Murphy sat at her computor as she typed up the final touches on her upcoming interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was careful to still give the new Congresswoman the Murphy grilling the people need but still have the repertoire with the interviewee to sustain a healthy give and take. She was deep in thought until she heard a light knock at her office door.
"Hello?" a sultry voice wafted into Murphy's domain.
Murphy glanced up to see a woman roughly her age with a half grin and recognizable twinkling blue eyes.
"Hi Murphy" the woman continued "I doubt you remember me and I hate to bother you but I had to see you since I was in town. I covered for you for a moment when you were about to have your son. I…."
"Hillary." Murphy replies standing to greet the woman "It's so good to see you."
They met in the middle and embraced in a warm hug.
"So you're back on the air" Hillary stated warmly
"So you're blonde now. Trying to get into our President's good graces?"
Hillary lets out a chuckled as she absent mindedly ran her fingers through her hair her hair.
"I think I would have to lose twenty pounds, forty years and few hundred brain cells for me to peak his interest. Not that I would like to."
The two shuddered at the thought.
"I would offer you a drink but considered our past…"
"Oh I'm just popping by. I should must be swamped with interviews after the elections."
"Oh no no! Nonsense. I need a breather and was starting to go crosseyed looking at the same damn page for the past two hours. Have you eaten? We could head over to Phil's for that good ol' American burger I know you're secretly craving."
"That's still open!?"
"A good eighty percent why I returned to television."
The two let out a chuckle as they made their way out the door. It surprised Murphy how at ease she felt with Hillary. They had only known one another for about a week nearly thirty years prior which ended with a very pregnant Murphy calling out a very drunk Hillary on her addictive behavior. The last time Murphy had seen of Hillary was watching the then brunette climb into a car that would whisk her off to the Betty Ford Center.
Phil's was quiet, as per usual these days. The rushes were more of heavy trickles, barring big occassions, but the regulars were loyal and the bar still kept kicking along. The two quickly claimed a favorite seat, second table from the door.
"My God" Hillary exclaimed looking around "This hasn't changed a bit. I feel any moment I'm about to sprout shoulder pads and a bad home perm."
"Hey that could be a good thing. Shoulder pads are coming back around."
"Oh good but I don't think perms were ever around. They were just a terrible decision made to haunt us until the end of time."
"Mmmm like Frank's leather pants or the Electoral College."
Soon their food was placed before them and the conversation eased into catching up one another on their lives for the past thirty years.
"I got to see that handsome boy of yours on TV the other day. You must be so proud." Hillary said popping a fry into her mouth.
"He turned twenty six last week."
"Funny. I did as well."
A couple hours passed as the two continued to talk like old friends. The two shared a smile and to Murphy's surprise, she enjoyed the way Hillary's tounge licked off a bit of ketchup from her lip.
"Do you have kids?" Murphy inquired
"No. I mean I adore children it just never happened. I was trying for a baby with my ex-husband for a time but then him screwing his secretary and getting her pregnant instead soiled our plans."
"Oh I'm so sorry. I'm not much of a fan with secretaries either."
"It was for the best. It saved me from years of misery and the fact she now makes him miserable is a small perk for me. You?"
"No. I've had partners here and there but nothing very serious."
"Does that make us spinsters?"
"No it makes us less likely for a heart attack."
Hillary threw back her head and laughed. Murphy joined in. It was a small but euphoric moment. As their laughter subsided their eyes met. For a moment, both were tranfixed. Not with adoration or awe but with warm kinship. They both felt oddly at home. Hillary was the first to break their gaze to look down at her watch.
"Oh I gotta get going! I have a foreign press breifing to get to."
"Oh" Murphy replied, fighting the regret in her tone "Well, thank you for having lunch with me. It was so good catching up with you."
Hillary paused before looking up quizzically before replying, "You know. I don't think I'm done gabbing with you. I'm here through the weekend. Is there a chance I could see you again."
"Of course! Send me your itenarary and we will work something out."
"Wonderful!" Hillary replied with a dazzling smile before pulling Murphy into a hug "It really is so great to see you."
