Disclaimers: Same as before
Author's notes: Since chapter 12 was so short and lame I wanted to add this chapter too. Donna recaps her past relationships, while Josh is forced to listen. I wanted Donna to seem like she was ok with everything that had happened in her past and was now able to laugh it off. After everything she's been through, crappy boyfriends are the least of her worries. It's told from Santos' POV, mostly because I wanted a third party observation about the situation. This is another transition chapter leading to a very big change.
Feedback: Thank you
Then everything changed.
Chapter 13
Josh rode with Helen and me to the event. He's clearly still a little miffed about the joke Donna and Leo played on him. He got his revenge though, they're in the van without A/C . He's yelling into his cell phone to someone about something. Money always has been a major issue with this campaign, so no doubt we are going to be spending the next few days sucking up to rich people. He ends the call in a rude way and unwittingly as left himself open to Helen's ambush.
"I hear you left Donna's rooms this morning."
"It's not what you think?"
"Oh it is. You're not sleeping together?" He blushes and coughs for a few seconds, my wife is beaming.
"Only in the literal sense of the word."
"What a waste." I mutter, and Helen hits me in the ribs.
"I know." He signs and looks out the window.
We arrive to the event 10 minutes late, when we get there Donna wants to run back and get her blazer but Josh and Will tell her she looks great, and rush her on stage. The speech is perfect, nice job Will, and we celebrate at a local popular sports bar, which has been emptied to make way for us. I don't think the proprietor will be voting for us come November.
Will and Donna emerge from the van in a heated debated.
"I am telling you, Will, I would ruin you for all other women. And that is simply not fair to Kate."
"And I am telling you, I need you to prove it. That is an awfully lofty statement to be making with out some evidence."
"Oh I'll give you evidence, right here."
"Donna, I not one for trashy bathroom sex." Josh spins round and looks enraged.
"What the hell?" Donna puts her finger on his lip.
"No you, pig," I think she's talking to Will. "I am not going to have sex with you. It's for your own protection. I will be able to prove it when we get our messages." She turns to Josh, still with her finger on his lips. "Calm down."
He doesn't look happy about this but he guides her in to the restaurant anyway.
We all sit down Helen next to me Josh next to her and Donna on his other side. Because she belongs on his right side. Will sits across from Donna, Ronna, sandwiched between Leo and Will.
Bram comes and gives us our messages.
"Ronna, Mark called…"
"He's going to be late with the alimony check again, right?"
"Right." Ronna's ex husband is on this list of men whose ass I have to kick when I meet them.
"Will, you have two messages: Your sister and Kate Harper. Your sister says she needs to know what you are going to do with the house in Aspen."
"You have a house in Aspen!" Donna yelps.
"Yeah, my older brothers own the beach house in St. Thomas and Elsie and I own the ski house. She wants to sell it to go back to school or put her slacker boyfriend through school or something. I want a clear plan with what she is going to do with the money before I sell."
"You have a house in Aspen. Do you even ski?" She can't seem to get over this fact.
"I used to, like ten years ago. Why do you?"
"Well, someone was supposed to buy me skis for Christmas… but that never panned out." Josh rolls his eyes.
"If you brought me coffee, just once the skis would have been yours."
"Seriously?"
"No."
Bram returns to his job, "Kate Harper called…" Will snatches the message out of his hands. Much to the giggles of the women at the table.
Bram turned his attention to Josh.
"Josh, your mother called. She says, "It's nice to see you really happy. When am I going to get grandkids? You should find yourself a nice girl and get married."
'It doesn't say that does it?" He grabbed the message. "It does. Why did you write that down?"
"It was the message."
"Thanks, mom." Josh grumbled.
"Donna, Mrs. Lyman called for you too. She says, "You're a nice girl. It's nice to see Josh really smile not that fake politician smile he has. You looked pretty in that tank top."' Donna turned bright red. Almost the same color as Josh, Leo was cracking up. "Donna, your mom also called she says, 'Your tank top made you look like a hussy.'"
"Gee thanks Mom."
"Hey, Donna how is this supposed to prove that you have the ability to ruin men for all other women?"
"It's coming."
"Donna, you have a message for a Jack Reese…"
"Ah HA! Here we go! Behold Proof!"
"Commander Wonderful called?"
"Yeah, he calls whenever he has R and R"
"Great." Josh mumbles.
"The message says, "Hey Donna, hope the campaign trail brings you to Boston in the next two weeks. Maybe we can get together for dinner… and breakfast.""
"Did you just proposition you for sex over a phone message?" I cry in disbelief.
"Classy." My wife pipes in.
"Yep. Four years ago and he can't get over me."
"That proves nothing, its one guy who wants to nail his ex girlfriend. I need more proof."
"Um, you have another message."
"Go ahead Bram."
"Cliff Calley called. He says he's very disappointed you didn't come back to the White house after Super Tuesday, like you said. He hears from Kate you guys will be back in a week. Dinner?"
"Oh Donna!" Leo says in horror, clearly feeling the same horror we all felt. "Cliff? "He's he's"
"Short." Will pipes in.
