What Are Friends For?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="03fc8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B>Another 'Mark Story' , but doesn't exist in the same universe as the others. </B></div> <div> <B>It's Donna's birthday and Josh has apparently forgotten all about it. </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Smiles, Tears, & Happy Endings</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smiles, Tears, Happy Endings"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brandys Stories"><U>Brandy's Stories</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Other Side"><U>The Other Side</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getaway"><U>Getaway</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Deserved Recognition"><U>Deserved Recognition</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The End of These Days"><U>The End of These Days</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving On"><U>Moving On</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lessons Learned Shared"><U>Lessons- Learned & Shared</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="So, I Had This Dream..."><U>So, I Had This Dream...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id214.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Perfect Plan"><U>The Perfect Plan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell"><U>The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Whole New Story"><U>A Whole New Story</U></A>   |   <B>What Are Friends For? </B>   |   <A HREF="id218.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Walking The Wire"><U>Walking The Wire</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id219.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Foreshadowing, Omens Evidence of Other "><U>Foreshadowing, Omens & Evidence of Other Things in the Wind</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id222.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Up Against the Wall"><U>Up Against the Wall</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id223.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Sum Of My Fears"><U>The Sum Of My Fears</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id220.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Dance"><U>Our Dance</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shes Got a Way"><U>She's Got a Way</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Take My Hand"><U>Take My Hand</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May Perspective"><U>May Perspective</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How Bad Can It Get"><U>How Bad Can It Get</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id181.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Small Mistakes"><U>Small Mistakes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id182.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightcaps"><U>Nightcaps</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id183.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crazy Boys"><U>Crazy Boys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id184.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Need For Comfort"><U>A Need For Comfort</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Looking Back"><U>Looking Back</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Nature of Family"><U>The Nature of Family</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wistful Thoughts On A Snowy Night"><U>Wistful Thoughts On A Snowy Night</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Good Brother/Son/Friend"><U>A Good Brother/Son/Friend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id111.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="When All Else Fails"><U>When All Else Fails</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Someone Like You"><U>Someone Like You</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id213.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Wish For My Friend"><U>A Wish For My Friend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Unspoken"><U>Unspoken</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Brief Glimpse"><U>A Brief Glimpse</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id190.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sanctuary"><U>Sanctuary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id191.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contemplation"><U>Contemplation</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dirty Work"><U>Dirty Work</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id193.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Precious Moments"><U>Precious Moments</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Almost Normal"><U>Almost Normal</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id195.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Never Enough"><U>Never Enough</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The World According To Mark..."><U>The World According To Mark...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart Cards, Flowers Sweet Stuff"><U>Heart Cards, Flowers & Sweet Stuff</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id185.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Amazed"><U>Amazed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Last Call of the Night"><U>Last Call of the Night</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Fortuitous Visitor"><U>The Fortuitous Visitor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Loose Ends"><U>Loose Ends</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id225.