Sage Advice: Charlie gets some
romantic advice from Josh and
Donna.
romantic advice from Josh and
Donna.
Title: Sage Advice
Author: Cathy Miller (cam7192003@...)
Rating: Teen
Category: Humor
Timeline: Post Abu El Banat
Disclaimer: They are not mine and I make no money from them.
Feedback: Always welcome.
Donna could hear Josh's voice as she approached his office. Whatever
he was expounding on sounded very serious.
"No, no, no. That's not what you want to do at all." He was
saying. "Slow and subtle is how you want to handle this."
Donna was surprised as she came around the corner and saw Charlie
sitting in Josh's office, each of them sipping on a beer.
"Office hours are over I take it?" Donna concluded.
"It's after 9 PM, Donna. Charlie and I have earned a break. We
are taking a break and having a beer."
"Sounds good." Donna replied as she got a beer out of Josh's
mini-fridge and sat down in the second visitor chair.
"What are you doing?" Josh asked her.
"Taking a break and having a beer." Donna answered.
"We're kind of in the middle of something here, Donna. You
can't just grab a beer and sit down to join in."
"I'm pretty sure I just did."
"We're talking man to man here, Donna."
"About what? Maybe you could use the female perspective."
"Dating." Charlie offered before Josh could stop him.
"You're taking dating advice from JOSH?" Donna asked
incredulously. "Isn't that like taking boating lessons from the
Captain of the Titanic?" Donna snorted.
"I have had many successful relationships, Donna." Josh said all
offended.
"And by successful you mean.."
"I've asked them out and they've said `yes'."
Josh mumbled.
"Oh, well, if you simply need help asking a girl out, Josh can you
help you there. What policy issue can you drum up for Charlie to help
him get a date? Paid Family Leave? Oh, right you used that one already.
California polling? No, wait. Used that one too." Donna pretends to
be racking her brain for another issue.
"Alright, Lucy, we're all rolling in the aisles here. You are
excused."
"No, no. I want to help. Who are you trying to ask out,
Charlie?"
Charlie looked to Josh for direction and Josh shrugged in response.
"It's not so much asking out as…rekindling-"
"Zoey?!" Donna sat forward, delight on her face. "That's
great Charlie. You two were such a great couple."
"She's back from New Hampshire and she looks great; happy and
relaxed, you know? I just don't want to push her right now."
Donna nodded understandingly. "You need to be up front and honest
with her, Charlie. Tell her you've missed her and want to take her
out for a nice dinner to catch up."
"I don't think so, Donnatella." Josh barged in. "This is
why you shouldn't be part of this conversation. Zoey needs to be
wooed. Charlie needs to be subtle in his approach."
"I'm sorry, subtle? A woman doesn't want a man who can be
subtle about his affection for her. She wants him to wear his heart on
his sleeve for her."
"Yeah, that's what you women all say in Cosmo, but the truth is
women only want men's hearts on their sleeves so they are easily
accessible. That way it's easy to rip men's hearts off their
sleeves and stomp all over them with their high heels." Josh leaned
forward.
"What the hell kind of dates have you been going on, Joshua?"
Donna asked point blank.
"You know it's true. Women say they want one thing, but the
minute they've got it, they can't wait to drop it. You want to
win Zoey back, Charlie? Subtlety. Ask her about her opinion on recent
events in Saudi Arabia and start a debate with her about it. Clip an
article out of the paper and send it to her with a note asking what she
thinks or telling her it reminded you of her."
"That's crazy! Straight forward and honest, Charlie. Ask her to
take a walk with you to look at the Christmas decorations. Tell her
you're still in love with her. Tell her you never stopped loving her
and then kiss her right in front of the White House Christmas tree."
"Like that's going to happen. If he tries ANY of what you
suggested and she rejects him, then what is he supposed to do?" Josh
argued.
"Move on knowing he told her the truth, from his heart, and hope
that maybe she'll change her mind down the road."
"But my way buys him time. He can slowly work his way back into her
life without any overt risks whatsoever."
"You two remember I'm still here, right?" Charlie asked
them.
"He needs to take a chance and be honest!" Donna leaned closer
to Josh.
"Take his time and be subtle!" Josh insisted.
"Yeah, take your time and be subtle, Charlie." Donna said
sarcastically, talking to Charlie but looking at Josh. "That way she
can guess about whether or not you really care about her for 5 or 6
years until you get the nerve to make the first move."
