Aimee is at home and picks up the phone and calls Denise.
Denise: Hey, what’s up? I don’t usually hear from you unless it’s about work.
Aimee: Denise, don’t guilt me. Do you not see and hear from me enough at work? I spend more time with you than anyone in my family.
Denise: I’m not trying to guilt you.
Aimee: Anyway, I just wanted to ask I you could arrange or a floral arrangement to be sent both to Lynette’s house and to her family ranch. I’m sure you’ve heard the sad news about her father.
Denise: The war criminal?
Aimee: I don’t think it’s necessary to describe him in that manner. He’s just died.
Denise: Okay… he was Wyoming’s favorite grandfather.
Aimee: He was probably Wyoming’s only grandfather, I think the Chaffees are the only people that live there.
Denise: Therefore, by default, he’s their favorite!
Aimee: Just send the flowers and a nice card.
Denise: Now you want me to write a card from you? That feels impersonal.
Aimee: I can text you what to say if that makes it better.
Denise: That’ll work.
Aimee: Thank you, Denise.
Denise: Actually, doesn’t this fall more under the parameters of Delilah’s job?
Aimee: It would, but she’s in Greece. It’s her holiday vacation.
Denise: I’m on holiday vacation, too!
Aimee: No, you’re still running the office, just from home. Just like how I’m still a senator, just at home. Our jobs don’t stop. An assistant with no clearly-defined responsibilities? Her job can be paused for two weeks.
Denise: You work me to the bone, Aimee!
Aimee: I’m sure. I’ll see you next week. Happy New Year!
Denise: Happy New Year, Aimee!
Aimee hangs up.
Dave: It’s just tragic that Lynette lost her dad three days before New Year’s. This is such a special week to spend with family, now it’s ruined for her family.
Victoria: At least she got to be home with him and got to see him leading up to it. She would’ve definitely felt worse if she hadn’t seen him in a while. I don’t know if that provides any comfort to you guys, but it does to me.
Aimee: I think it helps Lynette. Obviously, there’s no ideal time to lose your dad. But the last days of his life were filled with love, and I’m glad she gets to know that. Now, callous as I sound saying it, I don’t want this ruining our day. It’s one of the last days before we have to head back to DC, and I think we should take this time to just enjoy ourselves.
Victoria: I’m never opposed to fun!
Aimee: I’ll call mom up and see if she’s up for doing something with us.
Victoria: Why wouldn’t she be?
Aimee: You mean aside from the cancer?
Victoria: I always forget about that. She looks better than any cancer patient I’ve ever seen!
Aimee: She’s tough. And she’s only on radiation, not chemo, so at least she hasn’t lost any of her hair.
Victoria: Is that strong enough to treat it?
Dave: I think the doctors know a bit more about treating cancer than you do, no?
Victoria: I’m sensing a lot of judgment for the crime of caring too much about my sister’s health.
Aimee: No one’s judging. I just don’t want you to mention anything about this to mom. She doesn’t need anything else to worry about. She’s on edge about all of it, we aren’t about to add to her stress.
Victoria: Of course not. But maybe if your father would be w-
Aimee: Don’t bother him with it, either. The only person more upset about this than mom is my dad. He’s terrified.
Victoria: All right. So, what are we going to do today, then?
Aimee’s phone rings.
Aimee: That’s up to you. This is Carolyn calling, I gotta make sure it’s not an emergency.
Dave: What emergency would she be calling about?
Aimee: I don’t know, but this is an unusual time for her to be giving me a ring, so something must be up!
Aimee answers her phone.
Aimee: Hey Carolyn, what’s up? Everything all right?
Carolyn: Not exactly. You know about Rick Chaffee, correct?
Aimee: Of course. I feel so sorry for Lynette. We all know how much she loved to brag about her dear dad, the vice president.
Carolyn: That’s one concern on my mind.
Aimee: You have others? Something wrong with you? Or with me? Or are you calling to check in on my mom?
Carolyn: I saw your 60 Minutes interview last night, about extremism in the Republican Party.
Aimee: Oh. Did you like it?
Carolyn: I think my voice indicates I did not.
Aimee: I was holding out hope you didn’t call simply to scold me.
Carolyn: Look, I wanted to wait until our weekly tea, but I felt I had to get it of my chest right now.
Aimee: Oh boy.
