I've lost count of how often I've walked into a room and saw Sam hunched over a table. Back in the day he'd have a pile of those yellow legal pads sitting on the corner of the desk. When I first knew him, I swore that black ink smudge that permanently adorned the middle finger of his right hand was a tattoo. I remember the first time I noticed it wasn't there, it's the same day I noticed a laptop computer becoming attached to his right arm. I remember Sam once telling me that C.J. asked him who his favourite writer was and he had replied Toby. Sam's mine.

"Hey what are you doing?"

"Third pass at the inaugural"

"You're writing the speech?"

"Otto's good but he's not…"

"You?"

"Well yeah"

"You alright with that?"

"I've never written for the President without To… um Bob"

"Different voice Sam, I didn't bring you in to do this…"

"I know… but it would be like Mary Marsh and Carrick arguing in favour of a 70 tax rebate for billionaires and you saying 'hey not stepping up to that one it's not in my job description anymore…'"

"Yeah that's not going to happen"

"Exactly"

"How's it going?"

"It's an inaugural Josh, there's an immense and powerful history behind these things"

"Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed effort"

"Franklin D Roosevelt"

"Indeed"

"Donna gets turned on by your ability to quote a line from every Democratic inaugural right?"

"It's amazing really that she was able to control herself for so long"

"Astonishes me daily… this is just arrrgh…rubbish rubbish rubbish!"

"Come on Sam it's not as if you're writing 'Organised associations of citizens requiring compliance with their wishes too much resemble…'"

"The republican lines don't have the same effect on her?"

"William Henry Harrison was a whig actually and no and I'd ask you to kindly refrain…"

"I was going for juxtaposition, with the republican thing"

"You go for it Big Guy"

"These go down in history, they are the marker by which a President is judged. CNN, MSNBC seven hours of coverage with talking heads dissecting every word"

"You've written one already!"

"Co-written and eight years ago!"

"Wound a little tight there Sam?"

"It's January"

"Yeah…Sam?"

"Yeah"

"You've proposed a few times"

"I've proposed twice Josh"

"It seems more"

"Is there a question or a point somewhere in the future of this conversation? We're meeting…"

"How do you…you know?"

"Propose?"

"Yeah"

"You're proposing!"

"I'm considering it"

"Really?"

"She's my Abbey"

"What?"

"Leo, he said she's my Abbey"

"Leo told you to run for President?"

"He said the situation room couldn't handle it, not this decade"

"So next decade?"

"Seaborne for America 2018, we'll get you a house seat first"

"Josh!"

"So how do I?"

"Propose?"

"I don't know, what's the most romantic thing you have ever done for her?"

"Hawaii"

"Ok so take her back to where you stayed and propose"

"Like I'll get a week's vacation before 2014"

"Only eight years"

"Sam!"

"It took you nine to kiss her Josh I'm assuming your timetable is an extended one?"

"Not so much"

"Really!"

"You've been spending way too much time with Lou"

"Does Donna know you're thinking about this?"

"Her Mom said we had to get married before the grandchildren"

"Holy Hell!"

"Yeah… I'll figure it out"

"I can't believe you are thinking about this"

"Less of the you please"

"Sorry but it's you"

"Sam!"

"You know guys I've kind of got used to people being on time when they have a meeting with me"

"Geez C.J. they should give you a bell"

"You are five minutes late for a meeting with the Chief of Staff in the Chief of Staff's office"

"Josh, we're five minutes late for a meeting with the Chief of Staff"

"In the Chief of Staff's office"

"But we're in the Roosevelt Room"

"I think that's cause for concern Sam don't you"

"I do Josh, I do"

"What do you think the Berkeley shiksa-feminista can do about it?"

"Not sure, Berkely shiksa -feminista what are you…"

"O.K. guys, hey hey, come on you're…"

"She's going to say 'hey hey hey you're addressing Senior Staff"

"What was that come back… oh yeah… we should genuflect on the floor as she says that"

"You're not fourteen year old interns from the GAO"

"We're not fourteen year old infants Sam"

"I said interns Josh"

"We're not fourteen year old interns Sam"

"Guys!"

"You missed us C.J."

"We had a meeting?"

"C.J., Josh, Sam"

"Bill Bailey!"

"That's just old Josh"

"Classic I believe"

"I agree with Will… old"

"You're supposed to be on my side Sam"

"Yeah sometimes"

"Sorry I'm late"

"So the meeting's here?"

"Yeah"

"So I was supposed to come here?"

"Yes"

"Does that mean C.J. that you were late and will be genuflecting any second?"

"Margaret!"

"You called?"

"The meeting's in here?"

"That's why I pointed you towards this door"

"You could have told me that"

"I thought it was obvious"

"Not so much"

"I'll note that for future reference"

"Thank you Margaret"

"So what are we meeting about and why is Wilma here?"

"We're coordinating the President's final address with the President-elects inaugural, topics to share, topics to avoid etc etc"

"I think we should start by reviewing Josh's planned proposals"

"Sam!"

"Proposals Josh, for the thing"

"Oh, Ok"

"What else could he mean?"

"Nothing C.J., let's get into this"

"You're planning to propose? To Donna?"

"No to Ginger and Carol and we're planning on living in a commune near Vegas"

"I'm trying to come up something more original than 'sarcasm is the lowest form of wit'"

"And I'll try to counteract with something more than 'the highest form of intelligence', can we get on?"

"You are seriously considering this?"

"Why do I see the line 'the White doesn't comment on the private lives of staffers' in my future"

"I think you'd be happy with that line Mr Bailey"

"And I think neither Donna nor I are, at present, White House staffers and I'm quite happy to keep my…"

"Please don't say sex life"

"Sam! …my personal life – out of the press briefing room"

"We've had it in the Oval so hey…"

"I'm sorry Claudia Jean you've had what in the Oval?"

"O.K. Idiot boys can we.. you know… get on, some of us have a country to misrun"

"Sure… Point one - final address defence and intervention policy focus…"

"Sorry… I need to uh…you're proposing?"

"C.J.!"