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TeaSympathy Under the Mistletoe"><U>Tea&Sympathy Under the Mistletoe</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id229.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Not So Much Looking Good As Being Good"><U>Not So Much Looking Good As Being Good</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id230.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Moment of Truth"><U>The Moment of Truth</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Control Choices"><U>Control & Choices</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Anniversaries AdoAnnie"><U>Anniversaries & Ado-Annie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The NonOccasion Occasion"><U>The Non-Occasion Occasion</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Interlude"><U>Interlude</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Misdirection Understatement"><U>Misdirection & Understatement</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meeting, Damn Depositions Rules"><U>Meeting, Damn Depositions & Rules</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Realizations Revelations"><U>Realizations &Revelations</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Liberating Quality"><U>A Liberating Quality</U></A></div> <div> What Are Friends For? </div> <div> by Brandy</div> <bR> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <bR> <bR> <div>    Donna was eyeball deep in paperwork on the new budget projections when she noticed a shadow hovering over her desk. Looking up- expecting to see Josh’s impatient self hanging over her- she was somewhat surprised to see Amy standing there. ‘Didn’t the woman ever think to pick up the phone and request some time with Josh?’, Donna thought irritably. ‘Did she just have to appear in the bullpen, like the veritable bad penny?’</div> <bR> <div>   " Hi Amy… Can I help you?" Donna asked, pasting on her best patiently cordial and professional face. </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah- is Josh free?" Amy asked, her expression mirroring Donna’s, although  Donna couldn’t help but notice the trace of smug satisfaction beneath her artificial smile. </div> <bR> <div>   Donna’s immediate, yet unspoken, response was, ’No! No! No! He is not free for you. Not now- not ever!’  Of course, she couldn’t actually say that. So, without a moments hesitation, she turned to Josh’s calendar, and taking just a bit more time than was absolutely necessary, consulted his appointments for the day.  </div> <div>   " Hmmm… well, unfortunately he’s got a conference call scheduled for right now. Is there something I can help you with?" Donna asked, knowing full well that Josh was, in fact, not on a conference call, because it had been rescheduled. Of course, it was still listed in his appointment book, but only because she hadn’t had the chance to change it yet. Amy, however, had no way of knowing that, Donna thought with her own smug little inner-smile. </div> <div>   </div> <div>   " That’s okay, I’ll just see if I can grab him later," Amy replied, with a little smirk, and turned to leave. </div> <bR> <div>   As fate- or rather bad luck- would have it, Josh chose that exact moment to open the door to his office and in a petulant and slightly irritating whine say, " Donna- I’m sitting here with absolutely nothing to do! Do you have those projections ready for me to look at yet?" </div> <bR> <div>   Donna noticed that the sound of Josh’s voice had caused  Amy to halt her retreat. Unable to help herself, Donna shot an irritated and slightly defeated look over her shoulder at Josh and said, " Five minutes." </div> <bR> <div>  When she looked back in Amy’s direction, it was to see her retrace her steps with a smug little smile, and as she passed Donna’s desk paused just long enough to say,  "Looks like later turns out to be now." </div> <bR> <div> Donna, fuming with annoyance,  heard Amy say, " Come on Josh, you can talk to me while you wait." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna was somewhat pleased to hear Josh respond in a rather impatient and distracted voice, " What do you need, Amy? I’m kind of busy here…" </div> <bR> <div>   " Nonsense. You have at least five minutes before Donna gives you something to do, and I have a very attractive offer for you," Amy replied with an almost feline purr as she sailed past Josh into his office and took a seat. </div> <bR> <div>   Donna glanced back to see Josh lingering in his doorway and when their eyes met, he asked, " Five minutes?" </div> <bR> <div>   At her nod, he sighed and said, " Okay. Bring the stuff as soon as you have it ready. Even if it’s sooner…Okay?" </div> <bR> <div>   With a rueful sigh and a little smile, Donna said " Okay. I will." </div> <bR> <div>   She felt at little bit better at the plaintive quality in Josh’s tone. At least until she saw him go inside and shut the door to his office. Then she felt distinctly like kicking something. Something resembling Amy. </div> <bR> <div>    Three minutes later, just as Donna was about to go into Josh’s office with the budget projection file, Amy came sailing out looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. Although she wasn’t about to ask what had put that look on Amy’s face, she knew without a doubt it was not a good sign. With barely a glance at Josh, Donna dropped the file she was holding on Josh’s desk, then did a quick about-face  to leave. Just as she was about to step out of his office and back into the bullpen