Shadow Storm

Chapter 5

Chapter 5THE PRESIDENT announced a Middle East summit to be held during the last week of October in Geneva. At the start of his first class on Thursday, a student asked Fritz's opinion about it, prompting a discussion of the history of crises in the Middle East. Fritz wondered how many times his classes over the years had done that.

THAT AFTERNOON, Linda called.

“Hi love, what's up?”

“Are you sitting?”

“What's wrong?”

“Everything's fine. Just that you got two letters from the president. I figured you'd want to hurry home and read them.”

“Open them.”

“Fritz, I think you should see them first. The envelopes are embossed. There's a really neat stamp I've never seen before. I can wait, but hurry.”

“I'm leaving now. I have a story.”

Ashley had just come into the hallway. As they walked out together, Ashley said he had something to tell him, but he couldn't talk then.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” asked Fritz.

“Have to stop at the tailor's by 3:30. I'll talk to you later.”

“Have fun. Sorry we won't see you in your regal best.”

“Shut up.”

“Hey, Ash. Supposed to be storms tomorrow. Want to go somewhere?”

Ashley swiveled. “Let's go to the Kentucky Derby.”

TWENTY MINUTES later, Fritz walked into the house. “Look at these, Fritz.” Holding one in each hand, she said, “It's a shame to open them. They're works of art.”

“Should we steam them open, do you think?”

“We could. It won't take long.”

“You know, that's silly. I can ask him for an envelope. But we should keep this one.” With a butter knife, he gently opened the first. The president's letter thanked him for his efforts on behalf of the country without actually mentioning what Fritz had done. Inside were two pieces of paper, a handwritten note of thanks, and a check from the Treasury of the United States.

“Holy mackerel.” He sat down, stared at the check for a moment, and handed it to Linda.

“Fritz, he can't be serious. You've got to call him. What's in the other one?”

As Fritz opened the second envelope, his phone rang. “It's George,” he said. “Hi George, what's up?”

“Fritz, we just got a check from the president.” George fired the words like a machine gun. “You should see the envelope. And a personal note. Fritz, it's for fifty-thousand dollars. FIFTY. And he says it's not enough to repay us for what we've done for our country, and he's glad to have us on his team. Fritz, this is amazing!”

Fritz couldn't remember George ever having been so animated.

“Lois can go see the grandkids, George, and she doesn't have to wait until Christmas. You could do with a couple of days off yourself.”

“Fritz, that's a great idea.” He reloaded. “We could go this weekend. I'll talk to Lois. Talk to you later.” George hung up without even saying goodbye.

Fritz started to laugh and filled Linda in. She had a twinkle in her eyes even as tears started. She had the check in her hand.

“Don't cry, Lin. It's a paycheck.” He opened the second letter and extracted a second check. “I don't believe this.” He handed it to her.

“Oh, my God, Fritz, this isn't happening, is it? Is it real? This is like winning the lottery, twice.”

He walked around the table and hugged her. “There's the nursery, and there's the first deposit to his college fund.” He hugged her again.

“Fritz, that's not a nursery, that's a palace.” She sniffed. “That's a lot of money. But why did we get two checks?”

“I'm not sure. But he said each time he uses the portal, he'd pay a consulting fee. Remember? I never expected this, though.” He held one check in both hands. “So the portal has some benefit, after all. Not that I'd call all my trips dangerous. We need to talk about what to do with this. Really.” Then he read the handwritten note. “Two checks because we both helped. What a good man!”

“Do you want a drink, Lin?” Fritz asked. “Soda? I could do with something stronger.”

“Yes, but juice. Cranberry.”

“I don't know what to say. I have to call him,” he said as he filled their glasses. “He told me to watch the mail, but this is unreal.”

“Fritz, about something else—is Ash upset about Sandy's leaving?”

