White House Dinner

My brother and I were invited to some kind of dinner at the White House.  Ronald Reagan was still President then.  He came out from his office in a bit of a huff.  There were two men standing off by themselves having a conversation.  The President apparently had some kind of grudge against them.  He pointed them out as he yelled at his son, "Get them the Hell out of here!", and then he stormed off and we didn't see him again.

Afterwards we all sat around the long table, and everyone talked about what a "crazy character" the President was, what a loose cannon.  But there was a nervousness in their voices and it was clear they were covering for him.  A wide tear streamed down his son's face as he tried to smile and explain, and I must confess that I found a peculiar fascination in seeing the most powerful man in the country's son doing something as intimate as crying in front of us, sincerely and openly.