Spoilers: Season 4, Episode 2 and Season 7 Episode 18.
This has been going around in my head all day, so I hope you enjoy the way my mind thinks.
He wasn't sure where he went wrong.
It had been a simple question, or so he thought. No harassment, no badgering, just a simple question offered over dinner.
They'd shared friendly dinners over Congressional votes, dinner with the entire staff, and once, a business dinner on Christmas Eve that seemed like anything but a business dinner.
But this?
This wasn't a friendly dinner over a vote, wasn't dinner with the staff and wasn't even a "business dinner" – this was a quick slice of pizza offered to him as he stood in her office doorway.
He munched, watched her take a sip of beer, and asked his meek question.
But her response was unexpected, unanticipated.
"No Danny" or "I'm busy Danny" or "I can't Danny" were all anticipated.
"Yes Danny" or "I'll be free at 4 Danny" or "I'd be delighted Danny" were hoped for.
Her response?
The sip of beer she had drawn was sprayed all over his face, his shirt, the doorway.
Her coughing and choking on his words wasn't even considered.
Her choked response of "We can't, yet, Danny" wasn't understood by the recipient.
He turned to leave her to her thoughts as he pondered his question.
"Barbequing, huh" he muttered to himself.
Little did he know that it would be four years before they would "barbeque" together late one Wednesday night in November.
I've noted the following term has different meanings depending on the geography.
Barbequing up north: grilling any type of meat on a grill outside, known as a barbeque grill.
Barbequing in the south: adding sauce to said grilled (or smoked meat), known as barbeque. Grilling meat outside is known as grilling.
Barbequing on the West Wing: Sexual relations between two individuals…typically President and Mrs. Bartlett, but I'm applying it as a term.