Not Much a Fairy Tale
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Chapter 28
It was the middle of the night at Matteo's and Frieda's home, and once again Pepita was sandwiched in between Lee and Amanda, asking for a bedtime story.
The three of them were sitting up on the carpet-bed in the tiny weaving room. Lee reached over and lit the candle again, bringing a soft glow in the room.
When Amanda saw that Lee had re-lit the candle, she teasingly warned him, "You SURE Tia Frieda won't come barging in here to blow out the candle again?"
"She won't," Lee assured her, "This time if she returns, she'll probably take out the moonlight from the moon!"
Amanda softly laughed.
"Hel-looo, story, please?" Pepita reminded them.
Amanda turned her attention back to the little girl, "Yes, of course, the story! And it just so happens that I DO have a fairy tale in mind!"
"Not fairy tale this time," Pepita decided, surprising Amanda, "If you do not mind, Señora, I would like a story about secret spies instead!"
"Secret spies?" Amanda nervously questioned, wondering if Lee or she had let it slip on what they did.
"Yes," Pepita stated, nodding, "Like the one we saw tonight on TV. You know, 'The 'Misión Imposible' show!"
Amanda sounded relieved, "Oh that show! You SURE you want a spy story?"
"Fairy tales are for babies," Pepita remarked.
"And you've grown so much in two days, haven't you?" Amanda smiled.
"You heard the young lady!" Lee defended Pepita, or perhaps it was to annoy Amanda further, "She has outgrown those silly fairy tales! Give her a meat-and-potatoes spy story!"
"Perhaps not out-grow, Señor," Pepita corrected him, as she asked of Amanda, "if there is a tiny fairy tale part in the story, Señora, I will not complain!"
"No spy story would be complete without a fairy tale ending," Amanda agreed with a wink.
"-and don't forget, no guns, either," Lee reminded her.
Amanda shot a look his way, "Excuse me, no guns in a spy story?"
Lee shrugged, "Pepita sees a truck, she wants to be a truck driver. She hears about a gun, welllll, you figure it out..."
"Fine!" Amanda bristled, but when she turned to Pepita, her expression softened, "Now, lie back down, Pepita, and I'll tell you your very first spy-fairy-tale-gunless story!"
Amanda's mind was going a mile a minute because she was intent on revealing her true feelings for Lee in the story as well.
Pepita immediately laid down and excitedly stated, "I am very ready, Señora!"
"Okay, then," Amanda began, "it all began on a bright sunny day at Arlington Bank when two bank robbers…."
From the corner of her eye, she noted Lee bringing up his fisted hand to his mouth and cough into it:
(Cough!)Non-disclosure clause!(Cough!)
Amanda whipped her head over in his direction, "What's wrong now? Are you telling me I am banned from telling her a spy story?"
"No, of course not! You can tell a million spy stories if you want... you just can't tell one that actually happened!"
"Does that hold true for the characters as well?" Amanda asked, "Can I talk about real people?"
"I'll leave that part up to you," Lee responded, "It's just that the plot has to be...more inventive than realistic...not that anyone would EVER believe the real adventures anyway!"
He seemed to be enjoying challenging her.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Fine, again!" she seethed.
So she restarted:
"There was once this nice, hardworking female secret agent named, uh, Agent...Poppyseed. No one, however, knew she WAS a spy because she looked like an average person. She lived an everyday life in an ordinary neighborhood and none of her friends or family knew about her double life. She dressed very modestly, too, but that's because she didn't want to show- off, unlike other agents." she snidely finished, specifically aiming the jab at Lee.
"Hold it right there," Lee stated, "I would like to make a correction in the story."
"So soon?"
"What can I say? I have high expectations for this story."
Amanda sighed, "If you must, go ahead!"
"Yeah, so…." Lee added, "the fact is, Agent Poppyseed was not only smart and talented as a spy, but she was a very beautiful agent as well! Many times when she went on secret missions, she would wear sparkly gowns and ALL the males in the room could not take their eyes off of her undeniable beauty! And while looking beautiful, she was very successful with her missions as well!"