“I think so, at least a little. I know he likes her, and even though he left her, she's leaving geographically. He'll have to deal with it. But he's not so upset that he's not having a suit made to go to DC. He's at the tailor now.”

“Ha!”

“You know him, Lin. I think women scare him. Hard to believe.”

“Well, the chicken got off easy this time. Jane will be more of a challenge, I think. He'll have bigger choices to make with her.”

He checked the time. “I'm going to call the president.” Lily Evans, the president's secretary, answered and asked about Linda before putting him on hold. The president came on the line quickly.

“Hi, Fritz.”

“Mr. President, I'm calling to say thank you.”

“Ah, you got my letters. You're welcome.”

“Mr. President, do you know how much these checks are for?”

“What you did is worth every penny.”

“Mr. President, I put paperclips on paper and held a door.”

“Fritz, it's about what you made possible. You could have said no. You could have asked to be paid. You could have refused to take the risks. You helped prevent possible nuclear war and saved five-hundred innocent people. Plus our ambassador and his family last year. You never once put yourself or your family first. You did a lot more than hold a door.”

Fritz blushed as he listened. “Thank you, Mr. President. I still think I just opened a door. And it's a lot of money.”

“Aside from what it would have cost just to fly in, what we had to do was time critical. Believe me. We got off cheap.”

“I don't know what more to say, except thank you. This is so unexpected and so generous. Linda and I both thank you.”

“Fritz, I thank you, the country thanks you. And by the way, I just said all that without a teleprompter.” They both laughed. “I have to go. We're still trying to get this conference set up. The Narians are being difficult. Talk to you soon.”

Fritz told Linda what the president had said. She suggested donating part of the money to a charity. Before Fritz could answer, his phone chirped.

“Hi, Ash. What's up?”

“Good. You're home. I'm coming over.” He hung up.

“Ashley is on his way. I bet he got a check.” Seconds later, Ashley walked in the back door.

“I called from outside. Just to warn you. Look at this.”

“Sit down, Ashley,” Linda said. “You're overexcited. It'll pass in a minute. Fritz, get him a drink.” Ashley banged his knee as he plunked into a chair, his eyes on the check.

“So how's the suit?” Fritz asked.

“Huh? Oh, nice, I guess. I never paid that much before.” Ashley said, still staring at the check.

“What does it look like?” asked Linda.

“A lot of zeros.”

“Ashley, you are so backward,” she said. “What's it made of?”

“A hundred percent something. Did you see how much the check is for?”

“We saw. Wool?” Linda asked.

“Wool something. I can't believe it. It's almost what I make in a year.”

“How do you think it looks?” Linda asked.

“It looks like a lot of money.” He looked up. “Oh, the suit. He said it would look fine, but if I get there early enough, he can adjust it while I wait.”

Linda looked up at the ceiling. “Earth to Ashley. What does it look like? Do you like it?”

“Yeah, it's fine. I just can't get over this. I've never had this much money at one time.”

“Ash, come back.” said Fritz. “I spoke to the president a little while ago. He said you earned it. But that you shouldn't spend it all at once.”

Ashley's eyes refocused. “The suit looks pretty good. It's a charcoal pinstripe. But it cost twenty-six-hundred bucks. Can you believe it?”

“Custom, two days, wool worsted. That's pretty good, Ash,” Fritz said. “You might like the look. Did you get new shirts? Ties?”

“I have them.”

“Ashley Gilbert!” Linda said, jolting him. “Stop thinking like a Neanderthal. You live in the twenty-first century. You need at least two new shirts, a white and a powder blue. Two ties. Did they have them?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. Then buy at least two ties. One to go with the white shirt and one for the blue. Is there someone who can help you choose?”

“Yeah.”

“Ashley, listen carefully. I don't want to sound like your mother, but ask Jane which ones go best with the shirts and the suit. Okay, goofball? You want to look great, not like some slacker Jane found at the dump. How you look reflects on her. Got it?”

“Got it.” She guessed he just might have.