17
Window Reflections
Savior
It had been a wonderful evening. Amanda had gotten home from the Agency early so she had helped Dotty prepare the dinner. When the boys had gotten home from school they had done their homework and come down to set the table. Everyone was happy and laughing with each other. This helpfulness and the absence of the bickering that had been so common between Philip and Jamie lately seemed to be miraculous and although Amanda knew it was a momentary miracle she was glad to have had it. Dotty had remarked on her own theory about the pleasant atmosphere in her unique motherly way by commenting that Amanda's friend must have found a better job. Amanda didn't speak her own comment out loud, but she did add to herself the fact that the bomb hadn't gone off as a major positive to the jovial mood this evening.
The boys had helped to clean up and everyone watched a family movie before bed. Now they had all gone to sleep and Amanda was the last one awake putting the finishing touches on tomorrow's lunches. She looked up from the sink and saw her reflection in the window. She had a smile on her face and a light in her eyes that she knew had been there all day. Life was good, she thought to herself. Good and full. She had her boys and her mom and a comfortable, busy home. She getting pretty good at an exciting job that made a difference in the world and she had a friend to do it with. This last case had at last proven that to be true. Although when the week had started she hadn't been so sure.
She knew something was off when she had walked into the bullpen that day with her apple pie. Billy had seemed so different in his demeanor towards her, she should have suspected something was afoot then. She just couldn't figure out why Lee would just up and leave the Agency. Not that he necessarily would tell her if he did, but for some reason the fact that he hadn't surprised her. But after listening to Fred Fielder's conceited rant she was totally confused. Still, resident inside of her was a complete incredulity that anything he had accused Lee of could have been true and she had let some of that spill out in her sharp response to him. So she had to see if it was true for herself.
Even in those two visits to Lee's new apartment the fact that Lee had left the agency seemed surreal to her. She really was having trouble believing that who she was seeing was the Lee that she had come to know. The hardest part to take was his comment to her before Ballon had come in. She had said that because she was his friend she wouldn't, she couldn't leave alone the fact that she thought that he was making the wrong decision in leaving the Agency to sell weapons to unsavory people. He had corrected her then. He had said that they were only business associates and former ones at that. But even that had confused her. The bluster and self-defensiveness that had marked his tone of voice the last time he had made statements like that was missing. This time there was a sadness, almost a wistfulness in his voice and it left her utterly confused.
It all seemed clear, though, when Ballon had shown up at her house and told her that they were all still working for the Agency and recruited her for the team. Looking back on that she still felt a bit foolish for falling for those lies that he had told her. But so much of what he had said rung of truth to her, or at the least they were things that she wished were true. Things like how Ballon had acknowledged the contribution that she made to Lee's work and hinting that Lee did need her. Boy did she fall for that. Even after Ballon had left she hadn't felt completely comfortable about him or the mission, but if Lee was on the team then it must have been ok for her to be involved as well and, looking back now, she sure was glad that she had been. After all, what would have happened if it hadn't been the two of them working together yesterday in the field? She shuddered to think of it.
But they had been there together. Lee had chased down her station wagon. Lee had told her the truth. Lee had also said some other wonderful things, things that she had hoped he would say, but truthfully wasn't sure if he ever would. He had called her a friend. He had taken her by the arms, looked her in the eyes and had told her that she was very far from foolish. He had acknowledged that she was right about how to handle the next step and together they had come up with a plan. And it had worked! She had told him that she had him and it was true. Amanda looked back at her reflection in the window. But what was also true was that he had her and yesterday that had made all the difference…because she had the Go Bomber's pin in her pocket!
Amanda wiped out the sink and folded the dish towel and hung it back on the refrigerator door. Yes, life was good. Lee Stetson was who she had thought he was. She knew he could never have betrayed the Agency like Fred had suggested he had. And he hadn't betrayed her either. He had called her his friend. It dawned on her that Lee had missed out on that apple pie so she decided that she would make one in the morning and take it into the office with her. Happy with that idea she was content to call it a night. Tomorrow had more good things in store for her, she was sure.