Aurora

"Won't you be coming along too?"

"No, you'll be on your own. Now you know why I insisted that you spend every waking hour as a woman these past few months, so you'd have the self-reliance to travel with the First Family and transform yourself into Jackie if called upon to do so. You've graduated, dear, beyond my wildest expectations, and I'm sure you'll do just fine no matter what they throw at you."

As it turned out, Irene could not have been more wrong.

* * *

Marsha and I were able to spend a few moments together before I left. "I'm worried about you," she said. "Last month Adlai Stevenson had a terrible time in Dallas, they even spit on him! There are a lot of nuts down there."

"I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Who's going to try to hurt a girl?"

* * *

A limo took me and my luggage to Andrews Air Force Base hours before the Kennedys arrived, and I was able to stake out a row of seats at the very back of the plane. I was exhausted from all the last-minute preparations, and I must have dozed off because the next thing I heard was the roar of jet engines as the Boeing 707 rocketed down the runway. After we were aloft, a steward appeared and asked me if he could get me anything, so I ordered coffee with cream and sugar. Might as well stay in character, I said to myself as I lit up a Salem.

I was preoccupied with an article on makeup tips in Glamour when I looked up to see Ken O'Donnell standing in the aisle. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"Fine, thanks. When do I have to audition for the Kennedys?"

"No need. They've seen your pictures and I told them you're a dead ringer for her. Chances are we won't even need you. Just hang loose and enjoy the ride," he smiled before he headed back towards the front of the plane.

And so began my first -- and last -- mission as Aurora. When we touched down in San Antonio, I looked out the window when the President and First Lady walked down the ramp to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, and spent several hours twiddling my thumbs before we were back in the air for a quick flight to Houston, where the same routine was repeated. It was late in the evening when we finally completed the third leg of our journey, and I waited until everyone was off the plane before a Secret Service agent spirited me off to a nondescript motel near the airport. Nobody saw me come and go, and they didn't even bring me something to eat in my crappy room until I complained. After a few hours of restless sleep, I was up before dawn to get myself dressed and made up for the drive back to the airport, and once again I waited for hours before the Kennedys returned to Air Force One for the short hop to Dallas.

Up until that point, my glamorous assignment had been a mind-numbing bore, but things changed rapidly and events moved quickly before we took off for Dallas. I saw Ken O'Donnell walking rapidly down the aisle, and when he got to my seat he was very abrupt. "Showtime," he said. "The First Lady is exhausted, and she's begged off riding in the motorcade through Dallas. Get yourself dressed and ready."

"What's she wearing?"

"Oh, a pink thing, with a hat. Get moving!" I sprang out of my seat and dragged my luggage out of the storage closet behind my seat while the plane was still on the runway. I ignored the seatbelt sign, and nobody tried to stop me while I rummaged through my suitcases until I found a watermelon pink suit, which was a knock-off by Chez Ninon of the original Chanel design. It had gold buttons and a navy blue collar, and there was a matching pillbox hat. I tore off my skirt and blouse and quickly put on the skirt -- since it was a suit, and not a form-fitting dress, I didn't think I'd need to worry about my lingerie, which was just a bra, panties, slip, girdle and stockings -- and buttoned up the jacket. Then I removed the "Jackie wig" from my train case and tugged it on, tucking my hair under it as I did.

I was trying to figure out what shoes to wear when the First Lady herself materialized just after takeoff. "Oh my God, Kenny was right!" she said breathlessly in the familiar voice which I'd been memorizing for months. "I'm sorry we're putting you through this, but I'm dead on my feet."

"That's what I'm here for." I glanced down at her feet and rummaged through one of my suitcases for a matching pair of black high heels. As I was stepping into them, she picked up my hat and began to pin it onto my wig. When she was done, she stepped back and assessed me with a critical eye. While she did, I pulled on a pair of little white gloves and draped a black purse over my arm. "How do I look?" I asked her in her own voice.

"It's scary. You're a very brave young man."

"That's what my girlfriend tells me." She laughed, and sat down next to me as the plane began its final descent.

