I've lost count of how often I've walked past the glass doors of the Roosevelt room and saw Sam and C.J. sitting across from one another, debating some issue, laughing, throwing screwed up bits of paper at each other. We never, ever had easy years we always had a hostile congress, we had Rosslyn, we lost Mrs Landingham, dealt with the MS. and fought a battle for re-election but we laughed. I think the final blow of either Sam leaving or Zoey's kidnap knocked us out and we forgot we used to be friends as well as co-workers, we used to laugh as well as scream out in frustration. Looking through the door of the Roosevelt room feels like looking back through a window in time.
"Is this a private meeting or am I permitted to join my deputy?"
"Josh! Man! You look… well human…"
"Oh Mr Lover-man, how you get that tan?"
"Samuel, Claudia Jean… it is a pleasure to see you as always"
"He's happy C.J…"
"To see us, Samuel?"
"Do you have a temperature mi amour?"
"I am in perfect health thank you"
"Does that have to do with Hawaii or the fact that I gave your girlfriend's apartment away while she was out of the state for six days?"
"A little of both… Sam, you staying?"
"Of course he's staying we've bitten him again"
"I don't know about Danny C.J. but Donna's gonna have something to say if I go around biting Sam"
"Josh is scared of Don-na, Josh is scared of Don-na, Na, na, na, na"
"Sam, a little decorum please, this is the Roosevelt room"
"Yeah, Sam… named after? who was it Josh?"
"I think it was Partick Roosevelt"
"No, no, it was his third cousin Richard, the 947th President"
"Guys, please"
"Yeah C.J., leave Spanky alone"
"You had to remind her?"
"You think I needed reminded?"
"A guy can hope Claudia Jean"
"Anyway, Joshua… From what Sam has told me I've lost my roommate?"
"You fallen out with Danny already?"
"Can we leave Danny's name out of the conversation?"
"You don't want me to mention that the current WHCOS is spending two days over Christmas in California with a former senior reporter from the Washington Post?"
"Only if you want me to mention that the WHCOS-in waiting is braving two days over Christmas in Wisconsin with a former senior assistant's large family?"
"Yeah I think we can leave that out of the conversation"
"Well, not so much actually there my friend"
"No?"
"No"
"Spanky here"
"C.J.!"
"Spanky here and I thought that you might like some practice"
"Practice?"
"Yeah, practice"
"Practice in what?"
"Meeting the parents"
"I've met Donna's parents and C.J. I'm you know just a couple of… decades… past my Bar Mitzvah…"
"I've known you ten years…and Sam here.."
"I've known him twenty…"
"Has known you twenty years and we've discussed your adult relationships…"
"My adult relationships?"
"Yes, We'll start off with Sally Patterson"
"Oh must we?"
"Yes Josh we must… Sally Grace Patterson, seven week relationship second year Harvard, never met the parents as you"
"As I?"
"As you went to work suddenly on a campaign over the midterm weekend they were coming to visit there darling daughter"
"What campaign was that again Josh?"
"I..ah…"
"There wasn't a campaign was there Josh?"
"Um…OK can we skip this forward a few years?"
"How far forward should we come Josh, last decade?"
"Yeah?"
"That didn't sound too sure there Joshua"
"And the reason for that 'unsureness', C.J. shall we enlighten him?"
"Mandy"
"Hampton"
"and"
"Amy"
"Gardner"
"You guys could take this double act on the road you really could"
"We're considering it… but back to the point"
"What we're saying is that in the last decade you weren't required to meet the families of the ladies…"
"and he's using that term loosely"
"C.J.!"
"Ladies that you were involved with as…"
"as they were quite obviously spawned by Satan and therefore didn't have parents"
"Sam! One of those spawns of Satan is our new Leg Director and you have to work with it..her… I mean her… Where are we going?"
"Practice time Joshua"
"C.J. This looks suspiciously like we're heading for the…"
"Good Morning Debbie"
"Hi there Debbie"
"C.J., Sam"
"Is he?"
"Go ahead. Not talking this morning Josh? and you always were the friendly one"
"Good Morning Debbie, you know I could stay and talk to you while they're in there"
"I don't think so"
"Really?"
"Really"
It's not even nearly a possibility?"
"No, go on"
"Good Morning Mr President"
"Claudia Jean, Sam…ah… Joshua… Good Morning, would you step in here please?"
