A/N: This chapter is going to be a bit different-my first and probably only one with flashbacks, so it's a bit longer. I keep meaning to make these chapters shorter, but they keep running away from me. A tiny bit of the story is taken directly from "Two Cathedrals", so credit for that dialogue goes to Aaron Sorkin. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!
Chapter 7: Life Review
It was early May, and eight weeks had passed since Sam and Ainsley had become engaged. They had begun to plan their wedding for December-a "winter wonderland" theme set right in the backyard of the inn. Ainsley's mother had tried to get Ainsley to have the wedding in North Carolina, but after numerous phone-call fights back and forth from North Carolina to New Hampshire, Ainsley had gotten her own way. Josh had jumped in to help with the logistics of holding the wedding at the inn, and CJ had offered to cater. Everything was going swimmingly on that front.
On the other front, however-the Amy situation-things had yet to thaw. Amy had moved to Hanover, but aside from occasional visits, one during which Ellie met Amy's boyfriend Scott, Ellie still refused to have anything to do with her biological mother. Josh supported Ellie's decision, knowing full well the extent of which Amy had hurt her. The townspeople knew enough about Ellie and Amy's relationship to not interfere, but everyone watched as Ellie struggled to navigate life with a woman who seemed like she wanted to have a better relationship, but really hadn't changed at all.
It was morning at the inn, and Josh had just clocked in a 12-hour overnight shift at the inn. He was waiting for Mrs. Landingham, who still worked the occasional managerial shift, to relieve him, and the fact that she hadn't shown up yet had not escaped Josh.
Chaos had begun to erupt. Ellie came in first. "Dad, I'm going to Hanover tonight for dinner with Amy."
"Really?" Josh said. "I'm glad you and Amy are trying to work things out."
"We're not working things out." Ellie said firmly. "I am giving her the time of day. That is it. We won't be re-enacting scenes from 'Stepmom' any time soon." She paused. "Maybe 'Mommie Dearest.' Can I get a ride to school?"
"As soon as Mrs. Landingham relieves me. And where is Mrs. Landingham?"
Then, Sam came in, just as the phone rang. "Josh, I need to run a few things for the wedding by you."
At this, Josh groaned. "Sam, I know you're a PR expert, but can you lay off the wedding plans for one day?"
Margaret called from the front desk, "Josh?"
"I mean, Ainsley's bad enough, but now you're getting sucked into the mania that is planning a wedding at the inn you work at?"
"JOSH!" Margaret called more forcefully.
Josh, Sam, and Ellie turned around. Margaret was standing at the desk holding out the phone, a stricken look on her face.
"It's Dartmouth-Hitchcock." Margaret said. "Mrs. Landingham...she was in a car accident on her way into work." She took a breath, tears beginning to slide down her face. "She died, Josh."
Ellie and Sam gasped. Josh's mouth dropped open in shock, and then he moved to take the phone.
…
Plans were quickly put into place for the funeral arrangements. As she had no family left, Josh was in charge of putting all of Mrs. Landigham's affairs in order. She had (to no one's surprise) left the inn to Josh, and had divided up all of her financial assets, with some going to the town and some going to a college fund for Ellie.
It was the afternoon before the funeral, and Josh was kneeling on the floor in the office, looking for some of Mrs. Landingham's old papers. He needed to find some old photos of her for the memorial. Suddenly, the whole pile of papers on the bookshelf above Josh collapsed on top of him.
"Well, that was predictable." He muttered.
Sam came into the room and chuckled. "You need help?"
"Please?" Josh asked.
Sam knelt beside him and began to pick up the papers that had fallen down, coming across a handful of old photos. "Hey, Josh, check these out." He held out an old photo: Mrs. Landingham holding Ellie at her first birthday party. He could see Jed and Abbey in the background-it must have been quite the party.
Josh cracked a smile. "I forgot about that day. We had only been in town for about six months, and between Mrs. Landingham and the Bartlets, they put together a birthday party fit for a princess." He smiled down at the photo, vivid memories of the party floating around in his mind.
