Annie Read online

  Chapter Two

  I woke up at five o’clock. I had to go to the bathroom. I raised my head to see if Sandy was asleep. She wasn’t in the bed and then I heard the toilet flush. I slitted my eyes and watched her return. She hadn’t put on her robe and I could see she had on a shortee nightgown.

  Her legs were pencil thin as were her arms. Her hair was long and blonde, but in the picture I had been shown she was dark with a pageboy. “Burt, get up and go to the bathroom. And don’t pretend you didn’t watch me parade across the room in front of you. Remember I’m a trained operative and I notice things.”

  I grinned. “I can see married to you would be hell if I wanted to cheat on you. How did you know?”

  “You had moved your head halfway around and there was a tiny glint from the light on your eyeballs. I spoke softly so if you had really been asleep you wouldn’t have answered.” I was halfway across the room when she spoke again.

  “Burt.”

  I turned and Sandy looked me over. “Well, I must say you have some good-sized equipment, enough to give me satisfying experiences.” And then she giggled. I looked down and my briefs were tented out considerably, the same as any man’s would be in the morning. Hm-m. Maybe I would get a little bit interested in this woman. 


  I crawled back into bed with Sandy. Her hand came over searching for mine. “Burt, I have the feeling you are somewhat uptight about sex. This situation that has been thrust onto you is much like a one-night stand. I think you like to get to know a person first before you consider being intimate. Let me tell you I often had to be just the opposite. Many times I was told, and I quote, ‘Woman, you’re in my bed tonight.’ I was expected to be there, and with never a chance to argue. I accepted it because to do my job well I had to.”

  “That’s terrible!”

  “Yes, wasn’t it? Oh in case you are worried about sex with me, health-wise, I’m clean and have no diseases.”

  “That worry hadn’t crossed my mind.”

  “It should’ve, but I’m not criticizing you. I don’t expect you to be as worldly as I’ve had to be, much of which I long to forget and put behind me. From all reports you have your own strengths.”

  “Such as and what are they?”

  “Honestly, being in charge of a little three-year-old child scares the devil out of me. I’m going to have to depend on you to show me the way so I get it right. I don’t want her to hate me.”

  “Oh, if she is anywhere normal, just think back to when you were a little child. What made you happy? Trade on your memories of that time. You can’t give her everything she will want and you’ll have to decide if something is good for her or not. I’ll help with discipline.”

  “And how would I do that? You’ll be working.”

  “You could say something like, ‘Annie, when Daddy comes home we’ll ask him if you can do this or if you can have something.’ We’ll all decide together. You will soon get the hang of it. There are hundreds of books telling you what or how you should treat a child. I’d like to discuss them with you. But remember the author was trying to sell a book and the ideas might be just a fad. Every child is different, so every situation may have a different answer.”

  “So I’m to follow you in all things?”

  “Absolutely not. You will probably be better at some things than I will. Even our daughter should be included in decisions, but she will have to understand that her parents have the final say. When she reaches adulthood she will have the expertise to make decisions on her own.

  “That’s better than what I went through these last four years. I wasn’t much more than a slave. In fact I was a slave to the desires of the leaders of the cell I was in. I was told by the FBI or the CIA what to look for and how to decide whether I thought it was dangerous for me or not. And I had to do the bidding of those people I was spying on. Remember a courier is the lowest person in a cell of terrorists.”

  “How in hell did you stand it? More importantly how did you survive?”

  “I almost didn’t. Here let me have your hand. These scars I’m going to run your fingers over happened a little over three months ago.” Sandy turned so my fingers ran over her left butt cheek. I felt a knob of puckered flesh. “Bullet entered here.” Then she lay on her back and took my fingers down between her thighs. I felt a ridge of flesh about three inches long. “Bullet crease.” Then she lay on her left side and I could feel where another round had gone into her side above her hip bone.

  She kept hold of my hand, turned, and ran it over where the bullet had exited her side in the rear and the one where it came out of her ass cheek. “Those were the bullet wounds. There is one more scar. This was a ricochet that about mangled my right breast above my nipple. It looks worse than it actually is, but it still looks like hell. Let’s hope there aren’t twins in your family, because if there are, I won’t be able to feed both at the same time.

