, but when the press announced you as a candidate, I thought this sounds interesting."

"Why does it seem interesting?"

"Don't get defensive," Paul muttered at his TV screen.

"Well, it's not the first time a couple runs for president, but it's the first time the candidates are from opposite parties. I mean, you're a mother, you're married. How does that work?" Pauline asked.

"Please correct me if I'm wrong. Are you asking me how this affects my home or how my husband took it? If that's the question, it's going great."

"Is Mr. Lafarge supporting you?" Jean asked.

"He's running his campaign. We're both very occupied."

The evasive answer was a classic.

"I have a question: How does one switch from being an advocate to a candidate for the presidential." Matthieu Colmont, a journalist asked.

"It isn't new to me. I've always been involved in politics somehow."

"But you stood by your husband. Do you think you can turn the tide on the opinions of those who believe you're working together? Don't you see the conflict of interest?"

"My husband and I have our opinions. We're separate entities when it comes to politics."

"How do you juggle your work and life balance?" Pauline asked. Severine noted that, unlike the men, the woman often looked at her notes.

"I do like everyone else."

"You have a son. How is it for him to see his parents in politics?" Sofiane Anami asked. The moderate seemed nice, but Severine knew better.

"My son is a teen. He is happier living his life than having us on his back.

"Is he supporting you?"

"Yes."

"And his father, is he supporting him?"

Severine felt she already answered, but she pursued, "What are you aiming at? We're his parents. He's fifteen. He doesn't have a political color. He is supporting us because we are his parents."

"He must miss your presence," Sofiane said.

"I don't understand. Is it a question? It's not like I stand behind my stove and oven all day. I don't remember you asking Mr. Lafarge, the son if he had difficulty adapting. Can you please stick to questions involving my program?" Severine said with a toothpaste advert smile.

"Okay, I have one for you. Taxes are a huge subject. Does your program cover that? Will you be taxing big companies who are exempted from paying?" Matthieu asked.

Severine looked at every interlocutor before facing the public, "I think everyone around this table uses a certain streaming plate-form that allows you to have the next day delivery for free or perhaps another plate-form that allows you to access restaurants or taxis, without forgetting the formidable fruit logo tech mastodon whose prices are literally a months rent worth. Most people, if asked, will say the companies ease their lifestyle. Well, this routine and habits have made us dependent. None would like to see these companies leave the country. For let's be honest, the threat of leaving is always on the negotiation table when taxes are involved."

"Please, Severine, don't go there," Cara whispered in the backstage

"So you won't tax?" Jean asked.

Severine raised her hands and began the poses: "What we need is a consensus. I want to know whether the nation will support the government if we go to war to retrieve those taxes when the time comes.

You have to keep in mind the collateral damagesㅡthe employment loss. I'm sure you've already ordered something, and your delivery person didn't match the photo on the app. This, for me, reveals another issue: immigration. Isn't immigration a primary issue? Are citizens willing to take away the salary of people already in dire straits?"

"Are you saying it's the citizens' fault?"

"No, I'm saying we should not just focus on the tip of the iceberg. Are citizens willing to consume differently to allow the government to negotiate?"

Severine set the tone.

WC: 8250