Juliet listened to her collar for a moment.
“Will do.”
On the other side of the gym John Thumper and Commander Pinky were still having fun throwing tennis balls and watching Romeo blow them out of the sky.
Juliet trotted over to them.
“Commander, they’re ready now.”
Commander Pinky straightened up and adjusted her collar. “Come on John,” growled the commander. “It’s time to feed your people.”
“Feed my people?”
Commander Pinky touched John’s shoulder.
>Blue Light<
The four appeared in front of the house. The garage doors were open, and the cars had been parked on the street. Inside a garage considerably larger than it appeared on the outside stood twelve round tables with table clothes, paper plates, and utensils.
Commander Pinky turned to John. “Call in your people,” she requested. “They must be hungry.”
John hesitated.
Commander Pinky put a hand on Agent Thumper’s shoulder. “John,” growled Commander Pinky, “if we’re going to work together we have to build some trust between us. So, when are we going to do that?”
John thought a moment. “Ok. Yes. You’re right,” he conceded.
“And one last thing before you make the call,” growled Commander Pinky.
She pointed to a table in the corner of the garage. “Please have your agents check their weapons on the table,” she requested. “We don’t want to get anyone accidentally shot. Do we? As soon as that is done, I’ll call down my soldiers. They will be unarmed.”
John nodded his head and made the call on his phone.
Two by two, secret service agents, fourteen men and six women appeared out of the dark and stood apprehensively on the cement in front of Agent Thumper and Commander Pinky flanked by Romeo and Juliet. The twenty secret service agents stared at Commander Pinky and murmured among themselves, not knowing what to think of her.
“You were all briefed that this might be a highly unusual assignment,” said John.
He looked at Commander Pinky standing next to him and then at his agents. “I would like to introduce you to Commander Pinky,” he announced. “She is my security counterpart for the United Lesbian Empire.”
Commander Pinky smiled, showing lots of big teeth and nodded towards the agents.
“Believe me,” said John to his agents, “everyone is going to see a lot of unusual things today that you have never seen before and are not used to. So that no one gets accidently shot or hurt tonight, before you eat, I want everyone to check their weapons on the table in the far corner.”
He pointed. “And I do mean all of them,” he said with emphasis. “When you’ve done with that, come back here for further instructions.”
They hesitated for a moment. “Go!” said John firmly.
He pointed again. “I don’t want any of you accidently shooting someone friendly and setting off an interstellar war!”
The agents grumbled as they walked to the table and set their weapons on it. All the agents were heavily armed, so it took a few minutes.
“Ok,” growled Commander Pinky after all the agents had returned. “Now it’s my turn.”
She looked up. “Send down our soldiers.”
>Blue Light<
Twenty unarmed tiger soldiers in their blue field uniforms appeared on the other side of the garage facing the twenty secret service agents. The two groups warily stared at each other.
“Welcome to La Belle Aurore,” growled Commander Pinky to the agents. “It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ambassadors Wyatt and Gretchen Morgen’s family security detail, The Order of the Golden Labrador. Just as you are elite in everything you do, so are we. We are your security counterparts.”
“Let’s take a seat and eat!” growled commander Pinky. “Dieter fixes the best pizza in the galaxy!”
Agent Thumper held up his hand to stop everyone. “I have an idea,” he said to Commander Pinky.
He turned to the forty soldiers and agents.
“So, that we can make the most of this gathering, before we sit I want the two groups to count off one to twenty so that each being has a number.”
The two groups looked at each other for a moment and then counted down the line.
“Now,” said Agent Thumper. “I want each of you to find your corresponding matching number in the other group and sit with them. I think it’s time we got to know each other.”
The two groups stared at each other in awkward silence. But with John and Commander Pinky’s coaxing they merged, sat and everyone began talking with their counterparts. On Commander Pinky’s signal Jeremy, Thomas, and Konrad delivered hot gourmet Dieter pizzas to their tables.
For a few minutes everything seemed to be going well until Juliet patrolled between the tables looking for a victim. She found one to her liking and sat next to him. Agent Parker smiled and reached for Juliet. When he put his hand on Juliet’s head, Juliet shouted… “take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”
The whole room turned around and Agent Parker recoiled in shock. Juliet laughed hilariously when she saw the look on agent Parker’s face. “I’ve always wanted to do that!”
The agents in the room were stunned. Partly by the joke, but mostly that she talked. Commander Pinky’s soldiers laughed with Juliet. The laughing became contagious, and slowly all the agents joined in. Juliet wagged her tail at Agent Parker.
