Nothing Is What It Seems To Be
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: The Plum Series belongs to JE I'm just borrowing and playing with them.
Thanks to Financebabe for all her support and encouragement while I wrote this story.
"Ricardo, Frank is away on a two week Alaskan fishing trip with Joe Juniak and a couple of other friends. Please make yourself comfortable."
And so I began telling him my story…
"The name I was born with was Jennifer Helen Bell. My mother and father were Joan and Kirk Bell aka Joan and Kirk Smith, Jane and Ken Bates, Jean and Kent Bale, Jan and Keith Burke and the list goes on and on. I can trust you with this because of your security clearances. I am many things Ricardo but, a simple housewife from the Burg is not one of them."
"My mother and father worked as undercover operatives for the CIA and sometimes crossing over to NSA depending on the mission. My mother's identical twin sister is Edna Mazur. My parents loved me very much and provided a loving if somewhat unconventional upbringing. I lived 2 lives, one with my parents traveling the world and one as the perfectly behaved child of Herb and Edna Mazur here in the Burg."
"In essence, my mother and father and my aunt and uncle, for all practical purposes shared custody of me. During the school year I was raised by my aunt and uncle and on summer vacation and school breaks I was raised by my mother and father unless they were on a mission. I was raised by the two most loving sets of parents and had a childhood that was absolutely wonderful. I had every opportunity available to me. My aunt and uncle who I also called Mom and Dad supposedly sent me to 'camp' during the summers and school breaks."
"As I got older my parents trained me to shoot guns, learn self defense and a little hobby of lock picking, picking pockets and my personal favorite- bomb building. We used to call it my "finishing school" my Dad would tell me if anyone hurt me I could 'finish' them off."
"When I was about 8 years old my Mom and Dad started to teach me a game about codes using the alphabet. I loved it and couldn't get enough. At first, we used pen and paper and my Dad would send me messages in code in their letters to me when they were on assignment. Simple things like"be sure to wear your mittens when you go ice skating….tell Mom E and Dad H to take you to see the new Disney Film - popcorn is on us."
"As I got older the codes became more difficult. When I was twelve I excelled in math and realized one day that I could see codes in numbers. So, I jokingly sent my Mom and Dad a letter totally in a numeric code that I had written. I was scheduled to go to 'camp' for the summer. Mom E and Dad H drove me up to a secluded cabin at Lake Hopatcong for a wonderful family reunion. I could be with both sets of parents for a short time. It never ceased to amaze me how much my Moms were alike, not only in looks, but they finished each others sentences, we would all laugh because more than likely the two of them had bought the same exact clothes."
"No, Ricardo not string bikinis, tube tops or fishnet stockings."
"The night we arrived we were sitting at the dinner table and my Dad asked me about the letter I had sent them. I laughed and asked if they could 'read' it. My Dad looked at me and said it took Mom and him 2 days to break the code I had designed and No, I could not wear makeup or date till I was 30. The conversation took a serious tone and they asked me how serious I would be to learn about alpha numeric codes or did I just want to use it for pure enjoyment. I looked at the four most important people in my life and asked why I couldn't have it both ways - serious and fun. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to I can't stop…numbers make patterns in my head. I can memorize phone numbers because they make patterns, for example, the phone number we had in Washington when I was six was 555 3319 3 5's plus and add on 3x3x1=9. From that summer on, my parents sent me every book and article on codes."
"For birthday and Christmas presents they would send me early encryption machines. On vacations they would arrange for me to study with the leading cryptologists in the world working for the United States. It might only be for an afternoon or for a couple of weeks in the summer. I was a 'sponge' I couldn't get enough."