"That's better than taking a risk with someone he's going to
have to see every day and having it blow up in his face." Josh stood
up to emphasis his point.
"It's really not!" Donna disputed and stood up as well.
There was a charged silence as they stared at each other. Charlie
looked from Josh to Donna and back again.
"Right. Well, thank you both for your help. I'll just head out
to think about it." Charlie set down his beer bottle and quickly
exited.
Josh took a breath and sat down. "I think Charlie knows who to
listen to about this. We're done for the night."
"I still have to finish the thing for your breakfast meeting
tomorrow." Donna replied primly and walked out to her desk.
Josh closed the file on his desk and decided to take a walk around the
building. Donna couldn't really be serious about that advice, could
she? That was nuts. `Take a risk'. `Be honest'. What a
crock! He'd been plenty successful doing it his way for many years
now.
No, he was sure his way was better. Josh picked up speed as he
made a second lap around the West Wing, ready to get back and
concentrate on work now, when something caught his eye. He slowed
down and did a double-take. Charlie and Zoey were very busy kissing,
only partially hidden by the White House Christmas tree. What the hell?
Charlie took Donna's advice? And it worked?! This could open up a
whole new dimension in dating! Risk taking honesty. Who'd have
thought? He slowly walked back toward his office, his brain trying to
process what he just witnessed while simultaneously trying to
remember every word that Donna had said. Finally, he found himself
standing outside his door, looking at Donna as she finished typing
whatever it was for the thing tomorrow.
"Hey Donna? Why don't you just pack it in for the night? I'm
set for the meeting." Her head popped up in surprise.
"I should stop and what? Just go home?" she inquired.
"You could...Or you could take a walk around the West Wing with
me... We could look at Christmas decorations…" Josh offered as his
eyebrow rose in a silent question.
The look of puzzlement slowly cleared from Donna's face and was
replaced with a look of surprised wonder. Without breaking eye
contact, she shut down her computer and rose to stand next to him.
"Let's go." She said simply. They walked side by side down
the corridor and after a few feet Josh reached over and took her hand
in his. It wasn't a huge risk, but it was honest. She squeezed his hand
in an unspoken reply.
Maybe it was pretty sage advice after all.
The End.
Author: Cathy Miller (cam7192003@...)
Rating: Teen
Category: Humor
Timeline: Post Abu El Banat
Disclaimer: They are not mine and I make no money from them.
Feedback: Always welcome.
Donna could hear Josh's voice as she approached his office. Whatever
he was expounding on sounded very serious.
"No, no, no. That's not what you want to do at all." He was
saying. "Slow and subtle is how you want to handle this."
Donna was surprised as she came around the corner and saw Charlie
sitting in Josh's office, each of them sipping on a beer.
"Office hours are over I take it?" Donna concluded.
"It's after 9 PM, Donna. Charlie and I have earned a break. We
are taking a break and having a beer."
"Sounds good." Donna replied as she got a beer out of Josh's
mini-fridge and sat down in the second visitor chair.
"What are you doing?" Josh asked her.
"Taking a break and having a beer." Donna answered.
"We're kind of in the middle of something here, Donna. You
can't just grab a beer and sit down to join in."
"I'm pretty sure I just did."
"We're talking man to man here, Donna."
"About what? Maybe you could use the female perspective."
"Dating." Charlie offered before Josh could stop him.
"You're taking dating advice from JOSH?" Donna asked
incredulously. "Isn't that like taking boating lessons from the
Captain of the Titanic?" Donna snorted.
"I have had many successful relationships, Donna." Josh said all
offended.
"And by successful you mean.."
"I've asked them out and they've said `yes'."
Josh mumbled.
"Oh, well, if you simply need help asking a girl out, Josh can you
help you there. What policy issue can you drum up for Charlie to help
him get a date? Paid Family Leave? Oh, right you used that one already.
California polling? No, wait. Used that one too." Donna pretends to
be racking her brain for another issue.
"Alright, Lucy, we're all rolling in the aisles here. You are
excused."
"No, no. I want to help. Who are you trying to ask out,
Charlie?"
Charlie looked to Josh for direction and Josh shrugged in response.
"It's not so much asking out as…rekindling-"
"Zoey?!" Donna sat forward, delight on her face. "That's
great Charlie. You two were such a great couple."
