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MY GUESTBOOK
Planning and me have never gotten along that well, and my streak of failed schemes was unblemished.
By four I had managed to convince Ginger to come on as my assistant, providing that, after the first hundred days were over, I gave her two weeks vacation so she could catch her breath, and I had gotten Will�s sister, Elsie Snuffin, she of the greatest name and intelligent jokes, to sign on as an assistant deputy and head of the speechwriters which would help inject some much needed levity to the federal government. Lou ranted and raved for close to an hour in my office about the First Lady taking Donna away, like there was anything I could do about that, and I finished the call-back lists that Josh had handed me when I first arrived after Lou spotted someone who she felt might actually listen to what she had to shout about�I felt nothing but pity for that person.
I had talked to over fifty people that I couldn�t stand four years ago and who I could barely remain civil to on the phone with�something that didn�t bode well for me when I had to meet with them in person�and I was about to go on to page forty of my call sheet when I noticed that it was time to meet with Josh.
Josh was in his office trying�and failing�to put eye drops in. Josh has a thing about his eyes. The thought of putting contacts in makes him physically ill, and getting him to visit the optometrist is like getting him to pull his fingernails off with pliers. This is why I�m not surprised that half the bottle seems to have dribbled down his cheeks and landed on his shirt, making the white-ish fabric become opaque. As if Josh didn�t already put his clothing through hell on a daily basis.
�How many times a day do you try to do that?� I asked once he had gotten a single drop in each eye.
�Five, ten, maybe more,� Josh said.
�The instructions say one to two drops up to four times a day,� I point out without looking at the bottle. He uses the same brand he has used since before we met and the instructions never change. I look at the bottle he dropped on his desk that looks like the war zone I always knew it would turn into once Donna stopped organizing it several times a day. �Plus these are for moistening contacts, Josh. Didn�t you read the box before buying them?�
Josh frowns, squinting to read the label. �Otto picked them up,� he said after giving up on reading the small print on the label. �How was your first day back?�
�Rushed. You were serious in your message?� I asked, glancing at the small suitcase sitting in the corner of his office that wasn�t there earlier.