Warren, Oh Warren!

By Ofem Ajah, MD

The President of the United States, Warren Harding, is romantically involved with a twenty-two-year old woman, Nan Britton, and a bevy of other loose women. He engages in sex with these women anywhere including clubs and closets.
He is also drinking heavily, with his source of booze being prohibited, confiscated, and illegal bootlegged wines supplied by shady aides. When he’s not drinking, he spends his time playing poker and gambling. His cabinet secretaries are involved in large-scale personal enrichment from the sale, or theft, of public property. Critics, on his enemies list, are violently suppressed with the help of Al Capone and the FBI.
Nan Britton becomes pregnant as the scandals begin to bubble to the surface. The regime is beset with a raft of questionable suicides. Under the care of a quack doctor, Harding’s health begins to fail. The president’s no-nonsense wife, Florence, consults astrologers for guidance. Finally, she kills her husband to preserve his honor and good name.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483435930

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MD

Copyright © 2015 Ofem Ajah, MD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3592-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3593-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015912670

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/27/2015

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

List of Characters

Act 1

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Act 2

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Act 3

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

As I wrote this play, I discovered that finding the time and space to do so with no distractions was my greatest problem. I resorted to creating my own space and withdrawing into it. The result was that at home and at work, I may have appeared withdrawn or less available. I had less eye contact than was customary between my friends, coworkers, my family and me; the computer screen commanded my attention.

Fortunately, the people around me are the best in the world. My wife and children cut me enough slack when I went into seclusion at home to concentrate on this project. Even when they sought to bring urgent matters to me in my hideout and I fended them off, they showed great accommodation and understanding. I want them to know I appreciate their support.

My office staff, Mrs. Margaret Owai and Ms. Biba Nadjoari, have been incredibly patient with me. They gave me a lot of latitude. They did not yell at me or even frown when I postponed tasks they expected me to accomplish more promptly. Patience is indeed a virtue; my office staff have it, and I want them to know that.

My nursing and support staff at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, are the best in the world; they make my day go smoothly. At the end of the day, when I sat to write, there were no issues carried over from work that might have affected my concentration. They brought a wide spectrum of experiences and a vast wealth of knowledge to the workplace. Their comments and opinions on people in politics and on issues of the day have surreptitiously influenced this work.

My physician colleagues contributed similarly. I would not trade them for any other coworkers or friends. Their willingness to fill in for me at very short notice gave me some freedom to bring this work to fruition amid a very tight schedule.

I wish I could list all the wonderful people, each with his or her peculiar affinity to me. Any attempt to do so, however, would result in an incomplete list; some people would be inadvertently overlooked and could be hurt. That was exactly what happened in 1997 when I published my novel, Dream Comes True. Some people I loved and admired very dearly, people who had made life a pleasure for me at work, were mistakenly left out of the acknowledgments. Their disappointment in me haunts me to this day. It is my sincere belief that my beloved colleagues, friends,