Carolyn: Why are you beginning to act like a Democrat?
Aimee: Excuse me?
Carolyn: You’re always punching right. You criticize your so-called own party more than the opposition!
Aimee: I’m representing a safe Democrat state in a Democrat supermajority Senate. I have to work with the Democrats!
Carolyn: Work with them, fine. But all the interviews criticizing our party? There’s no need or that.
Aimee: Carolyn, they just tried to remove me from my position in Republican leadership for daring to speak up in defense of free speech. I won’t sit back and be forced into silence by my own party. I’ll criticize whoever I see fit.
Carolyn: These are private matters. The party’s in bad enough shape without you adding to our concerns;
Aimee: So you think I should just be silenced? Were you rooting for them to strip me of my position as Conference Chair?
Carolyn: I don’t see how you can possibly assume that role without inhibiting the values of the party.
Aimee: So that’s a yes? Wow! Wow! All these years of friendship and you’re STILL choosing politics over me. I knew you were always to my right, but I didn’t think a few disagreements on social and fiscal issues here and there would be enough or you to turn your back on me and wish for me to lose my job!
Carolyn: I’m not attacking you as a person.
Aimee: No, just my ability to do the job I’ve spent my life working towards.
Carolyn: You didn’t even want to be a senator!
Aimee: But I became one!
Carolyn: Because the Democrats nominated a wannabe murderer!
Aimee: You would’ve lost anyway, you’re a raging partisan! I actually talk to my constituents and see what they want and try to use that when casting my vote. You should try it sometimes!
Carolyn: How did this devolve into this? I was simply suggesting that you don’t go running to the liberal media to talk smack about our party. That’s it! That’s Democrat behavior.
Aimee: The Democrats have been far kinder to me than you’re being in this conversation.
Carolyn: Because you’re their greatest tool!
Aimee: Did you just call me a tool?
Carolyn: I didn’t mean it like that!
Aimee: This conversation is over.
Carolyn: Aimee, c’mon!
Aimee hangs up.
Dave: I take it that went well.
Aimee: Excuse me while I go cry.
Victoria: What happened?
Aimee: I just need to be alone.
Victoria: Has someone died?
Dave: Yes, Lynette’s father, we’ve been over this already.
Later that day…
Dave: Aimee, you want to come out now? We’re supposed to go meet up with your parents, remember? The kids are getting antsy?
Aimee: I don’t want to.
Dave: You sure? What’s going on?
Aimee: I’ll get ready and come out if you don’t make me talk about it.
Dave: That’s fine. You don’t have to talk about it. As long as you don’t let whatever it is ruin your time off with the family.
Aimee opens the door.
Dave: Oh my god! You look… as beautiful as the day I first met you!
Aimee: I know, I look like a monster.
Dave: No, you look fine. You just have mascara running… everywhere, and your eyes are red, and I think something’s infected, I’m not sure.
Aimee: I’m fine, really.
Dave: Your face is very puffy. Have you eaten shrimp?
Aimee: No, I really am fine. Don’t worry about me.
Dave: All right, well, you want to get going?
Aimee: Where are we going exactly?
Dave: We settled on indoor mini golf.
Aimee: That’s what the kids wanted to do?
Dave: No, it’s what Victoria wanted to do, and no one else wanted to get in her way.
Aimee: Yeah, that sounds about right.
Later that day…
Ernesto: Aimee, you don’t look yourself.
Kimmy: She’s being forced to play indoor mini golf, anyone would look miserable.
Ernesto: I’m having a fantastic time!
Manuela: I wish God would just hurry up and take me already.
Cherie: Ha! God! He’s got nothing to do with you still being here!
Manuela: Burra!
Cherie: What did she just call me?
Kimmy: A donkey.
Cherie: I have cancer, do I not get a pass from these insults?
Manuela: No!
Aimee: I was insulted today, actually.
Ernesto: Is that why you look so down?
Victoria: Oh my god, are we inlay about to find out what happened?
Kimmy: Hold on, I have to hit my ball. I don’t want to miss any mess.
Aimee: It’s nothing exciting. Carolyn was just mean to me.
Victoria: I’ll kill her.
Ernesto: Whoa!
Victoria: I will. I swear to ya!
Aimee: No killing will be necessary.
Victoria: Are you positive?