"Arrogant." I find myself saying.
"Republican." Leo cries. Josh just laughs it off as if these were all traits he couldn't understand either.
"Well, you shouldn't fault someone because their short. As for being arrogant, every man in my life is arrogant, I simply thought it came with the penis." My wife roars with laugher, Donna nudges Josh a little bit.
"Yeah well, I thought that the…."
"Josh, you don't want to finish that statement. Any way, I tend to date Republicans because I firmly believe I can change them."
Again the women roar with laughter. Josh shakes his head and starts eating his food, which has come during Donna's little show.
"Does she have any more messages?"
"Yeah. A Dr. Kevin Riley called, he says…." Donna's face turns to ice.
"I am not interested in what he has to say. Jefferson, do you smoke?" She called to the Secret Service Agent.
"No Ms. Moss it is a terrible habit…"
"I'm not going to give you a lecture, I need your lighter." The lighter flies through the air and lands perfectly in her hand. She lights it and starts to burn the message. "I can't believe he needed to add the label doctor to the message, like I am going to forget I dropped out of college to pay for him to go to med school."
"That's Dr. Freeride?" Josh yells. "What the hell is that son of a bitch doing calling you?"
"Now Will if you need any farther proof that I ruin men for all other women please listen closely…."
"Wait, back up, who is Dr. Freeride.?" Good question Ronna.
"He's my ex boyfriend. I dropped out of college for put him through Med school. When he was nearly completed, he dumped me and said 'I wasn't Dr. Wife material.' Of course I had just walked in on him have sex with someone he consider to be wife material."
"He. Dumped. YOU!" My wife screams. At this point I should say that every agent is listening in as well as our waitress and bartender. Everyone's jaws have dropped, save Josh. He has obviously heard the story before. Needless to say, one more man has just made my list.
"Not a shining moment in my life. Anyway I packed up and headed for New Hampshire to join the Bartlet for America Campaign. Then a few months later he begs me back. I go back, but I would like to say he is cut off and still in a "waiting period." You can't come crawling back into my pants THAT fast. When I got into a car accident and he stopped to grab a beer before picking me up from the hospital."
"WHAT!" Will, several agents, and the bartender shout at once.
This guy just got moved to the top of the list.
"No, that story ends happy. Sort of. I end up working at the white house and he marries the women he cheated on me. Three years later, she gets pregnant but wait for it… It's not his! But don't cry for him, he got his girlfriend pregnant as well." Donna sighs satisfied.
"I don't understand, why didn't you switch teams?"
"You can't give up on the whole male gender because of a few assholes. He calls when he sees me on TV and wants to get back together, hoping I won't remember what he did eight years ago. I get to blow him off every time! See I win."
"Yes, it is a wonderful story of good verse evil. Can we move on to the rest of the messages?"
"Sure thing, Josh. Helen, the packages are arriving on time tomorrow." Packages?
"What's this about?" I ask. Then I see the smile I fell in love with.
"The boys are coming up for a few days before we sent them to summer camp for two weeks." YAY! MY BOYS! MY KIDS! YAY! The rest of the conversations I am lost on because the only things I keep thinking about are MY BOYS!
Bram runs down tomorrow's schedule. "The boys' plane arrives at 10:00, Helen and Ronna will be there to pick them up."
"Wait, why can't I go?"
"You have a meeting with a teacher's union at 10:00, sorry, you will see them when you get back." Stupid teachers.
"Don't forget there will be a photo journalist following you guys around tomorrow too."
"Yeah, I set it up about a month ago. Her name is Jessica. She's supposed to be wonderful." Good thinking Ronna, Good PR.
"Oh, Jessica got the flu, she can't make it. We got this other guy. He's international, Irish I think, his name is Colin." Both Donna and Josh freeze, the color is draining in their faces before our very eyes.
"This is a joke right, ten dollars? Right Donna. You're being funny. Right?" He's panicking, did he stop breathing? She looks awfully pale too.
"No, I had no idea. I… no… Is there any way to cancel?"
"No, he's already in town."
"Shit." Donna starts rubbing her temples.
"Um, who's Colin?" My lovely and noisy wife asks.
Still pale, I don't even think she knows she's saying it. "Before I went to Gaza, CJ said I should have a one night stand while I was there. I picked Colin. When my car blew up…"
"YOUR CAR BLEW UP!" Ronna cries. By the way our waitress has now pulled up a seat.
"It was international news." Josh mutters. Neither of them is aware of what they are saying.
"Oh my god, you were the White House aid?"
"Yeah. Any way I picked Colin and he showed up to Germany and there you have it."
"A one night stand flew from Gaza to Germany? Damn, you really can ruin men for all other women."
"SHUT UP WILL!"
Josh looks suddenly very composed. "It will be fine. It's good PR."
"It's very bad PR if you KILL him."
"Leo, I am a professional. I can keep it professional."
"Not when it comes to Donna." Leo mutters under his breath. The comment goes ignored.
"Oh, and one more thing… Donna you have a meeting with Amy Garnder tomorrow at noon."
"I have a what with who?"