Sixteen years earlier (1985):
Josh sat on the steps of the town hall/recreation center with Ellie on his lap. She laughed as he bounced her, reaching for the flowers.
"You like flowers, baby girl?" Josh said, reaching for a flower, picking it up, and blowing on the petals to make a rippling effect. As she giggled some more, Josh sat back and reflected. He couldn't believe that Ellie was almost a year old, and that it had been nearly six months since they had made a fresh start in Liberty. He loved his job at the inn, and Mrs. Landingham-well, he didn't know what he would've done if Mrs. Landingham hadn't offered him a job.
He was interrupted in his thinking by a voice calling his name. "Joshua!" He looked up to see Abbey approaching.
"Hey, Dr. Bartlet." He greeted casually.
"Don't, 'Hey, Dr. Bartlet.' me. You bring that baby right over here!"
Josh smirked, standing with Ellie in his arms and passing him over to the town doctor.
"Well, you're just getting to be a big girl, aren't you, sweetheart?"
Ellie babbled happily. "Mama."
Abbey shot Josh a look, and he explained. "Every woman we meet is 'Mama'. I think I was naive to think that she wouldn't miss Amy."
Abbey rubbed Ellie's back gently. "Hey, isn't it somebody's birthday next week?"
Josh nodded. "August 1, at 8:58 in the morning. That was the moment I became a father."
He still remembered the events surrounding Ellie's birth clear as day: Amy nudging him out of bed at 2:00 in the morning to tell him her water broke, their mad rush to the hospital with her screaming the whole way, the short five hours of labor that ended in the delivery room with Amy squeezing Josh's hand so hard he thought it would break. Until 8:58 A.M., when Josh heard the first wails of his child. The doctor announced it was a girl, and asked Amy if she wanted to hold her. Amy shook her head no-a sign that Josh should've heeded as a harbinger for more serious problems. Unfortunately, he didn't. But when the doctors placed Ellie into his arms, even with all the turmoil of the last several hours, he had fallen completely in love with this little baby.
He was drawn from his thoughts by Abbey asking him, "Have you planned anything for her birthday yet?"
"Um….no, I haven't." Josh admitted. And that part was true. He hadn't yet planned anything for one simple reason: he couldn't afford an outlandish birthday party for his baby girl. And that bothered him more than he cared to admit.
"Well, now, you can't let this little girl's first birthday pass without planning something!" Abbey said. Suddenly, she reached a decision. "In fact, just leave the party up to me and Mrs. Landingham. Just show up with Ellie at the inn on Saturday."
Suddenly, Josh felt like he should agree, if only to accept the generosity of his fellow townspeople. "O-Okay."
On Saturday, Josh put Ellie in a cute summer dress, into her stroller, and pushed her down the paths toward the inn. When he rounded the corner to the back of the inn, he stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe how great everything looked, and how much effort everyone had gone to.
PInk decorations were everywhere. A pink tablecloth rested under a cake lined with purple icing. Presents were stacked up everywhere. And to top it all off, a princess-themed sparkly banner was hung in the back that read, "Happy 1st Birthday, Ellie!"
Ellie squealed with delight, even though she didn't fully grasp that the party was for her. Josh was still in shock. He scanned the backyard to find nearly every person in Liberty smiling and cheering at the young girl. He lifted his daughter out of the stroller and carried her over to Abbey and Mrs. Landingham, who was standing off to the side enjoying Ellie's reaction.
"I can't thank you enough, Dr. Bartlet." Josh managed to get out.
"Oh, don't thank me." Abbey replied. "It was all Mrs. Landingham."
"Thank you." Josh said as he enveloped the older woman into a hug.
But she waved him off. "Ellie made me a grandmother. And what else are honorary grandmothers supposed to do for their grandchildren?"
Josh said nothing, but hugged her again. This little town event proved once and for all that Ellie was truly one of the pack.
…
It was these types of memories-and memories of Dolores Landingham in particular-that washed over Josh as the morning of the funeral dawned. As he and Ellie dressed in their black clothing and headed to the town hall for the memorial, Donna caught up to them, pushing Abbie Jean in her stroller. "Hey, guys."