Josh’s voice stopped her. </div> <bR> <div>   " You’re not even curious?" </div> <bR> <div> Turning and cocking an eyebrow at him, she asked " About what?" </div> <bR> <div>  " What Amy wanted…aren’t you curious?" </div> <bR> <div>  With a put upon sigh, Donna crossed her arms in front of her, and leaning in the doorway,  said, "Okay, Josh - I’ll play. What did Amy want?" </div> <bR> <div>   " She wanted to have dinner with me tonight." </div> <bR> <div>   " Tonight?" Donna asked her eyes narrowing just a bit. </div> <bR> <div>   " Yep." Josh  replied, the tiniest hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. It was very fleeting, and Donna wasn’t entirely sure she had seen it, but it irritated her all the same. </div> <bR> <div>   " Fine. Good for you," she said as she once again turned to leave. </div> <bR> <div>   " Don’t you want to know why?" he asked, halting her in her tracks once again. </div> <bR> <div>   She turned a bit, and giving him a withering glare over her shoulder replied, " I think we all know why." </div> <bR> <div>   This time Donna was positive she saw a satisfied little smirk on his lips. ‘Insufferable peacock!’, she thought, ’ It doesn’t matter what kind of female attention he gets- as long as he’s getting it.’ </div> <bR> <div>   " Does that bother you?" he asked. </div> <bR> <div>   " Why on earth should your protracted lapses in judgment bother me?" </div> <bR> <div>   " What’s that supposed to mean?" Josh asked, his brows arched in question and a trace of amusement. </div> <bR> <div>   " If you don’t know- well… that’s your problem." Donna replied, punctuating her parting words with the slamming of his door behind her. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>    Donna returned to her desk, and slumping into her chair with a sigh, she couldn’t help but wish she hadn’t let anger, frustration and hurt feelings lower her guard- even slightly. She had resolved not to let Amy’s return get to her. She had resolved to  let things between her and Josh- whatever those things were- play out naturally. If the signs and signals and glimpses of something more that she had started to notice on Inauguration night were really there- really real- then they it would all work out in time. Of course that was before Amy had gotten herself hired as Mrs. Bartlet’s Chief of Staff.  Since Amy  had taken the job, Donna had been waiting, with an ever-growing sense of doom, for Amy to begin to circle her wagons around Josh again. For weeks- nothing. Then, finally- when Donna was starting to relax and think that maybe she had been foolish to worry about Amy- she waltzes into Josh’s office and stirs it all up again. </div> <div>   </div> <div> Today. </div> <bR> <div>  She asked him out for dinner today. </div> <bR> <div> Today, of all days. </div> <bR> <div> Her birthday.</div> <bR> <div>  Her 30th birthday. </div> <bR> <div>  Her 30th birthday that Josh had completely forgotten about. </div> <bR> <div>  That’s right- forgot. Completely. No flowers. No card. Not even a  "Happy birthday, Donna." </div> <bR> <div>  Nothing. Zilch. </div> <bR> <div>  " Man of occasion, my ass…" she grumbled under her breath as she began to straighten her desk with a vigor that wasn’t exactly necessary. </div> <bR> <div>   When the phone rang, she snapped it up impatiently, and in a clipped and barely civil voice, said, " Josh Lyman’s office." </div> <bR> <div>   " There it is- there’s the cheery, uplifting tones of my favorite birthday girl," the man on the other end of the phone responded, undeterred by her surly greeting. </div> <bR> <div>   " Mark?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah- you  were expecting someone else? Your worst enemy perhaps?" Mark replied, chuckling a bit. </div> <bR> <div>   " No- she just left," Donna muttered ruefully. </div> <bR> <div>   " What was that? I didn’t catch that…" Mark said. Although Donna had a feeling Mark had understood her all too well. She had talked with him a few weeks before about the futility of trying to deny her feelings for Josh and the glimmer of hope that she had that he was finally ready to acknowledge his own feelings for her. Mark had encouraged her to follow her heart- even though he said Josh was a blind, risk-taking, idiot for not letting Donna know he cared for her sooner.   </div> <div>   " What’s the matter, kiddo? The world not quite spinning along on greased  grooves today?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Do you live for understatement, Mark- or are you just putting out special effort for me?"  </div> <bR> <div>   " Anything for my birthday girl. So- who’s raining on your  parade? Josh?" </div> <bR> <div>   " I don’t want to talk about it right now. So… why’d you call?" Donna asked, wanting desperately to change the subject. </div> <div>   </div> <div>   " Well- I thought I’d take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate the first step of your descent into advanced age and wisdom. Unless you have other plans , that is…" </div> <bR> <div>   Donna smiled, in spite of herself, " Mark, you do remember that you’re six years older than me and  women are sometimes sensitive about turning thirty… You recall that, don’t you?" </div> <bR> <div>   " I’m not sure. You know how forgetful old men like me can be, don’t you?" he replied with laughter in his voice. </div> <div>   Donna shook her head, thinking that Mark was probably the only person that could cheer her up given her current mood. Well.. That wasn’t entirely true, he wasn’t the only one-  but that other person was currently contributing to her bad mood. </div> <bR> <div>   " Smart-ass.," she shot back with a grin. </div> <bR> <div>  " Are you going to  insult me, or are you going to give me an answer to my very  kind dinner invitation?