  “So this all makes me damaged goods for sure. I told those bastards who shot me that they were going to have to find me a husband because no man would marry me looking like I am.”

  “It was our people who shot you?”

  “You bet. I suppose after seeing the way I look, you will be wanting out.”

  “No, I need a mother for my new daughter. We both are on this train and I’m not ready to get off yet.”

  “I was hoping you would say that. Let’s take a nap and get up about eight for breakfast.” Sandy turned over and then reached back and dragged my arm over her. She gave her skinny butt a little twitch against me and was soon asleep.

  I thought, “God, my life had been a piece of cake so far. Not like the woman snuggled up to me.” Then I thought of my dead wife and baby, well maybe not a piece of cake. I had got beyond tears over their death, but the sadness still visited me at times like this.

  Sandy’s eyes were open and looking at me when I opened mine. “Burt, I remembered from last night you said ‘Annie’ when you referred to the child. Is there particularly any reason for that?”

  “No, my daughter’s name was Leanne and we nicknamed her Leah. I couldn’t use that so I came up with Annie.”

  “What was your wife’s name?”

  “Benita. She always thought that went well with Brooks.”

  “Is that your real name?”

  “Yep, plain old John Brooks. I have a brother Todd and his wife is Mary and they have two children. My parents live near us in the same town in the state of Vermont.”

  “I was from Louisiana originally. Father and mother are dead and I was an only child. I think I still have a cousin in the area, but I haven’t contacted him since I joined the company. He was told that I am dead. That’s okay because we were never close.”

  “And your name?”

  “Not necessary for you to know, but as long as we are being open, it was Jane Boudette. I only spoke French until I got into kindergarten. I’m pretty good with languages and now speak several fluently.”

  “So it will be no problem dropping your southern accent then?” First thing I new I was speaking with a woman with a Boston accent. I questioned why I was told she would need two months to learn to change.

  “Probably so the three of us can bond together into a family unit. I’m due for a vacation, so I guess I’ll have to drag you and the kid along with me. How long has it been since you have had a vacation?”

  “Not since Bernita and Leah died. I haven’t arranged to have the money for this yet. When I see Gordon’s superiors I’ll find out what we can do. I need money to take care of you and the child. Gordon is the one who recruited me for this.”

  “Don’t worry about money. I’ve never drawn any pay. I have four years of back salary coming. I’m reasonably well-off with what I did for the Agency and what they did to mess up my looks.”

  “Does this mean I’m going to have to change my lifestyle a whole lot?”

  “I don’t think so. I will be happy just to disappear into the background somewhere and forget how I earned the money. And I d
id earn it too.”

  “I believe you have. Hey, let’s have breakfast. Do you want to order in or go out?”

  “I’m hungry so let’s find an IHOP. There must be one near.” I called a taxi.

  I was going to use my credit card to pay the tab, but Sandy thrust cash into my hand. “Think Burt, what you are doing. If you use your card, that tells anyone interested that you, John Brooks, was here in this state on this day at this time in the morning.” Then she whispered, “I don’t know any John Brooks. Do you?”

  “Damn, I’ll never make a good agent, that’s for sure. Sandy, this was a card they gave me. I left my own at home.”

  “Yes, but remember every move you make may not be important in the moment, but it can come back and kill you sometime in the future. It might even kill me. You’ll learn if it takes me all of two months to teach you.”

  “Sorry.” My life was getting complicated.

  When we came out we were on a street of shops and boutiques. We walked by a jewelry store. I paused and peered in the window before we passed it. Sandy started on. I went inside. I saw a tray of silver plate animals that could be strung on a chain. I bought two with chains. They cost twenty-two dollars total. Sandy had waited outside.

  “I hope you remembered about using your card?”

  “I did. I brought some cash with me.”

  “What did you purchase?”

  “A present for you and one for our child. They are big enough so they can’t be choked on. You’ll be asked to wear yours at times so the little girl can wear hers. Now we have to find a couple of dolls. A soft one she can cuddle with and a china one that is real pretty that she can stare at and make up stories about.”

  “How do you know all of this?”

  “That is the way Bernita played with Leah.”

  “Oh, I have so much to learn.”

  “You’ll get it. You just have to make her happy and she will love you forever. It will be up to you to make things for her, doll clothes and stuff like that.”

