Maverickin' it up with the ol' Maverick

So today I and a few other interns had business at a House of Rep. committee hearing. To get there, we took this cool underground subway system they have designed exclusively for Capitol Hill. All the cool people use it, trust me. Anyway, a train was about to leave, so we all started running to catch it.

Well, in my haste, I became separated from my colleagues, and jumped into the car next to them that was far less crowded (each car can hold about 6 people). The doors of the subway closed behind me just as I dashed into the car and took my place standing next to an old man who was talking to a couple of staffers (don't let the rhetoric fool you. 'Staffer' is just the fancy political word for 'brown-nosing employee').

In an instant, I knew why my car was less crowded than the rest. Senators usually ride alone (or close to it), and the cute old man that I had just stood next to was none other than The Original Maverick: John McCain.

At first I didn't know what to do, and felt very awkward and foolish for invading the senator's privacy. I was put at ease, however, when the gentlemen carried on in their conversation as if I wasn't there.

Pheww!

As the train hummed along to its destination, I stood my ground with a slight grin on my face. You see, I had said some pretty bad things about Mr. Maverick when he had been campaigning for the presidency. Who knows, I may have even threatened the poor old man. In either case, there we were, me and Johnny B. Good.

He was talking to his staffers about Arizona (a good topic for him), and without even thinking about it, I chimed into the conversation.

Me: You know, Senator, I was recently accepted to the University of Arizona's law school (a small lie. I was actually waitlisted at UA and removed my name from consideration before they issued a final decision. That said, I was never rejected from UA, but I really didn't want to explain all that to John so I just lied, okay? Boy, I really hope he doesn't read this blog.)

John McCain: Really? That's fantastic!

(Cue John reaching out his broken right arm in a handshaking gesture.)

(Cue me returning the gesture, locking hands with the man, and smiling politely as our hands moved up and down 2 times.)

John McCain: Arizona is a great state to live in but we've been hit hard and the housing market blah, blah, blah...

The subway soon came to a stop, and my magical Maverick moment came to an end. But just for the record, I still haven't washed my hand.

McCain 2012!!!