I swagger down the hall to our conference room, only a fashionable 6 minutes late.
Lou ran into me at the hallway intersection just a few feet from where our meeting is
taking place. When she sees me she looks down at her watch.
“Hey, um, we’re not quite ready for you yet. Can you give us another 10 minutes
before you come in?” she asks nervously.
“What the- I know I have a crappy watch, but I’ve learned to make allowances for it
and I happen to know that I am 6- no- 7 minutes late already.” I continue toward the
door. Lou shook her head as I opened the door and walked inside. Everyone
stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. This was going to be awkward, I
decided.
As I made my way to the conference table with my backpack, I noticed people
passing money back and forth with quiet mutterings. A pool? They had a pool going
on here about when I would appear? Suddenly, Lou’s comment about waiting 10
minutes is placed in a whole new context. I shoot her a dirty look.
“Okay, let’s just get this out of the way, shall we? It was a spur of the moment,
unplanned expression of happiness over the good news about the polling numbers.
Is there anyone here who would like to claim the moral high ground on this issue?
Bram? Edie? Anyone?” I look around the room with my patented glare and heads
shake in the negative. I silently thank God Donna is meeting with Helen Santos at the
moment, because I’m telling you if she heard my whole “unplanned moment of
happiness over polling numbers” speech she would ensure that I never experience
another unplanned moment of happiness, and that is something I don’t want to
contemplate right now.
“Can we get back into electing Congressman Santos to the White House now?” I ask
rhetorically. “We need to think about hitting South Carolina again to continue our
momentum in the south. God, can you believe we’re viable in the south right now?”
“Yeah, it’s enough to spur you to an unplanned expression of happiness.” Lou
deadpans and I hear several snickers, but when I raise my eyes from the polling
numbers I’m looking at I can’t figure out who the snickers came from.
“Uh-huh.” I let the paper fall to the table. “Let’s go around the room for updates from
everyone.” I let the words around me help get me back into battle mode. We have a
real chance to win this now. A chance nobody else ever believed we had. I just need
to focus for a couple more weeks and the White House will be ours.
Then Donna walks into the room. Everything else fades to my peripheral vision as
she takes a seat at the other end of the table. How the hell did I manage to keep my
hands off this woman for eight years while working in daily close proximity? Ouch!
Someone just kicked my leg; hard! I look over at Lou who is sitting next to me. She
gives me a pointed stare before turning her attention back to Edie who is reporting
on the ‘get out the vote’ effort in the Western states. Right. I need to pay attention to
this; close attention. Maybe she’ll have some really good news that Donna and I can
celebrate later.
An unendurable 72 minutes later our meeting breaks up and Donna escapes with
Bram and Otto before I can get her attention. I have 3 calls waiting on the phone and
a call sheet you could use to wrap a big screen TV. I really need to talk to Donna,
and more importantly, I want to make sure the idiot boys (Bram and Otto) don’t tell
Donna what I said about this morning’s incident.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don’t catch so much as a glimpse of Donna again until after 1. She takes the
telephone out of my hands as I’m dialing and hands me a take out bag with some
lunch it. She then proceeds to pull another chair next to mine and open her own bag
lunch while she regales me with some story about a staffer that she thought was
funny. I only know she thought it was funny because she was laughing the whole time
she was talking. I didn’t hear a single word she said. I made the mistake of looking
into her eyes and remembered what they looked like when we made love earlier this
morning. She must have noticed my inattention because she snapped her fingers in
front of my face.
“Are you listening to me?” she asked still laughing.
“No.” I told her honestly and laughed with her. Then I leaned over and kissed her.
After a minute or two she pulled back.
“I’m sorry, was that an unplanned expression of happiness over some good news?”
she teased me.
“Bram or Otto?” I asked her wryly.
“Edie.” She told me and I shook my head. “Leo repeated it though when he told me
he lost $50 bucks in the pool. He claimed to have picked 2 hours for us to be…busy.
He said after 8 years he was sure you’d pick being thorough over being fast.” I spit
out the Coke I was drinking when she told me that. “Don’t worry. I told him you were
both.” Then I started to choke.
“Donna!” I started to protest, but she cut me off with another kiss. In the back of my
mind the sound of a door registers. Then some papers hit the desk and I look up to
see Lou.
