There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you are
crafting the ultimate
revenge plot. First, you need to attack on several fronts. If you
split your victim's focus,
you succeed in getting them running around in circles. They end up
looking like the plate
spinner at those tacky circuses that come to small towns in the
summer. I'm certain that
little Miss Small Town Wisconsin herself has seen many of those
circuses. How I wish I
were going to be able to experience her disintegration first hand as
my plot moves into
action. But I can't. Revealing my presence too soon would ruin
everything.
And that brings us to the second thing you need to keep in
mind. If you can't get
close to the victim yourself, you need to find a source. Someone who
is close enough to
keep you updated. Preferably someone with a little bit of his or her
own axe to grind.
That brings us to Larry. Poor run-of-the-mill average Larry. He's one
of those guys that
people look at but never see. At least that's the way it was when I
worked with him. As it
turns out, Larry had a bit of a crush on Donna in the first days of
the administration.
Unrequited love can be a great motivator for revenge. And believe me,
I am grateful that
she never gave him the time of day. Otherwise, he may never have been
willing to tell me
about the Great Anniversary Flower Fiasco of 2001. I am definitely
going to be able to
use that little event as ammo. But that will have to wait for Phase
II. Phase I is just
getting off the ground. Frankly, I can't wait.
White House
7:15 AM
"DONNA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Please Josh, not this morning,okay?"
"What's the problem Donna? Oversleep?"
"Well, it would have been difficult for me to oversleep this
particular morning when
there were two very large men pounding on my door at 5:00 AM to serve
me with an
eviction notice!!"
Donna's voice quivered as she finished the sentence. It was only then
that Josh noticed
her disheveled appearance and the obvious evidence that she had been
crying.
He put his arms around her shoulders and led her into his office. He
closed the door
behind them.
"What are you talking about,Donna?"
"I don't know. There has been some sort of huge mistake at the rental
agency. These two
men knocked on my door this morning and said that I was three months
behind on my
rent. They said I had five days to get out of my apartment."
"Well that's just ridiculous,Donna!! Did you show them your cancelled
checks?"
"I don't have any cancelled checks. I pay my rent over the Internet"
Donna said as she
started to tear up again.
"Well don't you have some kind of proof that you paid it?"
"Yes, I thought I did. Every time I pay, they give me a confirmation
number. I called the
rental place this morning as soon as they opened and I explained the
problem to them.
But when I gave them confirmation numbers, they said they had no
record of them."
"Well, obviously there has just been a mistake of some kind. Do you
want me to call
them?"
"No. I'll handle it. You have a meeting with Leo in two minutes.
Thanks for the offer,
though."
"Okay" Josh said grabbing some files and heading for Leos
office. "Just let me know if
there's anything I can do."
"I will. Oh and ...Josh?"
"What?" he said poking his head back in the office door.
"Do good in there."
He gave her one of those dimpled grins that made her heart soar and
just for a minute, she
forgot about how horrible her morning had been.
After another call to the rental agency that yielded no new
information, Donna decided
that the best course of action would be to go ahead and repay the
disputed amount, and
then give herself some time to straighten this whole mess out. It was
going to put a strain
on her already tight finances but she needed to get out from under
the five-day eviction
deadline. With the decision made, she resolved to go to the bank at
lunchtime.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully and Donna even managed to
relax a little.
She was sure that this was just a little computer glitch somewhere
and she would be able
to get it rectified with a minimum of effort. She felt confident as
she poked her head in
Josh's office at 11:00 AM.
"Josh?"
"Hmmm?" he said not looking up from his file.
"I'm going to the bank now. I won't be long. Do you want me to pick
you up some lunch
while I'm out?"
"Sure, if it's not too much trouble."
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Whatever is on your way."
"Okay."
"Donna?"
"What?"
"Look--I don't want to stick my nose in where it doesn't belong."
"Since when?"
"Ha ha--its just that..I know you're a girl on a budget...and..um..do
you need me to
lend you some money? Just till this whole mess gets straightened out?"
"No thanks,Josh-I think I have it covered."
"But you promise you'll let me know if you need anything?"
"Promise."
"Okay."
"Be careful."
"I will. I intend to vanquish my rent problem and return with a
healthy meal," she said
with a laugh.
12:15 PM
White House
Josh sensed Donna's presence in the building before he
actually saw her.
Something had gone wrong. The rent problem had not been easily
vanquished. An uneasy
feeling that had been hovering at the edge of his consciousness all
morning became
stronger. He looked up and saw her coming across the bullpen. Her
eyes were blinking
back tears, her lip was quivering and her hands were shaking badly.
She looked like she
was in shock. Josh was at her side in no time flat. It took a moment
for his presence to
even register with her.
He put his arm around her shoulders and once again guided her
into the privacy of
his office.
