The Longest Night of my Life

11:00 P.M. 1

"Hello, this is Joyce."2

"Hello, Joyce. You can call me Bob," replied a deep, husky voice over the phone. "Have you looked inside your kitchen recently?"3

"Uhh, well I cook in it every day," I answered. The kitchen?4

"Why don't you go over and feel the inside of your lamp shade." His request was more like a command. Turning on the light, I walked carefully into the kitchen, feeling something was dreadfully wrong. Lifting up the lamp, I took out a little tan thing, about the size of my knuckle. What in the world?5

"What is this?"6

"A first class bug." The bug was changing colors in my hand. "It is called the Chameleon, undetectable and very practical for their use."7

I was starting to go cold, "They?"8

"Yes, the people who are after you."9

Shaking I asked, "Why me?" 10

"Why not you? You are a young, bright girl."11

"What does that have to do with anything?" So what if I was valedictorian and involved in every club except FFA?12

"They need you to do something for them, would it be alright if I came in?"13

I was very confused, but very frightened, "Why should I let you come in? Whose side are you on?"14

He took a long sigh, "Trust me, I'm on your side, but in order for you to still have a side, you need me."15

I got a glass of water and took a sip, went to the door and unlocked it.16

12:0017

"Thank you." My doorknob turned and I caught my breath, "Hello, Joyce." Out stepped a tall, muscular man probably in his early thirties. "Come with me if you want to survive the night."18

Gullible, I did as he asked. He unlocked a dark S.U.V. and opened the door. "Don't worry, bullet-proof windows." That really helped eased my mind. "We need you to do something for us."19

"Me?"20

"Yeah, we've tried and we need you to crack a code."21

"Don't you have people for that?" This is all about a code?22

"None of them will do it because of the risk. This is a code that could potentially put out the biggest threats to the United States. Of course, there are countries that would not like that, but they'll live. We will place you securely in a safe-house and have plenty of guards. This is not an episode of '24', you will be fine."23

1:0024

A code... a very dangerous code. Why would no one want to take on a code if that's what they do for a living? Something is not right. I didn't care any longer, either he would kill me, or other country's assassins would. "Why are you taking me in if there are people who specialize in codes and others who work for the government? Are you even from the government? I am a nobody! What are you trying to accomplish here?"25

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "I only do as they tell me...but there is no code. Only a letter."26

"A letter?"27

"Yes, from your father."28

"Then why the bug?"29

"To make sure you haven't been in contact with anyone who could jeopardize this mission."30

Father? "I don't have a father, my mother raised me. She never told me who he was, I've never even seen him"31

"Joyce, your father was a special ops. guy for the military. He supposedly died in a boat collision during an important mission. 32

Dad was alive and dead in two sentences. All my hopes of a joyous reunion were dashed.33

"We have recent intel. saying that he may be alive."34

"How? Where is he?"35

"Well, we suspect he faked the crash, then rode away with the other forces."36

"Which were?"37

"The Chinese."38

2:0039

We arrived at a tall building in the downtown. Anxiously, I walked inside. My escort, "Bob", showed me to a little room with comfortable deep chairs. Sitting down, I noticed a middle-height man come in. He was around fifty years old, balding a little, wearing glasses.40

"Ahh, you've made it. Cleon Jacobson."41

"Joyce Ennis. What exactly is in this letter?"42

"Of course. We were hoping you could tell us."43

"How? I've never seen my father."44

"We understand that, but we think it may have to do with your old house and your mother....Coffee?"45

"No, thank you. Well, can I see it?"46

"Yes, certainly. We will be back shortly."47

3:0048

I was getting impatient. "Shortly"? Yeah, right. What could be so important? Yeah, my barely existent father is in China, fraternizing with their government. But what does that have to do with us? After a few minutes of time spent counting ceiling tiles, Mr. Jacobson came in holding a manila folder.49

"Here you are."50

I opened it and read,
"Jacobson, please forward this to my daughter, Joyce.
Dear Joyce, I don't know if your mother has told you anything about me, but my daughter, know one thing, I LOVE YOU!!! In the case that you are needed, go to the gardenias and your mother's brick. Eat all the prune juice you can to stay healthy, and, whatever you do, don't go through ASAI for your mission's trip, they have too many muscular men(haha). I'm sorry Joyce, that I will never see you, and how beautiful you have become. Be assured I will love you all my days
~Your father, Sean"51

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I always wanted my dad to be a strong caring man, now I know he is.52

4:0053

"What does it mean?"54

Memories came flooding back, "Gardenias are really the 'mums, Mom always called them the wrong thing," sighing, I continued, "Her brick is a hollow brick right under the porch on the left-hand side. Prune juice was mom's threat if I didn't eat my Shredded Wheat. I always hid it in the back of the closet under the stairs."55

"What about the ASAI?"56

"That's not so hard, it's Asia. And the muscular men are the guys who kill people....What's going to happen to me?"57

"You will be put in an apartment overlooking the city. Don't be afraid, all of your neighbors are trained assassins. There will be security in every inch of the building."58

Bob and I went back to my house to pack. Never had it been so easy. All I really wanted were memories. All I left with was my pictures and the bare necessities.59

5:0060

As we neared the Patriots Square Park, I realized what this could all mean for me. Nevermore could I run around, shop freely, or go on blind dates. I will always be enclosed in a small apartment surrounded by assassins watching all those around me. For in the slightest chance there is something in my old house that could be cause for grief, I will be watched for the rest of my life. There is also some comfort in that I am a part of something so much greater than me. The fact that I am alive is enough to sustain my soul. But, I was never so glad to see the sun rise.