“Some new editorials hit the papers in Florida and California today; you should look
at them when you’re done…expressing happiness.” And with that she leaves us
again.
“I am feeling especially happy right now.” I admitted.
“Me too.” She reciprocated. “Especially since you ate most of the salad I brought
you.”
I look down and sure enough, most of the offending green lettuce is gone. How about
that?
“I’m anticipating more good news later today…maybe we could try a planned moment
of expressing happiness?” I tried for casual, but judging by the expression on her
face, Donna isn’t buying it.
“I’m leaving in 20 minutes for a media event with Mrs. Santos.”
“I’ve got a meeting with down ticket race coordinators at 2; God only knows how long
that’ll take. Then we have the rally…after that?” I suggested.
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of…happiness and good news from the rally.” She smirked
at me.
“You’re never going to let me live that down are you?”
“I don’t think so; no.” She gathered up our trash and with a final kiss, left me alone to
ponder down ticket races and possible sources of happiness.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“I’ve just received an offer I can’t refuse.” I reluctantly tell Donna.
“You’re consorting with mafia now, Joshua? I know you want to win this election, but
you have to draw the line somewhere.”
“Very funny. I’ve been ordered to bring Leo and the Congressman to the White
House tonight. For the first time in this campaign we are tied with Vinick and I’m
supposed to pull them off the trail? I can’t believe this shit.”
“That certainly doesn’t sound like…good news.”
“Of course it’s not good news, we have to pack up and leave just when…No, wait.
What I meant to say was that while I do not have good news at the moment, but I am
sure that I will have a lot of good news later.”
She laughed as I fumbled through that answer. Usually I’m faster on my feet with the
sexual banter, but I’m still not used to the idea of actually having sex with Donna.
“Don’t stress over the White House trip; Vinick is going too so we’ll be at an equal
disadvantage. Maybe you’ll be happy to see everyone there tonight?”
“Definitely. I’ve got the…thing now.” I explained as I back her into the nearest wall
which happens to be the outside of a building 500 feet from the rally where
thousands of people have gathered to hear the Congressman.
She lifted her face up towards mine so that it’s easier for me to kiss her so I feel I
have to oblige. However she quickly disentangled herself from me and made her way
back to the media pool. I spotted Lou in the crowd to the left of the podium and
approached her.
“Why haven’t I seen any reports today from key districts?” I fire my opening salvo.
“No one wants to bring you the reports with bad news because you yell at them and
no one wants to bring you the reports with the good news for fear of an unplanned
expression of happiness.” She told me without tearing her eyes from the
Congressman.
“Right.” I tip my head back and close my eyes. “We need to be out of here on time to
get to the White House on time.”
“Got it.” She assures me.
“I’m just saying that you don’t keep the President waiting.” I reiterate.
“And I’m just saying that I understood you each of the five times that you told me
previously.” Now Lou looked over at me. “Go do something useful and let me listen to
this speech.”
I think Lou had forgotten that I was in charge again. If happens frequently with Lou.
Since Lou is a little scary when crossed, however, I decide to move onto something
else.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Josh, the President would like to see you for a minute before he meets with the
candidates.” Debbie informed me.
“Sure…of course.” I follow her from the Roosevelt room where the rest of our team
has gathered into the Oval.
“Good evening, Mr. President.” I’m not sure why I was singled out at this point, but I’m
pretty sure it can’t be good for me.
“Josh! It’s good to see you.” The President got up from his desk and moved around it
to give me a hug. “Tied nationally, huh? You must be feeling pretty good today.”
“Yes, sir. We’re all pretty excited.” I add as non-committal a reply as I can think of.
“I want you to know how very proud I am of the campaign you’ve run. I know Leo and I
put a lot of pressure on you before the convention, and I’m glad you stuck to your
guns. Matt Santos will make a fine President and that’s due to your vision and hard
work.”
“Thank you sir, I appreciate that.”
“Also, you need to know that even after this election, I will still have Secret Service
protection and I swear I will use them to take you out if you hurt that young woman.”
Okay, did we just segue into another topic? I swear he just turned from benevolent
mentor to shot gun toting surrogate father right before my eyes.
“Yes, sir.”
“You already cost me $100 bucks in the pool, so it won’t take much to push me over
the line.”
“The pool, sir?” I am officially mortified.
