Page 16 of A Moment Never Forgotten
“My senior year at Georgetown.” She unrolled the napkin and placed the silverware in the proper positions, using the time to decide how much she really wanted to tell this man. Truth or lie? When their eyes met, she decided to tell the truth. “I’d been hitting the job fairs and sending out resumes for about six months and I was getting close to graduation. I had a lot of first interviews, only a few second interviews, and absolutely zero job offers. Even though I had one of the highest GPAs in the International Relations Department, in DC you had to know someone to get a job back then.”
“What about your parents? Were they politically connected?” Micah’s entire focus was on her.
She felt as though he was testing her for lies. Maybe he’d done his own investigation…on her. Berit knew exactly what he would find, and it wouldn’t be much.
“No. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was a sophomore in high school, and I lived with my Great Aunt Nancy in Chevy Chase until I graduated. She was such a prickly old spinster that she didn’t even have friends. There were only about ten people at her funeral and that included the Baptist preacher and me.” Then she added, “She passed away about a year after I moved out.”
Berit repositioned the knife and spoon even though they were perfectly parallel. She knew his silence was an interrogation tactic, and it was working on her, so she continued. It wasn’t a secret. “As I was leaving a job fair, I walked by the CIA recruiters and said what the hell. I needed a job. My student loans were going to need to be paid. Two hours later I left with a folder an inch-thick of paperwork that needed to be filled out, by hand.”
She was thankful for the interruption when Zala arrived with their drinks then dashed off.
With a self-deprecating grin, she admitted, “Nowadays everything is done almost instantaneously on the computer via the Internet.” She sipped her water. She wasn’t ready for the alcohol yet. “Anyway, they did a formal interview at school then invited me to Langley. I guess I fell for theirsee the world, help protect old glory, duty to your countrysales lines.” A little giggle burst through. “That, and they offered me money.”
Turning the tables, she asked Micah, “Did you fall for that same spiel?”
“No. I knew from an early age that I wanted to join the Navy. I’ve always loved the water.” He went on to explain what she already knew, but she listened attentively anyway. “I grew up on Lake Erie swimming, SCUBA diving, sailing, if it deals with water, I’ve been doing it all my life.”
After a sip of beer, he went on to say, “Most weekends dad and I spent on the boat fishing for walleye or lake perch. When it was warm enough, we’d take turns waterskiing. During the snowy winters, you’d find me and dad racing down black diamond trails. We had a sailboat.” His grin was at a memory, not her. “There’s a picture of me and dad on a sailboat about a thousand feet offshore. I was little. Under three years old. We had several sailboats over the years, each one getting bigger.”
“Where did you end up going to school?” Berit knew but had to act dumb.
“The Naval Academy.” He took a long pull on his beer. “I haven’t been back in years. I suppose now that I’m stationed so close, I should go see the place. Maybe even go to a football game, but that wasn’t my sport. I was on the sailing team and the swim team. We often had a regatta during home games, so I rarely got to see the football team in action.”
“Do you still like to sail?” She actually wanted to know. “I’ve never been, and it looks exciting.”
His smile grew wide. “I’ll take you…when the weather warms up. I hate to admit this, but I’ve become a fair-weather sailor. Coldwater swims are for qualification only these days.”
She laughed. “Are you such a terrible sailor that we’re going to tip over?”
“Hell, no.” His smile was dazzling. “I love to go as fast as the wind can take us, bouncing over the waves. Sailing isn’t for the faint of heart, not the way I do it.”
“I’ll go sailing with you if you promise to take it easy.” She meant it, too. Then she added, “A warm sunny day would be perfect.”
“It’s a date, but we’re going to have to wait until about April.” Micah downed about half his water. “There won’t be a jealous husband or boyfriend following us across the Chesapeake Bay, will there?”
“You didn’t hesitate to throw that out there, did you?” Berit was impressed while part of her wondered if he’d been chased before. She held up her ringless left hand. “Not married. Never have been.” She giggled. “And it’s been decades since I had to worry about aboyfriend.” She emphasized the word boy.
“Should I have asked about amanfriend in that case?” He queried.
Berit leaned back in the chair and weighed her options. She could lie to him, but she really didn’t want to. “There hasn’t been one of those, either, for quite a while.” How long had it been? A year? No. Over two years since she had dumped Thaddeus Grover Hastings a.k.a. Thad. The senatorial aid had almost convinced her that he loved her, but his fascination with her job had finally become too much. Besides, Mak didn’t like him, especially after Thad had grilled him for nearly an hour wanting details about his missions.
Director Hennel had the man investigated and discovered his computer was filled with notes on dozens of people in the spy world. He was supposedly writing a thriller or mystery novel. After Director Hennel had a conversation with the senator, Thad was sent back to North Dakota.
Rephrasing, Berit volleyed the question back. “Is there a special lady waiting for you back in Virginia Beach?”
“No.” His answer was quick and definitive. “I’ve never been married, either. My job isn’t exactly conducive to long-term relationships.”
Berit laughed emphatically. “Same here. Especially the first fifteen years. No man was eager to play father to a newborn in Northern Africa while I made the money in the family. At least no man that I would ever want. I refuse to be someone’s sugar mama.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wondered why the hell she’d said that. No one knew about her failed attempts to find a father for Mak.
“I take it you raised Mak on your own?” Of course, Micah would come right out and ask the question.
“Completely.” She said the word with pride. What the hell, it was a long time ago so why not tell him. “John was a grad student my senior year of college. We were in love, living together in a tiny apartment just off-campus. We had everything planned. I was going to get a great job with the government or working for one of the Beltway bandits while he finished grad school. He was studying international finance and was sure he’d start working the day after graduation for one of the international banks. We’d get married, travel the world, take tropical vacations, and maybe someday have children.” She gave him a self-deprecating smile. “We were idealistic idiots, but love does that to you.”
“Please, don’t tell me John dumped you once he found out you were pregnant?” Anger and disgust were evident in his voice.
“No. John was thrilled when I told him I was pregnant. He said things might be a little tight at first, but the rest of our dreams could still work out. Our baby would just be one of the best-traveled children on the planet.” That part had worked out for her and Mak.
Berit took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What he wasn’t happy about, was that my only job offer was with the CIA. It didn’t matter, though. He was killed about a month later walking home from the library late one night. It was in the days before traffic cams and of course, nobody saw anything. Armed robbery. He was knifed several times. His wallet and student ID were stolen.” She shook her head. “They couldn’t have gotten any more than fifteen dollars.”
