On The Road With Danny Concannon: Clarksville, TN
"Further Into the Darkness….."
Episode: Opposition Research
That may be all I need. In darkness she is all I see….
But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew
That someday it would bring me back to you
In darkness she is all I see….
Maroon 5 Sunday Morning
The coldness is so bitter it has a sound. A sound that even through a hooded sweatshirt, a wool hat, and a fur-lined hood attached to a fur-lined coat, it sounds deadly and it's hard on the eardrums. Looking down makes it easier to walk forward, for then you don't know how far you have to go. Looking back is just the same, you just walk as fast as you can, which is not fast at all as the wind and snow makes you as light as a feather and as stiff as a board, but this is no kid's game. In darkness she is all you see.
"We're getting more questions in the gaggle about Josh?" Carol leaned on one foot and held her notebook in her right hand. She already knew the answer to the question, but she still had to run it by CJ. CJ spoke and did her best multi-tasking on the paper work on her desk. She slammed the Washington Post down on her desk and was preoccupied by the front page even though she had been through the whole paper in the car.
"Direct them back to the statement-- and if they're not happy with that—direct them to the Santos for President office." CJ took a sip of her coffee and set it back on her desk.
"But, they're askin'…"
"Direct them to the statement…." CJ looked up from her desk and saw Carol's face. "Direct them to the statement," she said as if to say that was all they could do.
"Okayyy." Carol started to walk away.
Snow packing under boots makes a very distinct sound -- creepier and eerier as the snow crunches under your feet and the sleet breaks the barrier between your socks and the lining of your boots. With not that far to go, moving back wouldn't make any sense when you've gone so far. Moving on is the only option. Moving away into tunnel vision feels like your only hope.
"Carol?" CJ threw her glasses on the desk.
"Yeah…" Carol finished her note and inched back toward CJ.
"Did you find anything strange about the Post today?" She gripped her glasses in her right hand.
"No." Carol looked up bewildered as if to say, why would I? CJ paused before speaking.
"Danny's not in it."
You can't have her, so what's the point, you're at the mercy of the storm, the mercy of her whim. The snow sounds like the scuffing of shoes on the marble floors of the capital building, or is that your imagination? It sounds like the fall leaves beneath your feet when a new President is in question. Still you move on, far away, forgetting is the key, but you can never forget. When you don't want to think about the future and you can't think about the past, only going forward is the key, going forward until the future becomes your present and the sky opens up and the sun shines down, until then you can only run away and try to leave it behind.
"Danny doesn't always have a story.."
"He's not in New Hampshire?" She asked as a serious question.
"I don't know…Brock's up there I know, left yesterday…?"
"Yeah, and Morgan's too, I saw—"
"It doesn't mean he's not up there?"
Danny Concannon flipped back the hood of his parka and looked at his surroundings, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a blizzard. He wanted to be in New Hampshire. As he was flipping his hood back up, he noticed a man out of the corner of his eye.
"I just…" CJ looked off. "I don't know—I just….it just seemed strange—not seeing his byline….I…." She paused. "Could you check on that for me?" CJ couldn't explain the feeling she had been feeling, all she knew was it all could be explained, but that didn't mean it had an explanation.
"I can call his editor--see the last time he checked in…."
"Yeah, could you do that for me?" CJ asked in her most professional yet concerned way.
"No, problem."
"Thanks." She smiled bittersweetly and Carol smiled back.
"I'm sure he's fine."
Snow, and lots of it penetrated the bitter darkness. Looking more like the movie snow cascading into the night sky like five hundred small tornados, it was like living inside one of those snow globes you buy in tourist traps and airport gift shops. The wind whistled loudly, keying in with the flakes as they twirled around the snow covered ground.
"We can't fly in this kind of weather!" The man yelled to Danny, over the snow, with one hand on the small plane and leaning in toward Danny.
"I understand that. But what are we lookin' at?" Danny yelled over not only the snow, but his gortex hood.
"A day—maybe two—" He took a breath.
"I was supposed to be in New Hampshire—three days ago!" Danny yelled to the man.
"This kind of weather is nothing to joke about!" He took another breath. "Even if this thing clears up—I have ice on the wings."
"I thought you said you'd fly in any weather?"
"I said I'd fly in weather the airlines won't fly in—I don't fly with no visibility—I can't see…I can't fly--that's a problem."
"Yeah, well I was supposed to be in New Hampshire yesterday, so that's a problem."
"Well, we're just gonna have to wait."
"I don't have that kind of time."
"I'm sorry!?" The man yelled over the snow.
"I don't have that kind of time!" Danny yelled to be heard over the wind.
