~DONNA'S POV~
I hang up the phone and look down at the i.d. badge in my
hand. I slowly turn it over in my hand, half expecting it to burst
intoflames and disappear. Did that all just seriously happen?
Did I really just convince the Senior Political Director of the Bartlet
campaign that I could be his assistant?
What does he even DO? I'll have to find somebody that knows the
answer to that.
Quickly.
But I mean, really. How hard could it actually be? I've been
answering his phone for an hour now. All I have to do is know where
he is, right? And know where he has to be, right? It's not like I
have to actually know about political strategy.
It's not that I DON'T know about politics. I do. I mean, that's why I
started watching the primary debate to begin with. I've always been a
little geeky like that. Ever since Sally Sidelman ran for class
president and then proceeded to do NOTHING for a year, I've started
to take an interest. I mean, if you promise faster lunch lines, you
should deliver.
What was I talking about?
How I came to be here. Right. This sometimes happens to me. I switch
subjects without warning. Drove my ex insane.
So anyway, I was watching the Democratic primary debate on t.v. the
other night, and there was Governor Bartlet, out there in the field
with Senator Hoynes, Congressman Wiley, and a whole host of people
that are just in there to kick it up a notch. And damn if every time
the Governor spoke I didn't fall into some kind of trance. Everything
he said, I thought was spot on. Every time he spoke, I thought he was
candid and personable. He didn't seem to hold back. I mean, I really
thought the guy was genuine.
I went on line and looked him up, so I could see where he fell on all
the issues. I was surprised to see that he fell in line with a lot of
my own opinions. But admittedly, there's a lot of stuff I don't have
a clue about. But I'm a fast learner. You only have to tell me
something once. I've always been organized. Organization is the key
to, you know, being able to function.
This guy here...this guy, Josh? He's got to be the most disorganized
person on the planet. If disorganization is the mark of a genius, I
gotta tell ya, this guy's damn near brilliant then. I mean, what the
hell is that smell in here?
My family thinks I've gone off the deep end. My mother thinks I'm
just reacting to a broken heart.
Well...yeah. I was with David for two years. I DROPPED OUT OF
COLLEGE
to support his ass, and what do I get for it? Nothing but pain.
Dr. Free Ride.
That's pretty damn funny.
I nearly jump right out of my skin as I hear my name shouted...well,
more like bellowed. I turn around and the doorway is empty.
What the hell?
I hear my name again and slowly poke my head out. Josh is walking
purposefully towards me.
"I was calling you." he says as he finally approaches me. Is he
kidding me?
"The whole office can see that." I say with a small smile. Everyone
seems to be looking at us.
"You didn't come."
"I'm not a dog."
"You're going to be one of those?'
"A human being?"
"Politically correct."
"Did you need something?"
Okay. What the hell was that? That conversation happened fast. That
was, like, rapid fire there.
"I got you on the South Carolina trip." he smiles. He's got a nice
smile. He's got the cutest dimples I've ever seen. I love guys with
dimples. I love when I'm given a genuine smile. I love it when a
smile reaches someone's eyes. And Josh has nice eyes. They're full
of
fire, and excitement, and fun.
Okay. Hold up. Ground control to Donna. Ground control to Donna.
Please return to the Mother Ship.
That didn't even make sense in my head.
Oh! He's waiting for some kind of response from me.
"That's really great!" I smiled and shake my head.
"You can bunk with Margaret."
"Margaret?"
"You might know her as Becky." he smirks. Damn, that's cute, too.
What?
I can't help it. He's a good looking guy.
"Thank you, Josh." I say softly and smile.
"You're welcome...." he begins, then drifts off.
Okay. Well, that's like a bucket of cold water to the face. He forgot
my freaking name already.
"Donna." I say with some annoyance.
"Huh?" he asks with a shake of his head and my eyes are drawn to his
hair. It looks soft. I wonder if it's as soft as it looks.
"My name is Donna."
"I know." he says quickly. "I was just wondering..."
If your eyes are the softest brown I'd ever seen before in my life?
Yes.
"If you preferred to be called Donna or Donnatella." he smiled.
Or that, too.
Okay. I hate the name Donnatella. I mean, what did they GIVE my
mother in the delivery room? I have a sister named Kristen and a
brother named Michael. How did THEY get away unscathed and I got
Donnatella?
But when HE just said it...
"You can call me either, as long as you use a volume of voice fit for
human hearing."
He smirks.
This is fun.
"You're going to keep me on my toes."
"Is that in the job description?"
"Um...there's a lot in the job description."
"For instance?"
"Fresh coffee for me when I come in."
"Try again."
"No?"
