On the Road with Danny Concannon: Outside Cedar Rapids, IA
"Cycle"
Episode: King Corn
The snow was bad, again. Danny seemed to go from one storm to another. He felt as if the weather was stalking him as the pressure of the dark clouds figuratively and literally beat down on him. The luggage under his eyes could have helped a small family travel through customs, but he kept on driving. Danny was determined. Danny had his desire to go forward no matter what.
Breathing heavily, unaware of exactly what time it was, Danny finally drove off onto the side of the road.
"Damn!" Danny spoke with vigor under his breath. He leaned his head against his hands on the steering wheel and took another moment before lifting his disgruntled head. "Damn." Danny fumbled through the contents of his side seat, to find his cell phone, while the snow almost trampled down on the car. He had no other choice, but to stay still until he was able to drive again. He dialed the phone and sighed as he waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
"Hey, Maisy, it's Danny. Listen, I'm stuck in another storm here, I don't think…" He trailed off. "They're gonna have to send someone else—I can't get there."
"Danny, they already sent someone…" Maisy tried to say it delicately. "Danny?" She asked in the silence. "Danny—they already sent someone—Danny?" There was another pause.
"No.. No.." He said in his groggy voice. "I heard." He lowered his head. "I gotta go." Danny threw the phone onto the seat next to him, leaned back in his seat and raised his hand to his forehead. Within a moment, Danny smashed his hand against the center of his steering wheel in a fit of anger. The snow continued to fall, the wind continued to sound, as Danny sat in his dark car, stuck out in the middle of nowhere, out in the cold.
Josh excused himself from the table. Not that it mattered, for Vinick's team didn't seem so talkative. It may have looked from the outside that the gruff exterior of the three was the old Democratic and Republican rivalry but it was really only one thing: lack of sleep. The same cycle would be repeated by all of them the next day and the next day and the next one after that until someone fell over—and that wasn't all figurative. Barely able to keep his eyes open himself, Josh found a place off to the side and dialed his cell phone.
"Hey." Josh said in a fatigued voice. Danny answered on the other end, almost mirroring Josh's vocal pattern. "Where are you? You in Iowa yet?"
"No, how'd you know—" Danny asked looking at the snow from inside his car and the side of the road.
"Word travels fast—listen I have a story for ya."
"I'm stuck here on the side of the road here—I can't see a thing—hold on, let me get my notebook..." Danny perked up and dashed for his pen and pencil from his coat.
"Can you still post?" Josh paced a view steps.
"Yeah, I got my lap top." Danny leaned his shoulder on the phone ready to write. "What's the tip?" Danny asked a little skeptical.
"Republican front runner meets with only one Democratic hopeful—"
"Santos?"
"Yeah."
"Santos and Vinick are having a sit-down?"
"I'm lookin' right at it."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you're snowed in, too?"
"You can call me a high-official in the Santos Campaign- confirmed the two did meet, but not what they discussed because it was a private conversation—eye witness saw them together, etc.—they discussed education, ethical—"
"You're telling me you're my corroborating source? Danny asked, feeling pretty much being taken advantage of, as a man walked behind Josh.
"Wait—hold on—" Josh took hold of the man by the arm almost swinging himself around. "You see those two men over there?" he said to the man.
"Yeah?"
"Who are they?"
"Ahh—" The man squinted. "That's Arnold Vinick and…."
"And…"
"I don't think I know that guy."
"Look harder," Josh demanded and the man squinted and looked again.
"Oh…yeah…I saw that guy do a speech today… ahh… what's his name…ahhh." Josh wasn't too happy. "Santos? Mike Santos."
"No.. No. look closer, close, but…." Josh was frustrated as he tried to lead the man on.
"Matt! Matt Santos."
"Thank you." Josh let all the wind out of himself with the thank you. He was pretty tried. "Now say that into the phone." The man looked confused as Josh brought the phone to the man's ear.
"Ahhh, Arnold Vinick and…" Josh encouraged him along. "Matt Santos."
"Are?"
"Over there." He questioned still unsure what he was being asked.
"And your name?"