"What is it,Donna? What happened?"
Josh's kindness unleashed the torrent of tears that Donna had been
holding back. He took
her in his arms and held her tightly till the tears subsided. Once
she had gotten back under
control, Josh asked again.
"What happened Donna?"
The words started spilling out all at once. " I went to the bank to
get the money to pay the
landlord,and they told me that my account was seriously overdrawn.
They closed it,
Josh. They closed my account. How can that be? Both my checking and
my savings
accounts are empty. I'm very careful with my money Josh!! How can
this have
happened?" With that question, the tears threatened to fall again.
"I don't know angel, but I promise you we are going to get this
straightened out."
"And I couldn't get you any lunch,Josh. Because when I tried to use
my credit card--it
got declined. And the man at the deli cut it up. It was humiliating!!"
"It's okay, Donna. Just try to relax. I'm gonna fix this. You have my
word."
"But...what am I gonna do? I'm being kicked out of my apartment---my
bank accounts
are empty---my credit cards are maxed out..."
"You just let me handle this,Donna. I'll get to the bottom of things."
"Oh,Josh..this really isn't your problem..I'll just..."
"Shush,Donna. Anything that upsets you is my problem."
"I won't let this affect my work...I swear...I know we have a busy
week and I'll..."
"Listen up. Here's what we're gonna do." Josh shifted quickly into
managerial mode.
"We'll get through all the stuff we have to do today so we can get
out of here at a decent
hour. Then we'll swing by your apartment so you can pack an overnight
bag and grab all
of your bank records. Then we'll take them back to my place and
figure out what the
heck is going on. I want you to stay with me for a few days till we
get this straightened
out."
"No Josh,I'll be fine."
"Forget it,Donna. I'm not taking no for an answer on this. Something
strange is going on
here and I don't want you being alone until we find out what it is.
In fact, I don't even
want you leaving this building unless I am with you."
"Josh..."
"I mean it,Donna." Josh realized that those words came out a little
more harshly that he
had intended. But suddenly, he was gripped with an unexplainable
fear. All he knew was
that he had to protect Donna at all costs. He didn't know what was
going on but he
intended to find out. Seeing the fear in her eyes was almost more
than he could take.
10:00 PM
Josh's apartment
"Where are those papers the guy at the bank gave you,Donna?"
"Right there under your left knee," Donna whispered as she continued
to listen intently to
the recorded message on the other end of the phone.
"Well that's the last one," she snapped as she disconnected and
tossed the phone onto the
couch. "Every one of my credit card accounts has been closed and
every card is currently
over limit. What the hell is happening?"
"I have no idea. These statements that you got today make absolutely
no sense."
They room was cloaked in a heavy silence for a few minutes.
"Josh?"
"Hmmmm?"
Suddenly she needed to ask the question that had been on her mind all
day.
"What,Donna?" Josh asked as he moved to sit on the couch. He motioned
for Donna to
join him.
Donna looked intently into his eyes then stared down at the sofa
cushions. "Do you think
this is just some ridiculous computer glitch or....do you
think.....well....someone
intentionally did this to me? I mean...who?...why?"
And suddenly Donna had put her finger on the fear that had been
stalking both of them
all day.
"I don't know,Donna. But whichever way it turns out, I'm not gonna
let anything happen
to you."
Josh pulled Donna into a tight embrace. He meant every word he had
said. He was gonna
fix this..he was gonna fix it for Donna. Josh tried to think about
who could possibly be
behind this. Dr Freeride? A spurned gomer? Who would have the clout
needed to pull
this off?
"You know what,Donnatella? I want you to try to eat something, then
take a nice long
bath, and then I'm gonna tuck you in so you can get a good nights
sleep. There's nothing
more we can do tonight. I want you to try to relax."
"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?"
"Absolutely."
"Josh?"
"What?"
"Thanks for everything you've done today."
"No thanks necessary,sweetheart."
She couldn't help but smile at the way he called her sweetheart. It
made her feel warm
and tingly right down to her soul.
Donna finally fell asleep wrapped in Josh's arms. As her breathing
evened out, he was
finally able relax a little himself. Who,what,and why were questions
for tomorrow.
Right here, right now,he was content to know that Donna was safe. He
also knew that he
would do anything to keep her that way.
Across town a phone rings:
"Well, they left together. Just like you predicted. I heard him say
that she could stay with
him and that he would help her get things straightened out."
"Of course. It's Sir Josh to the rescue. So typical."
"What's next?"
"Well, while Josh is busy trying to save the fair maiden from the
fallout of Phase I, I am
going to be putting Phase II into effect."
"Phase II?"
"Oh yeah. I have to move fast. Have to get all those plates spinning
at once. You just
hold tight Larry, I'll let you know what to do next."
"Okay Mandy, I'll talk to you soon."