“After Rosslyn, Leo bet me and Toby that you and Donna would get together before
the end of my administration. I was certain you would never act on your feelings while
you were in the White House. Who could have predicted you’d both leave before the
end of the term and end up together anyway?” The President chuckled. “Well, Leo I
guess.”
“Leo has always been very perceptive, sir. Wait a second. After Rosslyn? I didn’t
even know I felt…Rosslyn?” I repeated dumbfounded.
“If you didn’t, you were the only one who didn’t. You and Donna have always had a
special bond, the events of that fateful night only made that bond stronger. Now get
out of here and send Congressman Santos in to speak with me.”
“Sir? You are about to make my life incredibly more complicated tonight aren’t you?”
“Not your life, Joshua, just your job. They are not the same thing. Let Donna help you
remember that.”
“Yes, sir. Goodnight.”
I can’t help thinking about what the President said to me while we’re seated around
the conference table in the Roosevelt room waiting for the Congressman to return.
This happy crew gathered around me, all with their individual talents and quirks have
become my family over the last year, but the one that my attention keeps gravitating
to has been my family for much longer than that. I guess since Rosslyn. I drown out
the teasing comments and sleep deprived debates all around me and try to imagine
my life without her and I feel panic set in. Just the few months we were working on
separate campaigns nearly killed me.
“You with us Josh? Stop thinking about the media buys in the mid-west; it’s going to
be fine.” Leo told me in a low voice from his seat next to me.
“Believe me when I tell you that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now. The
President said you made a bet with him after Rosslyn.” I turned and looked him
straight in the eyes so I saw them twinkle before he answered.
“He’s just pissed he lost the bet.” Leo told me. “You have always been wise beyond
your years when it comes to politics, but I’ve always worried that you have no balance
in your life. I didn’t want you to end up like me. I stopped worrying about that when
Donna announced that she would be moving in with you while you recovered.”
My eyes moved of their own volition to seek Donna out from the crowd. It’s time to
stop being a chicken shit and tell her how I feel. She needs to hear my words and I
need to hear hers. The Congressman chose this moment to re-enter the Roosevelt
room looking grim and sober.
“Okay, people let’s head back to the hotel. We have a big day tomorrow.” Everyone
files out and within 10 minutes we’re on the terrace of the hotel having a night cap. I’
m the last to arrive having been waylaid in the lobby by a Senator’s Chief of Staff who
had ‘concerns’ about our foreign policy language. Wait ‘til he gets the happy news
about Kazakhstan. I finally get out to the terrace and take a seat across the table
from Donna and we exchange grins. She sets her key envelope on the table between
us and casually slides it my way before announcing she is going to bed. I almost
bobbled my drink when she said that.
I watch her hips gently sway as she walks to the elevator. That is the only reason I
was slow on the uptake for the key transfer. Edie notices it first and jumps up to try to
catch Donna.
“No, Edie, I’ve got it. I need to give her my notes from the thing anyway.”
“What thing?” Edie picked now to become inquisitive.
“The thing for the media we’re trying to work out.” I lie as I take the key packet out of
her hand and hurry to get into the elevator before she questions me further. I stop in
my room and pack some things for the morning before walking down the hall to
Donna’s room.
I let myself in using the key she passed me. The room is dark except for the candles
she lit and she has soft music playing. It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the
darkness in the room and then there she is…my guardian angel with hair blond hair
flowing over her shoulders and drawing attention to her silky blue nightgown that
matches her beautiful blue eyes.
“You are so lovely…You are smart, funny, and amazingly gorgeous. What do you
possibly see in me?” I had to ask the question; I just had to.
“I see the man I love.” She replied honestly and that nearly sent tears down both our
cheeks.
“Not that I’m complaining about this morning Donna, because it was incredible, but
when I imagined making love to you the first time, I pictured it a little more like this. So
that I could woo you a little more; tell you I love.” I couldn’t make eye contact with her
at that moment until she took my chin in her hand and tipped it up until she could
read my eyes with hers.
“I don’t think I realized until just this second how much I needed to hear the words. I
love you so much, Joshua.” She punctuated her words with a kiss just as my cell
phone rang. She backed up to get it, but I pulled her back.
“It can wait.” I assured her. She looked at me as if I were a pod person. “Seriously, I
got some pretty good advice from the President of the United States tonight. It had to
do with balance and remembering that my job is not my life.”
“That sounds like very good advice.” She smiled and held me close to her.
