Never Lark or Even Eagle
The choices that one makes determine what path their life will follow. Sometimes the choices are simple. Sometimes the choices are inconsequential. But sometimes they are difficult. And sometimes they have the potential to change everything. However, at some point in time, everyone is called to make choices that fall within the final two categories.
When those difficult or life-changing choices have to be made, it comes down to the metaphorical choice that Robert Frost faced. Which road should we take? But, as always, the end of the road is hidden around a bend or concealed in the foliage of the trees that line the route. What direction the road will take once it has passed out of sight is beyond anyone's knowledge. We can only make the choice and hope for the best.
Choices, in combination with circumstances, are what can make the difference between a lark and an eagle. We can never hope to reach the stars if we never dare to leave the ground. A choice is what can take an ordinary man or woman and make them stand above the crowd. Some choices require a steadfastness of character. Others require faith in something bigger. But, no matter what motivates the choice, a choice must nonetheless be made.
At times, we are fortunate to have friends and family who will offer advice in an effort to make the choices easier. But sometimes they only make the choices more complicated. Sometimes they are the ones who point out the other paths that branch off the main one. Leo McGarry did that for Jed Bartlet once. But the favour wasn't returned to the same person. In returning the favour, Jed went on to inspire a new generation by pointing out the choices that they had never before considered.
"Alex, could I have a minute?" Sarah asked.
Alex paused for a second, mid-stride. She was running late for yet another meeting in the steady stream that made up her day. "On or off the record?" she responded.
Sarah sighed. "Honestly, a little of both."
"I think I've got a few minutes at four. Check with one of my aides and they'll write you in as soon as I have soon free time."
"Thank you, Congresswoman."
"Tell Nora that I told you to call," Alex offered, resuming her hurried walk. She was running late, again.
"Congresswoman, a quick word."
Alex sighed and turned to look at whoever had called her name this time. Clift, now the House Minority Leader, was coming up behind her. "Of course," she answered. "Hopefully you don't mind if we walk and talk. I'm running late for Committee."
"I don't know if anything would get done if we all weren't running perpetually late," he commented, falling into step beside her. "Anyway, I've heard rumblings of Republican discontent over this latest finance reform package you guys are working on."
"When isn't there Republican discontent over finance reform packages?" Alex asked. "I can't think of a single measure that we've proposed that they haven't had something to complain about."
"We're down four seats in the House," he started. "We can get some good pieces of legislation through if we're willing to work with the moderate Republicans. But we're not going to get any of that done if we keep pushing some of the stuff that we're pushing."
"What are you saying?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the hall.
"You're still young, Alex," he said with a sigh. "You'll have time to pass some of these other things later. But right now, if we want to be able to make some serious bipartisan changes, we're going to have to shelve some things until after the next set of elections."
"We're not even six months into this term," she replied. "What exactly are you talking about shelving for two years other than the finance reform?"
"You're not going to like some of this," he warned. "Actually, you're probably not going to like most of it."
"Education," she guessed. He nodded. "Health care." Another nod. "The gun package." He nodded again. "Welfare reforms."
"Sometimes you've got to play the game," he offered, hoping that it would placate her. He really didn't need a scene in the middle of a crowded hallway.
"Is there anything that we haven't sold out?" she exploded, colour rising in her cheeks. "I mean, honestly. We're only four seats down. If we can get a handful of the liberal Republicans on board some of those things have a chance at passing."
"This isn't the time," he continued. "They're dropping the tax cuts and picking up both the agriculture and the environmental bills."
"Let me get this straight," Alex said. "We're dropping the five things that most of us campaigned on in return for the Republicans giving up a plan for tax cuts that wasn't financially viable and picking up the two things on our agenda we could have gotten the votes for anyway?"
"Thanks for you time, Congresswoman."
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"Why do I get the distinct impression that we're being screwed?"
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"Probably because we are," Ted answered. "Something about this doesn't ring right. This isn't the kind of deal that you make six months in. This is the kind of deal you make with six months left."
"I can't believe that he would make it a walk and talk," she continued, stabbing at her salad. "It's not like it was even a sit-down conversation or anything."
"At least he bothered to tell you," he responded, dipping his fries in ketchup and looking around the mess. "I bet you're one of the few people he actually bothered to search out. He's probably detailing junior staffers to talk to most of the rest of us."
She rolled her eyes and reached over to take one of his fries. "It's probably a courtesy thing since Jack used to work for him," she explained.
"I'd beg to differ," Ted told her. "I tend to think that it's because you're probably the most outspoken person in the House who hasn't been there for twenty years. You've still got the ethics and morals that he threw out the window long ago. I think that scares him as a politician."
