The Blonde

Long, tall Annie.

Even now, years since our season of love I reflect wistfully on our passionate affair. In retrospect I see that it was fated to end and end badly, but at the time I was blind. Visions of a life together, a family, and small little X’s everywhere, their blond locks bouncing as they ran to welcome me home from the office pre-occupied my mind. I would come in, as we say in the business, and take an analyst role perhaps. Leave in the morning, back at night, Soccer games on the weekend, bar be ques with the other agency staffers on the weekend. A sacrifice? Yes, but what I would gain in return!

We were brought together by our love and respect for The Gipper, and found passion in our common belief that a strong America will lead the world to greatness. She was a law clerk, brash yes, but only in private. Her public image had yet to be developed. As for me, I was serving state side at the time, debriefing East German intelligence agents, and combing through millions of files that came under our control after the Ruskies imploded.

It was mind numbing work, but after a decade spent in field service, I welcomed the relief of a comparatively civil lifestyle. And it had its privileges! My colleagues will tell you that for a while I became quite the item in DC social circles. Women have always found me attractive, but as rumors began to circulate about my exploits (some true, many not!) I found that a certain sort of Washington female tended to take an interest in yours truly.

Moths to the flame I joked at the time, and I burned especially hot.

They say love finds you when you least expect it, and in my case it was all too true. I was a young up and comer at the agency (Annie loved that term!) known for my operational creativity under moments extreme pressure. You see, I had a knack for delivering the goods, where others had failed before me.

The truth is that so much of my success was due – as it is with most of my great peers - to simple luck; dodging the random bullet, being out of the room when the bomb explodes. That sort of thing. But who was I to say anything when McF**nd announced, right there in the Langley Ops Center in front of the Veep and everyone that, “That man just gets it done!” All the training in the world can’t hold back the rush of pride one feels at the moment of praise from one of the greats!

I was on a satellite uplink at the time, and the next words I heard were to change my life forever, but not in the way an intelligence agent normally expects.

“X, see that you’re back here by 1600 Saturday night, Jeanie and I are having some people over to celebrate another success and there is somebody we’d like you to meet. Blonde, and all legs son, you’ll be wise to clean up and give her the living dangerously bit!”

Not one to argue with my superiors, or turn down a dinner invitation – Jeanie always employed the best caterers - I made sure I was in place at the appointed hour. The evening began as most do, the men in B*d’s study mixing business with outlandish boasts of athletic and/or sexual prowess, while the women rolled their eyes and took leave of our company. I didn’t say anything, but I had failed to notice a single female in our party, let alone anyone who could be accurately described as “blonde and all legs”

I was just about to ask my host about this unfortunate situation when there was quite a commotion coming from his front drive. Standing by the window, I parted the curtain to see the amusing spectacle of the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, beating the tar out of her taxi driver with a black Kate Spade purse!

My host and I ran to the door and opened it just as she stormed in. “Long, tall Annie!” B*d exclaimed. “So glad you’re here. We were beginning to worry!”

“Worry? About me?! Hell, I’m disappointed in you B*d! If you want to worry, worry about that falafel loving miscreant they call a cab driver! Damn fool drove me all over Annapolis and then expects a tip!”

“Well at least you’re here”

“Yes I am, now get me a Talisker and let’s get this party started”. “And who, by the way is this overly testosteroned fool? He’d better be careful not to drool all over that nice tux; it must have cost him a fortune! Hmmm, a civil servant who can afford Armani, I'll have to keep an eye on him!”

I didn’t know it at the time, but at that moment I had just fallen in love and my life would never be the same.

Nor would Annie’s.