One Way Roads
Page 29
EPILOGUE: A NEW LIFE
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
— Maria Robinson
Kennedy Warren Apartments, Washington D.C., 1948
The Second World War was over, and the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was in its third year. A ceiling fan circulated the air in a brightly lit office, and a faint, musty odor from old newspapers and books consumed the room. Bookcases were filled with historical and reference books covering the European Theater of World War One and World War Two.
Erik was hunched over a desk covered with books and documents. His inquisitive eyes read and analyzed everything he picked up. Every couple of seconds he wrote down detailed notes, as the sound of graphite scratched the surface of the paper, breaking the silence. Occasionally he glanced at the typewriter and typed a few sentences. A faint sound of a young child talking got his attention. He lifted his head away from the typewriter and glanced at the open door. His wife, Jamie, who was four months pregnant, stood there smiling. Their three year old son, Max, held her hand.
“Hi babe, how’s the book coming?” Jamie asked as she walked around the desk to Erik.
He met her gaze and returned her smile, then stood and kissed her. “I’m done with the last chapter.”
“That’s great, babe. Do you have a title?”
He nodded. “Project Pegasus: We Know Your Name.”
“Sounds great. I love what I’ve read and can’t believe some of the things you did with the CIA from the late nineties to 2008. You’re really a hero.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just an average guy doing what had to be done.”
Jamie shook her head. “Don’t ever criticize me for how I see you.”
Erik sighed and looked at Max, who was fiddling with a key in the desk cabinet door. “What will I tell my son when he’s older and he asks about me and the things I did?”
“Tell him the truth—that you were recruited by the CIA and were a paramilitary operations officer, and you made the world a better place.” Erik nodded, and Jamie continued. “Erik, you’re a fighter—you never gave up until the battle was over. No matter what you went through—the ups or the downs—you stood strong in the face of any issue while others ran. You’re amazing.”
He shook his head and replied, “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are, Erik. And what makes you amazing is that you are the one who surprises everyone, including me, when the world comes crashing down. You hop right back up to fix it.”
Max looked up and Erik stared into his son’s eyes. Max’s eyes were full of curiosity just like his father’s. Erik picked up his son and hugged both Jamie and Max.
Knowing that his life as a CIA operative was behind him and that he, Jamie, and Max could start a new a life in 1948, Erik felt he had been given a measure of inner peace after changing his last name. He was now a free-lance writer under the name Erik Foge. Many of his articles had been published in historical or political journals, and Erik had invested the money Bonesteiner gave Jamie in secure investments that brought in a good return. He also used some of it to buy a Tucker Forty-eight and a place at the Kennedy-Warren. Like most women in the late forties, Jamie’s job was taking care of their home and son. She was Erik’s executive assistant when he did consulting work at the museums. Jamie loved her job as Erik’s assistant, and she hadn’t forgotten her duty to assist Erik in his needs, even if it was a small thing. However, they both kept a low profile.
Erik took a deep breath.
“Is there anything wrong?” Jamie asked as she pulled out of their embrace.
Erik placed Max down. “No. I’m just trying to get some things done for the Air and Space Museum.”
“President Truman and the director of the museum were pleased with your work.” Jamie opened Erik’s appointment book which was full. “He wants to meet you next week.”
“Yeah, I know.” Erik pointed to the date he was to meet Truman. “I’ve been told that my work is excellent, but that’s the kind of attention I don’t want to draw to myself.”
“Are you worried they’ll come back for you?”
“No one can be too certain, but if they do, I’ll be ready for them.”
“Babe, if they were going to send someone, I’m sure they would have done it by now.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Erik kissed Jamie on the lips.
“Good. You know we have a dinner invitation tonight.”
“We do? With who?”
“Jack and Bobby. Remember? Jack called a few weeks ago and said he was going be in town and wanted to go out to dinner.”
Erik grinned and nodded. “Let me grab my coat while you get the diaper bag. I’ll meet you in the living room.”
“How do you know Jack and Bobby?”
Erik shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they saw me give a lecture.”
“He said both you and he had served together.”
“I was never in 1943…so I really don’t know. I guess I will wing it.”
They smiled at each other and Jamie left the room. Erik grabbed his coat off the coat rack and strolled to the window that overlooked Connecticut Avenue.
“Babe, are you coming?” Jamie yelled from the living room.
“Yes.” Erik peered out the window. A man who wore a black suit and sunglasses and was loitering outside caught Erik’s attention. The man nodded at Erik with a cold expression and then walked on down the sidewalk. A bald eagle landed in a nearby tree, and as he watched, Erik evaluated his situation:
With great knowledge of history comes great responsibility to preserve it. My gift is to know future historical events, both good and bad. But my gift is also a curse, the curse that I cannot interfere or change them.
Then without hesitation, Erik walked to his desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a Luger and loaded a magazine.