Aimee: Yes. Very much yes.
Cherie: What did Carolyn do, exactly? I can always call her and play the cancer card on her, too.
Victoria: I thought she was so upset about the cancer and we weren’t supposed to bring it up because of that?
Cherie: I’m trying my best to have a sense of humor about it.
Aimee: Yeah, and also using it as a get-out-of-jail free card, so I was trying not to give you any reminders of it.
Cherie: You don’t think my cancer is a valid excuse to request some better treatment?
Kimmy: Okay, I’m ready! What did that Republican say to upset you?
Aimee: I’m a Republican, Kimmy.
Kimmy: But, like, a sane one. Not like her. Let’s be honest here, there are levels to this. You’re a one on the scale of Republican lunatics. Carolyn’s like a six-seven.
Dave: Ah, frick, kill me now.
Kimmy: What?
Dave: I’m the father of three young kids. If I never hear “six-seven” again, it’d be too soon.
Aimee: Anyway, did you all watch my piece on 60 Minutes last night?
Manuela: That’s past my bedtime.
Kimmy: What’s 60 Minutes?
Cherie: Of course I watched, you were wonderful. As was legendary actress Amy Madigan. It was a night of Aimees!
Aimee: I think you were watching the wrong episode.
Ernesto: No, we just turned on Weapons on HBO Max by accident in the middle o the episode and didn’t realize it.
Cherie: I just thought she was dressing like a drag queen now in her older age.
Kimmy: My god, are we really talking about Aunt Gladys when we could be talking about what Carolyn said to upset Aimee instead?
Aimee: She didn’t care for my interview and called me a Democrat.
Kimmy: I mean, she’s not totally wrong. There’s worse you could be called.
Victoria: It’s one of our favorite things about you! You’re the only Republican I’d ever vote for!
Aimee: She was really nasty about it. She’s pretty much calling me a traitor to my party.
Ernesto: It’s nothing that people haven’t said before. Why’d it get to you so much this time?
Aimee: She’s my friend. She was my mentor. I worked for her in the state house. She made me feel like my political voice was needed. And now she sees me as a traitor. I feel like one of my dearest friendships is slipping away. It hurts to feel like someone isn’t who you long thought them to be.
Cherie: Someone who strays from your side because things garter a bit tough is called a fair-weather friend, and it’s not someone you need in your life. If she can’t handle you being a centrist who goes against the party more than the norm, than she was never really your friend.
Aimee: But I thought she was. She just… there was vitriol in her voice. You had to hear it to get the real effect. It hurt.
Dave: We all love you, and that matters more than a back-stabber who cares more about politics than friendship.
Aimee: I just didn’t imagine the friendship ending like this. All the disagreements we had over the years never hurt our friendship. Why did this? I just spoke up or what I felt was right. She’s always claimed to value that about me?
Ernesto: I’d understand you not wanting to do this, because she did hurt you. But maybe you should talk with her.
Cherie: I don’t know. I she really did talk to Aimee like she described, maybe I should talk to her for her.
Aimee: I’m not sending my mother to fight my battles for me. I can talk to her and tell her how she made me feel and she can help establish a path forward. She is technically my co-worker, so I need to at least be able to work with her and her office, even if the era of us being friends is essentially over.
Dave: I think that’s a mature mindset.
Kimmy: Now, would the rest of you mind putting your golf balls so we can move on to another hole? We’ve been here forever, everyone’s starting to think we’re crazy.
Cherie: Well, that’d be a correct assumption.
The next week, at Rick’s funeral…
Maurine: Wow, Aimee. I’m shocked that you’re seated all the way back here with the rest of us unimportant losers that barely know the Chaffees. You and Lynette are like besties, no?
Aimee: Look, being seated by someone that helped lead the charge to oust me from my leadership position wasn’t my first choice, but I chose to sit back here to avoid having to see -
Carolyn: Aimee!
Aimee: her.
Maurine: Oh! Are you two feuding?
Carolyn: Could we have a minute, Maurine?
Maurine: We’re at a funeral, dear. This isn’t really about you.
Carolyn: You didn’t even know the man!
Maurine: He was our vice president! I still owe him my respect, he was a conservative hero.
Aimee: So you don’t owe liberal vice presidents respect?
Maurine: Of course not, they’re communists sent here by Satan to destroy America and the world itself.
