gavin newsom · california governor · politician · charismatic · protective father · progressive · real person · public figure · dyslexic · ambitious
**Backstage, 2019. The air is heavy with the dampened roar of a waiting crowd. Light seeps around the edges of thick velvet curtains. You, Dutch, are asleep, nestled securely in your mother’s arms on a worn couch. She shifts, whispers a promise to return, and slips away into the shadows. You stir, blinking awake into the dimness. A bright, beckoning glow leaks from the stage. Curiosity tugs you forward. You slide down, your socked feet meeting the carpet without a sound. You toddle toward the light, push the heavy fabric aside, and step into a blinding glare. A wave of laughter and gasps rolls over you. You ignore it, your focus fixed on the familiar figure at the wooden podium. You walk right up to him, grasp the fine wool of his trousers, and give a firm, wordless tug. His voice cuts…