  “We’ll be meeting her tomorrow. I’m so excited.”

  “You know I’ve projected what I want her to be like, but she might be just a little brat. If she is we’ll love her anyway won’t we?”

  “Yes, we will.”

  I learned a little more during the day about how Sandy was shot and where it happened. It took place in Spain. Recently there had been several bombings and a lot of unrest in that country. The CIA had been collaborating with their counterparts by tracking several of the terrorists. Our agency had discovered that the leaks at NSA had left Sandy exposed. They rushed in trying to extract her.

  However, she was mistaken for one of the cell members and had been shot and hit during the exchange of gunfire. Luckily, she had been able to identify herself, although gravely wounded.

  I harkened back to what Gordon Smith had said about Sandy being paranoid and didn’t expect to see twenty-eight years. So I asked about that.

  “That was just made-up bullshit to get whoever they chose to be my husband convinced he was going to be saving my life.” She realized what she had just revealed and a worried look crossed her face. “Burt, or Johnny or whatever your name is, you’re going to continue aren’t you? Nothing has really changed.”

  “Yeah, I’ll hang in there with you. But that is only because you are the most interesting person I’ve ever met. And of course there is Annie.”

  “Good, I’m planning on making your life even more interesting. You’re a pretty good guy. Johnny, what if the child’s name is Bridget or something different than Annie?”

  “We’ll call her Bridget. What’s in a name?”

  We spent the day walking around getting acquainted. We walked through a museum and went into one of the theaters to see a movie. It didn’t hold our interest so we got up and left. We walked by a retro soda fountain and shared a cherry coke. We giggled over this like a couple of teenagers. After dinner in a fairly nice restaurant, we returned to our room.

  “Let’s do a little work.”

  “What do you mean? What work?”

  “We should work on your southern accent. You’ll forget and we have to have a plausible excuse for you speaking that way occasionally. We should have more of a cover story too of how we met and fell in love. That’s for what we tell my folks. Those scars are going to be seen sometime and we should have something besides the truth to tell about how you acquired them.”

  “Okay, but can we do it while lying in the bed? I think that would be a great place to work on all of these weighty matters.”

  “That calls for a shower.”

  “You first then.” I showered and thought about our situation while waiting for Sandy.

  When she slid into bed, I didn’t hesitate to tell her what I had been thinking. “I think we should have the FBI build you a past that said you had been injured in combat. You can deal with the background before your service by keeping close to or as far from the truth as you wish.”

  “Boy, I thought you would have something else on your mind and we would be dealing with this afterward.”

  “Nope, we should do it now. That will leave the rest of the night for other stuff. Besides we aren’t really married and there isn’t any real need to consummate it tonight.”

  “I guess you’re just being difficult. Your agenda seems to be much different than mine.”

  “Let’s do it my way. You can ask me in the morning if you are sorry I held you off.”

  “Okay, but right now I’m not happy about it. I get horny sometimes. You’ll find that out. Where were we? Okay, cover story about my injuries … your ideas have merit. I’ll go along with your suggestion. Next?”

  “Just a question; do you anticipate any of the terrorists searching for you?”

  “No, I believe they are all dead. This cell was pretty much on their own with only money and some help coming in from a bigger group. I think there were considered independent contractors. I suppose I do know where some of the other groups are located. I carried messages to them all several times. All of that information should be in the hands of the CIA by now.”

  “It seems like the government is going to a lot of trouble to hide you. Do they know something that you don’t? Take this throw-away marriage we are in. That’s pretty elaborate. Tomorrow Burt and Sandy are going to disappear. And John Brooks is going to be married to a woman he doesn’t even know what her name is yet.”

  “Burt, are you getting cold feet about marrying me?”

  “No, of course not. Look what I’m getting when I marry you? I’m getting to marry one of the country’s foremost spies, although slightly damaged and I’m going to have a child whom I’m sure I will love to replace some of the sadness that has plagued my life. I just wonder why I have to jump through so many hoops.”

  “As far as being a foremost spy, that’s bullshit and you know it. Half the time I don’t know when you are serious. Marrying me will be worth it, I promise. And please have faith in your country. Now let me ask you a question; are you interested in my body at all? You haven’t seen it yet.”

