Trust, Truth, and Lies

[Jed is laying on one of the couches in the Oval Office, his hands
behind his head, in deep thought when Charlie steps into the room.]

CHARLIE
Excuse me, Mr. President. Mr. President. MR. PRESIDENT!

JED
Huh, wha…Oh, Charlie, I'm sorry, what were you saying?

[Jed sits up as Charlie walks closer to the couch.]

CHARLIE
Toby and CJ are here Mr. President.

JED
Okay, you can send them in Charlie.

[Charlie leaves as Jed puts his shoes back on and walks over to his
desk. Toby and CJ enter the room looking upset.]

JED
Ah, Toby, CJ. What's going on?

TOBY
Well sir, it seems last night there was a, uh, there was a situation
with, well with your daughter.

JED
Which one?

TOBY
Roni.

JED
Roni? Last night Roni went out on the town with the son of President
D'astier, of France.

TOBY
Yes.

JED
So what else happened?

TOBY
She beat him up.

JED
What?!

TOBY
Your daughter, Roni, beat up the son of France's Preisdent.

JED
Are you serious?

CJ
Unfortunately, sir, he is very serious. And might I just add that
the press already knows about this. Apparently, last night the
President's son had to go to the hospital with injuries inflicted
from your daughter. The doctors asked how he got the injuries and he told
them. Now, as it turns out, there was a reporter there at the
hospital, and he overheard the entire story. He just asked me about
it at my briefing, and so the entire press corps knows, and it won't
be long before the entire country knows.

JED
Oh come on CJ, you've got to be kidding me.

TOBY
I wish, because that would make my life a whole lot easier right now,
but we are not kidding you, sir.

JED
So what happened? What did Phillipe say happened, that Roni felt she
had to beat him up?

CJ
According to Phillipe D'astier, they were walking near the Potomac,
and he had just finished telling a joke. Roni didn't take well to
the type of joke he told, and so she beat him up.

JED
What type of joke?

CJ
That's what I don't know.

JED
Why don't you know?

CJ
Well, Jake, the reporter that got the story, he wanted to keep part
of it secret so that his paper would have an advantage that no one else
has.

JED
Where is Roni?

TOBY
She is in her room in the residence.

JED
Have you talked to her yet? Gotten her side of the story?

TOBY
No, sir. She isn't seeing anyone at this time, and refuses to come
to my office, or to CJ's office to help us untangle this mess.

JED
Okay, tell you what, I'm gonna go see her right now. I'm going to
find out what happened last night, how much of this, if any of it, is
true; then I'm going to bring her down to your office CJ, and you can
talk to her and figure out what to tell the press.

CJ and TOBY
Yes, sir.

[Minutes later, Jed shows up in the residence, and knocks on Roni's
door. She opens the door as Jed parades in and turns off the TV that
Roni had on.]

JED
What the hell happened last night?

RONI
Nothing happened last night.

JED
Don't give me that Roni, Toby and CJ were just in my office. There
is a story all over the news that you beat up Phillipe D'astier last
night.

RONI
Oh, that.

JED
Yes, that. What the hell did you think I meant? So tell me, is it
true? Did you beat him up?

RONI
Yep, I guess I did.

JED
Why? What the hell were you thinking last night, if you were
thinking at all. What possessed you to beat up the son of the President of
France?

RONI
I'd rather not say.

JED
You'd rather not say. I don't give a rat's *ss what you'd rather not
say. You're gonna tell me NOW why you beat him up. We are going to
sit down, and you are going to explain it to me. You are going to
keep explaining it to me until I understand, and then we are going
down to CJ's office, and you are going to explain it to her and Toby.
After that, I may make you get in front of the press and explain it
to them. And you can bet that I'm going to make you apologize to the
President of France, and to his son. And you just better hope that
none of this puts a strain on the relations between the two
countries. Now, start explaining.

RONI
Jed, trust me when I tell you, that I can't tell you. I will
apologize to the President, but that is it. I will not apologize to
his son, I will not talk to the press, or anything else you just said.

JED
Like hell you're not. You're gonna tell me now Roni. See the past
17 years, you haven't known me, you don't know what I am capable of.
The past few weeks, we have gotten to know each other, but to a very
limited point, but nonetheless, I am your father, and as such, I want
to know what happened last night.

RONI
Trust me when I tell you, you do not want to know what happened last
night.

JED
Why won't you tell me? I already know it has something to do with a
joke of some sort. He told you a joke, and you beat him up, or
that's what the nation will be reading tomorrow. The nation doesn't know,
hell, I don't even know you as well as I would like to, but that's
what they will be reading tomorrow unless you speak up. Is that how
you want people to think of you?

RONI
I could really care less what the nation thinks about me.

JED
Yes, well that may be, but you are not the only one who is going to
get hurt by all of this.

RONI
You do what you have to do, and I'll do what I have to do.

JED
Roni, just tell me.

RONI
I'm sorry Mr. President, but I cannot do that. If you like, I will
apologize to the President of France, but that's all. If you want I
can leave DC so that I don't cause you any more problems. I can go
stay with a friend…..

JED
No, you're not leaving. I just found out you still exist, I'm not
loosing you now.

RONI
Then respect my wishes, and trust that I am using my best judgement
in not telling you what happened. You may not have been the one to
raise me, but know that I was raised, to some degree, by people who have
good values, and who tried to instill those values in me. Just know
that it had nothing to do with a joke.

JED
Fine, I will respect your wishes, for now. But I'm telling you now,
if the only thing we offer in your defense is that it wasn't about a
joke, no one is going to believe us.

RONI
Be that as it may. I'm a strong person, I can take whatever they
dish out.

JED
You're wrong, but Abbey and I will be here for you to help you out.

RONI
Thanks, that means the world, even if you don't realize it.