With Joe just having witnessed the oddity of HIGH security, to see the Judge and the Bishop arrive was a retrieval back to some semblance of normality. Joe obviously knows the Judge and relates to him on an almost daily basis via phone or personal meeting.
The Judge walks over and introduces Joe to the Bishop, (technically, The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane - Eighth Bishop of Washington DC). The three begin to people watch together. The group is in constant awe of their surroundings and continued, but slight, disbelief that their lives would coalesce into events such as the one they're now attending. They remark to each other about the level and complexity of the security. There's a small foyer cafe off the hotel lobby where many people have gathered and are now sitting, open-air style, slowly sipping coffee's and dinner drinks in hopes of catching a glance at the big-wigs walking around. The secret service is on top of this cafe. They stand shoulder to shoulder ringing the cafe proper forming a black-suited human wall which prevents most of the gazers from even the slightest view of their protected subjects. After a few minutes of taking in all the ceremony, atwitter and meanderings going on, their allotted time has arrived. They have been invited to a cocktail party being hosted by Riggs Bank (now PNC Bank) before the nights dinner. They must now ascend the main staircase to the second floor in order to go through security screening, metal detectors, pat downs, xrays, blood tests, psychological examinations, etc, etc.
As they arrive on the second floor there's the obligatory metal detector screening manned by heavily armed secret service. The lead agent waives the Joe and the Judge through without incident. The Bishop is the last to walk-thru, but the secret service agent first asks him to remove the large gold chained cross that hangs from his neck. (The Bishop is wearing typical formal clergy wear - formal slacks and shoes, a clerical tunic with white collar, open black jacket and large gold cross on chain.) The Bishop stops, raises his eyebrows, and then asks the agent "Son, are you sure you wish to ask that of a man of the cross?" The agent apologizes and says he must in fact ask the Bishop to do so as part of his 'protocol.' With this the Judge sidles over and states in a very authoritative tone 'Agent, you did not just ask a man of the cloth to remove a sacred chain, DID YOU?' Now the Bishop chimes in and says, ' While I am always one to consider my surroundings and the need of the event, I will refuse to remove my cross.' The agent now seeing the steel in the eyes of the two men begs pardon and issues an apology to both stating 'please forgive my transgression of protocol, no disrespect was meant to your stature, person or affiliation, we are just trying to follow orders.' The Bishop waves off the agent as if to say 'it is not taken in bad faith and is understandable' and then walks thru the metal detector which sounds immediately. The agents do however hold the Bishop at bay for quite some time as they hand wanded him from head to foot, bow to stern, even closely inspecting the cross until they were comfortable with letting him pass. The three men took a few steps and began chuckling at the level of detail and concern, knowing it was all for good and admirable reason.
The Riggs cocktail party was one of three simultaneous parties being held in the hotel. The other events were sponsored by other very well known organizations, but it was clear the Riggs event was the place to be judging by those in attendance.
Joe, the Judge, and the Bishop (these words send shivers through me each time I try and visualize it and cause me to snigger under my breath) enter the reception room and are immediately confronted by the sights and sounds of laughter, clusters of people, at every turn the brain firing off with - I've seen that person on TV, or listened to a speech they gave on FOX, or saw that one interviewed by Dianne Sawyer... The Bishop tells Joe he's still remains in awe of these gatherings and sometimes can not believe he's been invited to attend, or better yet, speak. He said that he hasn't met the vast majority of the people standing around in huddled groups and begs Joe to introduce him to anyone Joe knows that the Bishop has not yet met. Joe laughs at that and says he's the last person the Bishop should be asking to provide introductions.
Joe's sleeve is tugged, its the Judge. The Judge is on a tare to introduce Joe and the Bishop to one and all in the room. They whisk here and there .......
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