"Count on it."
crafting the ultimate
revenge plot. First, you need to attack on several fronts. If you
split your victim's focus,
you succeed in getting them running around in circles. They end up
looking like the plate
spinner at those tacky circuses that come to small towns in the
summer. I'm certain that
little Miss Small Town Wisconsin herself has seen many of those
circuses. How I wish I
were going to be able to experience her disintegration first hand as
my plot moves into
action. But I can't. Revealing my presence too soon would ruin
everything.
And that brings us to the second thing you need to keep in
mind. If you can't get
close to the victim yourself, you need to find a source. Someone who
is close enough to
keep you updated. Preferably someone with a little bit of his or her
own axe to grind.
That brings us to Larry. Poor run-of-the-mill average Larry. He's one
of those guys that
people look at but never see. At least that's the way it was when I
worked with him. As it
turns out, Larry had a bit of a crush on Donna in the first days of
the administration.
Unrequited love can be a great motivator for revenge. And believe me,
I am grateful that
she never gave him the time of day. Otherwise, he may never have been
willing to tell me
about the Great Anniversary Flower Fiasco of 2001. I am definitely
going to be able to
use that little event as ammo. But that will have to wait for Phase
II. Phase I is just
getting off the ground. Frankly, I can't wait.
White House
7:15 AM
"DONNA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Please Josh, not this morning,okay?"
"What's the problem Donna? Oversleep?"
"Well, it would have been difficult for me to oversleep this
particular morning when
there were two very large men pounding on my door at 5:00 AM to serve
me with an
eviction notice!!"
Donna's voice quivered as she finished the sentence. It was only then
that Josh noticed
her disheveled appearance and the obvious evidence that she had been
crying.
He put his arms around her shoulders and led her into his office. He
closed the door
behind them.
"What are you talking about,Donna?"
"I don't know. There has been some sort of huge mistake at the rental
agency. These two
men knocked on my door this morning and said that I was three months
behind on my
rent. They said I had five days to get out of my apartment."
"Well that's just ridiculous,Donna!! Did you show them your cancelled
checks?"
"I don't have any cancelled checks. I pay my rent over the Internet"
Donna said as she
started to tear up again.
"Well don't you have some kind of proof that you paid it?"
"Yes, I thought I did. Every time I pay, they give me a confirmation
number. I called the
rental place this morning as soon as they opened and I explained the
problem to them.
But when I gave them confirmation numbers, they said they had no
record of them."
"Well, obviously there has just been a mistake of some kind. Do you
want me to call
them?"
"No. I'll handle it. You have a meeting with Leo in two minutes.
Thanks for the offer,
though."
"Okay" Josh said grabbing some files and heading for Leos
office. "Just let me know if
there's anything I can do."
"I will. Oh and ...Josh?"
"What?" he said poking his head back in the office door.
"Do good in there."
He gave her one of those dimpled grins that made her heart soar and
just for a minute, she
forgot about how horrible her morning had been.
After another call to the rental agency that yielded no new
information, Donna decided
that the best course of action would be to go ahead and repay the
disputed amount, and
then give herself some time to straighten this whole mess out. It was
going to put a strain
on her already tight finances but she needed to get out from under
the five-day eviction
deadline. With the decision made, she resolved to go to the bank at
lunchtime.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully and Donna even managed to
relax a little.
She was sure that this was just a little computer glitch somewhere
and she would be able
to get it rectified with a minimum of effort. She felt confident as
she poked her head in
Josh's office at 11:00 AM.
"Josh?"
"Hmmm?" he said not looking up from his file.
"I'm going to the bank now. I won't be long. Do you want me to pick
you up some lunch
while I'm out?"
"Sure, if it's not too much trouble."
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Whatever is on your way."
"Okay."
"Donna?"
"What?"
"Look--I don't want to stick my nose in where it doesn't belong."
"Since when?"
"Ha ha--its just that..I know you're a girl on a budget...and..um..do
you need me to
lend you some money? Just till this whole mess gets straightened out?"
"No thanks,Josh-I think I have it covered."
"But you promise you'll let me know if you need anything?"
"Promise."
"Okay."
"Be careful."
"I will. I intend to vanquish my rent problem and return with a
healthy meal," she said
with a laugh.
12:15 PM
White House
Josh sensed Donna's presence in the building before he
actually saw her.
Something had gone wrong. The rent problem had not been easily
vanquished. An uneasy
feeling that had been hovering at the edge of his consciousness all
morning became
stronger. He looked up and saw her coming across the bullpen. Her
eyes were blinking
back tears, her lip was quivering and her hands were shaking badly.
She looked like she
was in shock. Josh was at her side in no time flat. It took a moment
for his presence to
even register with her.
He put his arm around her shoulders and once again guided her
into the privacy of
his office.