"Other girls my age were worrying about boys, dates, hair and make up. I was worrying about an iterated block cipher that encrypts a plaintex block. Then one day I did discover boys and WOW right there and then , I realized they had their own code that had to be deciphered! I devoted a lot of time studying my new subject. I had three best friends in high school - Lisa, Angie and Mary Beth. Every afternoon we met and studied beauty magazines. We tried all types of beauty treatments with and without success. Happiness was braces being removed, contacts in place and a rinse from Mom's beauty shop after my misadventure with household hydrogen peroxide. Orange and green hair is not a good look for a brunette who wanted "sun kissed highlights like the magazine promised" I also had to have my hair cut short since the household iron was to hot when I tried to straighten my curly hair.(the Barbie look was in -I had the long legs but nothing else)"
"We devoted hours to laying in the sun, coated with baby oil mixed with iodine to get a deeper tan. My Hungarian genes left me with sun poisoning, blisters and freckles which I still have. Mary Beth, Angie and Lisa turned a lovely golden brown."
"We dated in groups and individually. Lisa had a steady boyfriend and I preferred to sample all varieties in my study of the male code. Angie wasn't allowed to date. Mary Beth dated John Morelli for about 3 dates. On the third date she showed up at my house about midnight with her clothes torn. She was afraid to go home. She talked to my Mom and Dad. Dad left and Mary Beth stayed the night -she never told me what happened that night, I am not naïve but, I respect and love her to much to press her on this. Mary Beth and I are still best friends, she's Mary Lou's mother. Best friends having daughters that are best friends.
"When I was 16, 17 and 18 I worked at a 'lab' in Maryland and Washington. I had my first experience working with computers and encryption. Oh, I was so hooked! I went to college and graduated in 2 years from MIT with my Bachelors two years later I had my Masters from Johns Hopkins. I planned on continuing with my education while working for the government. I was on the cutting edge of using and developing computer technology in my field. I had a wonderful job as a cryptologist in DC working for NSA. I shared an apartment with Lisa and we had a great social life. I was meeting new men and Lisa was serious with her boyfriend from high school. He was quiet but, they were devoted to each other and Lisa and I were secretly looking at brides magazines and she was daydreaming he would ask her to marry him. Mary Beth and I were going to be bridesmaids."
"I knew Mom and Dad were on a mission. I hadn't heard from them in weeks and no arrangements had been made for the Christmas holidays. This in itself was not unusual. I had learned to be flexible and how to pack a bag to leave at the last minute. If they couldn't make it home I knew I would have a wonderful Christmas with my 'other' parents in the Burg."
Helen's blackberry beeped and she looked at it. She called up thesteps "Get ready" and walked back to the kitchen. Grandma walked into the kitchen and said to Ricardo "I'm so happy for you to be let in on our secret. I am not a batty, lecherous old woman as I have had to portray. Although, I will tell you I have had more fun tormenting Lester than any one woman should be allowed. He really spices up my rather boring life and Helen and I pass many minutes thinking up new things for me to do to him. The other Merry Men give me a lot of laughs when I walk by and they try to avoid any contact with me and my evil pinching fingers, which to be honest I have only used 3 times to gain my reputation." With that said she clamped a baseball hat on backwards, slipped into white Boots with tassels gave Ricardo a wink and went to the front door with Helen.
Steph pulled up in a cloud of smoke and Grandma Mazur pranced out the door squealing about a new viewing, she pointed at the Black SUV and wiggled her hips and screamed 'Is that you Lester?' and Helen standing on the front porch yelling 'Why Me! Stephanie you be sure to pick her up after church and take her to the funeral home and whatever you do don't let her open the casket!'
Helen walked back into the kitchen opened up the pantry door and took out the bottle of Seagrams got two glasses and ice and said " Ricardo would you like some ice tea?" She started to laugh "It's always been tea I keep in the pantry with a miniature bottle of Seagrams next to it so I can dab a little on my lips when I imbibe at family dinners. I wish I did drink, it would make it easier to endure St. Valerie and the clown."
Ricardo looked at Helen and said to her "Mrs. Plum I think you are like Steph - I get the feeling you never disappoint. Can you explain to me why your blackberry just beeped and you knew Steph was on her way?"
"Ricardo, you have your spy systems and I have mine - I'm not giving away all my secrets today."