"Hey, Donna." They greeted her.
Donna looked at them, her lower lip quivering. "I just can't believe she's gone. I mean, I obviously didn't know her as well as everyone else in this town did, but still…"
"She had an impact." Josh finished.
"Yes." Donna nodded. "She did." She remembered how Mrs. Landingham was working at the inn the day after she first arrived in town. She had come up to see if there was anything she needed, offered to let Donna stay free of charge for as long as she needed (before CJ had offered her the waitress job) and it was Mrs. Landingham who arranged for her first prenatal visit with Abbey-a turn of events that Donna was eternally grateful for.
Josh could see that Donna was starting to cry, so he pulled her in for a hug. It was a friendly gesture, but one that did not escape Ellie's eye. Sometimes she wondered about those two.
With heavy hearts, they walked the rest of the way to the town hall.
CJ was sitting near the front of the room, since she had decided she was going to give a speech. They all were going to say something (CJ, Sam, Donna, Josh, Ellie, and Jed) about what the older woman had meant to them, and about how they had embraced her as family in Liberty. Also present were the three Bartlet daughters-Liz, Ellie, and Zoey. Things had been confusing in the beginning when Ellie first came to town-given that she shared both a given name and a nickname with two of the Bartlet daughters, but they had managed to make it work.
Toby stood up first. "I would like to take this time to welcome you all to the memorial service for Dolores Landingham. Mrs. Landingham has been a beloved member of Liberty since the day she first arrived in 1973 with her husband. She opened the Presidential Inn in 1975, and it has flourished into one of the most popular bed-and-breakfasts in New England. After the death of her husband, she chose to channel her grief into caring for those around her, as well as those who found their way to Liberty in search of a fresh start." He briefly laid eyes on Josh and Donna before continuing. "Scarcely a person in Liberty can say they have not been touched by Dolores Landingham. It is in recognition of this fact that I invite forward anybody who wishes to share a memory they have about this truly remarkable woman."
CJ decided to go first. Standing up at the podium Toby had set up for the occasion, she talked about coming to Liberty for the first time: a scared and hardened 16 year old who had been bounced around too many foster homes to count. Though she didn't say this, she realized with a start that it was not unlike what Charlie went through when he first arrived. But as loving and supportive as the Bartlets were, as she graduated from high school and went on to Williams College and an MBA at UC Berkeley, it had been Mrs. Landingham who had propelled her on her life's journey.
Twelve years ago (1989):
It was the summer after CJ had graduated with her MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, and she was in the town square, going over her applications to different firms throughout Hanover. She had thought about asking her foster father, Jed Bartlet, if she could work in the mayor's office with him, but the last thing she wanted was for her father to be accused of nepotism. She would just have to figure out something else.
"Hello, Claudia Jean." CJ looked up to see Mrs. Landingham walking past. She smiled; she had always liked the older woman, who had come up for many family dinners as an old friend of Jed's.
"Hi, Mrs. Landingham." CJ said. She scooted over to make room for her.
Mrs. Landingham sat down. "What have you got there?"
"Applications." CJ replied, holding up her stack of papers. "Now that I'm done with business schools, I have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Easier said than done, I suppose."
Mrs. Landingham took a brief glance at her applications. "Fortune 500, huh?" She gave the 25-year-old a knowing look. "You don't want to be doing that the rest of your life, do you?"
"I mean-it's a steady paycheck."
"But is it what you want to do?"
CJ stared hard at Mrs. Landingham before admitting, "I don't know what I want to do. Maybe something here, not far from home."
Just then, Mrs. Landingham got an idea. Something that had been percolating in the back of her mind since CJ had returned from California, suntanned but full of promise. "Claudia Jean, have you ever considered running your own business?"
CJ looked stunned. "My-My own business?" She paused for a moment. "Like what?"
"Well, I was just thinking that my husband left me all the buildings in this town when he died."
CJ nodded. She remembered coming home last summer to the news that Mr. Landingham had suddenly passed away.
