The Diaries of Ayesha

The Mistress tossed her newspaper onto the breakfast table with a snort of disgust that morning as I looked up from my paper in surprise.

"Something amiss Mi'lady?" I asked.

"Oh, just the world in general," she said reaching for her teacup. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."

"If what's worth it?" I asked confused.

"I spent the better part of a year in a cell, helped stop a possible nuclear incident and what happens? It all collapses in a heap later because of a bunch of politicians who have more testosterone than sense."

"We lost a few of our own on September 11th," I reminded her." You wouldn't be back in harness otherwise."

"And what makes you think I wanted to be back in harness? I made peace with the world and if the world doesn't have enough sense to make peace with itself then it can look out for itself. I lost my illusions about saving the world in that cell along with the weight," she said sourly.

I knew from the signs that it was just one of her periodic depressions that Dr. Grace had warned me about but if I let her continue it would set off my usual Christmas season depression.

"I'm not any happier than you are about it. The new rules and regulations have made it very hard for Ay'esha to function without showing up on some report somewhere. I have to be careful what I write in the Diaries now just because some Fed could get too curious about us," I countered.

"You didn't spend months in a stinking cell," she snapped.

"No, I spent it looking for you," I replied softly.

She stopped and grimaced.

"I'm sorry Michael. I suppose I'm just feeling useless after everything I've done over the years to bring peace to the world to have it come to this," she apologized.

"You're not alone Mistress. A lot of diplomats are just as disappointed if not more so. And contrary to the belief of the Commander in Chief, force is not going to be the answer in the long term. We can bomb anybody we like, but that isn't going to change the things that started the whole problem to begin with. It's like trying to kill a hydra with a pocket knife."

"Don't say anything more Michael. You know that you and I are never going to agree on anything involving politics," the Mistress warned.

This is true. Her politics are Tory whereas mine are more on the Liberal side. I won't say she has a picture of Margaret Thatcher on her nightstand, but it's only because of the lack of room.

Myself, I refer to the current Commander in Chief of the United States as President S----d.

"And I'm pleased to disagree with you about your perceived wasting of time. You haven't wasted your time at all Mistress. You've just spent it contributing it to Pandora's gift," I said folding my paper and standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get to the Bank and start that analysis you wanted on energy stocks since the E-Pontzi Company collapsed. I need to determine what our level of exposure is."

She looked at me quizzically and then indicated her assent.

"I'll be in to the office in a couple of hours. Pandora's gift," she muttered as I walked away.

I expected she'd figure it out soon enough.

Since the Incident of the 11th we had beefed up security at the Bank, adding a few more guards as well as resetting the entire coded badge system to eliminate any old access codes. George the main guard was behind his desk as always, but wearing body armor and in a rack mounted behind the desk was a shotgun.

"Morning Mr. Forbin," he greeted me while continuing to scan the lobby for any possible trouble.

"Morning George. All quiet on the western front?" I said signing in.

"You can joke sir, but we have to take it seriously. After all there was another alert issued last night," he scolded.

"George, have you ever seen the movie 1941?" I asked.

"No."

"Rent it and learn something," I said and walked into the elevator.

I code keyed my way into the office and logged into the computer after convincing the system I was really me and pulled up all of the files on energy companies.

While I worked to determine how much damage could have been done, I also thought about the question of what prompted the collapse of E-Pontzi. I mean after all how could a company go from having eight billion dollars one day and being bankrupt three weeks later?

I guess it helps having someone in the government at a VERY high level to keep the SEC from checking your books.

Mercifully our exposure was minimal although if we invested properly we could pick up a tidy profit from the debris since one of our competitors was already over five hundred million in the hole in unsecured loans with E-Pontzi.

Incidentally, try going to your bank and asking for half a billion dollars on a handshake and a smile.

They'll either lock you up or toss you out.

I was in the middle of writing my report when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Excuse me Mr. Forbin, do you have a minute you could spare for confession?" Father Alexi asked, poking his head around the door.

"For you anytime," I said cheerfully. "Come on in. Although my sins are more of omission rather than commission as of late."

Father Alexi is a Russian Orthodox priest and friend that helped me unravel the Podgorni Affair and the man who officiated at Mistress Minx's abortive wedding to Fortinbras.

