4A Mother's Lament
My daughter's wedding was in the papers. Not just the little local paper, you understand, or even the Wisconsin press. Oh no, it was in the national press. And not an announcement in the birth, deaths and marriages bit, or a small paragraph hidden near the back. No, my daughter's wedding was on the front page of a couple of papers and featured prominently in all the major publications. Sorry to go on about it, but I am struggling to get my head around it all.
We have never been ones for standing out. We live our lives in happy obscurity. For generations the Moss family have gone from birth to death without causing a stir. My own family made their quiet contribution to society without causing a raised eyebrow. Yet our daughter regularly features in the papers and has appeared on television more times that I can count.
When Donna was at school she did well, but she never stood out. She got good grades, she behaved herself and we hoped she would get a good degree.
We were disappointed when she dropped out. Paul had good prospects, but she became a doormat. Donna was feisty as a little girl and there was no need for her to sublimate her needs for anyone. We certainly never gave her the impression that relationships were anything other than a partnership. Her father and I have been together for thirty-eight years and believe you me I would not put up with any hint of that kind of attitude.
I was torn when she left Paul. Part of me was celebrating that she had stood up for herself and the rest was worried about what she did next. We worried when she went off to New Hampshire, but she seemed to have got some of her grit and determination back. She sounded so happy on the odd occasions we managed to speak to her. Frantically busy and not in one place for more than a day or so, but full of the people she was meeting and the plans they had.
She came back, I am still not sure why. Paul had piled on the guilt I am sure, he was very good at that. It was lovely to have her back, but her sparkle began to dim from the minute he expected her to take up exactly where she left off. Nothing had changed, despite all his protestations about doing things differently. Then she had a car accident and had to get her father to pick her up from the hospital as Paul got held up. Held up drinking with his friends it turns out. That time I was glad she left and went back to the campaign. At least she was happy and able to be herself. I used to tease her that she went from one man's beck and call to another's, but she told me very seriously one day that it felt very different to be needed than to be used. She felt that in some very small way she was able to make a difference. She was a member of the team. That was good enough for me. As I think I said, we were a family of good team players.
As the years passed I worried that she was alone. A career is only part of life. I am not stupid, it was pretty obvious that she had fallen for her boss. Sometimes it is the things unsaid that tell a mother more than the carefully prepared phrases designed to throw wool in your eyes. However, there was no mistaking the glow about her and the enthusiasm with which she attacked life. Until the trip.
Yes, the first time my daughter was in the papers was because she was the only survivor of a bombed SUV. I didn't see the reports at the time - initially we were on our way to Germany and then the last thing I needed was to read some sensationalised account of Donna's brush with death. The most amazing thing about that time is the story which never appeared in the press. Josh Lyman flew to Germany with nothing but the clothes he was wearing, leaving the White House at a time of crisis, and nobody seemed to notice. So much for the power of the press. I had such high hopes then. If you could have seen the way he watched her while she slept. As she got better he started to hide it, but when she was asleep he often forgot about other observers. I don't know why nothing happened then. It was difficult to believe that they could go back to working together as if nothing had occurred. I suppose it didn't work so well as we suddenly had a call from Donna to say she had resigned. Barely had we taken that on board, than she rang to say she was working for Vice-President Russell's campaign. It was the same hectic schedule as the first time, but this time we caught glimpses of Donna on television, speaking for the campaign. The whole family was agog. A Moss on television was unheard of.
Then came the Convention and Santos's nomination, We knew it would be difficult for Donna to work for Josh again, but it seemed inevitable. Weeks went by with no news and we were starting to wonder if Donna would come back home, when she appeared on the news speaking for Santos.
I must confess to wondering how she and Josh were getting on. She mentioned him occasionally in that off-hand way your children use, thinking to fool you. Then the election happened and Donna rang us before we went to vote. I knew something had happened, even though she probably thought she had fobbed us off with excuses of being busy. There was a hint in her voice that instinct told me had nothing to do with electing a President.
The day was tense for us so I imagine it must have felt endless for the campaign staff. There was even more for me to wonder about in her voice when I heard her speak on the television later in the day. Something was afoot and I was going to discover what. Until Mr McGarry died and Donna rang in tears. How could I wheedle information out of her in that state? Anyway she gave away a lot more than she realized, the way she mentioned Josh in each conversation. There was even a comment about Josh not sleeping, which a suspicious mother could interpret many ways. Still, she stayed with CJ when she went back to DC.
Donna was as busy during Transition as she was on the campaign, so her calls were erratic. Then we had a hurried, excited call, saying that she had had a fantastic job offer and would tell us all the details when she got back from vacation.
Well, imagine our surprise, there had been no mention of a vacation. In fact Donna had told us she was too busy to visit us for Thanksgiving. Yet she could manage a week away with little notice. At that point I started to have a few suspicions.
Donna rang again a day or so later to tell us where 'they' were. By the time I had heard an ecstatic tale of a surprise trip to an exotic location, there was little need to dig deeper. Josh was mentioned every other sentence and all the subtle tones of her voice over the last few months were clear as day.
They came to visit us that Christmas and I have never seen Donna so happy or Josh so relaxed. By that time we were aware of Donna's new job and had encountered quite a number of journalists interested in their complimentary roles. Most of the reporting was low key, filler pieces, so there was nothing to prepare us for this.
The journalists who had rung wanted a little information about Donna's background, but we had been well prepared and just referred them back to the White House. Josh's Mom had much the same I understand. Most of the articles written about them then are fluffy pieces of speculation with the occasional nugget of truth. Luckily, the Press decided to treat them as some sort of filler to make up for the lack of a Vice-President so it was all pictures of them together with a few lines about whichever event they were attending and usually a brief mention of their history and speculation about their future. As Donna said, she hadn't heard so much discussion of a mythical wedding since she was in fifth grade. One rag even reckoned to have exclusive pictures of her wedding dress, which made us all laugh, as it was the least Donna-like confection I have ever seen.
Things settled down and we gradually became accustomed to opening a paper and seeing our daughter in a photograph. We visited DC and also grew accustomed to seeing Josh and Donna together. Not that they were all over each other, but they did have some of the habits of an old married couple and it was funny to hear them talk at times. They teased each other all the time and seemed to skip bits of the conversation making it difficult to follow - as if they were only vocalising for our sake and could read each other's mind. According to Sam they had done that for years and people had grown used to hearing half conversations, but the new Administration staff still tended to watch the pair of them interact like they were watching a musical. Sam also told me quietly one day that Donna was seen by some as the most important member of staff. She controlled the East Wing and was given pretty free rein in the West Wing as well. Josh would get his head bitten off if he tried to dictate to her staff, but Donna was looked upon in awe by his staff who bent over backwards to keep on side with someone who could deal with Josh so calmly. Donna, being Donna, was careful not to take advantage and was amused by the respect she earned not from her job title but the fact that she could make her boyfriend apologise.
When we had an excited call one February 15th we were little prepared for the ensuing onslaught of journalists. Whole pages of prominent papers were devoted to the forthcoming wedding, especially once they decided it would be practical to hold it in DC and persuaded the White House was the best venue for security as well as to cater for the enormous number of guests. Luckily, we did not have to pay for it.