"Well, I've been thinking. The coffeehouse has been closed for a while now. I can almost see the space being used for something like...a diner."
The dream of owning her own restaurant had not been lost on CJ since she started business school. But when she graduated, she figured she simply wouldn't have the means to pursue her dreams. "You want to open a diner?"
"No, Claudia Jean. I want you to open a diner."
She looked up at the woman. "Really?"
"Really. And your foster parents and I will give you all the support, financial or otherwise, that you'll need until you open."
CJ stared at Mrs. Landingham in excited disbelief, before hugging her fiercely. "Thank you, Mrs. Landingham! I won't let you down!"
And for the next two years, while CJ worked to build her diner from the ground up, and put her astute business sense to work at the mayor's office, Mrs. Landingham stayed true to her word and helped out as much she could. CJ's Diner opened for business in the spring of 1991, and CJ knew that she could never thank Mrs. Landingham enough for helping her to achieve her dream.
CJ finished her speech by saying, "She was a wonderful woman who helped all of us reach for the stars." She brushed tears away as she walked to her seat afterward.
Sam went next. He described the day when, busy as a successful New York City attorney, he had been dragged into small-town New Hampshire by an old friend who needed a business manager for the inn where he was now manager. When he got there, Mrs. Landingham had taken him into the inn and made sure he was introduced to all the locals. Ainsley, sitting next to Sam, recalled similar behavior from her when Ainsley had first moved to town.
Donna talked about her experiences with Mrs. Landingham, and how she had taken on a grandmotherly role to her young daughter, now a year old. When Josh took the podium, he told the story of how he had been a scared young law student with a six-month-old baby in tow, looking for anybody to give him a chance. Mrs. Landingham had done more than give him a chance, he said. She had given him a fulfilling career and a chance to be a real father to the daughter he loved.
Ellie was next. As she stepped up to the podium, she heard shifting and whispering in the back. She looked up instinctively and was stunned to see Amy standing in the back like she belonged there. What was she doing here? She barely knew Mrs. Landingham.
Shaking her head, Ellie composed herself and began to read the speech she had written. It was a brief, but heartfelt speech about how with both of her paternal grandparents gone before she was born, Mrs. Landingham had been the only grandmother figure she really knew. She was the one who had been at every birthday party, at Ellie's Bat Mitzvah three years earlier. She had given miles of encouragement to her and her father, and that went on until the day she died. At the end, she began to become emotional.
"I'll never forget you." She whispered quietly, tears running down her face. As she bolted back to her seat, she shared a withered glance with Amy, who looked almost-guilty? What was that all about?
She didn't have time to find out, as the final speaker of the day-Jed-came over. Making brief eye contact with his wife, he began to speak.
"I first met Delores Landingham in my senior year of high school, when she was my father's secretary at the boarding school. She was married and already the mother of two teenage sons, but that didn't stop her from mothering me-and pushing me to be a politically aware person. And that started on a spring day in 1960, I think it was, when she cornered me-with concrete evidence, I might add-that suggested the women teachers at my school were being underpaid. I kind of waved her off at first, but she was persistent…"
1960, Central Academy, Hanover, NH (Forty-one years ago):
Seventeen-year-old Jed was fixing his car outside the school when Mrs. Landingham approached him with "numbers" about her little project for him: she wanted him to bring up unequal pay to his father. At first, Jed barely even listened, continuing to work on his car as she droned on.
"Mrs. Mueller gets paid an additional $200 a year to conduct the choir and band, while Mr. Ryan gets paid an additional $400 a year to coach the rowing team." She read.
"Crew." Jed said, suddenly stopping to correct her.
"What?"
"It's not rowing, It's crew." He fiddled under the hood. "And Florence Chadwick is a married woman with no dependants and Mr. Hopkins has a family of four to support."
"If we paid people by according to how many children they have to support," Mrs. Landingham shot back, "then Malcolm Bundy, the groundskeeper, would get triple what the headmaster gets."
"Mrs. Landingham…" Jed sighed.
