Trails of wispy clouds glowed peaches and golds in the last yawn of a settling sun. Brad and Susan were taking their sunset walk in the cooling sands at the oceans edge. They liked to watch the sun blazing it's last color across the sky as it gathered the day, taking it to another part of the world, leaving the strolling couple to the twinkle of night.
After their meeting with the Director, Ted Warner, and Special Agent Armando Martinez, they had seen no reason to go anywhere else. No body was looking for them in Carmel, so they took advantage of the situation. With nothing to do until Ted fulfilled his part, they took on the role of a couple vacationing in Carmel. Their bungalow could not be more charming if it came off of a post card saying, 'Wish you were here'. The restaurants were all fantastic, everything was beautiful, and Susan was able to visit all 126 art galleries while they were there. She thought she would have to drag Brad on her exploration of Carmel's artistic offerings, but not only did he go with her willingly, she was surprised by his artistic knowledge. When she told him so, he smiled at her and said, “Now, why would you think an old soldier wouldn't know anything about the arts?”
“It seems like quite a contrast to what you've done for a living.” she responded.
“Yes, it is, and it's probably one of the reasons that I found it interesting. Everything in life seeks a balance. Like you said, art is a contrast. It's that contrast that gave me balance.”
As they came up even with the bungalow, they turned almost in unison from the wet sanded shore and traipsed across the soft, dry sand. They both hesitated as they saw the silhouette of a man in the dusk's shadows at their gate. He lifted his hand in greeting before they went towards him again, recognizing who he was.
“Are you two enjoying your vacation on the government's dime?” Ted asked jokingly.
“It's all how you word it.” Brad said as he shook Ted's hand. “I would say that we're under a government protection program.”
“How are you, Susan?” The Director asked her.
“Well, I was hoping that this part could go on indefinitely, but I'm doing very well, thank you.”
Ted handed her a small case. “This is the bogus memory stick. How much time do you need before I let the information out?”
“We'll plant it tomorrow.” Susan responded.
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After Ted had given them the memory stick and worked out some details of the plan, he wished them luck and quickly left. Susan and Brad were now alone in the bungalow, anticipation of the coming day crowding the relaxed, almost dreamy previous two days that had wrapped them in an enchanted aura
They sat in two easy chairs, facing diagonally towards each other. A small end table with a lamp on it separating them. They had said little since going inside after Ted left. There was little left to discuss about what they had to do, but it still preoccupied their minds. Both of them going over details, looking for a weak point in their plans.
Brad sighed and looked over at Susan. He smiled and silently stood. He walked over to a counter, a bowl of long wooden matches sat on its surface. He pulled one out and lit a candle. He then went to the coffee table and lit another candle. He rose and looked at her, smiling again. She answered him with a grin, rose and turned on an easy jazz station, who at the moment was playing some very sultry blues. Brad lit one more candle and put the match out as Susan turned to him from the stereo.
They were in no hurry. This was their night – their last night in the land of enchantment, in this bungalow that looks as if it escaped from a Kincaid painting. Without a word spoken, they had agreed that this night was theirs. The world did not exist beyond where they were right now. The concept of the moon shinning through any other window except the one in the bungalow did not exist. The sound of the sea in the distance was meant only for them. This bungalow, walls flickering amber in the candle light, the soft music filling the air, held no other feeling accept the one they felt for each other. They came together in a gentle embrace. Holding each other as they danced slowly. Both of them, thinking what a perfect, contented moment this was.
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It was around noon on a sunny day. The weather was pleasant instead of hot, as the sun had passed it's apex over two months ago. Autumn had yet to offer it's cool sting to the nights, but the days were succumbing as the sun's spin drifted to the south. Instead of pulling onto Susan's street, Brad parked on Main Street just down from her corner. They both donned gray wigs, hats and sunglasses before exiting the Land Rover. Susan attached a leash to Recon as Brad pulled out his cane as an accessory for the 'older man' appearance, though he was quietly grateful for it, as his leg was hurting today.
“See you at the top of the hill, cowboy.” Susan said as she and Recon turned the corner of her street and walked up the other side from her house. Brad continued on until he came to the Broadway Bar and Grill, walked behind the building and started up a walking trail where the forested hills ended short of the back fences of the homes on Broadway. Brad walked slowly – an old man in no hurry to get anywhere. He leaned heavily on the cane as he walked, not totally exaggerating the canes need. He stopped occasionally, leaning on the cane with both hands, looking towards the uphill forest floor as if he were admiring the beauty as he gave his legs a break. Two houses before he got to Susan's back yard fence, he spotted the man a hundred feet back in the trees. What caught his eye was a quick movement of shadow in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees overhead. Brad stopped and leaned heavily on the cane. He faced the forest to the left of where he saw the shadow, but the sunglasses hid the movement of his eyes. He was totally focused on the trees who's shadow's revealed the man. What could have been a sliver of a shadow inched from behind a tree trunk and then slowly slipped back again. The man was either camouflaged or wearing a ski mask, for he blended quite well. Only be looking directly at him would one even notice the movement.