"She's back from New Hampshire and she looks great; happy and
relaxed, you know? I just don't want to push her right now."
Donna nodded understandingly. "You need to be up front and honest
with her, Charlie. Tell her you've missed her and want to take her
out for a nice dinner to catch up."
"I don't think so, Donnatella." Josh barged in. "This is
why you shouldn't be part of this conversation. Zoey needs to be
wooed. Charlie needs to be subtle in his approach."
"I'm sorry, subtle? A woman doesn't want a man who can be
subtle about his affection for her. She wants him to wear his heart on
his sleeve for her."
"Yeah, that's what you women all say in Cosmo, but the truth is
women only want men's hearts on their sleeves so they are easily
accessible. That way it's easy to rip men's hearts off their
sleeves and stomp all over them with their high heels." Josh leaned
forward.
"What the hell kind of dates have you been going on, Joshua?"
Donna asked point blank.
"You know it's true. Women say they want one thing, but the
minute they've got it, they can't wait to drop it. You want to
win Zoey back, Charlie? Subtlety. Ask her about her opinion on recent
events in Saudi Arabia and start a debate with her about it. Clip an
article out of the paper and send it to her with a note asking what she
thinks or telling her it reminded you of her."
"That's crazy! Straight forward and honest, Charlie. Ask her to
take a walk with you to look at the Christmas decorations. Tell her
you're still in love with her. Tell her you never stopped loving her
and then kiss her right in front of the White House Christmas tree."
"Like that's going to happen. If he tries ANY of what you
suggested and she rejects him, then what is he supposed to do?" Josh
argued.
"Move on knowing he told her the truth, from his heart, and hope
that maybe she'll change her mind down the road."
"But my way buys him time. He can slowly work his way back into her
life without any overt risks whatsoever."
"You two remember I'm still here, right?" Charlie asked
them.
"He needs to take a chance and be honest!" Donna leaned closer
to Josh.
"Take his time and be subtle!" Josh insisted.
"Yeah, take your time and be subtle, Charlie." Donna said
sarcastically, talking to Charlie but looking at Josh. "That way she
can guess about whether or not you really care about her for 5 or 6
years until you get the nerve to make the first move."
"That's better than taking a risk with someone he's going to
have to see every day and having it blow up in his face." Josh stood
up to emphasis his point.
"It's really not!" Donna disputed and stood up as well.
There was a charged silence as they stared at each other. Charlie
looked from Josh to Donna and back again.
"Right. Well, thank you both for your help. I'll just head out
to think about it." Charlie set down his beer bottle and quickly
exited.
Josh took a breath and sat down. "I think Charlie knows who to
listen to about this. We're done for the night."
"I still have to finish the thing for your breakfast meeting
tomorrow." Donna replied primly and walked out to her desk.
Josh closed the file on his desk and decided to take a walk around the
building. Donna couldn't really be serious about that advice, could
she? That was nuts. `Take a risk'. `Be honest'. What a
crock! He'd been plenty successful doing it his way for many years
now.
No, he was sure his way was better. Josh picked up speed as he
made a second lap around the West Wing, ready to get back and
concentrate on work now, when something caught his eye. He slowed
down and did a double-take. Charlie and Zoey were very busy kissing,
only partially hidden by the White House Christmas tree. What the hell?
Charlie took Donna's advice? And it worked?! This could open up a
whole new dimension in dating! Risk taking honesty. Who'd have
thought? He slowly walked back toward his office, his brain trying to
process what he just witnessed while simultaneously trying to
remember every word that Donna had said. Finally, he found himself
standing outside his door, looking at Donna as she finished typing
whatever it was for the thing tomorrow.
"Hey Donna? Why don't you just pack it in for the night? I'm
set for the meeting." Her head popped up in surprise.
"I should stop and what? Just go home?" she inquired.
"You could...Or you could take a walk around the West Wing with
me... We could look at Christmas decorations…" Josh offered as his
eyebrow rose in a silent question.
The look of puzzlement slowly cleared from Donna's face and was
replaced with a look of surprised wonder. Without breaking eye
contact, she shut down her computer and rose to stand next to him.
"Let's go." She said simply. They walked side by side down
the corridor and after a few feet Josh reached over and took her hand
in his. It wasn't a huge risk, but it was honest. She squeezed his hand
in an unspoken reply.
Maybe it was pretty sage advice after all.
The End.
