Political Advisor? Fucking SENIOR political advisor. What a sorry joke! It was grossly insulting
and he knew it too. Everyone would know it soon. I can hear the TV report in my head:
"And in political news today, there was a great shakeup of the political staff. Josh Lyman,
former White House Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bartlet has resigned as the campaign
manager for Democratic Presidential nominee Matthew Santos. In a stunning move so close
to Election Day, Barry Goodwin has taken over the campaign for it's last few weeks."
Except it was just a token resignation; an opportunity for me to exit without the word 'fired' in
the sentence. Nobody wanted to have to say THAT word, so I gave him what he wanted; I
resigned. I hope they tank. Vinick isn't that bad. And if Santos can throw me over for Goodwin
after all we've been through together, then he obviously isn't the man I thought he was.
Goodwin! Goodwin tells me, not Santos. Talk about adding insult to injury! President Bartlet
NEVER would have delegated that job. If he thought I wasn't doing well, he told me
himself…plenty of times!
Son of a bitch. I'm going to have to call my mother too before she hears it on CNN. Fucking
Barry Goodwin. I'm going to go home, pop open a beer, and watch Barry Goodwin steer the
Santos flagship straight into a pile of rocks.
"Josh?" Donna's voice breaks me from my reverie. "What the hell is going on? Goodwin
said…"
"Don't ever speak that name to me again." I interrupt her.
"What happened?" She demands.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, tough. Since we're both unemployed because of whatever it is, you're going to HAVE to
talk about it."
"Goodwin didn't fire you too." I say with certainty because that was part of the deal; all my
people stayed on in their current positions."
"Goodwin FIRED YOU?" She shouts.
"Nice. Do you think you can say it any louder?" I take her by the elbow and drag her with me
into the nearest bar. What the hell? It's after five and I don't have to be sharp for work
tomorrow.
"I think we're a little overdressed for this establishment." Donna mentions and I take a good
look around us. Yeah, we're way overdressed in our clothes from the White House wedding;
especially Donna. I can lose the coat and tie but she can't…damn she looks good.
"You look incredible." I tell her and her eyes narrow. Hey, I've got nothing to lose here. "Buy
you a drink?"
"I think you'd better." She takes my hand and leads me to the back booth. She orders a rusty
nail and I get a whisky and a beer. She raises her eyebrows at my selection but doesn't say a
word about it. That's one of the things I love best about Donnatella. She knows when to bring
the verbal sparring and she knows when to stay silent.
"So how was your day?" I ask with a smirk.
"It was going along fine until Barry Good…"
"Donna!" I shriek and several `patrons' turn around to see what the commotion is about.
They're probably used to more exciting clashes than the one they're looking at now.
Disappointed, they turn back to their drinks and ignore us. The waitress delivers our drinks
without comment and I take the shot immediately before moving on to the beer.
"Sorry, SOMEONE mentioned that you were `no longer with us' but that I shouldn't worry
because my position was secure; working for him. I told that bloviated jackass if the choice
was between working for him and being unemployed, I'd pick unemployed." I spit out my beer.
"Joshua!" Donna protests the inadvertent shower.
"Sorry." I say choking on the beer. God, this woman is incredible.
"Now what the hell happened? Did you get into it with the Congressman?"
"The CONGRESSMAN and I didn't exchange a word, it was just…that man!"
"What. Happened?!"
I take another swallow of beer before I begin my tale of woe. I describe, in detail, the meeting
with Goodwin at the wedding. Donna just listens and continues to drink until I'm done.
"I don't believe it." She states when I'm finally finished.
"You think I'm lying to you?"
"No, of course not. I don't believe that Good…HE was speaking for the Congressman." Donna
explains. "Did you see Matt at all?"
"Yeah, before the conversation with the Pillsbury Doughboy. We were all talking about Illinois
and where to go from there." I finish off my beer and signal for another one. Again, Donna
makes a face but no comment.
"Then HE corners you with this `we appreciate your work so far but it's time for someone else
to take it down the field' speech? That's bullshit, Josh. I can't believe you didn't call him on it
there and then; take it right to the Congressman."
I think about what she said. "He gave me this whole song and dance about how nobody wants
a shakeup in the campaign just a few weeks out but how we had to think about what would
put Santos in the White House. The next thing I know he's offering to let me `resign' and
retain a position as senior political advisor."
"Josh!" Donna takes the second beer from the waitress and holds it away from me. "You were
played. The doughboy played you!"
"Donna!" Now SHE'S insulting me too.
She hands me my beer in silent apology. "Now he's going to go to the Congressman and tell
him you resigned. He KNEW you'd never take the political advisor position so he'd be safe
offering it to you."
"He'd never make that move without the Congressman's approval." I dispute and drink some
more.
"Bull-shit." She sing-songs. "He's always been jealous of you. He would have jumped at this
chance to get you out of the way and take the ball the rest of the way down the field."
"He could never snow me like that." I insist.
"Under normal circumstances, no. but let me ask you this; how much sleep have you had this
week?"
"Donna…"
"How many states have you been in? How many calls have you returned? You have a blind
spot about this right now. You're fried, Josh."
"I'm fired, Donna."
"Now you're being stubborn about this because if I'm right it means that Goodwin snowed you
and that would be more humiliating to you than being fired."
"Damn right."
"Call the Congressman, Joshua."
"I don't want to talk to him."
"Call him." She reaches into my pocket and pulls out the cell phone that I've turned off, then
sits next to me in the booth. "Call him." She repeats.
"And say what? Excuse me sir, but I think there's a possibility you may have fired me and I'm
calling to confirm?" I scoff.
