Shared Memories Part Three ‘I hate outdoors.’ As she packed the picnic basket, Rebecca laughed at Toby’s scowl. ‘What exactly do you hate?’ ‘It’s polluted, crowded, and people get mugged.’ ‘Pessimist!’ ‘Optimist!’ ‘Is that the best you can do? I thought you said you wrote speeches?’ ‘It’s my day off.’ ‘Out!’ Rebecca picked up the picnic basket and banged it against Toby’s thighs. ‘Okay, okay. But after we eat, I get to chose where we go.’ ‘Er, it wouldn’t be somewhere indoors, would it?’ ‘How did you guess?’ ‘Didn’t I tell you I was psychic?’ ‘I though you were Jewish.’ Rebecca pulled the front door closed. ‘Nah. I just like the traditions.’ In spite of himself, Toby laughed. ‘You’ll invite bad luck, mocking like that.’ Turning round, Rebecca gestured at the run-down apartment block. ‘I live here, I can’t afford a car so I have to get up at dawn to get into work on time and I’m dating a man who thinks being outside is going to hurt. If this is good luck, bring on the bad.’ Rebecca picked Toby’s jacket up before sitting down. As she reached to drop it on the back seat, his wallet dropped out, falling open. ‘Who’s that?’ Closing the catch and pushing the wallet back into his pocket, Toby said tightly: ‘Andrea. My ex-wife.’ ‘I get it. I’m your rebound.’ ‘My what?’ ‘You’re only going out with me to get over the divorce.’ ‘No.’ Toby’s reply had such certainty, Rebecca felt guilty. ‘How long ago…’ ‘Five…six years.’ ‘Okay, not rebound then. Desperation.’ Toby was about to protest when he saw Rebecca’s mocking smile. ‘I’m here because I want to be, no other reason, okay?’ ‘Okay.’ ‘Now let’s get this outdoors thing over with.’ Rebecca laughed as Toby pulled the car away from the pavement. They sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ate ice-cream. ‘This is like that film with Clint Eastwood.’ ‘Which one?’ Rebecca thought hard for a second. ‘In the line of fire. He was a secret service agent and he and his girlfriend sat here and ate ice-cream.’ ‘Then what happened?’ ‘She walked off.’ ‘You going to leave?’ ‘No, Toby. Actually, yes. I’m going to take your picture.’ Toby groaned. ‘Rebecca…’ ‘Everyone has pictures of their family in their lockers. I want one of you.’ ‘Buy a newspaper.’ ‘It’s not the same.’ Reluctantly, Toby sat still long enough for Rebecca to get several pictures. ‘Now do me.’ ‘Okay.’ Toby got up and walked down a few steps. ‘Smile.’ ‘No. I don’t have a nice smile.’ ‘You do. Smile.’ Self-consciously, Rebecca smiled as Toby snapped her from half a dozen different angles. ‘How big a desk do you have?’ Toby didn’t understand. ‘Big enough, why?’ ‘You just took half a dozen pictures. Is there room for all of them?’ ‘I have shelves.’ Rebecca laughed. ‘Can you see them from your desk?’ Toby thought for a moment. ‘No.’ ‘So it has to be your desk.’ ‘Okay.’ As they walked back to the car, Rebecca ventured: ‘Toby, do the people you work with know about me?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah. Word gets round.’ ‘Word? Who did you tell?’ ‘Well, Leo found out. And…’ Rebecca had gone from curious to concerned. ‘And?’ ‘Then other people did too.’ Rebecca got into the car. ‘I haven’t told anyone about us. I don’t know anyone well enough, and I don’t want them to think I only got the job cos of you.’ ‘You didn’t.’ ‘Yeah, but they won’t believe me, will they?’ If there was one subject on which Toby was almost an expert, it was human nature. He sighed. ‘Probably not.’ ************* Toby hated Saturday mornings. Either they were busy, in which case he rarely left before mid-afternoon, or they were quiet, and staff and assistants found work they had put off suddenly could get done. This week was the latter. They were sitting or standing in the Oval Office while the President outlined an idea he had clearly just thought of. Leo was constantly interrupting, and the other four – himself, CJ, Josh, and Sam – were almost ignored while the President and Leo argued each point the President raised. After a few minutes, CJ looked at Toby. They both looked at Sam and Josh. And all four of them began to move. ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Leo…’ ‘It’s okay Toby. You can get off home to your girlfriend. The rest of you, stay put.’ Even the President seemed surprised at Leo’s comment. ‘I think that’s all for today. Why don’t we all call it a day.’ Sam, Josh and CJ walked to the door. Toby didn’t move. When the three of them were alone, the President asked calmly: ‘Toby, was there something you wanted?’ ‘Yeah. I wanted to tell you I’ve decided to leave.’ ‘Toby!’ Leo stood silently while Toby ignored him, looking directly at the President. ‘Recently, Sir, I’ve begun to realise that there are more important things in life.’ Leo laughed. ‘Like what? Your new girlfriend? Is she gonna earn enough from showing people round here to keep you both?’ ‘Rebecca works here?’ The President hadn’t known. ‘Er, yes, Sir. She’s a tour guide.’ ‘Only cos you got her the job.’ ‘Leo!’ Toby was surprised that the President had snapped at his best friend. As, from the look on his face, was Leo. ‘Sam will be a good replacement, Sir. He’s hard-working, smart…’ The President got up. ‘He’s not you Toby.’ ‘No Sir. He is not.’ ‘I want you to stay Toby.’ Toby shook his head. ‘Sir, I don’t mind being the topic of gossip. I have a new girlfriend. And she’s a little younger than I am.’ He ignored Leo’s derisive laugh. And he didn’t see the look the President gave his Chief of Staff. ‘I expected a little background noise. But the last few days, I’ve been made to feel, uncomfortable. And I’m not prepared to put up with that.’ The President sighed. ‘Toby, do me a favour. Go into your office and find something to do. Please don’t leave, okay?’ Reluctantly, still avoiding eye contact with Leo, Toby muttered: ‘Yes Sir.’ ‘Charlie, you can leave. I’ll see you Monday.’ ‘Yes Sir.’ Even through the door, and the space between the Oval Office and his own, and his office walls, Toby could still hear the raised voices. The President, Leo, sometimes both of them shouting at once, until there was only the President’s voice. Then the door opened, and Toby fixed his eyes on the draft speech Sam had written earlier that morning until his office door opened. ‘Toby, please reconsider.’ Toby looked up at the President. ‘Sir, this wasn’t about you.’ ‘I know. Well?’ ‘Sir, I didn’t set out to date a younger woman.’ ‘I know.’ ‘But I don’t want to feel uncomfortable just because I am.’ ‘You won’t.’ Toby looked past the President to Leo who stood just behind him. ‘Would you like to meet her. Properly?’ The President smiled. ‘Yes.’ Leo shrugged. ‘Okay.’ Toby flicked his cell phone opened and dialled. ‘Rebecca?…yeah, listen, you busy?…great…get a cab over to the White House…come and have lunch with us…just the president and the Chief of Staff.’ He laughed. ‘Yeah, just them. Oh, and me…okay…see you soon. And Rebecca, bring your ID badge, okay?’ He closed his phone and looked up. ‘She’s on her way. I’d better go down and tell them she’s on her way. She’ll be a while. She lives quite a way out.’ The President smiled, relaxing a little. ‘Okay.’ *************** ‘Hi. I’m expecting a visitor. Rebecca Martin. She’s a tour guide here. When she arrives, can you give her this please? She might not have enough for the cab fare. And when she arrives, please show her up to my office.’ The younger of the two men on the gate nodded, taking the notes from him. ‘Sure Mr Ziegler, no problem.’ ************* Jed deliberately shut himself and Leo in the Oval Office as soon as they got the call to say she was on her way up. They could hear her voice outside the door, and waited until Toby knocked on the door. ‘Sir? This is Rebecca Martin. Rebecca, this is President Bartlet.’ ‘Hi Rebecca.’ ‘Mr President.’ ‘And this is Leo McGarry, Chief of Staff.’ Leo nodded curtly, his unsmiling face making Rebecca uneasy. But she was still polite. ‘Hi.’ Bartlet looked across at the table. ‘You hungry? We had some food brought in.’ ‘Wow, this is nicer than the things they serve in the Mess.’ ‘Perk of being the boss.’ Rebecca laughed. ‘Mine is a free uniform.’ They all laughed then, except Leo, who had been sullenly staring at the floor throughout the conversation. ‘Leo, why don’t we have those? No more deciding what to wear each morning. Think of it.’ ‘I’m thinking the American taxpayer might get a little upset at the idea of paying for uniforms for a thousand people Sir.’ ‘No, not everyone, just the West Wing. Something in red white and blue.’ ‘I’ll make a note of it Sir.’ They all laughed again. Except Leo. Jed sensed the tension between his Communications Director and his Chief of Staff, and decided to ignore it. Looking up, he asked: ‘So how are you enjoying our new job Rebecca?’ ‘It’s great. Tiring, but great. You have a lovely home. Some people come here over and over just to see if anything’s different. Sometimes they tell me that there’s a different ornament on the table or the curtains have been changed.’ ‘Really?’ Rebecca looked at Toby. ‘I never believed in coincidence. But if I hadn’t been visiting my Grandfather’s grave, I never would have met Toby and I wouldn’t be working here.’ Toby smiled, relaxing a fraction. ‘Or sitting here.’ Rebecca looked round. ‘It looks bigger on TV.’ Bartlet nodded. ‘Things do.’ Leo got up as his cell phone rang. McGarry…Hi Mal…sure…great…see ya.’ ‘Is Mallory all right?’ ‘She’s fine. She’s coming over for dinner.’ Bartlet looked at Rebecca. ‘Leo’s daughter.’ Rebecca looked at Leo, who avoided her gaze. ‘I’ve seen pictures of her. She’s very pretty.’ Bartlet teased: ‘She takes after her mother. In ten years, she’ll look just like her.’ Suddenly, Leo looked directly at Rebecca. ‘Twenty years maybe. Mal’s just a kid. Probably about your age.’ Although Rebecca chose to ignore them, Leo’s words hurt. They all knew what he meant. Rebecca got up. ‘I have to get going. We’re having dinner with my parents this evening, and I have a few things to do. It was nice meeting you Mr President.’ ‘You too, Rebecca. Have a nice evening.’ Barely restraining his anger, Toby got up and showed Rebecca out. As soon as the door was closed, Jed rounded on Leo. ‘You couldn’t even be polite to her while she was here? Just a few minutes and she would have been gone. Instead, you upset her, you’ve just made Toby’s mind up for him, and now I’ve gotta find a new Toby. Thanks a lot Leo!’ ‘It’s embarrassing. She’s half his age.’ Jed stood quietly for a moment. ‘Toby was right. You’re jealous.’ ‘I am not!’ ‘Yeah, you are. Cos he’s happy and you’re still sulking over Jen.’ ‘I thought your Degree was in Economics not Psychology.’ ‘Oh, you don’t have to be Freud to get inside your head.’ Leo snapped: ‘Get off my back.’ ‘Go apologise to Toby.’ Leo stared at Jed. ‘No.’ ‘Do it Leo. Now.’ Neither of them noticed Toby standing in the doorway until he coughed. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt Sir. I just came back to give you this.’ Toby handed the President the envelope. ‘Toby, this had better not be what I think it is.’ ‘Sir, I will miss working here. But I think I’d rather work somewhere where I was judged on who I was, not who I dated.’ ‘Toby, don’t do this.’ ‘I’m sorry, Sir. My mind’s made up.’ Bartlet sighed. ‘At least think about it over the weekend. Leave this on your desk, and if you still feel the same come Monday, then, well, at least it won’t be something you haven’t thought about.’ ‘Sir…’ Toby was about to protest, but Bartlet cut him off. ‘Indulge me Toby.’ ‘Yes Sir.’ On to Part Four Home Send me feedback on this fic Return to the West Wing Fic Index