"Remember how I just told you I dropped out of school to support my
ex-boyfriend?" I remind him. I mean, if I'm going to find myself
here, I should start somewhere, right?
"You mean how I figured that out in, like, a minute and a half?" he
counters.
"Whatever." I say. "If I wanted to be a personal waitress, I'd have
stayed with him."
"Kay." he shrugs and moves by me to his desk. He drops a folder
down,
picks up another one and starts to leave his office. "If I don't see
you again today, you need to be here by 6 a.m. to make the bus to
South Carolina."
"Will do."
He disappears again and I stare at the doorway again. The room
suddenly seems...empty. That's weird, isn't it?
I don't have time to ponder that thought further because another guy
pokes his head in. He's cute, too.
"Hi." he says, much the way Josh did.
"Hi." I smile back. He's got that boyish kind of look to him, too.
"Who are you?" he asks. Didn't I just have this conversation?
"Donna Moss."
"Are you a volunteer?"
"I'm Josh's new assistant." I say.
He looks utterly stupefied.
"Really?" he asks with a smile.
"Yes."
"I didn't know he had an assistant."
Well, in his defense, neither did he.
"He just hired me a little while ago." I say instead. "Can I help you
with something?"
He's looking at me kind of weird. Not creepy kind of weird, but I can
see him think. You know? Something about me is making him think. It
makes me start to wonder again about Josh and what kind of person
he
is.
"I'm Sam." he smiles sticking out his hand. "I do speechwriting, and,
like, a hundred other things, but mostly speechwriting."
"You do a good job."
"Toby does it, too."
"Is he the loud guy?"
"You met him?" Sam laughs.
"Not yet." I say. I actually thought this was his office. I thought a
guy like that would be low maintenance; a guy like that would just
let me come into work, do my thing, and leave.
But it wasn't Toby's office; it was Josh's. And Josh is...
Going to be interesting.
"I just wanted to tell him that the bus was leaving in the morning at
six." Sam says.
"He knows." I smile. "He told me."
"You're coming with?" he asks gesturing towards himself, in what I
assume is supposed to be a generalize gesture kind of thing.
I nod and Sam smiles again. "Welcome aboard, Donna Moss." he says
then disappears.
Finally, I feel like my life has some direction to it. Finally, I
feel like someone might actually need me.
The phone rings.
"Bartlet for America, Josh Lyman's office."
I hang up the phone and look down at the i.d. badge in my
hand. I slowly turn it over in my hand, half expecting it to burst
intoflames and disappear. Did that all just seriously happen?
Did I really just convince the Senior Political Director of the Bartlet
campaign that I could be his assistant?
What does he even DO? I'll have to find somebody that knows the
answer to that.
Quickly.
But I mean, really. How hard could it actually be? I've been
answering his phone for an hour now. All I have to do is know where
he is, right? And know where he has to be, right? It's not like I
have to actually know about political strategy.
It's not that I DON'T know about politics. I do. I mean, that's why I
started watching the primary debate to begin with. I've always been a
little geeky like that. Ever since Sally Sidelman ran for class
president and then proceeded to do NOTHING for a year, I've started
to take an interest. I mean, if you promise faster lunch lines, you
should deliver.
What was I talking about?
How I came to be here. Right. This sometimes happens to me. I switch
subjects without warning. Drove my ex insane.
So anyway, I was watching the Democratic primary debate on t.v. the
other night, and there was Governor Bartlet, out there in the field
with Senator Hoynes, Congressman Wiley, and a whole host of people
that are just in there to kick it up a notch. And damn if every time
the Governor spoke I didn't fall into some kind of trance. Everything
he said, I thought was spot on. Every time he spoke, I thought he was
candid and personable. He didn't seem to hold back. I mean, I really
thought the guy was genuine.
I went on line and looked him up, so I could see where he fell on all
the issues. I was surprised to see that he fell in line with a lot of
my own opinions. But admittedly, there's a lot of stuff I don't have
a clue about. But I'm a fast learner. You only have to tell me
something once. I've always been organized. Organization is the key
to, you know, being able to function.
This guy here...this guy, Josh? He's got to be the most disorganized
person on the planet. If disorganization is the mark of a genius, I
gotta tell ya, this guy's damn near brilliant then. I mean, what the
hell is that smell in here?
My family thinks I've gone off the deep end. My mother thinks I'm
just reacting to a broken heart.
Well...yeah. I was with David for two years. I DROPPED OUT OF
COLLEGE
to support his ass, and what do I get for it? Nothing but pain.
Dr. Free Ride.
That's pretty damn funny.
I nearly jump right out of my skin as I hear my name shouted...well,
more like bellowed. I turn around and the doorway is empty.