"Ooooh! I like her very much!" Pepita joyously clapped, "She is much like a princess, but she can save the world from the bad people, too!"
Now Amanda felt guilty about that last comment she had made about other agents 'showing off'.
"Thank you for that, Lee," she blushed.
"The kid needs to hear the truth, just not ALL the truth," Lee hinted.
Amanda continued, "Anyway, Agent Poppyseed was also very dedicated to her job. So much so that she ate very little whenever she was on a case because the case was all she could focus on. Day after day, all she ever did was complete exciting spy missions. But one day she mysteriously didn't show up to work!"
"Oh no!" exclaimed Pepita.
Amanda nodded, "Oh no, is right! It was indeed a rarity. Everyone at work just assumed she was out on another mission...all except this one particular agent...Agent uh, Strawman, who also worked at The A-, um, Spy Headquarters. He knew this was unlike her to tell no one of her whereabouts and was getting very concerned."
"Agent Strawman?" Pepita wondered, "What is HE like?Was he a handsome spy... like a prince?"
"Oh my yes!"Amanda emphatically answered, paying Lee back the compliment, "in fact, they hadn't invented the word ' Handsome' until they saw him!"
"Wow, that handsome, huh?" Lee asked, impressed, as he sat up taller.
"Yes, but too bad he knew it as well," Amanda stated, with a mischievous smile.
"You're saying he was arrogant?" Lee asked, "I don't think so. Maybe he was just really self-focused whenever he was in front of a mirror!"
"I suppose," Amanda stated, "Anyway, Agent Strawman had looked everywhere for her; he checked her home, the grocery store, the bowling alley; all the places she'd often go to before going out on her missions."
"Agent man knows her so well," Pepita observed.
"Yes he does," Amanda softly agreed, "but she wasn't at any of those places. Agent Strawman feared that she had been kidnapped; otherwise, where had she gone to?"
Pepita was wide-eyed, "WAS she kidnapped, Señora?"
"Agent Strawman hoped not! Luckily, he remembered one last place he had not looked. It was a lone adobe house up in the hills that Agent Poppyseed would sometimes frequent to do some fishing. So Agent Strawman drove up to the house on the hill. He forced the door opened and when he entered, he was shocked at what he discovered up there."
Amanda paused for effect.
Pepita's eyes opened wide, "What? WHAT? WHAT DID HE FIND?"
"He had found the missing Agent Poppyseed, alright...but it did not look good...she was found laid out on the floor, unconscious!"
And it was Lee's voice, not Pepita's, who answered, "Nooo!"
"Yes indeed," Amanda nodded, "So Agent Strawman gently tapped the cheek of his fallen comrade, "Agent Poppy! Wake up!" he encouraged her, while carefully making sure she had no broken bones. After verifying that her body was fine, he lifted her up and placed her gently on the bed. She groaned from being moved, her head moving back and forth and she was mumbling something. When Agent Strawman leaned in closer, he heard Agent Poppyseed murmuring, "Hungry, so very hungry..."
"Que lastima!"a distressed Pepita cried out, "so Agent Poppyseed was dying from hunger?"
"That is what Agent Strawman believed. But here's where the mystery begins..." Amanda ended the sentence in a mysterious tone.
"What?" Lee anxiously asked.
"What?" Pepita impatiently repeated.
Amanda spoke as if she were telling a secret, as she lifted an index finger, "You see, up at the cabin, as Agent Strawman looked around, he noticed the cupboards were completely stacked with all kinds of canned foods! Why had she not cook and fed herself? he wondered. And there was even MORE mystery to this story..."
"WHAT?" Lee and Pepita questioned at once.
"Well, Agent Strawman had noticed that her wood-paneled station wagon was still parked outside and there was a country store just two miles down the hill! She could have driven to get something to eat! So why had she starved when there was plenty of food in the cabin AND a store filled with food nearby?"