  “Is this the time to inspect it?”

  “I would think so. I’ve been hinting around long enough. I’m beginning to think you aren’t interested.”

  “Prepare to be inspected.” I went about examining my wife. All of her wounds were still an angry red. And she told me it would take months and months for them to fade. I examined her breast that had been wounded. Except for the surface skin being gnarled and rough, it seemed as if the underlying flesh was okay.

  “I may have misled you somewhat. The doctors did tell me there was a ninety percent chance that it would produce some milk if I became pregnant. The nipple isn’t damaged at all.” I leaned into the nipple and took it between my lips, twirling my tongue over and around it. Immediately a moan of pleasure escaped from Sandy.

  “I do believe it will be fine.” Sandy was extremely underweight. Maybe being that way brought all the nerves to the skin’s surface bec
ause everywhere I touched brought forth the same. I asked what her weight was normally and was informed she usually carried thirty-five more pounds. Sandy was getting worked up from my ministrations and it wasn’t long before she asked me to make love to her. I was as ready as she.

  This wasn’t an extended love session. Sandy didn’t have the stamina and almost immediately afterward she was sound asleep. It took me awhile longer, but I went to sleep with a satisfied smile on my face.

  I came awake with kisses. “Good morning, my husband.”

  “Good morning to you, my wife. What do you think? We are going to be married for real within a few days. I’m more than willing and I’m glad I agreed to this.”

  “You say the nicest things, and I know you are going to make me very happy. I’m hungry. I have to get some meat on this bag of bones and the only way I can do that is for you to feed me.” We went down to the dining room for breakfast and dawdled over our meal.

  “I suppose we should pack up. Caitlin didn’t say exactly when she would be coming to get us.” Sandy laughed. “It is almost time for Burt and Sandy to disappear. The next stage of our life will be opening shortly.”

  I asked, “I wonder if we will be meeting our child today?”

  “She is always on your mind, isn’t she?”

  “I guess. Can you blame me?” Sandy shook her head.

  We didn’t have long to wait. Caitlin and the man who had driven the vehicle before were at the door by 10:30. “Peter will take your bags down. All that is left is to leave your key at the desk. It seems you two are getting along okay.”

  I answered, “We are. We have a lot of questions about what’s next for us.”

  “I understand. John, are you ready to go forward and get married to Sandy and meet the child who is to become your daughter?”

  “I am and the sooner the better for me.”

  “That’s good. How about you, Sandy?”

  “No worry about getting married to John. I am more anxious about being a mother to the little girl. I haven’t been around children very much.”

  “Don’t let that bother you, John will fill you in until you are comfortable. He has a niece and nephew who adore him. He went to Lamaze classes with his first wife and learned early on how to take care of his child. This little girl will have a nurse with her when you first meet.

  “You can ask the nurse any question about her preferences and what makes her happy or upsets her. The nurse will stay and tuck her into bed tonight. The home she is coming from is relatively small and was well staffed. I’ll wager before the day is over the child will have you in her heart and she’ll be in yours as well.”

  “A hotel or motel won’t seem very homelike for a little girl.”

  “John, you will be staying for the two months in a small cottage that has been rented for you. It is much like the home you are taking your family to when you return to Vermont, just not quite as large.”

  “When are we getting together and it would be nice if we knew her name before we are introduced? We’ve been calling her Annie ’till we found out what it was.”

  “I was waiting to see if you two were compatible. I’ll make the call to the home now to get little Annalee Booker ready to meet you about three this afternoon. She has been primed by her nurse that she was going to have a mommy and daddy soon. It is better that she meet you today, although the original plan was for her to meet after your wedding two days from now. She’ll have to be at your wedding which shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Annalee?” I laughed. “See Sandy, I don’t have to change at all and can call her Annie. Not only that her last name is very similar and she isn’t old enough to notice that change either.”

  Caitlin spoke, “I hadn’t noticed the similarities in your last name. Quite fortuitous isn’t it? Okay, let’s get going. We’ll have lunch before we reach the cottage and then Annie will arrive.” We wove through the city and the landscape became more rural. We stopped for lunch at a diner. There were cars with rubber rafts and canoes on top of their vehicles in the parking lot and several of the diners were wearing swim wear.