Aimee: I can’t tell I that was a joke or not.
Gwen: I know Maurine far better than you. No, it was not a joke.
Aimee: I thought those of you in the Delphy faction of the GOP think the Chaffees are traitors to the party?
Maurine: To a degree, but I still had such respect or him in my youth. I had to pay my respects now.
Aimee: I guess that’s nice. I don’t really know.
Carolyn: Aimee! Don’t ignore me!
Aimee: Gwen, how’s the weather back in New York?
Gwen: It’s January, kid. It’s awful!
Aimee: It’s lovely in Washington this time of year. The snow in the trees, the rolling white mountains -
Gwen: Yeah, we’ve got brown slush on every sidewalk and Times Square still reeks of urine.
Aimee: Isn’t that a consistent occurrence?
Gwen: Not usually this bad. New Year’s Eve is a truly sinister time to be in New York.
Maurine: You should do their tourism ads.
Gwen: I’ve done them! Darling, I was the brightest star on Broadway.
Maurine: That’s right, I forgot we have someone with zero qualifications in charge o the Appropriations Committee.
Carolyn: You’d really rather speak with Maurine and Gwen than me?
Aimee: After what you said, yes.
Gwen: Would you two stop? I see Lynette approaching, I didn’t want Lynette to approach us! Im not good with helping people through grief!
Maurine: Wow, that’s hard to believe.
Alma: Where am I?
Gwen: Oh god, now you got her going. Mildred, get her back to sleep!
Mildred: Easier said than done! I popped eight melatonins in her diet coke, but she didn’t drink it!
Maurine: Did you just admit to drugging a senator in a house of God?
Mildred: It was for the greater good!
Lynette: Aimee, what are you doing all the way back here?
Carolyn: She’s avoiding me.
Lynette: I don’t know what that’s about, but I do want to say that I’m so glad to have such wonderful friends, and I want you all up front with me to get through this.
Aimee: For you, I will do that. Sorry, Gwen.
Gwen: I don’t know why you’re apologize. I could not possibly care less.
Aimee: Thank you, Gwen. So sweet, as always.
After the funeral…
Lynette: Thank you ladies again for coming. Your support means so much to me. I just don’t know how I’m going to get by without my dad. He was my hero.
Aimee: Your speech was beautiful.
Carolyn: If you need to reach out, you know my number.
Alec: And if neither Aimee nor Carolyn pick up when you need to talk to someone, call Gwen. And I she doesn’t pick up either, then call me. I’ll put Sab on the phone and she can talk to you.
Lynette: Ah, Alec, you’re so funny.
Alec: Oh, I’m not joking. I don’t like to talk about death. I struggled through this one.
Carolyn: Aimee, would you like to talk outside?
Aimee: I suppose.
Lynette: Whatever you two have going on, clean it up. For my sake!
Carolyn: I’m trying!
Outside the church…
Aimee: What’s this about? You want to dig in deeper? You want to let me know you’re referring me to the Justice Department for a criminal indictment for treason?
Carolyn: No, I know I was mean on the phone. I came off poorly.
Aimee: Yeah! You were my mentor, and one of my closest friends. We had our political differences, but they were just that - political. I never anticipated you essentially turning your back on our friendship because I dared to criticize the party. It’s a political party, not a cult! I’m allowed to speak out against it if that’s what I think is right.
Carolyn: You are. And I’m sorry I reprimanded you over something so dumb. It won’t happen again.
Aimee: I know it won’t.
Carolyn: So you forgive me?
Aimee: Not exactly. But I do know I’m not going to put myself in that position again, because I won’t hold your opinion in such regard moving forward. I’ve had many friends in my lie that I don’t see eye-to-eye with on much. You’re the first to actively view that disagreement as an obstacle to friendship. I want to move forward as friends, but you’ll have to earn it again. Or the time being, we won’t be as close as we once were. I hope that’s acceptable to you, because it’s the only way forward in my eyes.
Alec: Aimee, you two good?
Aimee: Yeah, I think I’ve said all I need to. Thanks for giving me a ride, since Victoria and Dave aren’t in town yet.
Alec: Any time.
Carolyn: Aimee…don’t be a stranger.
Aimee: That’s up to you!
What did you think of this episode of Evergreen Aimee? Let us know in the comments and make sure to read a new episode next week!