"What is it,Donna? What happened?"
Josh's kindness unleashed the torrent of tears that Donna had been
holding back. He took
her in his arms and held her tightly till the tears subsided. Once
she had gotten back under
control, Josh asked again.
"What happened Donna?"
The words started spilling out all at once. " I went to the bank to
get the money to pay the
landlord,and they told me that my account was seriously overdrawn.
They closed it,
Josh. They closed my account. How can that be? Both my checking and
my savings
accounts are empty. I'm very careful with my money Josh!! How can
this have
happened?" With that question, the tears threatened to fall again.
"I don't know angel, but I promise you we are going to get this
straightened out."
"And I couldn't get you any lunch,Josh. Because when I tried to use
my credit card--it
got declined. And the man at the deli cut it up. It was humiliating!!"
"It's okay, Donna. Just try to relax. I'm gonna fix this. You have my
word."
"But...what am I gonna do? I'm being kicked out of my apartment---my
bank accounts
are empty---my credit cards are maxed out..."
"You just let me handle this,Donna. I'll get to the bottom of things."
"Oh,Josh..this really isn't your problem..I'll just..."
"Shush,Donna. Anything that upsets you is my problem."
"I won't let this affect my work...I swear...I know we have a busy
week and I'll..."
"Listen up. Here's what we're gonna do." Josh shifted quickly into
managerial mode.
"We'll get through all the stuff we have to do today so we can get
out of here at a decent
hour. Then we'll swing by your apartment so you can pack an overnight
bag and grab all
of your bank records. Then we'll take them back to my place and
figure out what the
heck is going on. I want you to stay with me for a few days till we
get this straightened
out."
"No Josh,I'll be fine."
"Forget it,Donna. I'm not taking no for an answer on this. Something
strange is going on
here and I don't want you being alone until we find out what it is.
In fact, I don't even
want you leaving this building unless I am with you."
"Josh..."
"I mean it,Donna." Josh realized that those words came out a little
more harshly that he
had intended. But suddenly, he was gripped with an unexplainable
fear. All he knew was
that he had to protect Donna at all costs. He didn't know what was
going on but he
intended to find out. Seeing the fear in her eyes was almost more
than he could take.
10:00 PM
Josh's apartment
"Where are those papers the guy at the bank gave you,Donna?"
"Right there under your left knee," Donna whispered as she continued
to listen intently to
the recorded message on the other end of the phone.
"Well that's the last one," she snapped as she disconnected and
tossed the phone onto the
couch. "Every one of my credit card accounts has been closed and
every card is currently
over limit. What the hell is happening?"
"I have no idea. These statements that you got today make absolutely
no sense."
They room was cloaked in a heavy silence for a few minutes.
"Josh?"
"Hmmmm?"
Suddenly she needed to ask the question that had been on her mind all
day.
"What,Donna?" Josh asked as he moved to sit on the couch. He motioned
for Donna to
join him.
Donna looked intently into his eyes then stared down at the sofa
cushions. "Do you think
this is just some ridiculous computer glitch or....do you
think.....well....someone
intentionally did this to me? I mean...who?...why?"
And suddenly Donna had put her finger on the fear that had been
stalking both of them
all day.
"I don't know,Donna. But whichever way it turns out, I'm not gonna
let anything happen
to you."
Josh pulled Donna into a tight embrace. He meant every word he had
said. He was gonna
fix this..he was gonna fix it for Donna. Josh tried to think about
who could possibly be
behind this. Dr Freeride? A spurned gomer? Who would have the clout
needed to pull
this off?
"You know what,Donnatella? I want you to try to eat something, then
take a nice long
bath, and then I'm gonna tuck you in so you can get a good nights
sleep. There's nothing
more we can do tonight. I want you to try to relax."
"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?"
"Absolutely."
"Josh?"
"What?"
"Thanks for everything you've done today."
"No thanks necessary,sweetheart."
She couldn't help but smile at the way he called her sweetheart. It
made her feel warm
and tingly right down to her soul.
Donna finally fell asleep wrapped in Josh's arms. As her breathing
evened out, he was
finally able relax a little himself. Who,what,and why were questions
for tomorrow.
Right here, right now,he was content to know that Donna was safe. He
also knew that he
would do anything to keep her that way.
Across town a phone rings:
"Well, they left together. Just like you predicted. I heard him say
that she could stay with
him and that he would help her get things straightened out."
"Of course. It's Sir Josh to the rescue. So typical."
"What's next?"
"Well, while Josh is busy trying to save the fair maiden from the
fallout of Phase I, I am
going to be putting Phase II into effect."
"Phase II?"
"Oh yeah. I have to move fast. Have to get all those plates spinning
at once. You just
hold tight Larry, I'll let you know what to do next."
"Okay Mandy, I'll talk to you soon."
"Count on it."