Editor's Query
Tell us about a time when a spell was broken at one exact moment

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Having been an American history major, I was very excited when, as one of my first jobs after law school, I was hired as an assistant counsel to a House of Representatives subcommittee.

One of the most thrilling parts of the job was the privilege of being on the floor of the House whenever a bill I'd helped draft was up for a vote. The very first time that happened, I was awestruck. There I was, standing in the same place where our nation's greatest legislators had stood! I felt a rush of patriotism and excitement as I thought about the seminal moments that had occurred right there.

A senior member of my subcommittee interrupted my reverie by beckoning me over. I grabbed my briefing book and headed toward his spot in the well of the House, mentally going over various aspects of the bill and how its provisions could affect his district. I was ready for any question.

When I sat down next to him, he said, in his deep Southern accent, "Steve, look up at the press gallery."

I did.

"Have you ever seen such big" -- and he used a crude word for "breasts" -- "on a woman?"

In that moment, my perception of our national legislators swan-dived, arriving at a much less mythical and all-too-human plane.

Steve Bienstock, North Potomac

New query: Tell us about a time a pet's escape caused mischief. If you have a 100 percent truestory taken from your own experience concerningthe above query, send it to queries@washpost.com or The Washington Post Magazine, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Include your daytime phone number. Recount your story in 250 words or fewer. We'll pay you $50 if we use your tale.