"Time?!" A gust of wind came in hard and the man held onto his own hood. "Why you in such a hurry?"
"I have a deadline!"
"You the only reporter they got?" He joked.
"In a way. But no." Danny paused for a moment reluctant to really say why. " I kinda need to prove something to myself."
"I'm sorry!"
"I kind of need to prove something to myself!" Danny finally felt foolish for the yelling, but it was the only way to be heard. "I just need to get there…. ---it's my job---and I don't like other people doin' my job 'cause I can't get there." Danny was determined for more than one reason.
"Well, my guess is we won't be able to be airborne until at least tomorrow night which wouldn't put you in New Hampshire until Tuesday."
"That's too late---" Danny walked backwards and took a moment. "That's too late—for me." The man jumped off the plane's step and walked away from Danny.
"Well, that's the best I can do—you wait for a commercial airline—you won't get outta here until after that—if this wind keeps up and my guess is it will—'cause you know mother nature—she's like a woman--"
"Curvy and all legs?" Danny joked. The man turned and looked at him. "It was a joke...I just…"
"Unpredictable. The weather is unpredictable like--" He yelled over the snow.
"A woman I got that."
"Don't worry, I won't charge you 'till we get in the air." He yelled over to a man coming out of the garage. "Take her in—we're grounded!"
"How much for a change of plans?"
"I'm sorry?" He turned half his head toward Danny as he walked.
"A change of plans? How much to take me Iowa?"
"Iowa?"
"Iowa."
"Where in Iowa?"
"Anywhere, you can drop me." Danny laughed it off.
"First you want to go to New Hampshire and now you want me to take you to Iowa?" The man shook as they closed in closer to the cabin office and the small lights that hung high on wooded spikes. "You really have to make up your mind."
"I need to be in Iowa in three weeks—by the time you can get me to New Hampshire I'll miss my window—so I figure I by-pass New Hampshire all together and get a head start on Iowa—" They reached the porch of the office and the man opened the door before looking back at Danny. "How much to get me to Iowa?"
"Well…" The man let his hood fall behind him. "We'd have to refuel…but I can get you there—as long as you don't mind stopping and starting—I've never really flown that far—with a client—done it myself three or four times."
"So how much?"
"If you're willing." He paused and got a light in his eye. "Two hundred more…in cash…"
"Done." He paused. "When can you get me in the air?"
"Depends how bad you want to get there?" he smirked.
"As soon as possible."
"You wanna get there in a body bag I can fly you out tonight." He smirked and pulled out a cigar. "Otherwise I say you stay put.' He lit a match and lit his cigar and walked toward the edge of the porch.
"Okay, fine." Danny pulled out his wallet and reached his hand into the fold where he kept his business cards, but pulled out a folded yellow newspaper clipping. Danny knew what it was instantly without even having to open it.
"What's that?" The man asked as Danny opened the paper and looked at the cover story of CJ and her first day on the job as Chief of Staff.
"Oh, just something I forgot I had." Danny folded it up and placed it in his left coat pocket. "I was going to give you my card." Danny reached back into the fold and pulled out his business card. "I'll be at the Red Roof Inn. You call me—when you're ready to fly." He handed the man his card. "What are the odds I could rent a car around here?"
"To get to Iowa?"
"Yeah."
"Don't know if anyone would rent you a car in this weather."
"So, I'm pretty much stuck here, aren't I?"
"You could say that." He paused and opened the door to the cabin. "Of course, if you just wait, I can get you there in quicker time." They walked into the cabin together. "It's your choice?"
Danny followed the man into the cabin. Danny took off his gloves and set them down on the counter as the man walked behind it. "My choice, huh?" Danny noticed the scanner behind the counter on shelving.
"That a eight eight H?" Danny asked, lifting his head up and pointing to the device in front of him.
"Yeah…" the man answered, unsure why Danny was asking.
"I got one of my own---you got an antenna on the roof or---"
"Roof."
"Nice." Danny nodded his head and there was an awkward pause between the two men.
"Listen…" Danny leaned in. "How much extra—you let me stay here—in your office—I don't care—I don't sleep much anyway—that way when you're ready to fly—we get out faster."
"You're really anxious to get outta here, Danny?" He leaned in. "I can call you Danny, right?"
"No, problem, but you already did."
"True."
"Listen, nothing against your town or this area of the world, but I need to get outta here and I don't mean here physically, just here. I have plans, I got things to get done and I hate being behind and already I'm behind. I don't have time anymore to stand still—I got to get on outta here and onto the next stop or I'll be playing catch up for the next five weeks—maybe more—I'm in the news business and there ain't no prize for comin' in second. I've been travelin' for about three weeks now and already my plane's been delayed, I missed my transfer, the train I was on stalled, the bus I was on had a flat and now the snow of all snows is taking me off schedule. Again, no offense against your establishment and your town, but I gotta get outta here."