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Can’t I do both? It is my birthday, after all," Donna countered, trying valiantly to take advantage of  Mark’s attempts to brighten her day. </div> <bR> <div>   " Whatever you wish- like you said, it’s your birthday." </div> <bR> <div>   " Where are you taking me?" Donna asked, unable to suppress the wish that Josh were the one taking her out to dinner. </div> <bR> <div>   " Wherever you want. Consider me your birthday genie- with an unlimited number of wishes." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna smiles at the mental image of Mark appearing on a trail of vapor out of a brass lantern, a jeweled turban on his head. </div> <div>   </div> <div>   " Unlimited wishes, huh?" </div> <bR> <div>   " You bet." </div> <bR> <div>   " Hmmm… how are you at making people disappear?"  Donna asked, unable to keep the wistful tone out of her voice. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> *****************TBC*********** </div> <bR> <div>   Part 2~</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   It was close to seven that evening and Donna was doing her best not to feel overly sorry for herself, but it wasn’t easy. Truth be told, despite Mark’s very nice dinner invitation, and despite the lovely lunch that CJ, Margaret, Bonnie and Ginger had taken her to, along with their combined gift of a full day of pampering at a nearby spa, she was still terribly depressed. She couldn’t believe that Josh had completely forgotten her birthday. He had never done that before. Even when she left the campaign that first year, to foolishly return to a life better left behind, she had received a card from Josh. A ridiculously silly card with a sad monkey on the front and beneath the funny birthday greeting inside was a message from Josh - ‘ We miss you.’ They had barely known each other then, and he remembered. How could he forget now, after all they had been through? After all she thought they had come to mean to each other, and everything they might be on the brink of… Wondering about it just made her feel worse. </div> <bR> <div>    She really should be used to it, Donna thought- the miserable birthdays, that is. It was apparently some sort of weird and twisted curse associated with being born on March thirty-first, one minute before midnight. That’s right, she was very nearly born on April Fool’s day. One minute later, and she would have had to endure all the associated jokes and pranks on her birthday. It was one of the main reasons that very few people knew exactly when she was born. Oddly enough, one of those  rare few who did know was Josh.  They had been talking and laughing over some particularly audacious April Fool’s pranks one night and Donna had confided how close she had come to have a birthday on that day. </div> <bR> <div>   " Hey- what’s the matter with you?" </div> <bR> <div>   Donna looked up to see Josh, standing in the doorway of her cubicle and regarding her with a concerned look. </div> <bR> <div>   " Nothing," Donna replied, refusing to meet his eyes. </div> <bR> <div>   " It doesn’t look like ‘nothing’ from where I’m standing." Josh countered. </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, looks can be deceiving. You should know that by now, Josh." </div> <bR> <div>  He watched as Donna continued fiddling with things on and around her desk, doing her level best to avoid looking at him. Deciding to change tactics, he asked, " So what are you doing tonight?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Why?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Just curious… so, do you have any plans?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Again- why? Because if you’re trying to think of some way to chain me to my desk for the duration of the evening, you can just forget it. I have plans. Dinner plans. Plans I intend to keep." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna delivered her little speech without once turning around to look at Josh. A fact that didn’t escape his notice. He didn’t need to see her face to know she was upset though. He could hear the irritation in her voice- and something else. Hurt, maybe? Yes, most definitely hurt, he realized, immediately feeling guilty. So guilty, in fact, that he almost gave in to the temptation to tell her that yes, she was right, things weren’t exactly as they seemed. But he didn’t cave. He had a plan. A plan he was determined to see through. He just wished they could get to the part of the evening when she would stop thinking he was an insensitive jackass who forgot her birthday. Of course, if he hadn’t made her think that he was going out with Amy tonight they might already be enjoying that portion of the evening. As it stood, he was going to have to wait in line to make amends. </div> <bR> <div>   Realizing she was waiting for him to say something, he gathered his strength and stayed on course. </div> <bR> <div>   " I wasn’t trying to do that… really. I was just curious, that’s all," he said. </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, now you know. I have plans," she muttered. </div> <bR> <div>   " Okay… well, in that case, why don’t you call it a night. There’s not that much left to do, and I can handle it. I’m cutting out of here soon  myself." </div> <div>  </div> <div> At Josh’s offer, Donna turned slightly, looking at him for the first time since their conversation