“I apologize if I startled you,” said Juliet, grinning. “I was just kidding. You can scratch behind my ears now if you want. I can smell that you think I’m adorable.”
Agent Parker scrutinized Juliet for a moment and again reached for her ears.
On the other side of the room, Agent Schultz looked at Romeo sitting beside her. “I suppose you can talk too.”
“Of course, I can,” said Romeo proudly. “I speak five of your Earth languages.”
“Just five,” said Agent Schultz sarcastically. “Is that all?”
“That’s four better than the one you speak,” joked Romeo.
“How do you know I can only speak one language?” asked Agent Schultz. “Maybe I speak French or maybe German?”
“Tu sens un calmar,” said Romeo.1
“Huh?”
“Sie riechen wie ein Tintenfisch.”2
“Huh?”
“Nope, only one,” said Romeo and grinned confidently.
“How do you know?” asked Agent Schultz skeptically. “Maybe I speak something else.”
“I can smell it,” said Romeo.
And he trotted off, leaving behind a confused secret service agent. Later he confided to Agent Schultz over a beer that he had read her file.
Just then Erin ambled out of the dark from the side of the house and stood in the garage door entrance on her hind legs, towering over the entire group. A panicky agent jumped to his feet with a gun that he had forgot to put on the weapons table and fired three quick shots at Erin. Erin dramatically put a paw to her chest and staggered back and forth in front of the garage entrance. She moaned. She groaned. Then imitating a very bad actor, Erin held out her other paw to the heavens, fell to her knees and finally onto the floor gasping. Kawump! The Order leaped to its feet, applauding and whistling.
“Bravo, Erin! Bravo! Bravo! Encore!” they shouted.
Erin waited a few seconds for the applause to build, and then slowly rose to her feet. She took a deep bow before going down on all fours.
Meanwhile, an angry Agent Thumper stomped towards Agent Hardwick. “I thought I told you to put all weapons on the table!” he shouted. “You just embarrassed us all and could’ve gotten someone hurt! You’re just lucky that bear can’t be hurt by bullets!”
“Sorry,” said Agent Hardwick shyly. “I guess I forgot that one.”
Agent Thumper glared around the garage at his agents. “Is there anybody else that forgot to put all their weapons on the table?”
The agents looked at each other and then six of them silently walked to the table and dropped off some extra hardware while Agent Thumper apologized to Erin.
Erin casually strolled around the room. At first only members of the Order would scratch her. But it didn’t take long before the Secret Service got the idea and joined in. Soon several cases of Tipsy Girl Stout beer mysteriously appeared at the side of the room and Commander Pinky showed John’s men how to pour. Meanwhile, Corporal Springer showed her counterpart a 3-D action picture of her family. Agent Schultz responded by displaying a picture of her son, Phillip.
Then Agent Hardbody asked his counterpart, Corporal Snarl, the question all the agents wondered. “Why are all of you female?”
“H’eathen males have their uses,” she said with a smile, “but females make better soldiers. They have much stronger protective instincts.”
Agent Hardbody nodded his head. “Good to know.”
“By the way,” he asked, “are you single?”
Corporal Snarl smiled.
Confident the situation was under control, Agent Thumper excused himself to check on the president. Inside, everything appeared calm around the dining table, and the president seemed to be enjoying herself. He headed for the kitchen.
Dieter
“How’s it going in there?” asked Dieter, wiping the flour off his hands onto a nearby cloth. He stepped up on a stool to kiss Raelene.
“She’s asking for you,” said Raelene as she kissed Dieter back. “President Bennett wants to compliment the wonderful chef who fixed her that excellent Lemon Chicken.”
Dieter glanced around at Konrad, Jeremy, and Thomas busily rushing to and fro. “Tell her I’m busy,” he said petulantly.
Raelene protested gently while she rubbed Dieter’s cute little ears. “My darling little yum-yum,” said Raelene as she chuckled. “I can’t tell the President of the United States that you’re busy. It’s just not done.”
“Well, she was the one that brought twenty uninvited guests to the party,” said Dieter. “She should have thought of that!”
“Actually, that was me,” said Agent Thumper.
Dieter and Raelene turned around.
“And it turned out to be a good idea,” said Agent Thumper, standing at the entry-way to the kitchen. “Our people are going to be working together a lot in the future. So, it’s good that they get an opportunity to get to know each other and learn not to be so two-dimensional.”
