His Father's Watch
As usual, he was running late. There were only a few minutes left of the first inning when he knocked on C.J.'s apartment door, bearing a six-pack of beer in one hand and dessert in the other. A minute later the door swung open, revealing a visibly amused C.J.
"You're late, Joshua."
"I realize that, Claudia Jean," Josh retorted. "I brought dessert to make up for it, though."
"Dessert?" C.J. said, and gestured for him to come in.
"Apple pie," Josh said, following her into the kitchen. "The official dessert of the Yankees' winning streak going down the toilet."
C.J. snorted. "Don't let Toby hear you say that. He'll throw you out."
"No he won't. He knows I'd take my pie and my beer with me." They laughed, and Josh leaned over, kissing her cheek. "Sorry I'm late, Claudia Jean. My watch..."
"Was wrong," C.J. finished, in perfect chorus with him, and laughed again. "Josh, Donna's right, your watch really does suck. Why don't you throw it out?"
Josh sat there in silence for a moment, picking at the label of his beer bottle, then looked up at her. He'd never told anybody this before, largely because it was mostly Donna who nagged him about his watch and he didn't want to see the 'My-Hamster-Is-Dead' expression he just knew she'd turn on him. C.J., though...C.J. was different, and so he smiled very slightly, knowing she would understand, and confessed, "It was my dad's watch."
C.J.'s smirk melted instantly into an apologetic expression. "Oh...Josh, I'm sorry..."
Josh waved off the apology, shrugging. "Don't worry about it." His smile widened slightly. "It used to keep perfect time, actually. When he wore it, it was never wrong. But when he died, I don't know...something just broke inside it."
He didn't tell her that something had broken inside him that day, too, but he didn't really have to. C.J. remembered all too well what losing a parent felt like, remembered hearing that her mother was gone and thinking that nothing in the world would ever be the same again, and she remembered the expression Josh had worn for weeks after returning to the campaign, following his father's funeral. He'd accepted their sympathy with quiet thanks, then gone about his work, but every so often, C.J. had noticed a haunted expression on his face, and she'd known exactly what was on his mind.
"I wore it, at first, to have something of his around all the time. To keep him close. He didn't see me help elect a President, he never saw me get into the White House, but his watch was there, so it helped. And then...this is gonna sound kind of stupid, but it sort of reminds me of how great a man he was. I mean, he was an incredible lawyer, one of the smartest men I've ever known, but how many people can say that their watch was never the same after they died?" He shook his head, a slight smile curling his lips. "I guess I want to be that kind of person someday, you know? Make that kind of impact..."
C.J. studied him silently for a second, and then took his hands in hers. "You're already that kind of person, Josh, and a lot more than a watch would never be the same without you," she said, then leaned over and kissed him, brief but sweet. She pulled away before he could react, retreating into the living room, and he watched her go, wondering what on earth had made her kiss him – and why he hoped it would happen again.