began. Her mouth relaxed a little from the grim expression she had been wearing for most of the afternoon as she looked at him. Not a smile, really- but not the unhappy expression of earlier either. Then, suddenly her eyes narrowed a bit and her lips pressed into a firm line and she said,  " That’s right. I forgot. You have plans yourself this evening. For a minute I thought… never mind. I’ll be going then." </div> <bR> <div>   Josh stood there for a moment longer, watching as she shut off her computer and gathered her things together. He knew what she was referring to- his supposed dinner date with Amy . Of course he had no one to blame but himself for that assumption on her part. Once again he was tempted to set her straight- but he had started this and he was going to see it through- even if it killed him. </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah… right. I do have plans. Have a nice night, Donna." </div> <bR> <div>   " You too," she said with a distinct lack of sincerity, but he had already walked back into his office and shut the door. </div> <bR> <div> ~~~~~~~</div> <bR> <div>    Mark picked Donna up at her apartment at eight-thirty. He had a lovely bouquet of pink roses for her, which he helped her arrange in a vase before they left. He then informed her that they were going to her favorite Italian restaurant for a long leisurely dinner. Donna did her best to put on a happy face for Mark, and try to really enjoy the evening , but it was harder than she thought it would be. All through dinner she alternated between kicking herself for letting something like the absence of anything at all from Josh lay her so low, and giving in to the depression she felt. Despite her many attempts to cover it , Mark picked up on her mood. She had known he would- it was pointless to try to put anything over on him. As they finished the last of their wine, Mark decided to take the bull by the horns and get her to talk about it. </div> <bR> <div> " Donna, what’s bothering you? Because I know you better than to believe that your birthday has you this depressed." </div> <bR> <div>   " Who’s depressed?" Donna replied in her best wide-eyed, innocent, cheery voice.</div> <bR> <div>   " You are, that’s who. You’re trying valiantly to cover it- and it might work with someone else, but not me. Now what is it? Josh? Did you two have a fight or something?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Or something…" Donna hedged as she finished her glass of wine and poured another half a glass. </div> <bR> <div>  Mark snatched the bottle and moved it to his side of the table. " Please go on. I’m intrigued." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well… you remember that movie we watched that night you cooked for me?" Donna asked. </div> <bR> <div>   " The last time?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah- and you picked the menu so I picked the movie." </div> <bR> <div>   " Right. I remember. It was about that girl who had that ridiculous theory about men, relationships and cows. You also kept saying I look like that guy… the guy she hates in the beginning but falls for in the end. What was his name?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Hugh Jackman- and you do look a lot like him," Donna replied. </div> <bR> <div>  " Whatever… what about it?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, lets just say that Josh has gone back to his ‘old cow’." </div> <bR> <div>  " His ‘old cow’? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" </div> <bR> <div>   " You remember. The one he had already tried and failed with. His old cow- Amy." </div> <bR> <div>   At that comment, Mark rolled his eyes in disbelief and not only moved the wine bottle away from Donna, but took the glass out of her hand as well. </div> <bR> <div>   " That’s enough wine for you. You’re obviously drunk . I never thought I’d see the day when Donnatella Moss couldn’t hold her liquor." </div> <bR> <div>   " I came to that conclusion when I was perfectly sober, thank you. Now give me my wine back," Donna declared, making a grab for her glass. Mark was a little quicker though, and outmaneuvered her. </div> <div>  </div> <div>   " Well, in that case, you’ve lost your mind and shouldn’t be drinking in the first place," Mark replied. </div> <bR> <div>  " I’m completely lucid. What’s more, I have proof." </div> <bR> <div>   " Proof? What proof?" Mark asked. </div> <bR> <div>   " Amy asked him out this evening." </div> <bR> <div>   " And….?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Well, he obviously agreed to go out with her," she replied, looking at him as though he had suddenly become stupid. </div> <bR> <div>   " And that’s your incontrovertible proof ?" </div> <bR> <div>   " That, and the fact that he is apparently so besotted with that she-devil that he completely and totally forgot my birthday- something he has never done since we’ve known one another." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, technically speaking it’s not officially your birthday yet," Mark replied, with a hint of a grin. </div> <bR> <div>   " Don’t start that with me, Mark. Besides, if he had some plan to … it doesn’t matter. He’s with Amy, and that’s that." </div> <bR> <div>   Mark sighed heavily, and then glanced at his watch, then quickly back at Donna. It was getting late, and he still had something of his own to do. Signaling to the waiter, he waited until he approached the table, then reached over and took Donna’s hand. </div> <bR> <div>   " I think you’re jumping to conclusions, but I can see that right now you don’t want to hear that." </div> <bR> <div>   " I’m not, Mark… I’m just tired of wishing that things would work out like I want them to, and… I really thought that this time it was different. I thought we were finally at the same place, but… " </div> <div>  </div> <div>   " Listen, don’t think about it right now. Right now, you have at least one wish to think about, and you should be in the proper frame of mind when you make that wish," he said as the waiter approached the table. The waiter placed a beautiful confection of chocolate, raspberries and cream, surrounded by a delicate cage of spun sugar in front of her. A single candle adorned the top. Donna couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it. </div> <bR> <div>   " Happy birthday, Donna," </div> <bR> <div>  " Thank you…  this is too pretty to eat," Donna said, pointing to the elaborate little cake. </div> <bR> <div>  "  Make your wish first- then see if you can resist taking a bite. Remember though- make sure it’s what you want more than anything. This is a magic cake, guaranteed to grant your wishes." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna gave him a look that clearly showed how little faith she had in magic and wishes at the moment, and then with a shrug that said, ‘what the hell’, she closed her eyes and blew out the candle.  When she opened them again, she saw a square flat black velvet box on the table between them. Arching a brow in question, Donna looked from the box to Mark. </div> <bR> <div>   " I know it’s not what you wished for, but it’s something I want you to have. Go ahead and open it," Mark said. </div> <bR> <div>   Donna opened the box to reveal an exquisitely delicate gold chain, and hanging from it was a pendant that looked vaguely familiar. Etched into the front of the pendant in intricate detail was the Celtic Circle of Life. </div> <div> " It’s beautiful , Mark. Thank you." </div> <bR> <div> " You’re welcome… there’s an inscription on the back." </div> <bR> <div> Donna turned the pendant over and read the inscription aloud. </div> <bR> <div>   " With faith, love and hope, all things are possible." </div> <bR> <div>   " That was Samantha’s ultimate philosophy. She truly believed that- and you should too," Mark said, with a tender smile referring to his sister who had died so suddenly when Mark was in high school. </div> <bR> <div>   Suddenly Donna remembered why the pendant had looked so familiar to her. It was Samantha’s. </div> <bR> <div>   " Mark, I can’t… you can’t give this away… it was.. It belongs to-" </div> <bR> <div>   " It belongs to you now. Samantha would approve and it’s the way I want it. Maybe it will prove to be good luck for you …or a talisman of courage if you allow it," Mark stated with a bit of smile and a somewhat pointed look at Donna. </div> <bR> <div>   " Courage, huh?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Yeah… courage to allow you to take a chance- to let your heart’s desire be revealed. Put it all on the line. No games. No doublespeak. No mixed messages. Allow your wish to come true." </div> <bR> <div>   " What makes you think you know what I wished for?" Donna asked, her voice trembling a little. </div> <bR> <div>   " Because I do. I know everything," he said the last part with a teasing smirk. </div> <bR> <div>   " Well… how can I possibly argue with that?" Donna replied with a smile. </div> <bR> <div>   " You can’t. Now eat your cake. You still have a little of your birthday left- or a very short time before it’s actually your birthday and I have to tell you something." </div> <bR> <div>   " What?" Donna asked, her fork poised over her cake.</div> <bR> <div>   " I’m going away for a while." </div> <bR> <div>   " Away? Where?" </div> <bR> <div>  " Canada for a while. A month or so in Europe, and a month or so in Mexico after that." </div> <bR> <div>   " Oh… that long," Donna said, placing the fork with deliberate care beside the plate, not taking her eyes from the snowy white tablecloth. </div> <bR> <div>   " Donna, I didn’t want to tell you tonight, but something came up at the last minute and I wanted to have a chance to say goodbye before I left." </div> <bR> <div>   " That’s okay. I understand… So, I guess this means new business for your company." </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah.  You know it’s been in the works for a while- then suddenly everything came together, and now I’ve got to be  at the various sites to ensure they get set up correctly. I’m going to miss you, if that helps any…" Mark said the last part with a conciliatory smile. </div> <bR> <div>   " I’ll miss you too," Donna replied, trying her best to return his smile, but knowing she wasn’t doing a very good job. She couldn’t help but think that this was the absolute perfect ending to a truly awful birthday. This one would definitely top the list of the all time worst birthdays. Right up there with getting in a car accident and being stood up by your supposed boyfriend. Suddenly all she really wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed and forget all about birthdays and everything else that had disappointed her recently. </div> <bR> <div>    " You know what, I think I’ll take my cake home, if it’s alright with you. I’m feeling kind of tired."</div> <bR> <div>   Mark gave her an apologetic look. He knew that he had played his own part in making her day worse, but the truth was he had to go away, and she had to stop  relying on him as a reason not to take a chance on what she really needed to make her happy.