"You only have to ride into Dallas with my husband. There will probably be a little crowd to greet you when you get off the plane. Just stand next to him and smile. When you get to the car, Governor and Mrs. Connelly will be riding along with you in the jump seats, it might be a good idea for you to put these on before they greet you." She handed me a pair of designer sunglasses, which I stashed in my purse. "I'll make my way to the Trade Mart and take it from there." We both sat up with a jolt when the plane touched down on the runway, and we got to our feet as the plane taxied towards the ramp. "Good luck," she smiled, and I stood there awkwardly until she gave me a gentle push and said, "Get up there! You're the First Lady now."

I was terrified as I walked up the aisle towards the front of the plane. President Kennedy was waiting for me, and he had an amused smile on his face as he looked me up and down. "Uncanny. Reminds me of the shellback ceremony when I crossed the equator on my way to the Solomons." I gaped at him in utter confusion. "Old navy story. You look perfect, kid. Just stick close to me and smile like you mean it." With that, the airplane door opened and we were on our way down the staircase.

After all those months of training, walking down the stairway in high heels was a snap, and I fell in behind the President and even shook a few hands as we made our way towards the Presidential limousine. Somebody handed me a beautiful bouquet of roses, and I held them gracefully until we got to the car.

It was a bright and sunny day, and the bubble top had been removed. I quickly removed Jackie's sunglasses from my purse, and I had them on when we met up with John Connelly and his wife, Nellie. They took the jump seats, we sat down behind them, and I put down my roses as we got underway. The crowds were very thin at first, but once we began to approach the center city, mobs of people lined the streets, and the President barked at me, "Take off your sunglasses, kid." I quickly obeyed him.

It was beastly hot, and by the time we got downtown, I was roasting in my suit and nylons, but as instructed I just waved and smiled like I meant it. Then the car slowed down for a sharp left turn, and I could see that in a few moments we'd be out of the city and on our way to the Trade Mart, where the First Lady would be waiting to take my place.

The President was seated to my right. Suddenly I heard the unmistakable crack of a rifle shot. To an untrained observer it might have seemed like a motorcycle backfire, but as a trained Secret Service Agent I knew better. But nobody in the car seemed to be aware of the danger. Then there was a second shot, and the President lurched and grabbed his throat with both hands. Everything seemed to slow down, like watching a movie in slow motion...without thinking, I grabbed the President and pulled him towards me, cradling his head in the lap of my skirt while I shouted "Move!" in Ethan's old voice. A split second later, a third shot tore into the upholstery on the back of Governor Connelly's jump seat. He must have been hit by one of the bullets too, because he started screaming bloody murder as the car finally lurched forward.

The President was obviously in great distress. There was a bullet hole in his throat, and he was gasping for breath. "Move this thing, damn it!" I shouted again as the limousine picked up speed. "I'm sorry," I said to the President. "I'm so sorry."

We pulled up at a hospital a few minutes later. The President was placed on a gurney and he disappeared behind a wall of police officers and medical personnel. Somebody escorted me to a waiting room, and I sat there, alone, for what seemed an eternity, cursing myself over and over for failing the prime mission of every Secret Service agent: protecting the President of the United States.

At last the door opened. It was Ken O'Donnell. I started to apologize but he cut me off. "What are you talking about? You saved the President's life, kid. If you hadn't covered him, that third bullet was heading straight for his head."

"Is he going to be all right?" I was afraid that he might be dead!

"He's going to make it. The bullet missed his spinal cord, although it did a nasty job on his throat. We were afraid he might never be able to speak again, but the doctors say that because the bullet passed below his larynx, he should make a full recovery."

"Oh, thank God!"

"You're a hero, kid. Now we've got to get you out of here. Jackie is on her way from the Trade Mart. One of the nuns outside has offered to give you her habit. We'll get you back to the plane so you can change and fly home."

President Kennedy recovered completely from his gunshot wound, and the First Lady was praised for her heroism. Buoyed by a national outpouring of sympathy, he cruised to victory in 1964. The Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which had been bogged down in Congress, were his major achievements, although he did receive bipartisan criticism when he summarily ended the Vietnam War.

Ethan Dinan was promoted to a senior position on the White House detail. He never dressed as a woman again. When he married Marsha in 1965, President Kennedy, the First Lady, and their three children were guests of honor. The First Lady had given birth to a daughter in 1964. The Kennedys named her Aurora.