"Hey," He greeted her.
"Hey." She smiled, but didn't look up from her book.
Jed took off his jacket and began to loosen his tie.
"Long day?" She asked, still focusing on the page she was reading.
"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't make dinner. Really I am."
"It's okay," Abbey replied, in a surprisingly pleasant tone that caught Jed off guard.
He sat on the chair across from her and started to take off his shoes.
"You're very cheerful this evening, for a woman who's just been stood up by her date."
"Eh, ya learn to live with it when you're married to the most powerful man in the world."
He smiled, pulling off the shoe on his right foot.
"Kind of thrilling, actually," she continued, looking back down at the book.
"I'll bet." He took off his other shoe and leaned back in his chair to look at her.
"Mmm hmm."
"Haven't you read that book already?" Jed asked.
"A few times."
"You don't get tired of it?"
"Since when does anyone get tired of F. Scott Fitzgerald?"
"Point well taken."
She continued reading for a moment, then grinned to herself, set her bookmark, and closed the book.
"I don't suppose you remember what today is," Abbey said, coolly.
Jed racked his brain frantically. He really didn't think his back could stand sleeping on the couch tonight. Was it their anniversary? No, he'd never forget that. Her birthday? God, he hoped not, for his own safety. His birthday? It'd happened before…
When she saw Jed worriedly trying to come up with an answer, she laughed and decided to answer for him.
"It's the anniversary…"
Damn, Jed thought. I thought for sure…
"…of the day we met."
"Of the day---oh! Well…thank God for that!" Jed exclaimed with relief.
"What? Why?" Abbey asked, with confusion.
"No reason." He smiled innocently. "Why aren't you mad that I forgot"
He regretted reminding her directly after he'd said it.
"I've just been thinking of more important things," she replied.
"Like what?"
"Jed!"
"Oh. Right. Me too."
"No, you haven't. You didn't even remember."
"That's because it was hanging out in the back of my mind allllll the livelong day."
He was trying to save himself, and Abbey could see right through it as she always could.
"Uh huh."
"Which part, in particular, were you thinking about?" Jed questioned, moving over to sit beside her on the couch.
"All of it," Abbey said, smiling nostalgically. "Beginning to end. The entire weekend."
Jed never wanted to go on the trip. He thought for sure it was a bad idea and nothing good could ever come of it. But his best friend had asked him to and he didn't want to let him down.
Leo McGarry's parents had recently bought a brand-new yaht, complete with all the neccesities and superfluous luxeries. He thought it would be a nice idea to take it out "for a spin" while his parents were out of town for the weekend. He'd even hired a captain so they wouldn't have to worry about it.The plan was to leave from the coast on Friday, sail to Martha's Vineyard, and return home Monday morning. At first, Jed was excited about the trip. Even though he had a lot of studying to do despite the fact that it was spring break, he knew his stress level required him a vacation. And what better way than a weekend just hanging out with his best friend of whom he'd seen very little since winter break?
However, Jed's preconceptions of what the trip would be like were soon shattered when he found out that it wouldn't be just him and Leo taking the voyage. Leo had neglected to inform Jed that this was a couples trip. Leo was bringing along his latest flame, a girl named Jenny. He had also invited another friend of his and his girlfriend. Jed was at a loss. He hadn't had a girlfriend since he began college a year and a half earlier. As he was studying to become a priest, he didn't see the point in taunting himself or giving himself the chance to fall in love. At that point in his life, nothing mattered but God and serving him the best way he knew how, and women did not fit into that criteria.
While at first Jed was angry with Leo for putting him into such an awkward position, he got over it. He wasn't one to hold a grudge or let down his best friend. Jed decided to bring his cousin Amanda. He wasn't about to bring a girl he was interested in- he had worked too hard staying celibate to throw it all away on a whim. Plus, he really wasn't interested in anybody.
On Friday morning, Jed's alarm clock woke him up at 4:30 a.m. He didn't mind waking up early, it was something he usually did anyway- though never quite that early. By 5:30, Leo was outside Jed's parents' house honking his car horn. He had Jenny in the car with him, so Jed put his bags in the trunk and hopped into the back seat.
"This had better be a damned exciting trip, Leo, I swear," Jed said.
"Awe, come on, Jed. Relax. Live a little."
Jed sighed. Jenny turned around and smiled brightly at him.
"I'm glad you came," she said.
"Thanks, Jenny, it's good to see you too," Jed answered, congenially. He liked Jenny a lot and thought she and Leo were a perfect match.
"So, how do we get to Amanda's from here?"
Jed, Leo, Jenny, and Amanda arrived at the docks by 6am and loaded their stuff onto the McGarry family yaht, which was much bigger and luxurious than Jed had initially imagined.
