********
I'm still pondering the situation when I hear Josh
say, "Then who are you talking to?"
There's something you should know about Sam Seaborn:
The man cannot lie under pressure. "Nobody."
"Sam, tell him you're on hold."
"I'm on hold," he says proudly, and once again I save
a man's life with my deft tongue and quick wit.
Ego? What ego? I don't see any ego.
"With who?" What's with the persistence, huh?
"A person you don't know," he says defensively.
"Just hang up. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and Sam,
have fun," I add with malicious glee.
"No!" Sam yelps, making me jump.
"What is wrong with you?" Josh asks, and I hear him
grab the phone from Sam's hand.
Uh oh. We're about to get busted. Not that we did
anything wrong.
"Josh!" Sam has really got to get over this yelping
thing.
"It's my phone, Sam. Who is this?" He sounds more
amused than irritated. I have a feeling that's about
to change. I could just hang up, but that would be
silly. Childish, even. So I was talking to Sam.
Big whoop.
"Hello, Joshua."
"DONNA?" I wince and pull the phone away from my ear.
Ouch.
"How's the weather down in DC?"
"You were talking to Sam!" Sam must have run away a
long time ago. Chicken.
"I talk to people all the time, Josh. Sometimes I even
talk to people who aren't you." Burn, baby, burn.
"You were talking to *Sam* in my office!"
If I had any sense whatsoever, right now I would
calmly explain that I had called his office and Sam
had picked up the phone. Simple as that.
But what right does he have to be upset about this?
Forget right, what *reason* does he have to be upset
about this? I talk to Sam all the time at work and he
doesn't bat an eye; now all of a sudden it's an issue?
"I don't see your point," I say coolly. This is none
of his business, and I fully intend to tell him so.
"Why didn't he say it was you on the phone in the
first place? Why'd he lie?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to interrupt our
conversation." I regret the words the second they come
out of my mouth, but there's nothing I can do.
"Oh. Well, so sorry to butt in like that. Perhaps you
two could continue your simulating conversation if he
picked you up from the airport tonight," he says
stiffly, his voice icier than the snow outside my
window.
"That won't be necessary. Take a look at your
television, Josh. I'm not flying anywhere."
"I guess I'll call the temp agency for help on
Monday," he says coldly, and hangs up.
He hung up on me! Incredible. What the hell did I do
to offend him? Sam and I are friends; Josh knows that.
Why on earth-
As I hear the pieces snap into place, I realize two
very important things.
One: Josh is an idiot.
Two: Sam is a politician.
I'm still pondering the situation when I hear Josh
say, "Then who are you talking to?"
There's something you should know about Sam Seaborn:
The man cannot lie under pressure. "Nobody."
"Sam, tell him you're on hold."
"I'm on hold," he says proudly, and once again I save
a man's life with my deft tongue and quick wit.
Ego? What ego? I don't see any ego.
"With who?" What's with the persistence, huh?
"A person you don't know," he says defensively.
"Just hang up. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and Sam,
have fun," I add with malicious glee.
"No!" Sam yelps, making me jump.
"What is wrong with you?" Josh asks, and I hear him
grab the phone from Sam's hand.
Uh oh. We're about to get busted. Not that we did
anything wrong.
"Josh!" Sam has really got to get over this yelping
thing.
"It's my phone, Sam. Who is this?" He sounds more
amused than irritated. I have a feeling that's about
to change. I could just hang up, but that would be
silly. Childish, even. So I was talking to Sam.
Big whoop.
"Hello, Joshua."
"DONNA?" I wince and pull the phone away from my ear.
Ouch.
"How's the weather down in DC?"
"You were talking to Sam!" Sam must have run away a
long time ago. Chicken.
"I talk to people all the time, Josh. Sometimes I even
talk to people who aren't you." Burn, baby, burn.
"You were talking to *Sam* in my office!"
If I had any sense whatsoever, right now I would
calmly explain that I had called his office and Sam
had picked up the phone. Simple as that.
But what right does he have to be upset about this?
Forget right, what *reason* does he have to be upset
about this? I talk to Sam all the time at work and he
doesn't bat an eye; now all of a sudden it's an issue?
"I don't see your point," I say coolly. This is none
of his business, and I fully intend to tell him so.
"Why didn't he say it was you on the phone in the
first place? Why'd he lie?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to interrupt our
conversation." I regret the words the second they come
out of my mouth, but there's nothing I can do.
"Oh. Well, so sorry to butt in like that. Perhaps you
two could continue your simulating conversation if he
picked you up from the airport tonight," he says
stiffly, his voice icier than the snow outside my
window.
"That won't be necessary. Take a look at your
television, Josh. I'm not flying anywhere."
"I guess I'll call the temp agency for help on
Monday," he says coldly, and hangs up.
He hung up on me! Incredible. What the hell did I do
to offend him? Sam and I are friends; Josh knows that.
Why on earth-
As I hear the pieces snap into place, I realize two
very important things.
One: Josh is an idiot.
Two: Sam is a politician.
