Author: Liza C.
Title: The Upside of Evil
Beta'd by: Kim
Back to: Chapter 9
Josh stared at the TV screen, willing the results to come in faster. It
didn't work. Two pundits were talking about the Senate race in
Maryland. He'd been through plenty of election nights, but he'd
never been so nervous. But then again it had never been this
personal before. He was about to start one of his favorite election
night pastimes, pacing back and forth, but his ears perked up when
he heard:
Pundit 1: "Let's talk for a minute about the Virginia 11th…"
Pundit 2: "One of the most interesting races in the country, for sure,
and right in our own backyard."
Pundit 1: "Frank, the Republicans have had a stranglehold on this
seat for over a decade, and it's especially tough after redistricting.
How did this race get so close?"
Pundit 2: "Well, first off, I think the Republicans severely
underestimated Donna Lyman-"
"Damn right!" Josh muttered out loud.
Pundit 1: "Some might say they underestimated the team behind
her."
"Idiot," Josh re-joined at the second commentator's interjection.
Pundit 2: "That's true; most Congressional candidates don't have a
campaign staff peppered with volunteers who have gotten a
President elected-"
Pundit 2: "Volunteers? You're downplaying it; her husband is Josh
Lyman, for those who don't remember he was the White House Chief
of Staff during the final year of the Bartlet administration. He's
considered something of an election guru and he ran this campaign."
Pundit 2: "He did, but don't sell this lady short. She's been a very
charismatic figure on the campaign trail and she's won over a lot of
people with the old-school approach of shaking hands, kissing babies
and being unafraid to talk about any issue at any time. Her
opponent certainly can't claim that."
Pundit 1: "That may be true, but we can't forget to factor former
President Jed Bartlet into the equation. The beloved ex-President
has been tirelessly traveling the country lending support to
Democratic candidates everywhere, but he did seem to make the
Virginia 11th a high priority, with a handful of visits."
Pundit 2: "He did indeed, as did the former First Lady. Of course,
Donna Lyman, or Donna Moss-Lyman, as she was known during her
Bartlet tenure, did serve as her Chief of Staff through most of the
extremely successful second term of the Bartlet administration."
Pundit 1: "But some might say that the campaign not only embraced
her Bartlet administration ties, but exploited them."
"Exploit?" Josh grumbled and let fly a few choice expletives at the
commentator. A moment later he felt a tug on his pant leg.
Looking down, he found himself peering into the warm brown eyes
of his four-year-old son.
"Daddy, you just said three bad words."
Josh smiled in spite of himself as he leaned down to pick up his little
boy. "You're right, buddy, I shouldn't have done that." He glanced
around. "I thought you and your brother were upstairs in the hotel
room with your grandmas?" He cocked a suspicious, fatherly
eyebrow at him. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"It's more 'citing down here, so we came for a visit." The little boy's
eyes danced, and not for the first time did Josh rejoice that he had a
little politician in the making. He could tell these things. It was
obvious the tot was excited about the election, and not by the
balloons and music and people. At least to Josh, it was.
"Okay, you can stay." Josh shifted back so they could both see the
screen. "But they're talking about Mommy on TV, so we have to
watch."
"Kay!"
Pundit 2: "… they certainly touted her impressive record of
achievement while working for First Lady Abigail Bartlet. They
painted her as a person who has proven she can get things done and
as someone—and this is important-- who will know how to get things
done for her district in Congress."
Pundit 1: "But the Republicans tried to exploit that experience the
other way; they tried to portray her as too DC insider-y, an
interloper and professional politician, if you will."
Pundit 2: "They did indeed, but that didn't really fly. She's lived in
Virginia for five years, a wife and a mother of two young children…"
"They're talking about you, big guy." Josh tickled his son's stomach
and made him giggle.
Pundit 2: "…she created a very appealing package…"
"Tell me about it." Josh interjected with a grin as he tickled his son
again.
Pundit 2: "…strong ties to family and community with a big bang of
education, intellect and experience in DC and government service to
back it all up. She also had a real feel for what was important to
this district-"
"There you are!" A voice boomed behind Josh and he turned to find
Sam scurrying towards him from the door to the ballroom where
supporters and staffers were waiting for results. "Everyone thinks
they're getting ready to call the race."
"It'll be at least another fifteen minutes."
"How do you know?" Sam knit his eyebrows in question at him.
"I know."
"Right." Sam nodded, bowing to Josh's sixth sense about all things
election-related. "But you should probably get in there."
"Yeah, okay, these talking heads are making me crazy anyway."
As Josh started towards the ballroom, the mass of four-year-old in
his arms started squirming and whining that he wanted down to go
look at the balloons by Grandpa. Josh complied, but he had no idea
where the boy got the whining from. He hoped he would grow out
of it, but for some reason Donna didn't seem as certain that he
would. As Josh entered the ballroom with Sam, he immediately
spotted his wife. She was just handing their 18-month-old son back
to her mother, and surrounded by people who were waiting to
congratulate her. And she was on the phone-- his wife, the
consummate multi-tasker.