"Well," she said, blushing a little and steering the conversation back to the main issue, "I think that I smell a rat. And I'm probably not the only one."
"I'm smelling whatever you're smelling," Ted reassured her. "I'll ask around and find out who else Clift has sought out today. I'll give you a call later tonight and let you know."
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"I'll be looking forward to your call."
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Toby placed the phone back in the cradle and turned to CJ. "I hate having to suck up to those people."
"I know you do," she soothed. "But I do so love watching you."
"You're sadistic," he retorted. "You like watching others suffer, don't you?"
She shrugged. "I don't like watching others suffer, just you."
"And that makes it so much better," he answered, reaching for the remote to turn up the volume on the TV. "Just for that, we're watching my show tonight."
"And that makes it different from any other night how?" She stood and started walking out of the room.
"Sass," Toby called out to her. "I will not tolerate sass."
CJ laughed. "Then I'm sorry, but you married the wrong woman. I'm going to get something to eat."
"You didn't ask me if I wanted anything," he grumbled, loud enough that she could hear him.
"Why would I do something like that?" she replied. He could hear her pull open the fridge door and start rummaging around inside it.
Toby settled back into the couch cushions and changed the channel to CNN. It was a habit that he had never been able to fully break himself of. "CJ," he yelled.
"No," she replied, "I will not bring you a sandwich."
"Not that. I think that you'd better get in here."
"Why?" she asked, rounding the corner to see what the big deal was.
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"There's something that you need to see."
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"Josh, I can't believe that you'd be so romantic," Donna cooed, linking her fingers through his. "It's not even an anniversary or anything."
"Are you warm enough?" he questioned. "Your coat isn't very thick." It was cool for a May evening.
"I'll be fine," she answered, swatting at his shoulder with her free hand. "I've gotten used to my husband not being enough of a gentleman to offer me his jacket. Now, what are we going to see?"
"It's a surprise," he responded excitedly, picking up the pace a little.
"Is it a good surprise?"
Josh started to answer, but his cell phone rang, cutting him off. He untwined their fingers and reached into his pocket to take out his phone. "Josh Lyman," he barked, annoyed at having their evening interrupted.
He paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line, before responding, "No, Donna and I are out for a walk to see the thing."
There was another pause and Donna watched all of the worry lines on Josh's face make an appearance. "We're closer to home. We'll head back right away. Thanks for calling." He flipped the phone closed and turned to start back in the direction of their townhouse.
"Josh," Donna inquired, "what's happened?"
"I don't know. We're just supposed to find ourselves a TV."
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"I don't think I like the sounds of this."
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"You're probably not going to, Sarah."
She sighed, moving a box so that she could sit down in the chair before Danny's desk. "I really don't think I like the sounds of this."
"Why this couldn't have happened a year ago," he said, "I'll never know. Or even a year from now, or whenever the new guy has himself set up here." It was Danny's turn to sigh. "Of all the times for the Post to be without a decent editor."
"You still haven't told me what happened," Sarah noted, her reporter's instincts starting to suspect that they had a real scoop here. "It's only fair. After all, you did drag me away from a hot date tonight."
"You remember that thing you mentioned earlier?" Danny asked. "The one that Alex mentioned during your little meeting this afternoon?"
"You mean that little fool's errand what's-his-name sent me on without realizing that I know Alex or the other thing that's off the record?" she inquired.
"It's not so off the record anymore," Danny answered. "I don't know what source CNN has, but they started leaking tidbits about an hour ago. They don't really have any hard facts, but you can bet that this news cycle is going to be dominated by rumours about the whole thing."
Sarah sighed. "And we're about the only paper already in position to get the facts. Have you called anyone else yet?"
"I didn't want to do it unless you were willing to. They're friends first and sources second. It's a lesson that I learned the hard way a long time ago," Danny cautioned.
"You're going to want to get Vernon and Nadia," Sarah started. "They're the best researchers. Jeff has a good handle on the political side of things; you might want to get him up here too." This was too big of a story not to start moving on it. Every reporter's instinct that she had was screaming for her to start writing now.
Danny rubbed his hands together. "We haven't had a story like this fall into our laps in quite a while. This is almost Watergate big." He paused, looking at the black phone sitting on his desk. "Do you want to call or should I?"
Sarah hesitated for a second. First and foremost, Alex was her friend. She couldn't forget that. "I'll do it," she replied firmly. This was the first time that her career and Alex's were on a collision course. Hopefully they both emerged unscathed.
She picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew well. It was picked up after the second ring. "Hey, Alex," Sarah began. "Sorry to get you up but CNN started running a line very close to the story you told me this afternoon. We don't know what their source is, but the story's broken. Would you mind if all of that off the record stuff you said this afternoon goes on the record so we can start investigating?"