"Oh! That IS a puzzle!" Pepita claimed, wide-eyed.
Lee was involved in the story as well, "So why had this beautiful and brilliant agent starve herself?"
Amanda leaned in, "Agent Poppyseed had been suffering from a broken heart!"
Lee squished his face in confusion, "Huh? So she wasn't hungry? Why did she say she was?"
Pepita piped in, "Oh, Señor, do you not understand? Agent Poppyseed was hungry, alright, but she was hungry... for love!"
"That's right, Pepita," Amanda acknowledged, not being able to look Lee's way, "You see, before she was a spy, Agent Poppyseed was already very happy. She led a wonderful life: she had a loving family, and many friends, but her heart was ripped. It turns out Agent Poppyseed felt lonely and wanted a companion, despite being surrounded with people whom she loved dearly."
"So sad! Poor Agent Poppyseed!" Pepita mourned.
"Yes," Amanda agreed, "So, back at the cabin, when she slowly opened her eyes, Agent Poppyseed realized that she was not only looking at her working partner, but a man who had changed her life forever; who could heal the tear of loneliness in her heart."
Lee asked, "Agent Strawman could do all that?"
Amanda nodded as she turned in his direction, "Yes."
They stared at each other but neither said a word. The silence grew and stretched between them, along with the tension.
Until they heard some soft breathing coming from down on the blankets. Lee and Amanda looked down at the tiny sleeping form.
"Is she asleep?" Amanda whispered.
Lee checked, "Yeah," he whispered drawing the blanket around Pepita. Then after a pause, he turned back to Amanda, "So Agent Poppyseed really cared about this pompous agent, didn't she?"
Quietness and then Amanda choked out, "She fell hard. Yes."
"I see," Lee responded as he casually scratched his chin, "And did Agent Poppyseed ever fill her starving heart? Did she ever find her happy forever?"
Amanda could barely keep her voice from shaking, "Hard to say, Lee. It's all up to Agent Strawman now."
There was silence on Lee's end.
"Lee?"
Lee took a frustrated breath out, which Amanda knew was not a good sign, "Amanda, just so you know...I...I don't believe in forevers..."
She bravely held her head up, "I've never asked for forever from you, Lee."
"I realize that but I also know you, and that's what you would want," he honestly stated. She didn't deny it, so he continued on, trying to sound optimistic, "Look, Amanda, one day the right person will find you. He is going to make you feel beautiful and cherished. I don't think that person can be me."
"You don't think?"
Lee's eyes looked wistfully into hers, "You know the kind of person I am, Amanda."
Amanda looked away, trying hard not to be hurt by his apparent rejection. She needed to change course. When she finally looked back at him, she tilted her head, "What do you mean, Lee?"
"What do you mean what do I mean?"
"I was just telling Pepita a tale...a fairy tale...you didn't think this made-up story was about US, did you?"
"I assume so, what-with the spy names AND the wood-paneled station wagon. After all, how many spies drive wood-paneled station wagons around town?"
"In my stories, they ALL do!" she claimed.
Lee felt lost. There were too many mixed feelings and too much overthinking. His mind was telling him that she was only someone who worked with him, but his heart was telling him something different. And it scared him.
"Perhaps we should get some sleep," he awkwardly stated.
Amanda sadly nodded. Obviously, Lee's indecision WAS a decision.
"I think so, too," she agreed, keeping the disappointment out of her voice. She reached up to blow out the candle as darkness enveloped them.
#
Earlier that day, Billy and Francine landed in Salina Cruz, Mexico, and by taxi, they drove almost straight through to Reymosa, which was the last town of the fifth informant. After checking in at the only inn, they wandered around town. A lanyard hung around both their necks, identifying them as a journalist and photographer.
After some time, they went to the local cantina, which Billy knew was news central for most towns. If anyone knew what had happened to Lee and Amanda, it would be someone from here.