</div> <bR> <div>   " Sure. I’ll have the waiter wrap it up for you and I’ll take you home." </div> <bR> <bR> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <bR> <div>    Mark and Donna stood on the front steps of her building as Mark waited for her to get her keys out of her bag. When she found them he handed her the box containing her birthday cake, and pulled her into his arms for a hug. </div> <bR> <div>   " Donna, promise me that you’ll remember what I said. I really want you to be happy." </div> <bR> <div>   " I will… I mean, I’ll try," she said, unable to stop the tears that were brimming in her eyes. </div> <bR> <div>   " Good enough, I guess," he said, giving her a brotherly kiss on the forehead. </div> <div>   " I don’t know what I’ll do without you for almost three months. Who am I going to go to when I need cheering up- not to mention great shrimp scampi?" Donna asked with a little pout. </div> <bR> <div>   " I think you’ll be able to manage without my scampi for awhile, and maybe you’ll find someone better to cheer you up. You never know… Be well, birthday girl. I‘ll call you, " Mark said as he walked down her steps to the sidewalk below. </div> <bR> <div>   Determined to end their night on a light note, Donna glanced at her watch and said, " Not for another five minutes- officially, that is." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well then you better hurry, there’s not much magic left. You better go grab it." he yelled over his shoulder as he walked to his car with a last wave back at her. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>     As soon as Mark turned the corner, the smile fell from Donna’s face. There was no longer any reason to keep up the pretense of happiness, and with a heavy heart she walked the remaining steps to her door. She stopped just as she was about to put the key in the lock. There was a bright blue envelope taped to her front door with the words ‘Open Me Please’ written on the front. Confusion creasing her brow, Donna pulled the envelope off the door and did as instructed. Inside the envelope was a card. On the front of the card was a ridiculous, yet curiously familiar sad looking monkey sitting on a stool wearing a dunce cap. Inside the card were the words,  ’I’ve been bad…. I made you sad. If you forgive me , I’ll be very glad.’</div> <div> No signature, but there was no mistaking the penmanship. Well, he may have forgotten her birthday, but at least he wasn’t so oblivious that he was beyond realizing that he had hurt her feeling in some way. Slipping her key in the door, she speculated that it would probably be next year’s birthday before he figured out what the exact nature of his oversight had been . Dropping her keys into her bag, she turned the corner from her front hall into the living room and was stopped in her tracks by the sight before her. </div> <bR> <div>   Tiny white lights were hung from the center of the ceiling into each corner of the living room. Flowers filled virtually every corner of the room and every available inch of table space. There was champagne chilling in an ice bucket on the coffee table, along with two glasses and a box of her favorite chocolates  next to it.  In the middle of the table a single white candle was burning. Finally her eyes settled on the doorway leading from the living room into the kitchen. Leaning in the open doorway, a hesitant smile on his face, was Josh. </div> <bR> <div>   Unable to move from where she stood, Donna just stared at Josh in confusion and wonder. </div> <div>    " How…why… I don’t understand," she said, finally giving voice to her confusion. </div> <bR> <div>   " How? Well, you gave me a key a long time- remember? As far as why… Did you really think I would forget your birthday?" </div> <bR> <div>   Donna stood there, flabbergasted that he could ask her that. What was she supposed to think? All day long … nothing. Now this. And what about Amy?</div> <bR> <div>   " What about your date with Amy?" Donna asked, irritation, anger and not a little hurt in her voice. </div> <bR> <div>   " I never had a date with Amy. You just assumed I did," Josh replied, remaining where he was by the kitchen door. He thought it might be prudent to keep a little distance until he had a chance to explain. </div> <bR> <div>   " An assumption you fostered!  Why? Why do you let me think… why?" Donna asked, confused , angry and slightly hopeful all at the same time. </div> <bR> <div>   Shame and guilt colored Josh’s face for a minute and finally he took a few steps away from where he was standing and said, " I’m sorry… I … I had this moment where I needed to confirm my hopes in some way. I thought if I could make you jealous… I mean if you acted like you were jealous of Amy making a play for me, than that meant that…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. " It was stupid  and I’m sorry." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna took a few steps into the room, needing to be a little closer to  Josh when she asked , " What would it mean, Josh?" </div> <bR> <div>   " That maybe you … cared about me…like I care about you," he replied, walking a little closer to her. </div> <bR> <div>   " And how is that?" she asked, almost closing the distance between them. They were standing a mere arm’s length apart now. </div> <bR> <div>   Josh looked into Donna’s eyes and taking a deep breath for an ounce of  last minute courage, he said,  "I’m crazy about you. I think I always have been. I’ve been stupid and foolish, and I risked everything I wanted by being afraid to tell you. To take the chance that you might…" he trailed off looking down at the floor. </div> <bR> <div>   Donna watched, tears gathering in her eyes as Josh  poured his heart out to her, and realized that they had both been stupid and foolish and scared, but no longer. If Josh was brave enough to bare his heart than she would be no less brave. Closing the short distance between them, Donna placed her hands on his shoulders, and waited until he looked into her eyes once more. </div> <bR> <div>   When he did, she smiled softly and said, " That I might be crazy about you too. That I’ve waited and hoped and prayed that one day we might be in a place and time when I could tell you to your face everything I whispered over you when you  were sleeping in the hospital after you were shot. Things I’ve dreamed of telling you countless times since. Is that what you  were taking a chance on?