"Good Morning Sir"
"C.J. came to see me yesterday"
"Doesn't C.J. see you everyday Sir?"
"You really want to start this conversation that way Josh?"
"No Sir"
"Josh you realise that I have three daughters?"
"Yes Sir"
"One is married to a bumbling idiot who just lost a New Hampshire seat for the Democratic Party, One is recently married and we're waiting to see what sort of bumbling idiot he turns into."
"Yes Sir"
"And the third…"
"Excuse me Sir, the third has shown remarkable taste and is dating Charlie who cannot be described as a bumbling anything?"
"Quite"
"Hence proving that those who are your daughters or who you consider to be like your daughter's can actually have good taste in men?"
"You see, I see where you're going there Josh, interrupting and trying to head me off at the pass there were we?"
"Maybe Sir"
"Didn't work there Josh, no it didn't work"
"No Sir"
""It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons." Do you know who said that Josh?"
"No Sir I can't say I do"
"Schiller, Friedrich Schiller, 18th century German poet writer and historian"
"Contemporary of Goethe"
"Thank you Sam 'Wem der große Wurf gelungen,ein Freund zu sein; Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein!'"
"Whoever succeeds in the great attempt to be a friend, whoever has won a lovely woman, let him add his jubilation"
"Geek"
"Sorry what was that Josh?"
"Nothing Mr President"
"Did you just call Sam a geek Josh?"
"I may have Sir"
"For quoting 18th century German poetry"
"That would be no reason to call Sam a geek Mr President"
"No it wouldn't Josh, Back to my original point, despite no flesh and blood connection Leo considered you his son"
"Thank you Sir"
"As do I, you were and are part of my family"
"Thank you Sir"
"Nearly 20 years ago, my family took a trip to Egypt, all five of us, saw the pyramids and Luxor, then headed up into the Sinai. We had a guide, a Bedouin man, who called me "Abu el banat." Whenever we'd meet another Bedouin, he'd introduce me as "Abu el Banat." The Bedouin would laugh and laugh and then offer me a cup of tea. And I'd go and pay them for the tea, and they wouldn't let me. "Abu el Banat" means "father of daughters." They thought the tea was the least they could do."
"Yes Sir"
"Josh you appear to have won a lovely woman who I consider another daughter so I thought I would give you a little advice on meeting Donna's father"
"Sir if you consider Josh a son and Donna a daughter doesn't that make this all a bit… well… in…."
"I am ignoring Sam's earnest attempt to adhere to practicality over oratory sentiment…"
"My apologies Mr President"
"I've met Donna's father Mr President, several times"
"Were you in love with his daughter then?"
"Yes Sir"
"You see that's what makes…what did you say?"
"I said yes Sir"
"The last time you met Donna's father you were together?"
"No Sir"
"I thought you just said..?"
"I said I was in love with her Sir"
"Ahh… I see"
"Well maybe I should rephrase this and say now that you have moved his daughter into your home, where I'm sure she is staying in the guest room under lock and key"
"Donna would want me to assure you of that Mr President"
"She's a good girl"
"Well actually Sir…"
"Josh!"
"Sorry Mr President"
"Josh the point of this round about conversation is that any father of daughter just wants to know one thing, do you know what that is?"
"Sir, Donna isn't the most important thing in my life"
"Well that's not it"
"Sir, Donna's not the most important thing in my life, she is my life. I've nearly lost her three times now, once when she left the campaign, once when she was blown off the road in Gaza and once when she walked out. Sir, I knew I couldn't bring the wrath of the tabloid press down on your administration by getting involved with Donna while we both worked here, I held back to protect you and to protect her, I loved her too much to get involved with her but Sir now I am and I'm going to continue every day of my life to try to protect her, cherish her, love her and be the man I need to be to deserve to have her in my life."
"And do you think you'll ever be the man to deserve to have her in your life"
"Never Sir, she's way too good for me – does that sound like what the father of daughters wants to hear?"
"Well that and you're never going to put a hand her anywhere we wouldn't approve of"
"My mother wants grandchildren Mr President"
"You see Josh, Claudia Jean was getting all teary eyed over there and Sam was about to join her and then you go and say that. Now they look as if they're about to drop on the floor! Grandchildren ey?"
"In the future, Sir, with Donna, I think I could discover if there are worse reasons in the world to do something than because my daughter asks me to"