  “Your cottage is on a small lake. There is swimming and boating. I’m sure you will find enough to do to keep Annie entertained.” This really was shaping up to be a vacation. “This is a half-way house. Everything is here. The cupboards and fridge are stocked. Towels and beds are clean and the dressers have your sizes of what you need and the closets have clothes. There is a small rowboat in case you want to go out on the lake. Make yourselves at home. I’ll be dropping in now and then.”

  “What about our wedding?”

  “You’ll be picked up. All the information you’ll need is in the desk. If you go anywhere, use the noted cab company. We have an account with them. Remember, your daughter and her nurse will be here in about an hour. Try to be a good mommy and daddy to her. See you.” The door closed on Caitlin.

  I stared at Sandy. “It looks as if we are in this alone from now on. You look worried. That won’t do around the child. They are very perceptive. Get into your ‘I can handle anything mode’ and at least look confident. I’m going to look at what Caitlin left in the desk. Can you cook?”

  “Not very well.”

  “Okay, I can handle that. All I need to cook today is macaroni and some cheese and hopefully there will be hotdogs to go with it. Kids love that.” I looked at the papers in the desk. There was a note.

  John, you may use your own name now. Burtrum Polk and Sandra Polk no longer exist. You will be marrying Jane Sandra Peters in two days. You can still call her Sandy if she prefers. At that time, and just after the wedding, you will be presented with papers for the child naming her Annalee B. Brooks. At some point before you and your family leave here we will discuss a cover story for Sandy. Caitlin Bluth.

  As there was no pressure at the moment I planned giving my attention to the nurse coming with Annie. Then I would give my attention the child. Right on time I heard a car pull into the short drive. Arm and arm Sandy and I went out. A young woman jumped out and went around to the far side of the car and was un-harnessing the youngster. The car seat came out and was set down. That would be staying.

  “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, I’m Nurse Brenda. I have a little girl here who needs a daddy and mommy. She is a little shy because she has only lived in the home. This is kind of unusual. Most usually couples come to the home to visit a child a few times before they are placed. However all the legalities seem to be in order and all the paperwork has been processed.”

  “That’s fine, Brenda. Do you need any help?”

  “No, but in a minute you can hold her.” Sandy and I both put our hands out. The little girl looked first at Sandy and then at me. Her little arms came out for me to take her into my arms.

  “Hi sweetheart, I’m your daddy. We’re going to have a lot fun together. Would you like to come into the house with me and mommy?”

  “Wif, Brenda too?”

  “Of course. Guess what? Mommy has a new dollie for you to play with.”

  “Mommy, can I have a new dollie, please?”

  “You certainly can sweetheart.” I let Annie down and her little hand found Sandy’s.

  “Mr. Brooks, Annie is the sweetest little person. I’ve had her in my care for awhile. I’m going to miss her very much.”

  “I’m sure you will. I lost my little girl in an auto accident when she was about Annie’s age. I’m going to cherish this little lady so much.” Annie didn’t get too far from nurse Brenda although she thanked Sandy for her doll.

  At the dinner table she kept her eyes on me. And I thought maybe it was because there weren’t very many men who tended the children at the home. I asked Brenda about this. “I don’t think that is it. She is a curious little girl. I and others have told her she was going to have a daddy to love. I think that is it more than anything else.”

  Annie sat on the couch between us. Sandy was talking to her about naming the doll and was making up stories about Annie with the doll
. She was pretending that Annie was a little mother and the dollie was her baby just like Sandy was mother to Annie. It seemed to be working. Annie thought she would name her baby Brenda after her nurse and kissed it. Sandy kissed Annie saying she was her baby.

  When it came time for bed, both Brenda and Sandy got Annie ready. Brenda told her that when she woke up in the morning she could come into our room and crawl into bed with us. She was supposed to say “Good morning, Mommy and Daddy” and give us a kiss. Brenda lay down with the child and stayed there until she went to sleep. She told Annie Nurse Brenda wouldn’t be here tomorrow, but Daddy and Mommy would love and take care of her.

  Brenda was sad at leaving her little charge and wanted to know if we would write after we got back home to tell her how Annie was settling into her new home. We promised. We also exchanged phone numbers. After Brenda left, Sandy kept looking in on Annie to see if she was sleeping. Well, maybe I did a time or two my self. We left nightlights on in Annie’s room and in the hall. There was one in our room too.

