#also technically my mom was raised episcopal

[hotcocoandmarshmallows]

I'm what happens when Catholicism² meets British American Protestant Pragmatism.

An atheist.

[ecotone99]

[MF] Congress interviews the next Mrs. Washington, Part 1

Wasn't sure what category to put this in as this isn't historically accurate except for the Bay of Pigs which was a event that happened in 1961. The character Lou Ann Miller is fictitious.

1988

The Presidents Club are in this story the royalty of America. They are not like traditional European royalty. Every American President's family is a member of this royalty after they have served in office. Only immediate family. Not distant cousins, etc. The board of directors come from the original founding father's families, the Washingtons, Jeffersons, Hancocks and the Franklins are on the governing board currently. One rule that they have is any female that marries into the Washington, Jefferson, Hancock and Franklin families has to be interviewed by Congress and approved by them. This law was passed in 1801. If you notice it doesn't require a male married into these families to be interviewed by Congress but at the families request, a interview may be done. Let's see there hasn't been an interview since 1866, right after the civil war relating to a male who wanted to marry into the Jefferson family. Turned out that this guy was a double agent during the civil war and was also a spy and gave secrets to both sides. This guy found out that he was going to be arrested and he disappeared before he was to be interviewed.

Mark Washington made a request to the board that he would like to marry me. Let's me introduce myself to the reader. My name is Lillian Garcia. I go by Lilly. Let's just say that eyebrows have been raised more than once. I'm not from society nor do I come from wealth. Mark's family doesn't know what to do with me. I know at least his sister Mary likes me.

I was born January 1, 1962 in Lakeland, Florida. My father is Cuban (he's deceased, God rest his soul) and my mother is Eastern European (Poland and Russia), Swedish and Irish. There is also Jewish ancestry from my material side (great-grandmother). My mother Lillian Smith went on a trip to Miami and took a job as a waitress at a fancy hotel in Miami Beach. My father worked at a gambling parlor which is where he met my mom in 1957. He was the door man. Well the gambling place was technically illegal but since wealthy people came and they wanted a safe place to be, officials looked the other way as long as there wasn't problems. My mom had been told that this place existed. She earned extra money being a cocktail waitress.

My parents had a common-law marriage which was legal in Florida. The document looked similar to a marriage certificate and unless you looked very closely, you didn't know that it was different. My brother was born in 1959 and I was born in January of 1962. Religious differences and the fact that neither the Catholic or Episcopal church would allow my parents to marry factored into their decision. Back then, marriages between Protestants and Catholics were discouraged and many people were opposed to such marriages.

My father was a member of a Cuban exile group that participated in the Bay of Pigs. My father died in the invasion. I was conceived shortly before my father left to fight in the Bay of Pigs which was in April of 1961. I was born January 1, 1962.

Shortly before my mother went to live with her parents, she legally changed her last name to Garcia. I was the first baby born in Lakeland in 1962, so I got baby gifts. No one knew that my parents had a common-law-marriage. My mother wore what looked like a wedding ring.

My mother remarried in 1967 to a Lakeland Judge Willis James. I have a half brother and half sister who were born in 1970. My stepfather was 20 years older than my mother and died in January of 1982.

Until I was 20 years old, I lived the life of a good girl. I didn't smoke, drink, use drugs or have sex. I was in a sorority and was made fun of because I didn't do these things. I used to go out with them to Tampa to a bar where heavy metal bands played. I was a senior in college, having skipped a grade and started kindergarten early. At that time you could drink at 18. Ron Greers had a band. He was the cutest guy I had ever seen.

To make a long story short, I ended up backstage talking to him. This was in April of 1982. I graduated from college in May of 1982. Two weeks later, I was a backup singer, singing my heart out. One month later we were married. Nine months to the day, I had a honeymoon baby Lauren Greers.

We were married for 3 more years and I had a son named Ronald Jr. We divorced in 1985. Then I met Mark Washington thru his sister. Mary had a special needs child who needed speech therapy. I was a education major with a focus on speed therapy.

I first had to go before the committee of the families before the Congress would question me. I knew that I would be grilled, Mark told me this. He told me to watch out for Shirley Washington Jefferson who was a tough judge.

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