Chapter
8
It
was eight weeks later, before Etienne was treated to new revelations
about his Sarah. In halting verbiage, she explained with shame and
intimate trust that she was sexually active... with her FATHER!
Sarah
lived in Etienne's dreams, literally and figuratively. No greater
torment could his mind have known. His reply was hot, tempered with
the fear that words of anger, condemning her father, would drive her
away. He would steal his father's vacation money and meet her in
Paris, if only she would run away with him.
Her
answer shocked the senses. He must not tell anyone. It wasn't as if
her father had been beating her. He was tender, and she could not
BEAR to see him disparaged publicly. Etienne, she assured him, had
no idea the sensitivity of her father's diplomatic efforts. He was a
crucial link in a chain of espionage between the American President
and Soviet Premier Gorbachev. If Etienne let ill advised comments
slip, Cold War misunderstandings might start nuclear war.
Etienne
burned in his soul with indignation. He could not hazard nuclear war
the world over, but such injustice MUST be challenged. Without
telling Sarah of his intentions, he began to implement plans of his
own.
Without
telling his father, he began to help himself to the rainy day fund in
the family safe. American currency would serve as a medium of
exchange anywhere in the world. His father did not know that his
mother knew the combination, and she had asked Etienne to place
things in it on her behalf, from time to time. Jewelry, important
unsigned documents; the list went on.
He
stole his own American Passport, and asked his father for permission
to visit Sri Lanka on a tourist visa. Soon enough, his father
presented him with a Canadian passport of his own, replete with a
tourist visa to Sri Lanka. His ten day stay was to be with a British
mission. He was hardly off the plane, before he was presenting his
American passport for a three day stamp, and buying a return ticket
to Heathrow Airport. Having secured the ticket, he called on the
British family with gifts of instant coffee and sandalwood talcum
powder. He explained that he had been struck with the good fortune
of an invitation to a game preserve in the East, and thanked them for
their promises of hospitality and stayed over night. He left in the
morning, taking time to mail his parents a post-card, before
embarking on his clandestine journey to London. His plane was
touching down in England before 24 hours had passed, and he felt a
sense of vindication, as the first stage of his expedition of
reprisal ended.
