outside pa tio eating grilled steak and vegetables, they finished talking about his travels. It seemed to Ann that he’d been everywhere. He’d also had as many fake jobs as he had different names. She giggled at some of the names and laughed at some of the jobs. Her favorite was when he’d been a male stripper in Vegas under the name of Sergeant Pecker.
“The worst part of that gig was that I had to wear this stupid police outfit, but I made really good tips.” He smiled and she couldn’t help falling a little more for him.
“How about the worst job?” she asked still laughing. She didn’t realize the kind of hardships he might have with his jobs, until after she watched his face fall. Then she thought, really thought about what it was he actually did.
“Ethan?” She reached out and took his hand.
“No, it’s okay. It is part of my job, losing someone. It just hurts more when it’s a kid.” He took a swig of his beer. “It was almost a year before I took the job for your dad. This little girl had been snatched from day care. Her father was a diplomat in Kenya. And well, when things got ugly a few years back… Anyway, that was the hardest I’ve had to deal with, seeing her… after…” She could tell he was having a hard time with the story. He took another sip of his beer. “They let a pack of wild dogs have her.” He closed his eyes and her heart broke. “She was only four and they treated her like she was meat. All because her daddy wanted change for his country.”
She reached over and took his hand. “Ethan, I’m so sorry.”
“But then there are the good days.” She could see he was trying to remove that image from his mind. His eyes flashed to another scene, a happier scene. “A few years back I did this job for a friend of the family. Actually, it was one of my new brother-in-law’s friends. I didn’t know the connection at the time, but I can still remember this young girl’s face. She is an artist, very talented girl. Her family was one of the most influential families in the Middle East. They had oil money that went back a couple generations. She was engaged to a prince at the age of six. The wedding was to be in the spring after her eighteenth birthday. But because she wanted to pursue art, her family decided to punish her. She was to undergo female circumcision. It’s rarely done on someone her age in the Middle East anymore. When she contacted Mitchell Kovich—he’s my brother-in-law’s friend—Mitch contacted me directly. I’d done another job for him a few years back when I was still in the forces.”
She watched Ethan lean back in his chair and realized she could imagine sitting here years from now, listening to his stories. He took another sip of his beer and when he realized it was empty, leaned over and grabbed another from the small fridge under the outside bar.
“What happened to the girl?” She leaned on the glass table; she couldn’t stand the suspense.
“Oh, she’s fine. She’s safe somewhere in the States. It took some doing, and I don’t think I’d ever try to go back into certain parts of the Middle East again, but she’s healthy and happy. Or so my sister tells me. She and her husband own the art galleries that sell her art. I can still remember the smile in her eyes when I showed up the night before her punishment was to take place. I was hanging from the banister outside her window, and when I showed up, she didn’t even scream. It was like she was dead inside. She’d actually thought I’d come to kill her. When I told her I was coming to take her to Mitch, her eyes…” He paused and Ann thought she saw something close to pride on his face. “She was wearing her hijab, the heavy, dark robes they wear, and all I could see was her eyes and I swear, I’ve never seen eyes light up like hers did that night. I guess I decided then and there that this job is what I was made to do.”
“You are
“The worst part of that gig was that I had to wear this stupid police outfit, but I made really good tips.” He smiled and she couldn’t help falling a little more for him.
“How about the worst job?” she asked still laughing. She didn’t realize the kind of hardships he might have with his jobs, until after she watched his face fall. Then she thought, really thought about what it was he actually did.
“Ethan?” She reached out and took his hand.
“No, it’s okay. It is part of my job, losing someone. It just hurts more when it’s a kid.” He took a swig of his beer. “It was almost a year before I took the job for your dad. This little girl had been snatched from day care. Her father was a diplomat in Kenya. And well, when things got ugly a few years back… Anyway, that was the hardest I’ve had to deal with, seeing her… after…” She could tell he was having a hard time with the story. He took another sip of his beer. “They let a pack of wild dogs have her.” He closed his eyes and her heart broke. “She was only four and they treated her like she was meat. All because her daddy wanted change for his country.”
She reached over and took his hand. “Ethan, I’m so sorry.”
“But then there are the good days.” She could see he was trying to remove that image from his mind. His eyes flashed to another scene, a happier scene. “A few years back I did this job for a friend of the family. Actually, it was one of my new brother-in-law’s friends. I didn’t know the connection at the time, but I can still remember this young girl’s face. She is an artist, very talented girl. Her family was one of the most influential families in the Middle East. They had oil money that went back a couple generations. She was engaged to a prince at the age of six. The wedding was to be in the spring after her eighteenth birthday. But because she wanted to pursue art, her family decided to punish her. She was to undergo female circumcision. It’s rarely done on someone her age in the Middle East anymore. When she contacted Mitchell Kovich—he’s my brother-in-law’s friend—Mitch contacted me directly. I’d done another job for him a few years back when I was still in the forces.”
She watched Ethan lean back in his chair and realized she could imagine sitting here years from now, listening to his stories. He took another sip of his beer and when he realized it was empty, leaned over and grabbed another from the small fridge under the outside bar.
“What happened to the girl?” She leaned on the glass table; she couldn’t stand the suspense.
“Oh, she’s fine. She’s safe somewhere in the States. It took some doing, and I don’t think I’d ever try to go back into certain parts of the Middle East again, but she’s healthy and happy. Or so my sister tells me. She and her husband own the art galleries that sell her art. I can still remember the smile in her eyes when I showed up the night before her punishment was to take place. I was hanging from the banister outside her window, and when I showed up, she didn’t even scream. It was like she was dead inside. She’d actually thought I’d come to kill her. When I told her I was coming to take her to Mitch, her eyes…” He paused and Ann thought she saw something close to pride on his face. “She was wearing her hijab, the heavy, dark robes they wear, and all I could see was her eyes and I swear, I’ve never seen eyes light up like hers did that night. I guess I decided then and there that this job is what I was made to do.”
“You are
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