"Kevin Walters." He told Josh as he lifted from the phone.
"Into the phone."
"Oh." He leaned into the phone. "Kevin Walters."
"Thanks." The man walked away. Josh got back on the phone. "There's your 2nd source." Josh went on with his description. "They met in a friendly….ahh….bi-partison manner…" Josh was going off the cuff.
"You got art on this?" Danny asked.
"Pictures? No." Josh looked around.
"Josh…" Danny paused. "This is gonna be page six at the most," he grumbled.
"You owe me."
"I do not owe you—if anything you owe me—all those-"
"You got another story sitting out in the snow?"
There was a pause and Danny grumbled. "Top source in the Santos campaign or no dice."
"Deal."
"You know everyone's gonna know it's you."
"I know." There was a pause. "Where you headed next?"
"If this thing clears up I'm gonna try to get to the debate tomorrow. Luck doesn't seem to be on my side here. I'd love to get an interview on this Turkey thing-maybe do some human interest stuff on the Louisiana mudslide."
"You gonna stop by New Hampshire?"
"Depends. Like I said-seems like I've got some bad luck lately—maybe I need to change my direction—just give up on the primaries all together. Maybe I'm getting' too old for this." Danny laughed a painful laugh.
"Ha." Josh laughed. "That'll be the day."
"I gotta go write this. You think I can reach Vinick's team for a comment?"
Josh looked over at the group sitting ahead of him.
"Yeah, I think you can." Josh took a step. "See ya in New Hampshire, Danny." And Josh hung up.
Danny turned the heater up and took out his laptop. He looked out the window, still with no clearing in the snow, he could see himself waiting out the storm that had followed him all the way from Tennessee, maybe even Michigan.
He picked up his cell phone, hit one button, and held the phone to his ear and shoulder as he started to set up his laptop for connection.
"Hey, Maisy—it's me. I need you to get me the Chief of Staff for Alan Vinick." He paused. "Yeah, I'll hold on." Danny started typing furiously. He could hardly keep his eyes open feeling as if the snow outside was literally pounding on his soul.
Two hearts fading, like a flower
And All this waiting for the power
For some answer to this fire
Sinking slowly, waters higher
Umm desire, desire
CJ stood in her office, just thinking, without an answer, to the question of the missing Danny. She thought about trying to find something out herself, but she stayed motionless, with only the thought of moving on, with life, her job and her thoughts. That was all she could do.
With no secrets, no obsession
This time I am speeding with no direction
Without a reason, what is this fire?
Burning slowly, my one and only
Umm desire, desire, desire, desire
Danny typed away at his story with two fingers like he always did. The wind outside was racing furiously. He could have turned around so many times. He could have changed his path and finally found a direction. Instead all he thought of was speeding on with his work, his journey and his life. There was only looking forward and no looking back. The eye was on the prize and it was time for history to be forged no matter what victims it laid to the wayside. It was just another cycle. Another election cycle, another news cycle, and another human cycle that we all repeat.
You know me, you know my way
Just cant show me, but God I'm praying
That you find me, and that you see me,
And that you run and never tire
Umm desire, desire, desire, desire
Thursday 6:35 am
CJ stood caught up in her own world, so much so she didn't even see Carol walk into her office.
"He resurfaced." Carol slapped down the Washington Post folded over to page six. CJ jumped with the sound and the motion in front of her. CJ focused on the headline and Danny's name. "Guess I didn't have to call his editor after all."
"You didn't call his editor?"
"I was waiting on a callback." She looked at CJ strangely. "Do I need to still call him? He's back."
"No. No. Thank you, Carol."
She thanked Carol, but the revelation still didn't make her feel right and she didn't know why. The article had Josh written all over it. It was the only way Danny would have such a small story. But where had he been all this time? It was like seeing someone in the far back of a cornfield. They were finally in view, but only barely and very small, making one think they might not even be there in the first place.
"Let's see if it lasts." CJ said to herself. The article was very small, she thought.
And that you run and never tire
Umm desire, desire, desire, desire
Umm desire, desire, desire, desire
-Desire Ryan Adams
From The episode King Corn