Lou ran into me at the hallway intersection just a few feet from where our meeting is
taking place. When she sees me she looks down at her watch.
“Hey, um, we’re not quite ready for you yet. Can you give us another 10 minutes
before you come in?” she asks nervously.
“What the- I know I have a crappy watch, but I’ve learned to make allowances for it
and I happen to know that I am 6- no- 7 minutes late already.” I continue toward the
door. Lou shook her head as I opened the door and walked inside. Everyone
stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. This was going to be awkward, I
decided.
As I made my way to the conference table with my backpack, I noticed people
passing money back and forth with quiet mutterings. A pool? They had a pool going
on here about when I would appear? Suddenly, Lou’s comment about waiting 10
minutes is placed in a whole new context. I shoot her a dirty look.
“Okay, let’s just get this out of the way, shall we? It was a spur of the moment,
unplanned expression of happiness over the good news about the polling numbers.
Is there anyone here who would like to claim the moral high ground on this issue?
Bram? Edie? Anyone?” I look around the room with my patented glare and heads
shake in the negative. I silently thank God Donna is meeting with Helen Santos at the
moment, because I’m telling you if she heard my whole “unplanned moment of
happiness over polling numbers” speech she would ensure that I never experience
another unplanned moment of happiness, and that is something I don’t want to
contemplate right now.
“Can we get back into electing Congressman Santos to the White House now?” I ask
rhetorically. “We need to think about hitting South Carolina again to continue our
momentum in the south. God, can you believe we’re viable in the south right now?”
“Yeah, it’s enough to spur you to an unplanned expression of happiness.” Lou
deadpans and I hear several snickers, but when I raise my eyes from the polling
numbers I’m looking at I can’t figure out who the snickers came from.
“Uh-huh.” I let the paper fall to the table. “Let’s go around the room for updates from
everyone.” I let the words around me help get me back into battle mode. We have a
real chance to win this now. A chance nobody else ever believed we had. I just need
to focus for a couple more weeks and the White House will be ours.
Then Donna walks into the room. Everything else fades to my peripheral vision as
she takes a seat at the other end of the table. How the hell did I manage to keep my
hands off this woman for eight years while working in daily close proximity? Ouch!
Someone just kicked my leg; hard! I look over at Lou who is sitting next to me. She
gives me a pointed stare before turning her attention back to Edie who is reporting
on the ‘get out the vote’ effort in the Western states. Right. I need to pay attention to
this; close attention. Maybe she’ll have some really good news that Donna and I can
celebrate later.
An unendurable 72 minutes later our meeting breaks up and Donna escapes with
Bram and Otto before I can get her attention. I have 3 calls waiting on the phone and
a call sheet you could use to wrap a big screen TV. I really need to talk to Donna,
and more importantly, I want to make sure the idiot boys (Bram and Otto) don’t tell
Donna what I said about this morning’s incident.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don’t catch so much as a glimpse of Donna again until after 1. She takes the
telephone out of my hands as I’m dialing and hands me a take out bag with some
lunch it. She then proceeds to pull another chair next to mine and open her own bag
lunch while she regales me with some story about a staffer that she thought was
funny. I only know she thought it was funny because she was laughing the whole time
she was talking. I didn’t hear a single word she said. I made the mistake of looking
into her eyes and remembered what they looked like when we made love earlier this
morning. She must have noticed my inattention because she snapped her fingers in
front of my face.
“Are you listening to me?” she asked still laughing.
“No.” I told her honestly and laughed with her. Then I leaned over and kissed her.
After a minute or two she pulled back.
“I’m sorry, was that an unplanned expression of happiness over some good news?”
she teased me.
“Bram or Otto?” I asked her wryly.
“Edie.” She told me and I shook my head. “Leo repeated it though when he told me
he lost $50 bucks in the pool. He claimed to have picked 2 hours for us to be…busy.
He said after 8 years he was sure you’d pick being thorough over being fast.” I spit
out the Coke I was drinking when she told me that. “Don’t worry. I told him you were
both.” Then I started to choke.
“Donna!” I started to protest, but she cut me off with another kiss. In the back of my
mind the sound of a door registers. Then some papers hit the desk and I look up to
see Lou.
“Some new editorials hit the papers in Florida and California today; you should look
at them when you’re done…expressing happiness.” And with that she leaves us
again.