"Your parents really went all out on this one, Leo," Jed commented, in awe. "And thank God they've left town and put us in charge! This is gonna be the vacation of a lifetime, my friend," Leo replied.
While Jenny and Amanda walked around the docks chatting, Leo and Jed sat on the edge of the dock with their legs dangling over the edge.
"So who's this friend we're waiting for?" Jed questioned.
"I think you're really gonna like him, buddy. He's a great guy."
"What's his name?"
"Ron Erlich."
"Mmm. Erlich. Never heard of him," Jed answered.
"Not yet you haven't, but someday he's gonna be President, I'm tellin ya."
Jed laughed.
"Can't wait to meet him then." He paused. "I guess he's bringing a girl too?"
"Yep, he's bringing his girlfriend. She's a great kid. I'm not sure just how well you two will get along though," Leo added.
"Why's that?"
"Eh, I'm thinking you guys will clash a little. I just don't think she's your type, that's all."
"Leo, I don't have a type. I'm a priest."
"A priest in training," Leo corrected him.
"Whatever. I have a priest's mindset and that's all that matters."
"Well, with an attitude like that you're definitely not gonna get any action on this trip."
Jed laughed.
"Amanda's my cousin and Jenny's your girl. Who were you figuring on me getting 'action' with? Ron's girl?"
"Hey, it was just a joke." Leo looked over toward the far end of the dock. "Look, there's Ron."
Jed and Leo both stood and watched as a tall, well-built man came walking toward them with his arm around a tiny, fine-featured girl who looked no more than 5'2 in height. They immediately looked like the ultimate odd couple. In a fantasy world, he would have been the giant to her munchkin.
Leo called out to Jenny and Amanda, who came running over as well.
"Ron! How the hell are ya, man?" Leo exclaimed, hugging him.
"Can't complain. Yourself?"
"Just fine. Hiya, Munchy."
"Hey, Leo," she replied, sighing as if out of breath.
Leo called her Munchy on account of her munchkin-like appearance whenever she stood alongside Ron.
"Sorry we're late," Ron said. "But some guy went into cardiac arrest on the train ride down here and Ms. Wannabe Doctor over here insisted on accompanying him to the hospital, even after the paramedics arrived."
"It was a learning opportunity, Ron! I've told you. I have to learn to to deal with crises at unexpected moments!" The girl disputed, frustrated.
Jed turned to look at the girl by Ron's side. He had seen her as she walked up to them, but it was like he was seeing her for the first time now.
"But you're not even in med school yet, honey," Ron said.
"Well, I will be, and I want to gather all the freelance experience I can get and I don't want to hear another word about this."
"Freelance experience. Ha. Do you hear this girl talk?" Ron laughed, cynically.
The girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.Jed hadn't expected such a big argumentive spirit to come out of such a small body. He was mesmerized.
"Uh, you guys both remember Jenny," Leo said, in an attempt to change the subject tactfully.
They both consented and greeted her.
"And this here is Jed Bartlet," Leo announced.
"Great to meet ya, Jed. I've heard a lot about you," Ron said, shaking Jed's hand.
"Wish I could say the same about you," Jed replied, laughing.
"Oh, and this is Jed's cousin Amanda," Leo added quickly.
"Whatsamatter, Bartlet, couldn't find anyone outside of the gene pool to bring along?" Ron joked.
"Jed's studying to be a priest, Ron, I told you that. Oh. I'm sorry. Jed, Amanda, this is Miss Abigail," Leo said, grinning at the girl who stood beside Ron. In the way that Jed liked Jenny, Leo adored Abbey. He found her charming, in an offbeat sort of way that was very endearing.
"It's nice to meet you," Amanda said.
"Likewise," Abbey replied, politely, not looking at Amanda, but at her cousin, with a curious look on her face.
"Jed? Jed." Leo jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow when he realized that Jed had been spacing out, staring blankly at Abbey for over a minute now.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Great to meet you, um…"
"Abbey," she said, quickly.
"Abbey," he repeated, as if it were a prayer.
She smiled brightly at him, as the rest of the crew shared confused glances throughout the awkward silence. Noticing there was something peculiar going on between them, Leo broke the silence.
"Jed's going to become a priest, Abbey," he reminded her, fervently.
"Oh…well…well, I think that's great," she said, with only a little enthusiasm.
"You do?" Jed asked, with surprise.
"I do."
"I do too. Well, sort of…"
Before Jed could continue, Leo cut him off.
"Let's all man ship, shall we?"
Leo could tell something was happening, but he pretended he couldn't see. All he knew was that he had to keep his best friend on track, help him stay on the road to his dream- the priesthood.
TBC