What the hell?
I hear my name again and slowly poke my head out. Josh is walking
purposefully towards me.
"I was calling you." he says as he finally approaches me. Is he
kidding me?
"The whole office can see that." I say with a small smile. Everyone
seems to be looking at us.
"You didn't come."
"I'm not a dog."
"You're going to be one of those?'
"A human being?"
"Politically correct."
"Did you need something?"
Okay. What the hell was that? That conversation happened fast. That
was, like, rapid fire there.
"I got you on the South Carolina trip." he smiles. He's got a nice
smile. He's got the cutest dimples I've ever seen. I love guys with
dimples. I love when I'm given a genuine smile. I love it when a
smile reaches someone's eyes. And Josh has nice eyes. They're full
of
fire, and excitement, and fun.
Okay. Hold up. Ground control to Donna. Ground control to Donna.
Please return to the Mother Ship.
That didn't even make sense in my head.
Oh! He's waiting for some kind of response from me.
"That's really great!" I smiled and shake my head.
"You can bunk with Margaret."
"Margaret?"
"You might know her as Becky." he smirks. Damn, that's cute, too.
What?
I can't help it. He's a good looking guy.
"Thank you, Josh." I say softly and smile.
"You're welcome...." he begins, then drifts off.
Okay. Well, that's like a bucket of cold water to the face. He forgot
my freaking name already.
"Donna." I say with some annoyance.
"Huh?" he asks with a shake of his head and my eyes are drawn to his
hair. It looks soft. I wonder if it's as soft as it looks.
"My name is Donna."
"I know." he says quickly. "I was just wondering..."
If your eyes are the softest brown I'd ever seen before in my life?
Yes.
"If you preferred to be called Donna or Donnatella." he smiled.
Or that, too.
Okay. I hate the name Donnatella. I mean, what did they GIVE my
mother in the delivery room? I have a sister named Kristen and a
brother named Michael. How did THEY get away unscathed and I got
Donnatella?
But when HE just said it...
"You can call me either, as long as you use a volume of voice fit for
human hearing."
He smirks.
This is fun.
"You're going to keep me on my toes."
"Is that in the job description?"
"Um...there's a lot in the job description."
"For instance?"
"Fresh coffee for me when I come in."
"Try again."
"No?"
"Remember how I just told you I dropped out of school to support my
ex-boyfriend?" I remind him. I mean, if I'm going to find myself
here, I should start somewhere, right?
"You mean how I figured that out in, like, a minute and a half?" he
counters.
"Whatever." I say. "If I wanted to be a personal waitress, I'd have
stayed with him."
"Kay." he shrugs and moves by me to his desk. He drops a folder
down,
picks up another one and starts to leave his office. "If I don't see
you again today, you need to be here by 6 a.m. to make the bus to
South Carolina."
"Will do."
He disappears again and I stare at the doorway again. The room
suddenly seems...empty. That's weird, isn't it?
I don't have time to ponder that thought further because another guy
pokes his head in. He's cute, too.
"Hi." he says, much the way Josh did.
"Hi." I smile back. He's got that boyish kind of look to him, too.
"Who are you?" he asks. Didn't I just have this conversation?
"Donna Moss."
"Are you a volunteer?"
"I'm Josh's new assistant." I say.
He looks utterly stupefied.
"Really?" he asks with a smile.
"Yes."
"I didn't know he had an assistant."
Well, in his defense, neither did he.
"He just hired me a little while ago." I say instead. "Can I help you
with something?"
He's looking at me kind of weird. Not creepy kind of weird, but I can
see him think. You know? Something about me is making him think. It
makes me start to wonder again about Josh and what kind of person
he
is.
"I'm Sam." he smiles sticking out his hand. "I do speechwriting, and,
like, a hundred other things, but mostly speechwriting."
"You do a good job."
"Toby does it, too."
"Is he the loud guy?"
"You met him?" Sam laughs.
"Not yet." I say. I actually thought this was his office. I thought a
guy like that would be low maintenance; a guy like that would just
let me come into work, do my thing, and leave.
But it wasn't Toby's office; it was Josh's. And Josh is...
Going to be interesting.
"I just wanted to tell him that the bus was leaving in the morning at
six." Sam says.
"He knows." I smile. "He told me."
"You're coming with?" he asks gesturing towards himself, in what I
assume is supposed to be a generalize gesture kind of thing.
I nod and Sam smiles again. "Welcome aboard, Donna Moss." he says
then disappears.
Finally, I feel like my life has some direction to it. Finally, I
feel like someone might actually need me.
The phone rings.
"Bartlet for America, Josh Lyman's office."
