a lot of litter, maybe even some graffiti and broken things, or worn-down paint. He’d watched for it, but the entire huge park looked almost brand-new, the same as Magic Kingdom. Perfectly mowed lawns, beautifully arranged flower beds and topiaries. Everything was clean and neat, everybody smiled, everybody was having a good time. It was impressive, and a far contrast to the rigidly defined structure that the Saudis imposed on their people; and it was even worse in the other Islamic countries where they’d lived. He was a Middle East expert, but he decided that he wasn’t going to miss living there very much. Coming home was going to be a new start for them.
“A penny?” Gloria asked, contentedly. She’d been a CIA wife for seventeen years, and until recently had always gotten along wherever they were assigned. But Saudi Arabia had gotten to her. He could see that now. She’d taken the news that they were pulling out with a mixture of surprise, and relief, and finally some suspicion. Transfers weren’t done so suddenly unless something was wrong. But she’d not made a point of it so far. The only blot on their vacation was the kids. They had been at each other’s throats for five days. Nothing was right. There were too many people. It was too hot. They couldn’t do what they wanted to do. Julie wanted to spend money on clothes, and Danny wanted to do nothing other than play video games.
He smiled. “A hot shower, clean clothes, one very cold martini, something fishy for dinner — maybe lobster — and two quiet children.”
“They’ll be okay. Alien. This has been a big change for them. They dreamed about it for so long that now that they’re here they can’t take it all in.”
“Maybe they’ll drown each other in the pool tonight and we can start all over again,” Trumble said. Gloria laughed at the back of her throat, like she did when she was happy. She hadn’t done that for a long time, and Trumble felt a stab of guilt.
“I wouldn’t go through that again for all the oil in OPEC.”
“Tea in China,” he corrected. “At any rate, twelve and sixteen, we’re almost home free.” He shrugged. ” “Course there’ll be college bills, a couple of weddings, grandkids.”
Gloria reached over and kissed her husband. “It’s going so fast, Alien. I’m glad we’re home.” She gave him a look that she wanted to be serious now. “Are you going to be okay with this move?”
“It’s a promotion.”
“You know what I mean,” she said. “Are you going to get wanderlust in a few months, reading reports from places we’ve been — where you think you still belong?”
Trumble thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I probably will,” he admitted. “But it’s time for us to come home, sweetheart. And all kidding aside, being with you, Julie and Danny, and being back home like it used to be, beats Riyadh hands down.”
Gloria was watching him closely. “You almost said safe. Back home and safe.”
“That too.”
A dark cloud came over her face. “Can you tell me what happened, Alien? Why they won’t let us go back even to pack our things?”
“No.”
“Were we in some danger over there?” she demanded sharply.
Trumble had never been a very good liar, which was another reason, he knew in his heart of hearts, that he was never a very good spy. An expert, an administrator, an analyst, but not a spy.
“There was a possibility, and I mean a remote possibility, that something might have happened, maybe a kidnapping or something like that. That’s why McGarvey pulled us out the way he did.”
“How about here? Are we in any danger?”
Trumble looked into his wife’s eyes, certain now that their troubles were finally behind them, and told her the absolute truth as he knew it. “Not unless Mickey Mouse turns out to be a rat and bites us.”
“We’d have to go back to Magic Kingdom for that-maybe you could ride the roller coaster again,” she added coyly.
“I get sick just thinking about it.” Rencke had been right; the coaster was red with your eyes closed. Amazing.
He glanced over at the Spaceship Earth exit The kids were coming down the walk, arguing about something like they’d done all week. The crowds had definitely thinned out since this morning, and most of them looked tired, even their whirlwind Daniel. He’d not raised any objections for a change when they’d headed for the exit. He just wanted to go up in the ball one last time, and had somehow talked his sister into going with him.
“Okay, let’s get out of here,” Trumble said.
“Sounds good,” Gloria agreed. She got up and handed him a couple of the plastic shopping bags. Danny’s was the heaviest because he’d bought four glycerine-filled glass globes that contained models of the castle at Magic Kingdom. When the globes were shaken snow seemed to fall all around the castle. He was sending them back to his Saudi friends in Riyadh who’d not only never been to Disney World, but who’d never seen snow. Danny had always been their giver, and Julie was their fashion expert. Until a year ago when their constant bickering had taken on a new, sharper tone, they argued almost constantly, but Danny had always been able to stop his sister short by giving her something out of the clear blue. He used to spend his allowance on her; pierced earrings, watches, and once a twenty-five dollar gift certificate for the big mall in Kuwait City.
“Shut your mouth,” Julie was saying, angrily. She was tall and willowy like her mother at that age. “Just shut up.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it,” Trumble told them. “We’re going back to the hotel now.”
“This one you gotta hear, Dad,” Daniel said, grinning from ear to ear. He was tall, almost as big as his father. And at twelve he still had some of his baby fat, which his sister chided him unmercifully about.
“Daniel,” Julie warned.
Daniel couldn’t contain himself. “She’s got a bikini, Dad. And she wore it at the pool last night.” That was something just not possible in the Middle East.
Julie’s lips compressed.
Trumble laughed out loud. “Did she look sexy?”
“Nah, she just looked gross.”
“Am I going to get to see this swimsuit?”
“I don’t think that would be such a good idea, dear,” Gloria intervened.
Outside the gates they were just in time to catch one of the nearly empty shuttle trains. Daniel pulled a small package out of his pocket, and handed it to his sister. She shot him another dirty look, and although she didn’t want to open it, she couldn’t help herself.
“What’d you spend your money on now?” Trumble asked.
“There was this other girl at the pool. She had an ankle bracelet, which looked pretty cool, but Julie didn’t have one.” Daniel said it almost shyly.
Julie held up the delicate gold-plated bracelet with a tiny gold Minnie Mouse charm. “What am I supposed to do now, Mother?” she asked plaintively.
“You could try thanking your brother,” Gloria said.
Julie looked at her brother, the expression on her face softening, and she shook her head. “Thank you, Daniel,” she said.
Danny grinned. “Just don’t hang around me and my friends half naked like that. It’s embarrassing.”
Trumble put his arm around his son’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Did I ever tell you that I love your’
“Ah, Dad.” Daniel squirmed.
Julie was misty-eyed. “All the time, Father, and to all of us,” she said very seriously, back to her old self.
The shuttle train stopped at the Kangaroo 57–61 rows. They got off with a few other passengers who headed off to their cars. Trumble had forgotten which row they were in.
“Fifty-seven,” Gloria said.
Trumble glanced at his watch. It was just six. Tomorrow they were going to Sea World and it was going to be a great day because the kids were finally beginning to settle down. Washington would be pretty good after all, he decided. He might even have time to get back into tennis. Once upon a time he and Gloria had been pretty good, but now he was so out of shape that he didn’t think he could last one set, let alone an entire match. Maybe they could get Julie interested in the game — of course, she’d want the best tennis outfits in Washington. And maybe he