Agent Thumper changed the subject. “Ms. Gorgeous tells me you’re the best cook in the galaxy and I can believe it after eating a slice of that pizza.”
Dieter smiled. “Juliet suckered you into betting with her, didn’t she?”
Agent Thumper chuckled and nodded.
“You’re not the first,” said Dieter with a smirk.
Dieter picked up two pans of sliced pizza and handed them to Agent Thumper. He took off his apron. “I guess I have time to meet the president again.”
Meanwhile, in the Nursery
Da-Da, me hungry.
Da-Da, sleeping…
Da-Da, me hungry!
No wake, Da-Da sleepy-bye…
Tavi hungry, Da-Da!
Wake, Da-Da! Wake! Tavi hungry! Huuuungry!
Wyatt woke with a start.
“Huh?”
Standing, from the chair, Wyatt sleepily walked to the milk bottles that he had set in the warmer earlier. Picking up a bottle he wondered, “now who needed this?”
“Oh yeah, Tavi,” he remembered in his drowsy mind.
Gathering up Tavi from her crib Wyatt sat in a chair, and cradled her in his arm. As Tavi sucked the bottle’s nipple, Wyatt hummed to her.
–Thankee, Da-Da.
“You’re welcome, honey,” replied Wyatt.
–Tavi love Da-Da.
“I love you too, honey,” cooed Wyatt.
Wyatt resumed humming but suddenly stopped. Huh? Tavi loves Da-Da? What?
Wyatt’s stunned heart fell into Tavi’s big blue eyes as she sucked her bottle.
–Tavi love Da-Da!
Wyatt smiled …Da-Da loves Tavi too!
Helen, Anna, and Sara hovered in front of Wyatt, puzzled, wondering about the tears they saw.
Why cry? asked Anna in his head
She looked at Helen floating beside her.
Daddy Big Wings, ok? asked Helen.
Keiko
Keiko’s day had been hectic. First thing every morning she compiled the daily tracking report of the number of unwanted, but fully expected, secret service agents supposedly secretly observing from the woods and streets around them. Every hour she received an update on their numbers and positions. Afterwards, if anything had changed she would forward it to Wyatt, Gretchen, and Julie.
It must have been confusing to the Secret Service, she thought, to have the house under surveillance for three days and not see a single person come or go. And yet, Wyatt and his wives still went about their daily routines, and weekly date together, this time to Hawaii.
Claire still kept every appointment in Paris. Though limited to between the hours of two and eight Paris time due to an eight-hour time difference. This worked for Claire because she had already turned over a lot of her daily duties to Madame Manx. As soon as Claire arrived home in the early afternoon, she would immediately go to the nursery to either breastfeed or give up some milk or play with the children. Then straight to Wyatt because she wanted to be pregnant again.
Julie traveled to her studio in Carmel every day to record and write. She had been in big demand ever since Paris a year and half earlier and she wanted to tour again after she gave birth to Zoey. Some speculated in the music world that she had been approached about composing the music for a Broadway show.
In the past year, Heidi had opened three new restaurants, including a new bistro locally on Nye Beach in Newport. Though six months pregnant, Heidi would still spend time greeting guests at the door every day and seat them. Lately, a lot of them seemed to be known secret service agents.
Meanwhile, Gretchen coordinated all their Lesbian activities, and had absolutely no hesitation about touching Wyatt’s hand whenever she wanted to watch him split wood or even just take a long walk in the woods surrounding their house. Wyatt hadn’t noticed yet that Gretchen had stopped drinking alcohol.
Keiko took care of a mountain of details. She made sure Dieter had everything he requested for the evening dinner, and for the occasion Keiko had even shopped with Dieter for a new China pattern. No detail seemed too small for her. It had only been a little more than seven months since she had started to work for Wyatt, and it had given her everything that she wanted—a life definitely not ordinary.
That afternoon, Helen, Anna, and Sara escaped into the living room before the guests arrived and were totally oblivious and unresponsive to her as they buzzed about chasing each other. Keiko had to call in Gretchen, who immediately made sure, in no uncertain terms, that the three knew Keiko occupied a part of the authority circle and that they were never, ever, going to ignore her again. Though irritated, Keiko still loved the three mischievous little imps. Behind their big expressive eyes, she could see that they were always thinking and calculating just how far they could push her.
A few weeks earlier, Wyatt decided they didn’t need the plastic mesh any longer and removed it. The next morning, Anna and Sara were found cuddled up in other cribs with their brother and sisters like puppies.
