Chapter 1: The Naming
The president asked, "Have you named your twins yet?"
My dad replied, "Not yet."
The president said, "Then let me name them."
My dad cleared his throat and said, "It’d be an honor for my daughter, sir."
The president said, "Let one be called Natalie Thompson, and the other Lillian Thompson. How about that?"
Dad hesitated, voice shaky. "The name 'Thompson' is your family name, sir. I’m not sure my child can carry it."
The president replied, "A future First Lady can carry it."
Dad let out a nervous laugh. "I’m honestly a little overwhelmed."
Even as a kid, I could sense a weight in the room, the kind you only get in the Oval Office—a quiet awe, almost like standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium before the big game. The polished oak desk gleamed under the afternoon sun, and the faint scent of leather and coffee hung in the air. My dad, who never lost his cool, suddenly looked like he might take a knee just from nerves.