“I am feeling especially happy right now.” I admitted.
“Me too.” She reciprocated. “Especially since you ate most of the salad I brought
you.”
I look down and sure enough, most of the offending green lettuce is gone. How about
that?
“I’m anticipating more good news later today…maybe we could try a planned moment
of expressing happiness?” I tried for casual, but judging by the expression on her
face, Donna isn’t buying it.
“I’m leaving in 20 minutes for a media event with Mrs. Santos.”
“I’ve got a meeting with down ticket race coordinators at 2; God only knows how long
that’ll take. Then we have the rally…after that?” I suggested.
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of…happiness and good news from the rally.” She smirked
at me.
“You’re never going to let me live that down are you?”
“I don’t think so; no.” She gathered up our trash and with a final kiss, left me alone to
ponder down ticket races and possible sources of happiness.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“I’ve just received an offer I can’t refuse.” I reluctantly tell Donna.
“You’re consorting with mafia now, Joshua? I know you want to win this election, but
you have to draw the line somewhere.”
“Very funny. I’ve been ordered to bring Leo and the Congressman to the White
House tonight. For the first time in this campaign we are tied with Vinick and I’m
supposed to pull them off the trail? I can’t believe this shit.”
“That certainly doesn’t sound like…good news.”
“Of course it’s not good news, we have to pack up and leave just when…No, wait.
What I meant to say was that while I do not have good news at the moment, but I am
sure that I will have a lot of good news later.”
She laughed as I fumbled through that answer. Usually I’m faster on my feet with the
sexual banter, but I’m still not used to the idea of actually having sex with Donna.
“Don’t stress over the White House trip; Vinick is going too so we’ll be at an equal
disadvantage. Maybe you’ll be happy to see everyone there tonight?”
“Definitely. I’ve got the…thing now.” I explained as I back her into the nearest wall
which happens to be the outside of a building 500 feet from the rally where
thousands of people have gathered to hear the Congressman.
She lifted her face up towards mine so that it’s easier for me to kiss her so I feel I
have to oblige. However she quickly disentangled herself from me and made her way
back to the media pool. I spotted Lou in the crowd to the left of the podium and
approached her.
“Why haven’t I seen any reports today from key districts?” I fire my opening salvo.
“No one wants to bring you the reports with bad news because you yell at them and
no one wants to bring you the reports with the good news for fear of an unplanned
expression of happiness.” She told me without tearing her eyes from the
Congressman.
“Right.” I tip my head back and close my eyes. “We need to be out of here on time to
get to the White House on time.”
“Got it.” She assures me.
“I’m just saying that you don’t keep the President waiting.” I reiterate.
“And I’m just saying that I understood you each of the five times that you told me
previously.” Now Lou looked over at me. “Go do something useful and let me listen to
this speech.”
I think Lou had forgotten that I was in charge again. If happens frequently with Lou.
Since Lou is a little scary when crossed, however, I decide to move onto something
else.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Josh, the President would like to see you for a minute before he meets with the
candidates.” Debbie informed me.
“Sure…of course.” I follow her from the Roosevelt room where the rest of our team
has gathered into the Oval.
“Good evening, Mr. President.” I’m not sure why I was singled out at this point, but I’m
pretty sure it can’t be good for me.
“Josh! It’s good to see you.” The President got up from his desk and moved around it
to give me a hug. “Tied nationally, huh? You must be feeling pretty good today.”
“Yes, sir. We’re all pretty excited.” I add as non-committal a reply as I can think of.
“I want you to know how very proud I am of the campaign you’ve run. I know Leo and I
put a lot of pressure on you before the convention, and I’m glad you stuck to your
guns. Matt Santos will make a fine President and that’s due to your vision and hard
work.”
“Thank you sir, I appreciate that.”
“Also, you need to know that even after this election, I will still have Secret Service
protection and I swear I will use them to take you out if you hurt that young woman.”
Okay, did we just segue into another topic? I swear he just turned from benevolent
mentor to shot gun toting surrogate father right before my eyes.
“Yes, sir.”
“You already cost me $100 bucks in the pool, so it won’t take much to push me over
the line.”
“The pool, sir?” I am officially mortified.