"If you're right and I'm wrong he'll never even take the call so you've got nothing to worry
about." She reasons.
"He's got the CNN interview now." I mutter.
"Okay…as soon as he's done then." Donna capitulates. "Let me take you home." She tosses
a couple bills on the table.
"Why Donna, this is so sudden." I tease.
"No it's not. You just have a blind spot about this too." She quips and takes my hand to pull
me from the booth. I wisely say nothing while we walk…for awhile; pondering what she just
said as well as my current employment position.
"I thought he was the real thing." I mutter. "I do not have blind spots."
"No of course you don't." She laughs. "You da man."
"You're mocking me."
"You can tell after a shot of whiskey and two beers? I'm impressed."
"You're mocking again." I inform her. "I do not have blind spots; not about Goodwin, Santos,
or you!" I tell her as we enter my building.
"Right." She says, tongue in cheek. "Huge blind spots."
"Prove it."
"My personal proof will have to wait until later. For now I'll just note for the record that you've
walked past three Secret Service Agents without noticing." She laughs again. I'm momentarily
stuck on her `personal proof' statement so it takes me a moment to catch up to the Secret
Service part. I'll. Be. Damned.
We walk up the stairs and open the door to my place to find the Democratic nominee waiting
inside.
"Joshua. I hope you don't mind. The Super let us in." The Congressman says jovially. He
looks down briefly at my hand joined with Donna's then back at me with his eyebrows raised.
"What are you doing here, sir?" I owe him no explanation. He ditched me.
"I was going to have a drink and wait for you to arrive, but your fridge is empty." Santos jokes.
"I couldn't reach you on your cell and I was afraid you'd met with a terrible accident."
"I turned it off." I explain.
"You NEVER turn that thing off." He counters. I pull it out to show him the proof.
"I figured since I'm unemployed I didn't need it on."
"Why are you unemployed, Josh? What happened?" Santos asks.
"Told-you." Donna sing-songs again. "I'll go make us some coffee while you two straighten
out this MISUNDERSTANDING." She calls back to us as she enters the kitchen.
"It was not a misunderstanding, Donna, I was FIRED." I call back.
"I'm pretty sure I'd remember firing you, Josh." Congressman Santos. "What happened?"
"You didn't tell Barry Goodwin that it would be better for everyone if I `stepped down' for the
home stretch?"
"I won't lie to you, Josh, it was discussed." Matt tells me honestly. "It was discussed in great
detail. Leo McGarry pointed out some home truths and I thought that was the end of it."
"Barry Goodwin…he said…" I stammer.
"Bull-shit." Donna sing-songs from the kitchen proving once again she has ears like a bat.
"Ignore her, sir, she's been doing that all day." I brush it off knowing Donna will make me pay
for the comment later. "Aren't you supposed to be talking to CNN right now?"
"I re-scheduled it."
"Sir, you can't just…"
"I did. And since you resigned, I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do."
"I didn't…well, technically I did, but only because Goodwin…"
"Josh, I don't know what Goodwin said to make you think you weren't wanted and needed on
this campaign, but whatever it was, Donna is right. It's bullshit."
"You had nothing to do with that conversation?"
"Had no idea it was taking place or I'd have been part of it. Do you really think I'd delegate
something like that?" He asks.
"I'd hoped not. That was part of why it took me by surprise."
"I'd imagine." Santos nods. "Now what is it going to take to get you back on board where you
need to be?"
"The rest of the day off." Donna interjects as she enters the room with coffee for all of us.
"Donna!" I object.
"Seriously, Josh. It's after 8 now and you desperately need some sleep; not to mention the
fact that you've had a lot to drink so you probably shouldn't be making key decisions right
now."
I roll my eyes and the Congressman laughs. "The night off can be arranged. Is that it?"
"Barry Goodwin off my radar; completely off my radar." I insist.
"Done." The Congressman takes a quick hit of coffee. "I'm off to talk to John King. Take care
of him, chicken fighter."
"Yes, sir." Donna nods her agreement. "He'll be rested and ready for 6:30 staff in the
morning."
Once the Congressman and his entourage leave Donna turns a smug smile on me. "Who was
right?" She asks, examining her fingernails.
"I was fired Donna."
"By someone who didn't have the authority to fire you, Josh. Who was right?"
"Okay, maybe you were right about this thing."
"MAYBE?"
"You were right about Goodwin. Jeez, you're an egomaniac!"
"It's contagious." She drawls. "And I was right about it all."
My mind does a quick review and I remember she said about having a blind spot where she
was concerned. "You said something about personal proof?" I cue her, curious to see if she'll
take up the gauntlet.
"I already proved it." She smiles. "I brought you coffee." She indicates the cup in front of me
and I smirk. Close, Donnatella, but no cigar.
"I would argue that coffee is professional proof, not personal proof. You promised me
personal proof." I prod.
"So I did." She acknowledges. Then she walks over to me and kisses me; right on the mouth!
"Will counsel stipulate that as `personal proof'?" She asks.
"Uh…yeah." I manage. "But the court is going to want evidence of more than one incident of
proof."
"Really?" Now Donna smirks too.
"Definitely." I pull her back toward me and kiss her myself. Why didn't I think of doing this
before? Oh, that's right, I did. I just didn't do anything about it. Why was that I wonder?
"Because you have a huge blind spot where I'm concerned." Donna answers the question in
my head in between kisses. She's got skills, I tell you.
"Now I'm seeing clearly, I promise." I assure her and start making plans in my head for our
night off.
"I was right again." She crows. I'm going to give this one to her. I'm just glad I'm not fired.
The End.