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LivingNotes
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BAIT A huge blue butterf ly is f loating from one f l o w e r t o a n o t h e r. M y e ye s a r e m i n d l e s s l y following while my brain is trying to make sense from words on the other side of the line: “... The best case scenario, he is going t o h av e h i s p e o p l e r o b yo u a n d t a k e yo u r p a s s p o r t s . H e w i l l c o m e i n a s a “ s av i o r ” a n d w i l l “ m i r a c u l o u s l y r e c ov e r yo u r p a s s p o r t s ” f o r a g o o d - s i z e d f e e. I t ’s s a f e t o a s s u m e yo u w o n’ t s e e yo u r e q u i p m e n t a g a i n t h o u g h . T h a t ’s t h e b e s t c a s e s c e n a r i o ” , - a pause on the phone prompts my question: “A n d t h e o t h e r o p t i o n ? ” The answer is making my blood run cold. “ I w i s h I h a d b e t t e r n e w s , I ’ m s o r r y. . ” the voice on the phone is sympathetic, but serious. “This is what is most likely to happen, based on what we were able to f i n d a b o u t h i m , a n d t h i s i s w h a t yo u n e e d t o d o . A g r e e t o a l l , d o n’ t c o n t r a d i c t a n y t h i n g. A t a n y t i m e, d o n’ t r a i s e a n y s u s p i cion from him. Make him believe he has yo u . P l a y d u m b. Yo u r s i t u a t i o n i s a c t u a l l y w o r k i n g i n yo u r f av o r. B u i l d o n i t . Yo u need to...” A l l c o n s u m i n g t e r r o r t h a t h ov e r e d ov e r s i n c e t h e s t a r t o f t h e c o nv e r s a t i o n t u r n e d into acute attention. M i k e i s a d a n g e r. A s e r i o u s d a n g e r. We need to get out of this situation, and we n e e d t o g e t o u t o f i t s a f e l y. B o b by ’s s i l h o u e t t e i s b a r e l y v i s i b l e. I t ’s twilight. The room is getting dark. “I h av e s o m e n e w s t o t e l l yo u ” , - m y f i n g e r s a r e t r e m b l i n g. T h e a d r e n a l i n e r u s h i s a r e a l t h i n g. T h i s situation is not what I want to be dealing w i t h e v e r, b u t e s p e c i a l l y n o w. H e i s s t i l l far from being well... . . : B o b by ’s h a n d , h o l d i n g a g l a s s o f w a t e r a n d a n t i b i o t i c s f r o z e m i d a i r. H i s e ye s a r e f o c u s e d o n s o m e t h i n g I c a n n o t s e e.