Keiko felt relieved that the dinner proceeded, for the most part, as planned. Julie and the ladies were getting to know the president, and the Secret Service hadn’t accidentally shot anyone yet. Arby had created a commotion, like usual, but even he got sorted out in the end by a clever, resourceful president.
When Keiko returned to the nursery after patrolling the house, she noticed that Wyatt seemed happy to be unsuccessfully holding back a tear while he rocked Tavi to sleep. Helen and Anna hovered and played with his ears while Sara examined Tavi.
“What’s going on?” asked a concerned Keiko.
Wyatt looked up at Keiko and smiled. He pointed to his head. “Tavi just said her first words!”
Five Minutes Later
When the women burst through the nursery door trailed by the president and her daughter, Wyatt sat in a chair cradling Niki while silently making funny faces at her. Their three winged-daughters merrily buzzed around the room chasing a terrified fly.
When Helen, Anna, and Sara saw Mallory and Leslie, they stopped in mid-air and flew across the room to examine them. Mallory and Leslie were so amazed with the little aviators that they didn’t mind indulging their curiosity.
Everyone suddenly stopped in the middle of the nursery.
“Do you hear that?” said an excited Julie.
“She not saying it out loud, but it’s like she’s talking,” said Claire.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” exclaimed Heidi. “Listen. They’re talking to each other like Wyatt and Erin.”
Helen, Anna, and Sara abandoned their examination of the amused president and flew to Gretchen.
Mommy Big Wings, we tired… said Helen.
Gretchen held out her arms and they flew to her.
Claire helped Gretchen by taking Anna.
Mommy Claire-whore, said Anna.
Claire frowned at Gretchen.
“Correct her now,” said Gretchen immediately.
“No. Mommy Claire,” said Claire.
Anna rested herself against Claire and sighed.
Mommy Claire.
Wyatt made another face at Niki.
Da-Da funny, funny Da-Da, hee, hee, love funny Da-Da, hee, hee, hee…
Wyatt rubbed her tummy.
“Da-da loves his funny little Nik-Nik.”
Julie kneeled and gazed starry-eyed at Niki, while Niki gazed in wonderment at Julie.
Mommy! Hold Nik-Nik, Mommy!
Wyatt carefully lifted Niki into Julie’s waiting arms and holding Niki against her chest Julie rocked her.
Nik-Nik love Mommy.
Julie squeezed Niki warmly against her. “Mommy loves her little Nik-Nik.”
While President Bennett watched, she found her daughter’s hand.
“I can’t hear a thing, but I know exactly what they’re saying to each other,” whispered Mallory.
Leslie smiled and kissed her mom on the cheek. “Aww, Mom, I love you too.”
“Now,” requested Mallory, “could you please cover up a little. He’s obviously already very taken!”
For the next hour, the group experimented. They found that each of the ménage cinq could communicate directly with all the babies but Ariane and Sara. Not mind reading; it seemed to be mind-speaking in that they could only hear what the children would otherwise have spoken.
Ariane and Sara were silent, but Gretchen theorized that they weren’t old enough yet.
Not surprising to any of them, since they had all taken turns breastfeeding, each of the children recognized Julie, Heidi, Claire, and Gretchen as mommy. The women agreed that as soon as a child expressed themselves in their minds, they were going to receive their breast milk from a bottle. Heidi summed it up succinctly when she said, “I’m not breast feeding a child that is able to talk to me except for, of course, Wyatt.”
After careful measurement, forty feet seemed to the be the range between parents and children, and walls didn’t seem to be an impediment. One question that remained; how did all this come about? Wyatt theorized his hybrid DNA, or maybe because all had been fed from Gretchen’s breast milk. However, everyone agreed that they should make an effort to get the children to talk out loud. No one wanted their verbal abilities stunted.
President Bennett took a turn holding Beau and dutifully indulged the sensitive bottoms of his feet. Gazing across the room at Leslie, Mallory was reminded of a time that seemed like just yesterday.
“He likes you,” said Julie, holding her pregnant stomach as she sat next to Mallory. “He’s saying pretty lady tickle-tickle.”
“This has been a good evening,” said Mallory, looking at Julie. Devoid of politics and the need for making decisions. It reminded her of a simpler time before assuming power, responsibility, and the national interest. She smiled at Beau, who had fallen asleep in her arms. Laying him gently in his crib, Mallory covered him with a blanket.
President Bennett looked around the room at Wyatt and the other ladies. “I had a good time tonight,” said Mallory.