"You know I'm right."
"Look, what..."
"You know I'm right." Mrs. Landingham insisted. You've known it since I brought it up. You've known it since before that."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Jed asked, confused as to what his father's secretary thought he could do about an issue as significant as equal pay.
"I want you to bring it up with your father."
Ah. Now it made sense. Jed looked at her. "See. I'm not a woman and I don't work here."
"The women who do are afraid for their jobs." She pointed out. "If they bring it up, they're afraid for their jobs. What is it you're afraid of?"
He looked confused for a moment. She had a point.
"Why do you talk to me like this?" He asked.
"Because you've never had a big sister and you need one."
They looked at each other.
"Look at you." Mrs. Landingham said, smiling. "You're a boy king. You're a foot smarter than the smartest kid in the class. You're blessed with inspiration. You must know this by now. You must have sensed it. Look, if you think we're wrong...if you think Mr. Hopkins should honestly get paid more than Mrs. Chadwick, then I respect that." She paused. "But if you think we're right and you won't speak up because you can't be bothered, then God, Jed, I don't even want to know you." She began to walk back into the building. "Come inside. I'll call Triple-A."
Jed put his hands in his pockets and watched her go. Deep in thought, he asked, "Mrs. Mueller gets half as much to teach music as Mr. Ryan gets to coach crew?"
Mrs. Landingham turned back to look at him, as he smiled and bounced on his heel.
Mrs. Landigham watched him with a victorious smile of her own. "You're going to do it."
Jed was confused. "Well, I didn't say that."
"Yes, you did."
"When?"
"Just then. You stuck your hands in your pocket. You looked away and smiled. That means you made up your mind."
"That doesn't mean anything." He insisted.
"Yes, it does." She said right back.
"I stuck my hands in my pockets!"
"And looked away, and smiled." She finished with a smile. "We're in." She beckoned him to follow her back into the building.
As Jed followed the older woman, he realized with a start that they were going to mean something to each other.
…
An hour later, the emotionally-charged memorial was over, and the crowd had moved over to the diner for a reception to celebrate her life. They continued to tell stories, laugh and cry over the memories they shared of the innkeeper.
Ellie went to go get more food, as everyone laughed at her dad telling a story about the time she was five and had innocently gone to explore the creek but wound up getting spooked by the fishes (a story that she really didn't need to hear again). As she reached the buffet table CJ had set up, she felt a tap on her arm. She turned to see Amy standing next to her.
"Hi, Amy." She said expectantly. She was in no way ready to call her "Mom", not after the way Amy had squandered their relationship. To be fair, Amy looked nervous about something.
"Hi." Amy started. "Can we talk?"
Ellie shrugged. She figured no harm would come with having a simple conversation. The pair slipped out, standing outside the diner.
"I was sorry to hear about your dad's friend. That must have been hard."
"Thanks." Ellie replied. She wasn't sure how else to respond to that.
"Look, I had something to tell you, but I thought maybe I should wait." Amy said.
Ellie almost laughed. When had Amy Gardner ever been considerate to her feelings?
"Well, here goes." Amy said with a sigh. She opened her palms to reveal a silver engagement ring. "I'm getting married."
Ellie blinked. She must have heard her wrong. "Married?"
"Scott and I are getting married, yes."
"But why? It's not like you've ever taken any of your other relationships seriously." As soon as Ellie said it, she knew it was hurtful, but she couldn't take it back.
"There's more." Amy said nervously. She fidgeted with her engagement ring, but then looked Ellie in the eye. "I'm pregnant."
Ellie's mouth dropped open. Shock, then anger, pulsed through her. "So, this baby's good enough for you, but I wasn't good enough for you?"
"That's not what I said."
"You never even considered marrying Dad, now you're getting married to a guy you barely know?"
"Ellie, that was different."
"No." She scoffed. "It's really not." And then she stormed off, leaving Amy shocked over what had just transpired.
A/N: See, I told you that the last chapter wouldn't be the last we saw of Amy! I hope you liked this chapter, though it was sad. Please let me know what you thought!