“After Rosslyn, Leo bet me and Toby that you and Donna would get together before
the end of my administration. I was certain you would never act on your feelings while
you were in the White House. Who could have predicted you’d both leave before the
end of the term and end up together anyway?” The President chuckled. “Well, Leo I
guess.”
“Leo has always been very perceptive, sir. Wait a second. After Rosslyn? I didn’t
even know I felt…Rosslyn?” I repeated dumbfounded.
“If you didn’t, you were the only one who didn’t. You and Donna have always had a
special bond, the events of that fateful night only made that bond stronger. Now get
out of here and send Congressman Santos in to speak with me.”
“Sir? You are about to make my life incredibly more complicated tonight aren’t you?”
“Not your life, Joshua, just your job. They are not the same thing. Let Donna help you
remember that.”
“Yes, sir. Goodnight.”
I can’t help thinking about what the President said to me while we’re seated around
the conference table in the Roosevelt room waiting for the Congressman to return.
This happy crew gathered around me, all with their individual talents and quirks have
become my family over the last year, but the one that my attention keeps gravitating
to has been my family for much longer than that. I guess since Rosslyn. I drown out
the teasing comments and sleep deprived debates all around me and try to imagine
my life without her and I feel panic set in. Just the few months we were working on
separate campaigns nearly killed me.
“You with us Josh? Stop thinking about the media buys in the mid-west; it’s going to
be fine.” Leo told me in a low voice from his seat next to me.
“Believe me when I tell you that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now. The
President said you made a bet with him after Rosslyn.” I turned and looked him
straight in the eyes so I saw them twinkle before he answered.
“He’s just pissed he lost the bet.” Leo told me. “You have always been wise beyond
your years when it comes to politics, but I’ve always worried that you have no balance
in your life. I didn’t want you to end up like me. I stopped worrying about that when
Donna announced that she would be moving in with you while you recovered.”
My eyes moved of their own volition to seek Donna out from the crowd. It’s time to
stop being a chicken shit and tell her how I feel. She needs to hear my words and I
need to hear hers. The Congressman chose this moment to re-enter the Roosevelt
room looking grim and sober.
“Okay, people let’s head back to the hotel. We have a big day tomorrow.” Everyone
files out and within 10 minutes we’re on the terrace of the hotel having a night cap. I’
m the last to arrive having been waylaid in the lobby by a Senator’s Chief of Staff who
had ‘concerns’ about our foreign policy language. Wait ‘til he gets the happy news
about Kazakhstan. I finally get out to the terrace and take a seat across the table
from Donna and we exchange grins. She sets her key envelope on the table between
us and casually slides it my way before announcing she is going to bed. I almost
bobbled my drink when she said that.
I watch her hips gently sway as she walks to the elevator. That is the only reason I
was slow on the uptake for the key transfer. Edie notices it first and jumps up to try to
catch Donna.
“No, Edie, I’ve got it. I need to give her my notes from the thing anyway.”
“What thing?” Edie picked now to become inquisitive.
“The thing for the media we’re trying to work out.” I lie as I take the key packet out of
her hand and hurry to get into the elevator before she questions me further. I stop in
my room and pack some things for the morning before walking down the hall to
Donna’s room.
I let myself in using the key she passed me. The room is dark except for the candles
she lit and she has soft music playing. It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the
darkness in the room and then there she is…my guardian angel with hair blond hair
flowing over her shoulders and drawing attention to her silky blue nightgown that
matches her beautiful blue eyes.
“You are so lovely…You are smart, funny, and amazingly gorgeous. What do you
possibly see in me?” I had to ask the question; I just had to.
“I see the man I love.” She replied honestly and that nearly sent tears down both our
cheeks.
“Not that I’m complaining about this morning Donna, because it was incredible, but
when I imagined making love to you the first time, I pictured it a little more like this. So
that I could woo you a little more; tell you I love.” I couldn’t make eye contact with her
at that moment until she took my chin in her hand and tipped it up until she could
read my eyes with hers.
“I don’t think I realized until just this second how much I needed to hear the words. I
love you so much, Joshua.” She punctuated her words with a kiss just as my cell
phone rang. She backed up to get it, but I pulled her back.
“It can wait.” I assured her. She looked at me as if I were a pod person. “Seriously, I
got some pretty good advice from the President of the United States tonight. It had to
do with balance and remembering that my job is not my life.”
“That sounds like very good advice.” She smiled and held me close to her.
Good News Part 2
