"I can't believe this is it. *This* is our
vacation," Donna sighed as she looked out across the park. In addition to
a few tourists and a pair of rollerbladers, there was also a mother and son
flying a kite. She briefly wondered what it would be like to be that kite,
soaring free. It had to be better than this.
"It beats having to work today," replied Ginger
from her spot next to Donna on the plaid blanket. The two women had chosen to
enjoy their free day on a picnic at the park.
"I know. Still, it would be nice to have a real
vacation. When was the last time either of us had a *real* vacation?" she
pondered.
"Before the campaign. Maybe before college, even."
"Exactly! And yet what do we get? One day," she
complained.
"We need to get a life."
"Yes, we do." Donna sighed again and watched the
young couple rollerblading. "What
are Bonnie and Margaret doing today?"
"Bonnie *has* a life, remember? She told me that she
and Roger had plans to just stay home alone all day. I'm not sure about
Margaret."
"I think Margaret said she was going to spend the day
baking. She mentioned something about muffins."
This time it was Ginger's turn to sigh. "When I was a
kid, my family always took a summer vacation. We used to rent a house down the
shore every year," she mused wistfully.
"For me, it was the lake."
"It was two blocks from the beach," Ginger
continued. "We'd wake up early, throw our swimsuits on and race down the
block. We'd stake out a section of the beach and spend the whole day there,
coming back to the house only for lunch. At night, we'd go out for ice cream or
play mini golf. My brother used to sneak behind the arcade with Susie
Templeton, and my sister and I would spy on them."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Did you sneak off behind the arcade with anyone?"
"I was ten!" she exclaimed, feigning ignorance of
Donna's real question. "No, I didn't sneak off with anyone," she
added sadly.
"Me neither," Donna chimed in glumly. Both women
stared off into the distance, each lost in her thoughts. Donna broke the
silence. "What would you do if you had the chance to do it over
again?"
"I'd grab Scott Kinney and drag him behind the
arcade," Ginger laughed. "You?"
"I'm not sure," Donna answered truthfully.
"Maybe I'd grab Josh and have my way with him on his desk before he got
any ideas about Amy Gardner," she said with a grin.
"I'll just bet you would," Ginger said with a smug
smile as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the blanket.
Donna adjusted her sunglasses and thought about what she
really would do if she had a second chance. She'd like to think she was smart
enough to tell Josh how she felt before things got out of control, but she knew
better. She and Josh didn't do serious. They teased and they bantered and they
danced around the issue, never really getting anywhere. Then Ainsley had set
her up with Cliff. Cliff was funny and cute, and he reminded her that there was
a life outside the White House. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one she really
wanted and they both knew it. After their first aborted date and their one
night together, they agreed that a relationship would be impossible. Donna
hadn't seen him socially since.
Then Josh had met Amy. She still wasn't sure when their
relationship had changed from a way for Josh to get back at her for Cliff and
into something serious. She wished she could have figured it out sooner. If she
had, she would have tried to do something to prevent it. At the very least, she
might have made her feelings known.
She pictured the scenario in her head. Josh would be
shouting her name, asking her to find him the file on the latest bill up for a
vote. She'd walk into the office and pluck it from the stack of folders on his
desk. He'd look up with a slightly sheepish expression in his chocolate brown
eyes and a dimpled smile on his face as he thanked her.
She'd ask if he was meeting Amy later for drinks. He'd
answer no and she would be so startled that she'd drop the folder on the floor,
the contents spilling out around them. They'd both lean forward to pick the
pages up, and their mouths would be inches from each other. Their eyes would
connect momentarily before darting away.
In their rush to collect the papers, Josh's hand would
accidentally brush against her breast. He'd stutter something apologetic, but
she'd stop him mid-sentence. She'd whisper his name and tentatively touch her
lips to his. He'd pull away and see the raw desire in her eyes. Then he'd lean
in and kiss her, his lips nibbling at hers, his tongue sliding inside her mouth
to taste her. She'd eagerly respond, her hands reaching up to clutch at his
shirtfront. He'd bring his hand up to her breast and circle the nipple through
her shirt. His lips would wander to her throat and she'd moan and wind her
hands through his crazy hair, bringing his wonderful mouth closer.
Donna was startled out of her fantasy by the muted sound of
her cell phone ringing. "I'll bet that's Josh right now," she commented.
"It probably is," Ginger agreed.
"Donna Moss," she announced after she grabbed the
phone from her bag and answered it.
"Donna, I'm sorry to interrupt your *vacation*, but you
need to come into the office. There's something that's come up on the Welfare
Reform Act, and I'm going to need your help," Josh told her without
preamble.
Donna looked over at Ginger and rolled her eyes. "Josh,
I'm on vacation. You just said so yourself. And it's only for one day. How
important can this be?" she asked. She saw Ginger mouth "sorry"
and give her a sympathetic look.
"Very. I'll see you in thirty minutes," he
answered and hung up.
"Better make it sixty," she mumbled into the
disconnected phone. To Ginger, she said, "He needs help on the Welfare
Reform act. I have to go."
"It was a nice vacation while it lasted."
"Yeah, it was."
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