Twisted Truths & Leveled Lies

by Lessner, S. K.

  The man held up his hand, asking us to wait while he returned to his booth and began making a phone call. Brett and I stood there in silence, the sun beating down on our bodies, as I held Josiah.

  What if they didn’t believe us? Or even let us explain what was going on? My stomach was in knots, my mind beyond scrambled.

  We waited for what felt like hours, watching the man inside the booth, but unable to hear him. It was actually about twenty minutes in reality, but it was hot and the fear was growing with every second.

  Suddenly, two Army officers walked through a locked gate on the other side of booth where we were waiting. Eying us apprehensively, they approached with a rhythmic stride. I had no idea what they thought of our appearance, but it terrified me to be viewed as possible suspects.

  Brett reached over and grabbed my hand, gently squeezing it inside his. I was surprised at first, but the look in his eyes, and warmth of his hand, filled me with silent reassurance. I was grateful he did, because I was on the edge of breaking down, and that little act of kindness filled me with enough courage to keep going. Returning his smile, he released my hand, and reached up to ruffle Josie’s hair.

  Turning to face the two men, I took a deep breath, praying again for God’s help.

  “Mr. Caveleri and Ms. Sandviel?” The one on the left asked.

  He was a big man who could intimidate anyone with a single look. If you could tell from observation alone, I’d say he must have been in five or six wars. His face was hard, lacking of any emotion whatsoever. The man beside him appeared to be no older than twenty, but strong and clearly well trained.

  “Yes.” Brett replied for both of us.

  “Before we take you inside, we need to know if this device you have notified us about is in immediate danger of detonating and if you know of the specific location?”

  Brett and I looked at each other. This was it. They would take my son from my arms and do whatever they wanted to him while they locked us up. I couldn’t breathe. Begging Brett with my eyes, I pleaded with him to do something, anything.

  With a small nod of his head, he turned and faced the questioning man.

  “Sir, we are not aware of the location of the bomb or when it will go off. We do have the information needed to lead you to it, but we must discuss this with the Ambassador or commander in charge here first. I understand the protocol for doing such things and apologize for showing up here without warning. I’m sure you’ve already spoke to General Handly and done a background check on both of us while we were waiting, and know that I’m the Mid-East Director for the American Red Cross. We are not here to harm anyone, but I must insist that the amount of time we stay out here decreases our chances to stop these people from completing their mission.”

  The men took a long look at Brett before the intimidating one spoke into a radio attached to his shoulder.

  “We’re bringing them into security. Please have Sergeant Johnson stand by.”

  Angling his head, he nodded toward the compound. “Please come this way.”

  Taking a few steps forward, the two men waited for us to pass, promptly following behind us. They were keeping an eye on every move we made.

  ********

  An hour later, we were cleared through security. I had never prayed so much in my entire life. If we made it out of this, church would never be an option again! I would go every week, three times a week, whenever I could.

  We had to explain my son’s scoliosis, his surgery, and that he had a rod and screws implanted inside his back. They took x-rays that I was certain would show what we already knew. Instead, it all looked legitimate. It wasn’t that Brett or I were trying to deceive to these people, or harm them in any way, but we knew if we told the lower level servicemen of the situation, they’d take Josie from me and put us through intense questioning. The only way to make sure we stayed together was to talk to the ambassador himself or a higher ranking official.

  After security, we were taken to a small office area in a different building and asked to wait. It resembled a typical business reception room with leather couches and magazines of all languages laid out to read. A large fish tank filled with corals and a variety of fish lined the wall directly behind the couch. It made a perfect platform for Josie to stand up on and look at all the different things swimming and crawling inside. Brett took his time and pointed out everything inside the tank for him. Although the view from the windows was only of other buildings inside the security perimeter, it would’ve been an interesting place to be if it weren’t for our situation. Josie was behaving quite well throughout everything. I think his interest in all the new places and people were enough to keep his mind occupied. Everyone who met him fell in love with his brown eyes and little dimples. But every time someone mentioned either of them, I thought of Miguel. It was impossible not to

  Finishing his aquatic tutorial with Josie, Brett sat next to me with him on his lap. My legs were bouncing up and down, I’d bitten every last nail I had, and was starting to shake again. Noticing how scared I was, Brett began distracting me by talking about his favorite foods and where we wanted to go out to eat when this was all over. He decided he didn’t need a huge steak or fancy seafood dinner, he just wanted a good ol’ American burger with extra French fries. I wasn’t able to talk much, my fears overwhelming me, but I did agree that a huge slice of warm chocolate cake with fudge glaze would be amazing. It wasn’t an effort to enjoy ourselves. It was simply his way of helping me through this difficult time and keeping my mind partially distracted from the situation at hand.

  “Mr. Caveleri, Ms. Sandviel, would you please follow me?” A blond, middle-aged woman in a grey suit coat and grey and white pencil-striped skirt came in the room and motioned to the hall behind her.

  We still didn’t know who we’d be talking to, but we knew this was the time when everything was laid out on the table, and the truth came out. My legs were weak, my mind racing with possibilities, as she led us out the door.