The sincerety in the woman's voice caught the seasoned journalist off guard, stealing a breath of air from Murphy's lungs.
"You too." she replied softly and with that Hillary was out the door.
After a series of emails and negotiations Murphy found herself tidying up her living room. She laughed at her nervousness. There was nothing to be nervous about. Hillary was just an old colleague. She was no one of great importance. So naturally, Murphy adjusted the pillows on the couch for someone of no great importance. She also spent extra time on her look for someone of no great importance. She even lined up her shoes that were scattered by the doorway for someone of no great importance.
The door bell rang. Murphy was quick to answer.
"I brought a gift" Hillary said the moment the door opened with a mishchevious grin as she wiggled a small wrapped package between her fingers
"Oh Hillary. You really didn't have to but…..gimme" Murphy replied snatching it from the woman's grasp.
Murphy tore open the gift wrap with little ceremony to reveal a signed photo of Barry Manilow.
"To Murphy Brown, my biggest and most loyal fan." Murphy read "You got to be kidding me."
"A perfect piece for the mantal."
"Did Avery have something to do with this? He had something do with this. He is so grounded."
"Oh" Hillary replied meekly to Murphy's clear agitation "I…Avery said you were a big Manilow fan. Frank too! I…"
"No. Thank you. It was very sweet." Murphy replied softening as she placed a hand on Hillary's shoulder "But as they say….you were played."
"Are you saying I was pawn in an evil scheme?"
"I believe so."
"I don't take well to that. We need to plot vengence….with cheesecake."
"Thankfully for you vengence and cheesecake happens to be my specialty."
The two made their way to the kitchen to take part in their evil bidding. Within an hour the journalists were lounging on the couch laughing up a storm as they compared their most embarrassing moments on air.
"Oh my god Murphy it was awful" Hillary exclaimed "The man was beet red from choking and had lost conciousness only for his head to fall straight into my lap! The producers were scrambling, the camera men were frozen and I'm sitting there wondering if that counts as forplay."
"You think thats bad! I had a guy literally die in front of me! That messed with me for months! Someone would let out a little cough and I was springing to the phone to call 911!"
"Oh that's awful!"
The two wiped tears from the eyes as their laughter subsided. Once more, they found one another staring. Hillary made Murphy felt a giddiness she hadn't felt in a long time. Their bond was evident. They shared the same career path and habored the same values. It was no wonder she enjoyed the woman's company. But there was something more than that. There was warmth in Hillary that Murphy felt she had missed all her life. Despite her being more laidback than Murphy, Hillary clearly held her own and could demand respect without saying a word. She was concise in what she wanted. She was completly her own person. She had an intellect that challenged Murphy without causing her to feel she was ever being condecended to. In her presence, Murphy felt elevated.
Despite spending her life around presidents, foriegn leaders, some of the greatest minds in the scientific field; people who were knowing shaping the the very fabric of history, she never felt that around any other person before. She was drawn to Hillary and something told her that Hillary felt the same.
"You know" Hillary said softly as she looked down at her hands "I never told you why I really stopped by your office the other day."
"Oh?"
"I….actually came by to thank you." she said softly before looking up and taking Murphy's hand into her own "You saved my life when you called me out on my alcoholism. I was drowning and you were the first person to recognize it. You were the only person to recognize. Actually, finally getting off the sauce cleared my mind and forced me to face well…me."
"I have thought about you through the years. I'm glad you're ok. Facing yourself in the mirror every day is hard." Murphy replied shyly
"It is. Especially when when you thought that spontaneous dye job would be smart."
"Thirty years is a long time to think about someone. I'm glad I'm not the only one."
"Sadly, I think I've thought of you all these years for different reasons you have." Hillary said wistfully. The implication hanging heavily in the air.
"Maybe not." Murphy murmured
They looked at one another for a long moment before, without a thought, leaning in.
"I'm not ga…" Murphy began to warn against the other woman's lips
"I know." Hillary responded with a knowing doubt in her voice before they fall into their first kiss.