Samuel's New Suit and a Trip to Asia
New York City, New York, the United States of America
February 1st, 1790
"You're looking mighty fine, Mr. President!"
"Thank you, Samuel."
The former president was inside Wall Street Clothing Store getting a few new outfits for his expedition to Asia. Samuel had asked the shop owner to tailor him a suit (a "future suit" that he often wore when he was still in the 21st century), and the shop owner, a man also named Samuel, obliged. The suit was similar to the design that the Marine gave to the clothing shop owner and was navy blue. It was an impressive form of craftsmanship, and the wearer felt like he was already one step toward the future.
"None of that, sir. When you're in my shop, I'm Sam, and you're Samuel," The shopowner grinned, "Makes it easier for my friend here too."
"You don't need to call me "sir" every time, Sam. Just call me Samuel," Samuel replied, "What's your friend's name?"
The white man waiting on the side and holding a variety of clothes in his hand smiled, "Johnny, sir. Johnny Linehan."
"Please, call me Samuel. I have enough people calling me sir already," The Korean-American mentioned with a smile, "Now, how much for this suit and the clothes that Mr. Linehan is holding?"
"Five dollars, Samuel."
He pulled ten Eagles from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper, "Here you go. By the way, how is the spinning mill you invested in coming along?
"It's coming along nicely. Managed to save up a lot of dollars to fund that thing with a few others. Should be finished at the end of this year. Johnny here is working extra hard to get that mill up and running since when it does, we should make even bigger profits!"
Samuel laughed as he placed his clothes in a bag, "Good to hear that, Sam. Best of luck in your endeavors."
He walked out of the shop and went onto the streets of New York City. Before returning to his house, he picked up a newspaper printed by the New York Times and purchased it. Samuel allowed his newspaper to operate independently from himself and always bought a copy of the daily newspaper with his own money. He looked at the headlines of the front page and frowned at what he saw, "Three African American farmers dead in a vicious assault by mob."
The incident happened in North Carolina, where a group of angry people burned down a farm operated by an African American family. Investigations were going on to discover just who was involved in the incident, but there were rumors that a white supremacist movement was spreading through some of the disgruntled areas in the southern states. Everything was speculation, but there was a noticeable uptick in activities against minorities in the area.
Other pieces of news involved the trial of the Quebec governor Tessier, the beginning of the Erie Canal (which faced some opposition from the Iroquois), the construction of the USS Constitution, an incident between American warships and a British slave ship, and other important news.
"Damn," Samuel muttered as he walked back home, "Hopefully, Thomas can deal with everything smoothly and isn't thrown out by the time I return."
He was leaving in two weeks for Asia. After some careful preparations, Samuel was planning to visit Vietnam, Lanfang, China, Korea, and Japan. It was going to be a long trip, and he expected it to last around a year and a half. He was leaving his laptop behind, but until he returned, the Watchmen Society was on its own. Samuel was a bit nervous that if things worsened, he wouldn't be here to help the nation endure. However, this was a test (albeit a short one) to make sure that the nation wasn't reliant on him for its existence.
The Korean-American man looked up and started walking. He and his wife had four new children, two boys, and two girls, and he wanted to spend every minute he could with them before he went on his trip. He was bringing his eldest along, who had just turned ten, but the others were remaining behind in America. Sighing deeply, he folded the newspaper into his bag and headed to his house in downtown New York.