Brad sighed, turned and continued his hobbling stroll up the trail, walking passed Susan's house without a glance.
As Susan and Recon walked up the street, she also walked slowly, talking to Recon as they did. “Okay, you big ape, you're going to stick with me and not chase any cats or squirrels, right?”
Recon's tongue hung from the side of his mouth as he looked up at her with a happy expression, his tail wagging.
“Also, my dear psychotic friend, I would appreciate it if you didn't rip anybodies throat out unless they actually are hostile.” Again he wagged his tail vigorously and gave her a short bark.
“I have to assume that your bark and tail wagging means that you agree to my terms for a walk down the street.” He gave her another short bark.
“You're a little scary, Recon. I don't think dogs are supposed to be as smart as you seem to be.”
Recon leaned into her with his 90 pounds of weight, pushing her to the edge of the sidewalk. She stopped, bent down and rubbed his side. His back leg lifted and pawed the air in response to her scratching. As she rose to continue their walk, she glanced at her place, just a few houses up the street, and checked out the cars parked at the curb. Two men sat in an SUV four houses up from hers. They were watching her as she moved. They were not speaking to each other, but seemed intent on her. She acted as if she hadn't noticed them, walking slowly, keeping her head slightly turned towards Recon as she talked to him. Just an old lady walking her dog. The hat over her gray wig and the large sunglasses offered good distortion to her features, but her smooth skin could giver her away once she got close enough for them to see her more clearly. Large, old oak trees lined either side of the street, offering shadow filtered light, making it more difficult to discern her features.
As she drew closer to the men in the SUV across the street, she could see from the corner of her eye that they were still studying her. Perhaps it was because she was the only thing moving on the block. It would be a natural tendency to watch the only person moving in an observers line of vision.
Recon walked to Susan's right, on the residential side of the sidewalk. She turned to him and said, “Do something doggy like, Recon. Pee on something, or what ever it is that dog's do. I need a diversion from me.” Recon veered onto the passing lawn, pulling ten feet of chord from the reel leash in Susan's hand. She turned her head completely away from her observers as she watched Recon walking across the edges of lawns, smelling hidden, disgusting things deep inside the grass that only a dog would notice or find interesting, stopping every now and then to inspect an interesting odor. They came to a tree, which Recon sniffed methodically before lifting his rear leg and urinating on it. Susan stood patiently with her back to the men as Recon did his business. She was even with them now, they being directly across the street from her. Recon's exploration gave her reason to center her attention away from the SUV. When Recon was done he continued to smell the lawn as they passed the men's line of vision, offering the old lady an apparent reason to be concentrating on her dog's actions, just in case he decided to leave a piled greeting for a home owner that she would have to pick up. They could not see her face at all as she passed them.
Once out of their range of observation, she did not speed up. She walked the two long blocks to the top of the hill at the same pace she began her walk, knowing that they could be watching her in their rear view mirrors, or turned in their seats, evaluating whether or not they should check her out a little closer. She had no doubt that they were watching her for any move that did not correspond to her character.
As Susan and Recon topped the hill and disappeared from the men's sight, she looked for Brad, seeing him at the end of the foot trail where the forest came up to the sidewalk. His butt was up against a tree, both hands folded on the handle of the cane, looking like an old man resting after a walk. Recon's tail wagged vigorously as they crossed the street and walked up to Brad. The disguise might have fooled the surveillance team, but not Recon.
“Hey there, old timer.” Susan said walking up to him. “Are you waiting for an old lady who might come by and show you a good time?”
“Only if you have some Ibuprofen and Viagra.”
She laughed. “Is that what old men need to have a good time?”
“I'm not sure. I never got issued the 'what to expect as you grow old' manual, but I suspect in another 30 or 40 years, those items will be my friends.” He leaned down and scratched Recon behind the ear as he spoke. “Did you see anything?”
“Yes. There were two men in an SUV about four house up from mine on the same side of the street. How about you?”
“Yep. Me too. One guy about a hundred feet into the woods directly behind your house.”
“Well.” Susan said. “We have a little dilemma here, don't we?”
All content - poems, posts & images - are ©2010 by John Evans. No permission is given to post, share, copy, print, e-mail, reproduce, distribute or link to. All Rights Reserved. Please contact John Evans at JohnEvansPoet.Com for licensing inquiries.
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