Man. I'm just. See, I watched First Monday when it aired, because I'm a giant fucking dork like that, and I thought that it could crossover really well with The West Wing at the time, and -- and --
"Donna, you would've warned me if today was Big Block of Cheese Day, right?"
"Eight months three weeks five days," Donna says, without looking up from the planner in front of her.
"Just checking." Josh slaps the doorframe and turns back to his office. "And yet, there's still a crazy person in my office." The aide sitting in the chair in front of Josh's desk just smiles at him tightly. "Okay, Mr. Lodge. Run this by me just one more time."
"I work for Congressman Skinner," he says slowly, like Josh is a stupid child. "He wants to negotiate with you about HR-362."
"Not on the table," Josh says, and swings into his seat. He folds his hands on the desk and leans forward. "Skinner's pretty aware of that, I'm sure, considering the phone conversation I had with him, oh, three hours ago."
The aide grimaces at Josh, and Josh gives him a bright, sunny smile right back. "Wait a second, I know you," he says. "Julian Lodge, right? The lawyer."
"Ex-lawyer," Julian says through gritted teeth, and Josh never loses his grin.
"Right, right," and he flips through his day-planner like the life and times of Julian Lodge is written in indelible ink there. "Ex-Supreme Court clerk, ex-right wing whackjob --" and Julian stiffens in the seat across from him. Josh lifts his head and laughs through his teeth at the man, then looks back down at the planner. "Current Log Cabin Republican and, if the rumors are true, the current champion of self-loathing." He flicks the planner shut and leans back in his chair. "HR-362, huh?"
"Yes," Julian says through gritted teeth. His hands are curled into fists on top of the chair's arms. God, he's so green -- Josh could whip him at poker, at croquet, at politics. Josh is whipping him. The man couldn't bluff to save his life.
Josh has law school friends who clerked with Lodge at the Court, and he remembers the buzz when Lodge took the aide job with Skinner's office; everyone considered it his official "coming out" announcement, or as close as he would ever come to one. Congressman Matthew Skinner, R-OH, is a dedicated spokesman to the cause of gay rights, and Josh respects that, while simultaneously wishing the man would clam up and make his job a little easier. Josh has his suspicions about why Lodge would leave such a cushy job, one likely to catapult him straight to the top of whatever private-sector law firm he let wrap its tentacles around him, and those suspicions have everything to do with the fact that it's a-okay to be gay in Washington, so long as it's not a secret. Josh knows that rule by heart.
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this is all your fault, pt 1/7
Date: 2006-05-14 10:29 pm (UTC)"Donna, you would've warned me if today was Big Block of Cheese Day, right?"
"Eight months three weeks five days," Donna says, without looking up from the planner in front of her.
"Just checking." Josh slaps the doorframe and turns back to his office. "And yet, there's still a crazy person in my office." The aide sitting in the chair in front of Josh's desk just smiles at him tightly. "Okay, Mr. Lodge. Run this by me just one more time."
"I work for Congressman Skinner," he says slowly, like Josh is a stupid child. "He wants to negotiate with you about HR-362."
"Not on the table," Josh says, and swings into his seat. He folds his hands on the desk and leans forward. "Skinner's pretty aware of that, I'm sure, considering the phone conversation I had with him, oh, three hours ago."
The aide grimaces at Josh, and Josh gives him a bright, sunny smile right back. "Wait a second, I know you," he says. "Julian Lodge, right? The lawyer."
"Ex-lawyer," Julian says through gritted teeth, and Josh never loses his grin.
"Right, right," and he flips through his day-planner like the life and times of Julian Lodge is written in indelible ink there. "Ex-Supreme Court clerk, ex-right wing whackjob --" and Julian stiffens in the seat across from him. Josh lifts his head and laughs through his teeth at the man, then looks back down at the planner. "Current Log Cabin Republican and, if the rumors are true, the current champion of self-loathing." He flicks the planner shut and leans back in his chair. "HR-362, huh?"
"Yes," Julian says through gritted teeth. His hands are curled into fists on top of the chair's arms. God, he's so green -- Josh could whip him at poker, at croquet, at politics. Josh is whipping him. The man couldn't bluff to save his life.
Josh has law school friends who clerked with Lodge at the Court, and he remembers the buzz when Lodge took the aide job with Skinner's office; everyone considered it his official "coming out" announcement, or as close as he would ever come to one. Congressman Matthew Skinner, R-OH, is a dedicated spokesman to the cause of gay rights, and Josh respects that, while simultaneously wishing the man would clam up and make his job a little easier. Josh has his suspicions about why Lodge would leave such a cushy job, one likely to catapult him straight to the top of whatever private-sector law firm he let wrap its tentacles around him, and those suspicions have everything to do with the fact that it's a-okay to be gay in Washington, so long as it's not a secret. Josh knows that rule by heart.