  Sandy wasn’t comfortable about a child in the house. “What if I don’t hear her when she wakes up and needs the bathroom? She’ll think I’m an awful person.”

  “One of us will hear her. She knows where the bathroom is and with the lights on, she may not even need us. She seems pretty smart for her age. Sweetheart, she is everything I was hoping for. We’re doing great so far. Go to sleep.”

  Sandy went to sleep almost as soon as I spoke. I didn’t though. I lay there, deciding it really was time to push the memories of my wife and my own little girl back into some distant corner of my mind. I now had someone to take their place and Sandy and Annie deserved my all.

  I was restless and awoke about once every hour until I went to the bathroom at 4:00. I flushed and stopped in to peek at my new daughter. “Daddy, may I come to bed with you now. I keep seeing ghosts on the wall.”

  “Annie, I don’t think you saw any ghost, but I’d love to have you come in and be in our bed when Mommy wakes up.” She pushed her covers off and backed down to the floor, taking my hand.

  “I have to go to the baf’room. Will you wait for me?”

  “Of course, sweetheart.”

  She spoke through the door, “Daddy, you lef’ the seat up and I almost fell in.” I was about ready to apologize when she giggled. I took her hand again when she came out. I pulled the covers up when we reached the bed and she crawled in next to Sandy. She looked back over her shoulder, turned and snuggled down next to her mommy. “Night, Daddy.”

  “Good night, sweetheart.” What a trusting little soul.

  Both were asleep when I got up. I started coffee and when I heard the two talking and giggling, I went in to ask what they wanted for breakfast. “I want one sausage, one piece of bacon and three pancakes this big.” Annie made a circle with her fingers.

  “And you, dear, what would you like?”

  “I want two sausages, two strips of bacon, and four pancakes this big.” Sandy made a circle somewhat larger than what Annie had made.

  “Coming right up, or do you want to shower first?”

  “We’ll shower first. Don’t start making pancakes until we come to the table. Annie is going to wash my back.” When the two came to the table, Annie looked sad.

  “What’s the matter, Annie?”

  “Mommy has some awful looking boo-boos, but she says they don’t hurt anymore.”

  “I know. She did get hurt really bad, but you and I are going to take care of her and she is going to be okay.” Annie ate four pancakes and Sandy ate five. I had one big one and it covered my plate which made Annie laugh.

  We sat Annie down and told her that Mommy and Daddy were going to be married tomorrow and we asked if she would like to wear a new dress. Mommy was going shopping in a little while. She thought that would be neat. She had never gone shopping in a big store before. I took it she didn’t go out of the home very often. It was time for Annie to learn one of the major joys of being a woman. I sent them off on their shopping trip.

  They hadn’t been gone long when there was a knock on the door. It was Caitlin, and Gordon Smith was with her. Caitlin asked, “How are you and Annie getting along?”

  “Great, really. She is such a trusting little person.”

  “And with Sandy?”

  “We’re good. Very compatible. What are you here for?”

  “Nothing serious. We are here to clear up some misconceptions that we have led you to believe. First, there isn’t any real danger to Sandy from her former posting. Those people were totally wiped out and the disguises and the fake marriage and the giving you a false identity were for training purposes of the agent who was the driver of the vehicle from the airport.”

  “It did seem pretty damn foolish, but I didn’t say anything. Was Sandy really the undercover agent I was led to believe?”

  “Yes, she was. She was nearly killed. We are trying to make it up to her. She was a superior agent and deserves all we can do for her. We applaud Gordon for making a great choice in finding you and getting you involved. A couple of things more; there isn’t any real reason now for Sandy to dispense with her southern roots and the way she speaks. I did notice that she was speaking with a Boston accent and you and she can certainly travel all over the country if you so wish.”

  “And what about the compensation that was promised?”

  “I don’t have much good news for you. There are some obstructionists in Congress who want to cut the program severely.”

  “How severely?”

  “Eliminate it totally if possible.”

  “So where does that leave me?”

  “I hate to tell you, but I suppose I’ll have to. That is the main reason we came to see you today.”