After she had said goodnight to everyone individually, President Bennett walked downstairs with Wyatt. She and Leslie stopped in the living room where Mallory studied Wyatt for a moment.
“There was more to this evening than merely meeting your family,” said President Bennett. “You had a purpose beyond just that?”
Wyatt smiled. “Have you ever watched the movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still?” he asked.
President Bennett nodded.
“It has been our experience,” said Wyatt, “that when faced with the unknown and unexpected someone is more likely to shoot first and ask questions later. We’re just trying to lessen the odds of that happening when the official first meeting of our two cultures occurs.”
“I think you have accomplished your mission.” President Bennett smiled.
“Then, there is no need to station a large Secret Service contingent around our house?” asked Wyatt.
President Bennett shook her head.
“The next time you visit we can talk business,” said Wyatt.
“Good,” said the president. “How can I arrange the next meeting?”
“Call the number in the book and Keiko will arrange a time,” replied Wyatt.
He motioned towards the garage door. “Now let’s go find Agent Thumper and get everyone home.”
When they entered the garage, it surprised them to find the doors had been closed and there was no one there except for a lone secret service agent guarding the table filled with guns. As soon as the agent saw the president approach, he stood.
“Where is everyone?” asked President Bennett.
The agent pointed toward the house. “Schmidt got into a friendly argument with his counterpart about who was better at basketball,” said Agent Fry, “so they decided to have a game to settle the issue.”
Wyatt grinned. “I’ll show you to the gym, Madame President.”
To make it interesting, the Secret Service had bet a total of a thousand dollars between them. The Order contributed a small bar of gold they said was worth at least that much. The winner got to decide which charity the winnings went to, The Otter Rock Fund for Women or the ASPCA. Jeremy and Thomas held the stakes.
Agent Schmidt stood warily facing Corporal Springer. She growled, and he snarled back at her. The order had provided two sets of basketball uniforms and shoes. Hers, cobalt blue and his, even though Commander Pinky acknowledged it as coral colored, the secret service agent thought it looked pink.
“The game is twenty-one,” growled Commander Pinky to the two sentient beings staring intently at each other at the free throw line. “You get two points per basket, and afterwards as a bonus you can shoot up to three free throws. If you make all three free throws, the ball goes to the other sentient being. Best two out of three games.” They flipped a coin to see who would take the ball out first. Agent Schmidt won. As Agent Schmidt took the ball, Corporal Springer proposed something additional to make the game even more interesting.
“How about we make the floor transparent?” asked Corporal Springer.
“Uh oh,” muttered Agent Thumper. And he quickly made his way to the bleachers with the other agents and members of the order.
As Wyatt, President Bennett, and Leslie walked into the gym, the Secret Service chanted “USA! USA!” and shook hands with their gracious Lesbian counterparts.
When they saw the president enter, everyone stopped and grew quiet.
“Was it a good game, John?” asked President Bennett.
“It was razor-thin close, two games to one and the final game by one point,” said an excited Agent Thumper. “But basketball still belongs to the USA, Madame President!”
Wyatt looked across the room at Corporal Springer smiling at him, and he smiled back and nodded.
“It’s time for us to go,” said President Bennett. “I need to brief the Security Council before I go to bed.”
She turned to Wyatt. “I can assure my Security Council that your intentions are entirely peaceful.”
Wyatt held out his hand. “You can assure your people that all we Lesbians want is to start the process towards diplomatic recognition with the eventual goal of non-military trade and immigration between our worlds. The next move will be up to you.”
They shook hands, and President Bennett turned to Agent Thumper.
“Let your people know that they are officially off duty and they need to return to D.C.”
Agent Thumper headed to his agents to relay her instructions.
“You have a wonderful family,” said President Bennett to Wyatt. “I hope to see more of them.”
“Feel free to drop by anytime as Mallory to say hello,” said Wyatt smiling.
Agent Thumper returned. “A few of the agents asked if it’s ok if they stick around to have a few drinks with the H’eathens? If that is ok with you, ma’am?
President Bennett turned to Wyatt. “Is that alright with you?” she asked. “It’s your house.”
Wyatt thought a second. “We’re going to bed. However, if John will let me use his cell phone for a minute, I think I might have a solution.”
John handed Wyatt his cell phone. Wyatt tapped in a number and let it ring.
“Bonjour, Michelle,” he said in French, “do you feel like opening early this morning for some special guests? Yes. It’s on the family account plus the usual gratuity for your staff’s discretion.”
