I've lost count of how many weddings I've gone to stag. It used to be the biggest conversation topic at weddings in our family, sometimes bigger than the bride's dress or her choice of husband… 'Donna's here alone again' 'Poor thing…' 'I know Aunt May but I've got this tyrant of a boss at the White House who seems to actually need me at work more when I have a date than when I don't' Yeah… Aunt May doesn't like Josh very much… This wedding's beautiful, the champagne is flowing as smoothly as the badinage, there are elegant men and beautiful gowns… 'and' not 'in'… We're having a day, we jumped five points in Illinois, something which none of us foresaw, not Leo, not Lou, not me and not Josh, we were down by eleven. I've been reading the eyes of politicians for the last eight years and I can tell at a second glance who's packing a dagger for Josh's back, Senator Montgomery and Barry Goodwin are high on my list right now. Hindsight's 20:20, I didn't hear them shout about Illinois three months ago, This is going to be a day, now if I can just get out through without seeing…
"Donna"
"C.J."
"Hi"
"Hey"
"Hey"
"Hi… Josh sai…"
"Can I?"
"Sorry what?"
"Can I talk you to for a second?"
"Sure… shouldn't it be Lo.."
"In my office?"
"Sure"
"Now?"
"Yeah"
I take a step away from her, I didn't, I don't want to do this…
"Donna"
"Yeah"
"It's that way"
"Oh OK"
C.J.'s office, which I still think of as Leo's has changed. It's brighter and more welcoming but you still get that feeling of proximity to power. I'm getting that feeling now and part of me is wondering if it's emanating from C.J.'s desk or the fact that we're a metre or two away from the oval office.
"Donnatella"
Well that answers my question… I ease myself out of the visitor's chair in front of C.J.'s desk.
"Mr President"
"How are you?"
"I'm well Sir and you?"
"My daughter's getting married"
"Yes Sir"
"You left in quite a hurry a while back"
"Yes Sir I…"
"No time to say goodbye..?"
"I…"
"People move on Donna"
"Yes Sir"
"Not many of them shout 'I quit' across the west wing though"
"Sir I…"
"You're doing some wonderful work out there"
"Thank you Sir"
"It's easier when you're working with the right man"
"Mr President?"
"Matt Santos, he's good man"
"Yes Sir"
"When Ellie was six years old her cat died. That afternoon Abbey and I couldn't find her anywhere. After about twenty minutes we found her curled up in an old hay barn, crying. When we asked her where she'd been and why she'd gone, she said she was running away from the hurt."
"Yes Sir"
"But then she turned to me and said 'Daddy, it didn't stay behind where I wanted it to."
"Ellie was a very smart six year old Mr President"
"Donna, when Zoë was taken we prayed she'd come back to us in one piece. I'm so very sorry for what happened to you. I'm not sure if I said that before – there's hate and strife and evil in this world but we should never and can never let that extinguish love and friendship and kindness. We prayed for Zoë to come back but want you to know we prayed just as hard for another daughter"
"Thank you Sir"
"You're doing good out there. How's Jo…"
"Mr President"
"Claudia Jean"
"Did you need something Sir?"
"No, no I just spotted Donna"
"2:45 Mr President"
"Thank you Debbie. Ladies, you'll save a spot on your dance card for me this evening..."
"Yes Sir"
"Yes Mr President"
"Hi"
"Hi"
"We've done this"
"Yes we have"
"Donna?"
"C.J.?"
"Donna?"
"C.J.?"
"You've spoken to Kate?"
"A few times"
"I didn't know you knew Kate"
"I met her before I…"
"Left?"
"Yeah"
"O.K."
"O.K.?"
"Yes O.K."
"C.J,?"
"How often have you been back in the White House since December?"
"A few times"
"And you what? Just forgot where my office was?"
"C.J."
"I know I moved and I redecorated but?"
"I've spoken to you since I left"
"A couple of messages left with Margaret to return my calls and you begged her not to put you through…"
"You're a busy woman C.J."
"…and three two line emails saying how well the Russell job was going"
"C.J. I…"
"Were you going to tell me you were working for Santos?"
"Lou hired me"
"O.K."
"O.K."
"You were quiet when you came back from… That's perfectly natural…"
"C.J."
"You hate me don't you?"
"No!"
"Then why did I hear from Kate you were working with Santos?"
"C.J."
"This is about Josh"
"No!"
"It's about what I said about doing anything that didn't involve Josh Lyman"
"It's really not C.J., you've just… I've just…"
"I had no right"
"What?"
"I had no right suggesting you…"
"You saw a pathetic little girl who stayed in a job because she had a crush on her boss"
"I saw a smart woman who stayed in a job out of which she'd got everything she possibly could, had more responsibility than the position would normally allow but couldn't do any more because of the limits of the job and stayed because she was completely…"
"besotted with her boss who…"
"because she was committed to a friend who she knew wouldn't survive two minutes without her and thought the only way to keep her was keep her"
"That last bit made no sense C.J."
"When I told Josh about the explosion… I've only seen that in one person's eyes before"
"Who's?"
"Yours when Toby told you about Rosslyn"
"C.J,"
"Donna if I made you feel any less than you are… I was wrong… I jumped into a Ben…"
"A bed or a Ben?"
"Both… because I was doing what I was doing, I thought if I pushed you to jump too I'd be making me right"
"By proxy?"
"Yeah"
"I don't hate you C.J,"
"You just don't like me very much"
"I was really embarrassed"
"I do that to people"
"Yeah"
"So?"
"So?"
"Donna!"
"What?"
"I can't believe your making me ask this! It's punishment isn't it"
"Would I do that to one of the sisterhood?"
"One time I said that, one time! How's you and Josh? He's not your…"
"We're getting there"
"He hated it when you went"
"I am well aware"
"So you talked to Kate?"
"She's been great"
"She's been through…?"
"Yeah"
"So you've talked to Kate?"
"I just said"
"No I mean you've talk talked to Kate"
"Yeeessss?"
"Talk talk talked to Kate… today?"
"You're asking me if I know that she's asked Will Bailey to the thing?"
"Yes"
"I do know that yes"
"Will Bailey?"
"Yes"
"Will Bailey?"
"He's kind of cute C.J."
"You didn't?"
"I… No! Of course I didn't?"
"He wasn't the Post Intelligencer stand in?"
"No! No no no no no"
"O.K. But Will Bailey?"
"He's got that smart, funny, sexy thing going on"
"Will Bailey?"
"C.J.!"
"What is it with you two, we're surrounded by hunky marines and you two fall for the smart funny types?"
"I've two words for you C.J."
"What?"
"Danny Concannon"
"'Kay"
"Or should I say Toby Ziegler?"
"Not in this building you shouldn't"
"Bad?"
"A bit"
"C.J. – Josh just called he's looking for Donna and the President needs you in the Oval BYEC"
"Thanks Margaret"
"Thank you Margaret"
"By hec?"
"B.Y.E.C - Before your earliest convenience"
"One of Margaret's specials?"
"Absolutely"
"'Kay"
"Donna just go out there grab him and… I don't know… take him home with you…"
"I seeing you're not Press Secretary any more!"
"It'll give Will something to talk about other than 'pau de soir', he'll appreciate that"
"Not so much"
"No"
I watch C.J. walk through the door into the oval and the thought hits me how much I admire this woman. How much I missed her too. Everything in life has a rhythm, walking, talking, relationships, friendships… Sometimes that rhythm goes out of sync, sometimes it just has to be put right and sometimes a girl just needs a friend to tell her what she already knew herself.