"True enough. I've been involved with a group that tries to keep young girls off the streets and we could use a little help," he explained.

"What kind of help? Financial?"

"Not so much that as physical. You see we work the bus stations and other places where the pimps pick up the young girls."

"I'm not exactly equipped to be a bouncer," I said with a wry smile, pouring him a cup of coffee from my carafe.

"No, but you are very kind and people will talk to you and that's what we really need. Someone who can communicate with the girls and convince them to go home or let us help them. Can you help?"

"I'm in pending the approval of my wife. That is if you can use the both of us?"

"She has experience with pimps?" Father Alexi sounded shocked.

I leaned over the desk.

"Don't let the manicure fool you. She knows more than most people think she does."

"Let me know," he said finishing his coffee. "And thanks."

"Not a problem," I said and turned back to my report.

The Mistress arrived about an hour later and settled down in her office with my report and a pot of Earl Grey. I took a few minutes to order lunch and it had just arrived when she called me into her office.

"Send this down for implementation," she said initialing the report and sliding it back across the desk.

"Yes Ma'am," I said taking the pages. "Are we doing anything tonight?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Thought you might like to go slumming in a good cause," I explained.

"Speak to me."

I explained Father Alexi's request for assistance and was rewarded with an evil smile.

"I think we can spend a little time on that project tonight. I could use the exercise."

"Exercise?"

"Well you really don't think that my night will pass without incident do you?"

"Probably not," I admitted.

"Be prepared is also the motto of the Girl Scouts."

"I thought that just applied to birth control."

"Michael!"

So it was late that night I found myself trolling the Terminal for potential targets. I should explain that the Terminal is the central nexus for all of the public transportation to the City, rail, bus and subway.

The Terminal has a reasonable number of police and private security patrols, but after a certain hour they thin out and the dwellers of the night take over.

The Mistress and I split up and I took a path that led me out of the building and into the streets surrounding the Terminal where the cafes and fast food places were.

Think prey and predator. They both need to eat and the prey would likely be looking for cheap eats.

I called it right. I took a slow pass though the Burger King and spotted a young lady shouldering a backpack carefully counting her change and looking at the menu board.

"Need a little help with dinner?" I asked cheerfully.

She turned a bit startled and then smiled shyly.

"I'm really all right, but thanks for asking," she said.

"You sure? I'm not inclined to eat alone, so I though I might bribe you to join me," I said.

"I wouldn't want to deprive you of a meal," she said shaking her long dark hair away from her face. "I accept."

"Smart girl," I said and indicated she should order.

We took our food over to a corner table by the window where I could watch the street and settled in.

"I'm Michael, " I said by way of introduction.

"I'm Pam," the girl said. "Thanks for dinner, by the way."

"Not a problem. I've been broke a few times myself. You're a long way from home though aren't you," I said casually.

"Is it that obvious?" she said with a frown.

"Only to the trained observer," I said casually.

"And you spend a lot of time watching," she said archly.

"It's my profession."

"Watching people," she said. "Are you a detective?"

"Only when I have to be. No, I'm a writer part time, and the other part of the time I listen."

"To what?"

"To people who have a story to tell. Maybe you'd like to pay for dinner by telling me yours?" I probed gently.

" I came from a small town in Kansas to move in with an old friend in the City. The problem is, when I got here, he'd moved. "

"So you're broke and no place to go," I summarized.

"So now what? You offer me a place to stay?' she said warily.

"That or a bus ticket home, your choice," I said smugly.

"Why?"

"Call it my good deed for the day. I don't like the idea of a sixteen year old being alone in the City," I said.

She paled at that.

"How did you know how old I was?" she almost whispered.

"Just a feeling. Or you can tell me to bugger off and handle things yourself," I added. "No skin off mine."

"How do I know I can trust you?' she asked finally.

"You don't. But I don't hit on teenagers as a rule. My wife won't let me."

"I don't think I understand," she finally said after a long pause.

"Don't worry, not many people do."

I picked up her bag and led the way outside towards the Terminal and encountered Father Alexi coming the other direction. I stopped and introduced him to Pam and asked that he take over for me so I could get back on patrol.

He nodded and took her bag from me and started to lead her away when she stopped and came back and hugged me.

"Thank you," she said and then rejoined Father Alexi.