  She took us down a long hallway, her heels clicking on the hard floor below us. Josie was getting tired from all the movement and excitement of the day. Laying his head on my shoulder, his little fingers began playing with my hair, as we continued walking.

  “When we get into the office, would ya like me to hold him?” Brett whispered as we continued on.

  “That’d be great. I guess I have a lot to go over with them.” I was relieved that he was willing to help while I went through the information, but at the same time I was filled with dread of the unknown.

  “No problem. Don’t worry ‘bout what to say, just ‘splain it like you did with me. It won’t be easy, we both know that, but as soon as this is done, y’all can get back to your life.”

  Yeah, but what life? I didn’t know of a life without Miguel anymore. I didn’t want to. And now, I had no choice but to find one.

  “It’ll all be okay, kiddo.” Brett looked at me, and offered a small smile.

  I hoped he was right. Nodding my head in agreement, I focused on what was to come and getting his done.

  We were taken down a dimly lit hall to a closed door. The lady escorting us smiled politely, and opened the door to let us enter without her.

  “Mr. Banes will be with you shortly. Please have a seat at his desk.”

  We thanked her and walked over to the two chairs positioned in front of a large wooden desk. There were no windows in the office and it seemed pretty bare. Only the basic office supplies and equipment were present.

  After the door closed, Brett leaned over, his hands extended, and a reassuring smile on his face. Reluctantly, I handed over my little boy who was now almost asleep. Placing a kiss on his forehead, I sat down in the chair, shakily retrieving the folders from my bag.

  “You’ll do fine, Mel. I’m here if ya need any help.”

  I glanced beside me, so amazed with the man who was helping us.

  “I didn’t even know you twenty-four hours ago, Brett, but you’ve been more of a friend to me in
those hours then I could ever tell you. I’d be lost without you. Thank you.”

  It was true. I’d thought it so many times today when he’d speak for the three of us, introduce us, or even distract me when I got overly nervous – like he was doing now.

  Opening his mouth to respond, he paused, our attention distracted by a man walking through the door. He was in his mid-fifties, his nearly bald head comically contradicting the bushy eyebrows on his face. Walking across the room, I saw that he was carrying a notepad and a small recorder.

  Yep, this was it. My heart was hammering in my chest, my palms were sweating, and I thought I’d have a heart attack any minute. He came over to our chairs, giving us a polite smile, as Brett began to stand.

  “Don’t get up, I know it’s been a long day for you. I’m Mr. Banes, the assistant to our Ambassador. He won’t be back until this evening so I’m filling in for him until then.” He moved around to the other side of the desk and set up the recorder. “Just so you’re aware, I will be recording this.”

  I nodded my head. “That’s understandable, Sir. Thank you for meeting with us.”

  “Please state your names, place of residence, and reason for being here for the record.” He wasn’t messing around. No small talk. Straight to business.

  I did as he said, with Brett following my introduction so his information was on record. I watched as Mr. Banes divided his paper in half, his pen drawing a long line down the length of it, before he looked up, ready for me to continue.

  “Please tell me how we can help you and what is happening with this bomb you’ve spoken of. This is no small matter. Please be advised that anything you say from this point on is considered government information and will be treated as such.”

  “Okay.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “But first I need to explain to you that we weren’t completely open with the information before we entered this room. It was never to deceive anyone. It was to protect my son and we thought it would be best to take this type of information to the top of command as quickly as possible.”

  He didn’t look happy about that, but he nodded his head, understanding what I said, but not offering any further encouragement.

  I went back a little further in details then when I explained things to Brett. I described my relationship with Miguel, how his brother had met us three years ago at the airport, Miguel’s short trip when his father died, his injuries, and I told him about why we left the US to have the surgery in another country.

  “Ms. Sandviel, let me get this straight, before we get to the information about the bomb, you had no information or suspicions about any wrong-doing before you found the folders?”

  Did he think I would hide something like that if I had? “No. Well, not exactly. I never expected anything like this, no. Maybe that my husband was cheating on me, but not this.”

  “Okay, continue, please.”

  I explained how I found the folders and how, after realizing what was inside, I left the house we were in as quickly as I could.

  After scribbling a few notes on the paper, he looked up at me, studying me without speaking. After glancing at Josie and Brett, he cleared his throat and spoke again.

  “I think we should go over the information in the folders now.” He was starting to sound impatient, maybe even angry. At this point, he didn’t seem to fully believe me.

  “Okay, the first folder is Miguel’s. It only has two pictures in it. One is of our wedding day, taken in the Bahamas. The odd thing is that only my sister and I have that picture. The other is of Miguel and another lady. It’s dated seven years ago. I don’t know who she is.”

  He took the folder and briefly glanced inside. I could’ve sworn he rolled his eyes like I was wasting his time. He wanted the information I had been hinting at all along, but I wanted to do this in a way that he would see us as people, so he’d not treat my son as the enemy, and that he’d hopefully have some compassion.

  “Next, please.” He sat Miguel’s folder to the side and looked up at me.

  “The next one’s my folder.” I handed it to him and allowed him to open it and flip through it. “It’s arranged in chronological order from my birth to present day.”