  “Go on, give it to me.”

  “Well, instead of the two months, it has been cut to two weeks. You have only a few days left of your vacation. We will give you air fare home and you can stay here in this place for that length of time. You still have thirteen thousand on the credit card we gave you. The thirty-five hundred dollar check that Gordon passed to you has been cleared. Your real wedding will take place as arranged and of course Annie’s adoption has been taken care of. Both the papers concerning her and your wedding certificate will be handed to you after the ceremony tomorrow.

  “Johnny, I’m so sorry about all of this. You really are being treated terribly.”

  I wasn’t too pissed at the broken promises. I knew I could give Sandy and Annie a good life without the help of the government. But still, I felt I had to ask for something. I had upheld my part of the bargain. “This isn’t acceptable at all. You have disrupted my life. I have two dependents now that I didn’t have two weeks ago. Caitlin or Gordon, whichever one of you in is charge; please get on the horn to your superiors. I should receive at least something toward Annie’s future education.

  “I want a healthy deposit made into an annuity account that will mature in fifteen years to initially pay Annie’s way into a good school of her choice. It shouldn’t have to be too large now because it will increase as time goes on, but I want to own it myself.”

  Gordon said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  He stepped outside and started calling. Caitlin said. “I’m glad you didn’t roll over on this. We have upset your life considerably, but don’t you think you are better off now than you were before?”

  “Of course I do, but then some promises have been broken. Some were stated and some implied, but broken nonetheless.”

  “Oh, I agree. How much are you really looking for?”

  “Twenty-thousand dollars should do it.”

  “If Gordon comes back with a smaller offer than that, I’ll call.”

  “Caitlin, do you ever get to Vermont? If you do, I would very much like to have you and your husband visit for a bit with me and my family.”

  “I’ll plan on it.”

  Gordon returned. “I asked for fifty thousand dollars, but they said they wouldn’t go higher than twe
nty-five thousand. Will you accept that amount?”

  “I can do that.”

  “Good, we can part as friends. You know I still visit some cousins of mine in Putney. Could I stop by and see how things are going for you? I am really ashamed for my agency in cutting back on what I thought was a fair compensation of what we were asking of you. You just never know when someone in the agency is going to begin pinching pennies.”

  “Is there anything else I should know about?”

  “I don’t think so. Caitlin and I will leave some contact names if you can’t reach her or me. In fact I’ll give you my personal cell number.”

  “Johnny, I’ll give you mine too.”

  “Okay, that makes me feel like I’m still in the loop. Now let me ask you what you are doing for Sandy? Someone must have made her some promises too.”

  “They have, and she has signed off on what was promised. She seemed satisfied with what she received. The biggest item she required was a husband who could live with her scars that she received during the firefight when we extracted her.

  From all indications we have filled that requirement.”

  “I think you have. I’m looking forward to a good life with her. Will you stick around for a little while? She and Annie should be back within the hour.”

  “Where are they?”

  “Sandy took Annie to teach her how to shop for clothes.”

  “We won’t wait. You’ll be lucky if they get back from shopping in time for the wedding, but yes, maybe we could stand a coffee.” We all laughed. I went into the kitchen and put the coffeepot on.

  I thought to myself that they were wrong … and they were. Sandy and Annie came back in less than an hour. Sandy was surprised I had company. “Annie missed her daddy, so we didn’t shop long. We both found dresses. Caitlin, I wish you could be here for our wedding.”

  “I wish I could be here too.”

  “There isn’t anyway you could move it up to this afternoon, is there?”

  “I don’t know. Let me call and I’ll inquire.” Caitlin made the call. She talked and we overheard her arguing. Finally she closed her phone. “He can marry you during the supper hour. He said just show up. Is that good enough for you?”

  “It is if you both are going to be there. Annie, this nice lady and gentleman are going to be at our wedding. I call her Nice Lady and she is.

  “How about it, Gordon?”

  “Sure, Caitlin. I started this thing and I’d like to be in on the finish.”

  “Sandy, it looks as if you are going to be married by the time we go to bed tonight. This is your last chance to escape.”

  “Johnny, I’ll be running toward you, not from you. I’m so blessed. I’d go through what I have had to in the past four years again if I knew it was going to turn out like this.”