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Yes. Do you still? Feel all those things, I mean?" Josh asked, still a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.</div> <bR> <div>   " I think you know the answer to that." </div> <bR> <div>   " I think I do- but it would be nice to hear it."</div> <bR> <div>   " But it’s my birthday, and if anyone’s going to hear the words first, it should be me. You owe me that, Josh- especially after today," she countered with a bit of a grin. </div> <bR> <div>   " You’re right… I love you, Donna… oh- and happy birthday," he said giving her a brief but very meaningful kiss. </div> <bR> <div>   " I love you too, and thank you… finally," she said, giving him a little pinch. He smiled even as he was rubbing his arm. </div> <bR> <div>   " I had planned to do this sooner, then I overheard you making dinner plans with Mark. I called him and tried to get him to cancel- but he told me about going out of town, and then he asked what was wrong with you- what had you so upset. I told him about Amy coming by and one thing led to another," he said as they walked over to the sofa and sat down. Josh  reached over and picking up the champagne, began to open it. </div> <bR> <div>   " Did you tell Mark what you were planning?" she asked as she held out her glass for Josh to fill. </div> <bR> <div>   " Not really. Only that I was planning on making it up to you, and that I had not forgotten your birthday- all evidence to the contrary." </div> <bR> <div>   " What did he say to that?" </div> <bR> <div>   " He told me I was stupid to taunt you with Amy- that it wasn’t the first stupid thing I had done and that I should suffer for a little while. He also said something about breaking my legs if I screwed this up, but I wasn’t really paying attention…" he said with an arrogant little grin. </div> <bR> <div>   " You really should- he’s bigger than you. He could definitely take you," Donna said with a wicked grin. </div> <bR> <div>   " But I don’t intend to screw up- so it doesn’t matter." </div> <bR> <div>   " We’ll see… by the way, I have to ask. If you didn’t agree to go out with Amy, why did she walk out of your office looking so smug? She looked like she had gotten just what she wanted." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, in a manner of speaking she did," Josh said, putting his arm around Donna as he settled back on the sofa next to her. He was relishing the absolute freedom and joy of being close to her and having everything finally understood between them. </div> <bR> <div>   " What does that mean?" Donna asked, turning in his arms a little so that she could look into his eyes. </div> <bR> <div>   " It means that she always suspected  I had feelings for you. Today she got her suspicion confirmed. Seems as though winning and being right were more important to her than me- but then I always suspected that." </div> <bR> <div>   Donna laughed at that, and was just settling back into Josh’s arms when her phone rang. Donna reached across Josh and picked it up. </div> <bR> <div>   " Hello." </div> <bR> <div>  " Is he there?" It was Mark. </div> <bR> <div>   " Yes. Mr. Cupid. I assume this is what you were referring to when you were babbling about birthday magic?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Something like that… I was going to wait and call in the morning, but curiosity got the better of me. I figured if I called now that you two would have had the time to get things straight- but before I interrupted anything."</div> <bR> <div>   " Assuming I would answer the phone under those circumstances," Donna replied with laughter. </div> <bR> <div>   " Okay, now I’m going to wonder what you’re doing every time your machine picks up- and I really didn’t want to have that in my head." </div> <bR> <div>   " Sorry," Donna said laughing. " Oh.. .Mark?"</div> <div>   </div> <div>   " Yeah?" </div> <bR> <div>   " Thanks for helping my wish come true," Donna said as she touched the pendant around her neck that Mark had given her. </div> <bR> <div>   " No problem, kiddo. After all, that’s what friends are for." </div> <bR> <div>   They hung up a few minutes later after they had promised to call and email each other often while he was gone.  Donna turned to Josh then and snuggling into his warm embrace, she realized that wishes and dreams really do come true. After all, wasn’t she basking in the joy of the very thing she had wished for. The strength to tell Josh she loved him and have him love her in return. It was true- with hope, faith and love- all things were possible. </div> <div>     ~The End~</div> <div>   </div> <bR> <div>   </div> <bR> <div>   </div> <div>   </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>   </div> <bR> <div>   </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>