Ten minutes later, the door to the Oval Office opened to the relief of the five members of the Security Council waiting outside.
“How’d it go?” asked an anxious General Losmeyer.
“Very well,” said President Bennett. “Come inside, and we’ll talk about it.”
The working group filed into the Oval Office.
President Bennett turned to her secretary. “Amy, have someone bring us some coffee.”
“Sure,” said Amy. “By the way, the first husband has been in and out wondering about you and Leslie all evening.”
“Tell him…”
She thought for a second and grinned. “Nothing,” replied President Bennett merrily.
And she closed the door.
Keiko had started to undress to go to bed when she received a text message from Wyatt marked urgent.
–We need you immediately in the living room!
When she entered the living room, Keiko was surprised to find everyone in the family including Glorb-O and Mag-R waiting for her. Even Arby, who had just finished his report to President Mallory, perched himself on the dining room table above, safely out of Claire’s reach. Wyatt led Keiko to Glorb-O at the front of the group where Glorb-O smiled at her.
“Congratulations, Keiko,” he said with a smile. “We are all so proud of you. You have proven yourself beyond our wildest expectations. Your probationary period is now officially over.”
He lifted her hair and touched a glass rod behind her ear. “The code word for your BLT unit is Moneypenny.”
Keiko bowed slightly. “Thank you, Prince Glorb-O.”
She grinned at Wyatt.
“Welcome to the family,” said Wyatt with a big smile.
Leaping at Wyatt, Keiko hugged him while everyone gathered around to congratulate her.
Meanwhile, in the Oval Office while President Bennett sat on the couch briefing her working group, she spotted a blue flash out of the corner of her eye. President Bennett walked to her desk. On it lay a thick report titled:
Russian Intentions towards the Baltic States
President Bennett smiled and handed the report to her national security advisor, General Losmeyer.
“General,” said President Bennett. “I want you to seriously read this report. It comes from someone who knows what they are talking about.”
Noontime, Paris
“Non! Non! Non! Not this time!” exclaimed Dandre to his producer standing in front him. “Every time we report this stuff at Channel 99, we look like idiots.”
He glanced at Camille sitting next to him.
“Nobody else in Paris reports these weird stories any more, –only us! Why do we always have to look insane?”
“Because every time these stories arise, Julie Ardennes or members of her family are close by,” said the producer. “Have any of you ever considered how they got to Paris when there are no reports of them entering the country on any airline?”
The producer scratched his head. “I have a feeling…a hunch…that all this is real,” he said. “And when the truth becomes known Channel 99 will become the figurative Daily Planet in Paris and you and Camille will be Mademoiselle Lois Lane and Monsieur Jimmy Olsen.”
“I don’t want to be Jimmy Olsen,” pouted Dandre, crossing his arms and turning his head away from his producer. “I want to be Monsieur Perry White.”
“You can’t be Monsieur Perry White!” responded his producer.
“Why not?” exclaimed Dandre.
“Because,” said the producer, holding his chin high in the air. “Naturally, being the producer, I would be Monsieur Editor Perry White.”
“If I can’t be Monsieur Perry White,” argued Dandre. “Then I want to be Monsieur Clark Kent.”
“You can’t be Monsieur Clark Kent either!” shouted the producer.
“Why not?” responded an indignant Dandre.
“Because Le Surfer would be Monsieur Clark Kent!”
Camille had enough of the bickering. “Ok! Ok! Quiet you two!”
She glared at Dandre and her producer. “Dandre, you like to dress up in women’s clothing!” sighed Camille. “You can be Mademoiselle Lois Lane! Satisfied?”
Dandre looked at his producer and shrugged. The producer nodded.
“Finally,” said Camille, taking a deep breath as she looked at the clock. “So, do either of you mind if we do the noon news now?”
They shook their heads. In the background, someone counted down.
“Cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un…”
“This is Dandre Pinot along with Camille Merlot. We start today’s news with another amazing early morning tiger story from La Chienne Fou Café…”
After she finished the broadcast, the producer took Camille aside.
“Julie Ardennes remembers you from the Newport Hospital press conference,” said the producer.
“But I only asked one question,” said Camille, “and that was almost two years ago.”
“It must have been a good question,” said the producer. “She’s offering you and a one-person camera crew an exclusive interview.”
He handed her a small envelope. “You and Teresa are booked first class all the way to Carmel, California tomorrow morning,” said the producer. “Go home, get ready and get packed.”