Coming up from behind her, he heard her say into the phone, "Be
honest, does the women's movement judge me for removing the
hyphen in my last name? It wasn't about the far-right; polling said
it made the majority of voters feel like I was more accessible and
connected to my family, and therefore all families…"
When she noticed Josh, her eyes lit up and she leaned over to brush
his cheek with a brief kiss. "Thanks for calling; I'll talk to you later."
"Are the feministas circling?" he asked when she hung up.
"That was Gwen."
"And? Have they permanently disowned you?" Amy Gardner had
written an essay for the National Council of Women's Organizations
website warning an eminent death to feminism, citing Congressional
candidate and former First Lady Chief of Staff Donna Moss-Lyman’s
removing her hyphen and maiden name in order to placate family
values voters as one of the signs. However, Amy's latest
organization still gave Donna their endorsement, a sizeable
campaign contribution and encouraged its members to do the same.
"As if she can speak for all of them, but she did assure me that the
women's movement on the whole just really wants me in Congress,
and no one *really* cares what my last name is."
"Told you." He wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Yes, you did."
He eyed her seriously. "Are you nervous?"
"No."
"Donna?"
"Okay, yes, I'm nervous," she whispered, so no one around them
might hear. "You know, when I told you six years ago that you
could put me in Congress when we got out of the White House, I was
mostly joking."
"Too late now." His dimples made an appearance. "Because it's
about to happen."
Her eyes bugged out and she whapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Don't say that! You're the one who taught me never to get cocky
on election night. It's bad luck. Turn around and spit three times."
Josh rolled his eyes. "It's turn around three times and spit."
"Fine. Do it!" She implored him with a glare.
When she didn't look like she was contemplating backing down, he
smiled at how damn adorable she was as a superstitious almost-
Congressperson, and then did it.
"Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief once he had concluded his
revolutions and completed his air-spit. "I really don't know where
your head was, Josh."
Josh watched her, a big grin gracing his face. "Man, I love you. And
you're going to make a helluva Congressperson. Even if we don't
get it this time, there's always the next."
Her face softened and dissolved into an expression that Josh had
come to call 'Mushy Donna.' He secretly loved 'Mushy Donna.'
Mostly because when she had it she looked him in the eye, just as
she was doing now and said things like she was about to say.
"I love you, too." Donna cupped his face tenderly with one hand.
"Always have…"
"…always will," Josh finished, having no idea that he was wearing an
equally-mushy expression which Donna had secretly dubbed his
'Sweet Josh' face.
Just then, someone turned up the speaker system to the TV
announcers and a hush fell over the crowd. It was time.
"WUSA is ready to call the race in the Virginia 11th with 87% of the
precincts reporting. Long-time Republican incumbent Daniel Wolfe
has been unseated in a startling upset-"
The rest of the sentence was drowned out by the tremendous roar
that went up in the hotel ballroom. Balloons were released from the
ceiling and the band started playing loudly as everyone yelled and
hugged in celebration.
Josh's arms were wrapped tightly around Donna, or more exactly,
around the newest member of the House, representing the 11th
District of Virginia. Whoever she was, Josh was holding her tight
and loving every minute of it.
As the celebration continued, Josh kissed her soundly, told her once
again how much he loved her, but then had to let her go so she
could receive congratulations from all the people who had helped
put her there. He watched with unmitigated pride.
A moment later he felt a tap on his shoulder. "So we did it; am I off
the hook?" Sam asked with a huge smile after giving Josh a quick
celebratory hug.
"I'm not done making you pay, Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes. "It's been six years since I told that little white
lie about Donna having a boyfriend; I just spent three months
volunteering for her campaign… when are you going to let it go?"
Josh replied without a trace of sarcasm, "Just as soon as the right
guy is sitting in the Oval."
"Arnold Vinick is not such a bad guy," Sam reasoned.
"He's a Republican."
"That is true."
"He needs to be a one-term Republican."
"That won't be easy."
"No, it won't. But it's not impossible."
"What are you saying, Josh?" Now Sam's voice held trepidation.
"I'm saying we have two years to put a Democrat back in the White
House. There's a guy out of Texas I want to take a closer look at."
"And you want to start…"
"Tomorrow."
"Of course. You know, you should be thanking me for that white lie,
instead of using it to force me to do your professional bidding." But
there was a smile in his voice. Sam had loved every minute that
he'd been able to spare for Donna's campaign.
"You don't want to help me put a Democrat back in the White
House?" Josh raised an eyebrow at him.
Sam thought about it and then answered emphatically. "I do,
actually."
"Good, we start tomorrow. And Sam…"
"Yeah?"
Josh watched his wife as she waved to the cheering crowd with one
hand, and held their 18-month-old with the other. Nearer to him he
spotted his eldest batting balloons into the air under the dotting
supervision of his own mother. Before heading over to collect his
balloon-wranglers so the whole family could unite next to Donna on
stage, he turned back to Sam. "Thank you for that little white lie,
because this is truly a wonderful life."
The End.
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