For Lack of Better Words
by: Rhiannon & AJ
Disclaimer: We'll give the pretty toys back ... we promise...
President Jed Bartlet sat in the Oval Office, wadding through the mountains
of paper work that had piled up on his desk. Most of this was stuff he had
put off until the last moment ... and now it was biting him in his butt.
It was like his mother always told him, procrastination was not his friend...
But it did make for a nice acquaintance sometimes.
"Sir, you busy?"
Jed looked up to see Leo sticking his head through the open doorway, "Just
thinking of various ways to poke my eyes out instead of finishing this crap."
Leo walked further into the room, "You haven't finished that yet?"
"No, I haven't finished that yet." Jed mimicked his friend. "Does it look
like I've finished it yet?"
"It looks like you're being a smartass to me sir," Leo replied.
"That was said with all due respect to the big seal on my carpet, I would
assume."
"Of course, sir." Leo replied with innocent eyes. "And, if you don't mind me
saying so-"
"And I do."
"You should have learned by now that procrastination is not your friend." Leo
finished as if he had never been interrupted.
"You have spent entirely too much time around my mother, you know that?" Jed
looked at him with mock irritation.
"Whatever."
"Did you have a point to this visit? Or was the purpose of it solely to be a
pain in my butt?"
"A little of both, actually." Leo replied. "Actually I-"
Mrs. Landingham chose that moment to walk into the Oval Office, "Mr.
President?"
"Yes, Mrs. Landingham?"
"I have a note here..." Mrs. Landingham paused for a moment. She had seen and
heard a lot of things in her years at the White House ... but this took the
cake. "And you're going to want to read it now."
"Fine," Jed replied, holding out his hand.
Mrs. Landingham handed him the note and then hurried back to the doorway,
where she hovered with Charlie. Leo stood in his spot, waiting to see if the
note was going to cause him more work.
The trio watched as Jed's face did an eclectic dance of expression. First of
interest ... then of incredulousness ... then shock ... the dismay ... and
then anger, "I'm going to kill her."
Leo glanced back at Charlie and Mrs. Landingham and then back at his
President, "Sir?"
"I'm really going to kill her." Jed repeated, still staring at the note.
"Sir?"
Jed looked over at Leo and then back at the note, "Would you care to hear
this little quote, Leo?"
"Please."
"You're country's current policy towards children literacy is completely
inept. It is dated back in the dark ages. No wonder you guys are too stupid
to fix the problem, you probably can't read what it is!" Jed read from the
slip of paper.
"What country was this said about?" Leo asked.
"Switzerland." Jed replied.
"And ... who said this?"
Jed tilted his head to the side, "My wife, Leo."
TBC...