I blushed and then set off on the continuing quest. I came around a corner a couple of blocks away to find the Mistress having a discussion with a young boy, probably about fifteen.

"Aren't you a little young for this line of work," the Mistress was suggesting as I walked up.

"You a cop?" he asked her, looking at me suspiciously.

"No, I'm not a cop. What I am is your guardian angel," she said quietly.

"Yeah right," he sneered. "Is he an angel too?

Before I could say anything in response, the Mistress gave me the hand sign to drop to my knees with my head down.

I did, all the while wondering what her plans were.

"He is a thing for me to do with what I will. He was trained to serve in any way I might choose. I'm very benevolent by comparison to other women who might have use for you," she said, her voice shifting to the tone that penetrates deep into the soul of any one who hears it. "As to the men who would make use of you, he has experienced that at the hands of another. Listen to me and go home."

I heard him start to speak and then heard nothing except the measured breathing of my Mistress and then a sob.

"I'm sorry," I heard him stutter, his bravado collapsing in tears.

"Don't be sorry. If you need help, I'm here," she said softly. "My pet was lost too until I found him and helped him."

I snuck a look and found the Mistress holding the boy tightly as she had held me the night I broke down before her.

"You can stand up now Michael," she said, her voice quiet and warm. "I think our young friend here needs a good meal and then perhaps a ticket for home."

"I think so too," I agreed watching the love in her face for this nameless boy, who would have meant nothing to most, but deserved her special protection.

Together we took the boy back to the Terminal where Father Alexi stood talking to an older woman animatedly.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Forbin, this is Olivia Banks of the City Social Services Department," he said surveying our new friend.

"Nice to meet you Ma'am," I said. "The young man here is in need of some social services as a matter of fact."

"I can see that," she said amused. "I was just telling Father Alexi that his group seems to be very efficient."

"I can say that the Father is very effective in what he does from personal experience," I agreed.

"I just wish that we could continue to fund his work," Olivia said ruefully. "But with the budget cuts, the City has reduced the amount of available money and we're not going to be able to finance the coming year."

"How much does the City contribute each year," the Mistress asked with interest.

"We contribute about fifteen thousand a year, and of course we subsidize the transportation costs for any of the children who wish to go home. I know that Father Alexi's church members take care of a number of these throwaway kids at their own expense."

"Throwaway kids?" I said. "That's a new term to me."

"Kids who are old enough to survive on their own, who are kicked out by their parents, or pushed out by too big a family to support. We get more every year."

The Mistress looked at her young charge and then at me as I stood there thinking.

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering," she said finally.

"I think so Brain, but where are we going to get a duck and a garden hose at this hour?"

"Michael," she growled.

"You're thinking of funding Father Alexi to the tune of fifteen large a year," I said.

"Make it happen in the morning," she instructed. "Father, you can expect a check for the next year on your desk before New Years Eve."

"That's very kind of you, but its not really necessary," he said. "We'll make do."

"Call it a whim," she said. "I'm sure we can devote a portion of our resources for your use."

"I'd call it Pandora's gift," I said with a small smile.

We said out good byes to everyone and walked out of the Terminal, but when we got to the car the Mistress ordered me to my knees.

"You keep talking about Pandora's gift Michael. I want to know exactly what you are talking about," she demanded as the dampness from the roadway soaked into my pants.

"What was the only thing left in the box after Pandora opened it," I asked.

"What?" she demanded crossly.

"Hope," I said.

The Mistress sat down next to me on the ground as I explained.

"When you and I go out of a mission, even when we don't have things turn out quite as we wanted, we are adding to Pandora's gift. As depressed as I get about things going on in the world I think about how lucky I am to be loved and owned by you and that keeps me going. Those two young people tonight now have more of a chance because we did something, where they might have had none if we sat idle.

"The random acts of kindness, the consideration we show for others all contribute to what I think of as Pandora's Gift."

The Mistress looked at me and then kissed me gently.

"You are a very loving man Michael."

"And you are a very loving woman Minkin. And if the two of us can fall in love and stay together through thick and thin, then Pandora's Gift is there for everyone."

Hope.

Chapter 31 Sections 1 to 6

Goober Peas
  Men
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Pandora's Gift
The Velveteen Rabbit
Supermarket Sweep