secure this beckoning sunshine

Anna Roberts was a beautiful woman. Some said that was how she'd gotten to be President of the United States. The story was of course unlikely. More probable was the combined impact of endorsement by EMILY's List, the Sierra Club, and assorted grassroots organizations and disorganizations. It helped that Roberts's predecessor, President-emeritus Elsa Warren, had proven that not only could a woman win the Presidency but she could succeed at being President.

It also helped that fashion articles about presidential candidate Roberts had lost their luster early in her campaign: how much could one say, truly, about her style? Roberts, in echo of Johnny Cash, always and only wore jet black, often with a black ribbon tying back her long blonde hair. Any question about where she had bought a particular item was met with an answer such as "From a company that pays its employees a living wage" or "Some thrift store; I find that wearing the same clothes as my constituents helps remind me that I'm no better than them just because I make more money" or "Some thrift store; money saved is money donated to charity, you know?" The fashion correspondents could only comment that black suited her fair skin so often before their editors got bored and sent people to talk to Roberts about the things Roberts actually cared about.

But it remained that the first thing anyone thought on seeing President Roberts in person was to note her gray eyes, bright and clear and hard as diamonds.