  “The pictures in here, were you aware of them before today?”

  “No.”

  After looking at them for a few minutes, he made a few notes on his notepad, then returned his focus to me. He was ready for the last one. The finale.

  With trembling hands, I took a deep breath, and held the last folder out for him to take.

  “Sir, this is my son’s file. He’s a baby, an American. He didn’t ask for this. Please, sir, if you have children, please think of what you would do if it were them.”

  I was begging. I didn’t know what would happen, I only knew this would change his reaction.

  With a puzzled look, he took the folder, and began flipping through the papers. Brett grabbed my hand as I sat back, holding it tight as I continued shaking. I was so thankful he was here.

  Mr. Banes made a few notes on his notepad and then paused and looked up at me.

  “This is also in chronological order?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked through more of the paperwork and read the notes about the surgery and the device. I noticed his jaw begin to clench and his eyes bulge. I had taken the pictures out earlier to study them myself, so I reached into my purse, pulling them out for him.

  “Sir, these are the pictures that were inside the folder.”

  He took the pictures, instantly reacting to what he saw. His face grew pale, his pace quickening, as he flipped from one to the next. Pausing halfway through, he looked over at Josiah.

  Oh God, please don’t let them hurt him. Please, save him.

  He returned his focus to the pictures and frantically started to lay them out on the table so he could view them all. He briskly stood from his chair, pushing it backward with enough force that it fell over. Bracing his hands on the desk in front of the pictures, he studied them, his eyes darting from one to the next.

  I felt Brett squeeze my hand tighter, knowing my fear right now, but couldn’t take my eyes from the man in front of us. I felt the tears slowly start to trickle down my cheek, but didn’t move to wipe them off.

  “Ms. Sandviel,” Mr. Banes said, clearing his throat as he looked up at me. “We’re going to have to get some people in here immediately to go over this information. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to take your son to a protective bunker.” He paused, looking down at the pictures again.

  I couldn’t breathe, my heart hammering away, I knew they were the only people who could help, but I wanted to take my son and run away.

  Without returning his gaze to mine, he spoke slowly, “I will give you the option of staying with him, though.”

  Oh thank God. I couldn’t handle handing him over right now.

  “Thank you.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

  He looked back up, his eyes sad, but very determined. “Don’t thank me yet. This is far worse than I ever thought possible. I never imagined they’d be successful at something like this. You passed all our security. You cleared everything. This is monumentally disturbing.”

  I nodded my head. I knew he had to think of the entire country and not just my little boy, but it was hard when I knew my son was the one who might die any minute.

  Mr. Banes’ attention returned to the pictures, his head shaking back and forth repeatedly. Without breaking his concentration, he spoke again. This time he was very quiet, subdued, and spoke with the compassion I had hoped for.

  “I have a two year old grandchild. He’s my pride and joy. I don’t know how you’re able to handle any of this, let alone complete any sentences coherently. Please forgive me if I seem callous, I’m doing my job. But from the bottom of my heart, I will do everything I can to help him.”

  Tears rained down my face. It was what I wanted, what I had prayed for. That someone in charge would see him as a person and not just a bomb. That s
omehow they wouldn’t take him from me. Brett leaned over, pulling me into him and Josie. I couldn’t speak, my chest heaving in and out as I cried.

  Still holding me in his embrace, Brett looked up at Mr. Banes. “Mr. Banes, I’d like to ask permission to stay with Ms. Sandviel and her son during this ordeal.”

  Mr. Banes eyed Brett with surprise. “I know you are fully aware of this situation and since you have previously served as a sergeant in the Marines, you’re aware of our protocol for such incidents. It will be difficult enough to ensure that she stays with her child. I doubt anyone would approve a third party being present. ”

  “I understand, Sir. But if you could…”

  “I will ask the general if you can be allowed to stay with her.” Mr. Banes interrupted him, “But I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “Thank you, Sir.” Brett’s voice deflated, but didn’t sound like he’d completely given up hope yet.

  “Honestly, Mr. Caveleri, thank you. Nobody deserves to go through this and I’m glad she found you yesterday. We’re all glad she found you. I’ll see what I can do.”

  It wasn’t what I wanted. I felt like I needed Brett to see me through this. But I’d already been granted one request that was unheard of, I didn’t want to press my luck. Besides, Brett had already given so much of himself, he deserved to be somewhere safe, away from all the madness.

  CHAPTER 28

  We were taken to another area in the complex, this one with even more security. Brett told me it was where they had bunkers to protect others if the bomb were to go off, but that he wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t using the opportunity to test their security systems. Not once did Josie set off any alarms. I’m sure it was both surprising and disappointing to them. I knew it was for me. If I had never found the folders, nobody would have known until it was too late.

  Brett and I had to separate here, him being directed to wait there while I was taken forward. Without being given time to properly thank him, I gave him a quick hug and hoped he understood how grateful I was. I wanted to cling to him and drag him with us for support, but Josie was my primary concern and focus. With a quick good bye, I followed the officers through the door, leaving Brett behind.