"Ever think that God, or time or whatever just don't want you to go wherever it is you're going."
"I think it's just bad planning."
"I guess the words blizzard warning don't mean anything to you?"
"Not to my editor and a deadline."
"I'd say you just got yourself a bad string of luck."
"I don't believe in luck."
"I like your attitude. You aim to win."
"I always win."
"I knew I liked you from the moment I saw ya."
"Thanks." He paused.
"You got moxie, I like that—determination."
The door flew open and the young man from before came in.
"Blizzard warning's off---the storm took a veer to the left." He took a breath as if he'd been running. Snow drifted in from the outside.
"I'm game if you are?
Danny turned to the man with only one answer.
The man walked fast with his own determination putting back on his baseball cap as he walked.
"What about the ice on the wings?" Danny asked running after him for a moment to keep up.
"We'll use hairdryers." The man walked off and Danny paused for a moment unsure what he was about to get into.
"Ah….yeah."
"Come on!" The man yelled looking around. "We may not have a lot of time to catch the pause in the storm."
Danny took a few steps toward the plain while the man yelled something to one of his employees next to the door of the plane. Danny took his hands out of his pockets as he just about reached the steps of the small plane, causing the newspaper article he had placed in his pocket to fall to the ground. A huge wind gusted, sending the paper away from Danny. He reached out his hand, but lost the paper in the darkness. Danny reached his body toward the paper.
"Let it go." The man yelled, signing something on a clipboard. The boy with the clipboard ran away. "We got a deadline of our own, Danny. Just let it go. You'll never find it in the snowdrift." Danny didn't move. "Come on, Danny, we have to get going."
Danny knew he had to go. He pulled up his hood and walked toward the plane. Danny climbed into the small plane and the man closed the door.
"You wanna go back?" The man asked as Danny set himself into his seat.
"I'm sorry?" Danny didn't quite hear him over the engine.
"Go back? You having second thoughts? You don't have to do this?"
"No, I can't go back." Danny could see his breath as he paused on the line. The heat wasn't on yet and he brought his hands to his mouth. The engine started and Danny looked deep in thought.
"Yeah….yeah.." CJ nodded her head to Carol in her office, deep in thought "Just check on that for me would you?" She tried to pretend it wouldn't matter.
"Yeah.." Carol walked off.
"And Carol!" CJ yelled and Carol turned back around as she reached the door.
"Just between us." Carol said in a sweet whisper.
"Thank you." CJ said in a tried voice and went back to his work.
Danny knew he'd had to go. He pulled up his hood and walked toward the plane. Danny climbed into the small plane and the man closed the door.
"You wanna go back?" The man asked as Danny set himself into his seat.
"I'm sorry?" Danny didn't quite hear him over the engine.
"Go back? You having second thoughts? You don't have to do this?"
"No, I can't go back." Danny could see his breath as he paused on the line. The heat wasn't on yet and he brought his hands do his mouth. The engine started and Danny looked deep in thought.
"He might not even be covering the Primaries this year." Carol paused. "I'm sure he's fine." She nodded her head. "I'll let you know."
"How likely is that, Carol?" CJ asked.
"That he's not covering the primaries?" Carol saw she was caught. "Not very." Carol knew Danny almost as well as she knew CJ. "But, where else could he be?"
"True." But CJ didn't seem so convinced.
Danny sat in the back seat rubbing his hands together, waiting for the heat to come on, but it didn't seem to. The noise of the plane was loud, so loud Danny wasn't even sure he could hear himself think. Suddenly the plane jerked short on the runway and a loud sound was heard. Danny had that feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had every time something seemed to be going well. This was usually right before the rug was about to be pulled out from under him. Danny gave the man eyes and waited for an answer.
"Okay." The man leaned back in his chair, but didn't look at Danny. Danny looked up at the man's back, arching his body for warmth. "I have good news and bad news."
"Okay?"
"Good news is looks like we got good visibility and on the radio Stu says we got a good five days before the next storms coming in." He took a breath.
"Bad news?"
"Bad news?"
"Yeah."
"Bad news is that sound you just heard."
"Yeah."
"That was the propeller falling off."
"The propeller?" Danny couldn't believe what he heard.
"Yeah."
"Okay." Danny paused unsure whether to laugh or yell to the heavens. "I don't know much about planes, but I'd say that's kind of an important element?"
"Pretty much."
Danny buried his head in his lap. He looked up in his fiercest determination.
"How much for your car?"
To Be Continued...