At the bar, he ordered coffee instead of alcohol. He needed to keep his wits about him.
"You a journalist, Señor?" the bartender asked after examining the badge, as he poured some coffee in Billy's mug and then poured a glass of wine for Francine.
"That I am," Billy told him, "and this is my photo-taking assistant."
"Associate, not assistant," Francine corrected him, giving herself a better sounding title.
"Let me be the first to welcome you both, but it's strange that you two should be in such a town like this," the bartender noted.
"Why's that, Sir?" Billy asked.
"Because," the bartender sounded as though it was obvious, "this is the town from nowhere. What is there to report here?"
Francine responded with, "Plenty! I could probably get some great pics of the simplicity of this town, if I ignore the drabness, that is!"
"-and this town definitely has character," Billy added, trying to soften Francine's words, "I bet if I talk to the right people, I could write quite a descriptive piece as well."
"You are in luck, then," the bartender stated, "our mayor is sitting right over there," he gestured, "his name is Alejandro Hernandez. A great man."
"Is that so?" Billy turned. He got up and grabbed his mug, "Come on, Francine. I think we'll go pay the mayor a visit."
They introduced themselves to the mayor, who graciously asked them to have a seat across from him.
"Señorita Monddes?" the mayor repeated Francine's undercover name, "such an unusual surname. Is that French?"
Of course, Francine wasn't going to tell him it was an anagram of her last name. Nevertheless, she thought it was a perfect time to show off her French, "Oui, seulement le meilleur des noms pour moi!"
"Uh, of course," the mayor diplomatically stated, before turning to Billy, "You have picked an excellent town to get a story, Señor Rosemel! It is lovely and quiet, but very colorful as well! A very typical Mexican village!"
"Very typical?" Billy lifted a brow in disbelief, "Is that so? I have heard differently."
Mayor Hernandez seemed genuinely surprised, "In what way?"
Billy leaned in, "I've heard you've had some strangers recently."
"Strangers? Besides you? From what source have you heard of this?"
Billy shrugged, "I work at a news agency. We hear things."
"I see." The Mayor covertly looked around and then lowered his voice, "What things do you hear?"
"This is off the record, of course. But we hear two strangers have been in your town. One is a brunette woman. Tall and slim. And the man is even taller. Nice hair. Our sources say that they are on the run."
Mayor Hernandez nodded, "I have heard talk of two strangers, but we believe them villagers, not people on the run."
"Both you and I know they were not villagers," Billy smiled. He then added, "Here, let me pay for your drink."
Biily then placed a 50 dollar bill on the table. It was obvious what the money was really for. The Mayor covertly slid it into his pocket.
"Gracias, Señor," Mayor Hernandez acknowledged, "I do not know much, but I can tell you this. These villagers you speak of left two days ago."
"Two days ago, eh?" Billy pondered, "do you know what direction they were headed?"
"South," the Mayor recalled, "towards one of three towns or perhaps the mountains. Could you tell me who they are?"
"We believe they are two Americans with no identification who wish to return to America," Billy explained with half-truths.
"Ah, I see," Mayor Hernandez concurred, "it is very dangerous roaming around the countryside with no identification. They need to be careful."
"That is why we hope to locate them," Billy said. "With our connections, we will make sure they get the right papers so they could legally return home. So...you say they are headed to the mountains?"
"Perhaps. But the mountains are very tall and much wide. Almost impossible to drive through."
"We will find a way," Francine stated with certainty.
"Is that so, Señorita?" the Mayor asked, slightly put off by her superior attitude.
She gave an assured smile, "Oui."
The Mayor didn't want to know any more from these visitors who asked strange questions, "I want no trouble, so our talk is done. Is there anything else I can help you with before you two leave?"
"Yes," Billy stated., "do you know where we might be able to obtain a helicopter?"
#
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(A/N: Thank you, Truckee Gal, for Francine's cover name. LOL)
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