Chapter Eight: Three Awkward Dinners

Arthur was shocked at how well the criminal work crew was treated during their last week at camp. Breaks were longer and more frequent, workdays went from twelve hours down to ten, and not one of the crew was struck in the last seven days. It was said that this week of good treatment was meant to show the warden's appreciation for all the hard work they had done in service to their country. Arthur wondered if anyone in the camp was gullible enough to believe that explanation. Regardless, this easy last week had its effect; he was feeling better and most of the welts and bruises across his shoulders faded away.

Arthur had never been so glad to board a bus as he was on Thursday morning, the tenth of September. He sat down by the window and like most of the others he turned to watch Novo Sumi Ris recede in the distance as the bus traveled east. The Danubian criminals were ecstatic to be leaving the camp, there were so many conversations going on that it was difficult to understand any of their fast paced words. Arthur didn't want to talk anyway; it was nice to simply look out the window and watch the countryside roll by. Thirty minutes later he stepped off the bus in front of the Ministry of Public Works, after a brief processing he was handed a stamped document and released.

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Arthur had to wait just a short time before Spokesman Ralkliv walked in to his office. After going through the formal greeting, Ralkliv invited him into his office to discuss his situation.

�Arthur it's good to see you back," Ralkliv said in English. "I trust they didn't treat you too badly at the work camp?"

�It wasn't all that bad really," Arthur, replied with a straight face. "And I did get to see a bit of the countryside."

�Good, good. I was more than a little worried about you, I have heard that sometimes the Ministry's guards can be fairly harsh toward criminals sentenced to their camps." Ralkliv raised an eyebrow. "And that flood must have been terrifying."

Arthur tried to steer the subject in another direction. "Yes, it was quite a flood. Spokesman, I was surprised to meet Samantha and Laura at the same camp, I actually had a lot of contact with them. One of the guards had me teach them to speak and read some simple Danubian phrases. I believe they were released yesterday, are they back in the city now?"

�Yes they're back, I have them working with the city groundskeepers for the time being, but there is something else we need to discuss. With Jakt's business shutting down for the winter I have to find you some other job." Ralkliv shook his head. "It has not been an easy task to find you employment."

�Spokesman, don't you think that my Danubian is good enough to be understood?"

�Yes, but that is not the problem." Ralkliv explained. "Business owners are reluctant to hire you because of who you are. The crimes that you were involved in were widely publicized."

�So people think I'm a danger? Surely people know I didn't do anything but take cover during the gun fight."

�Regardless, they see you as a threat in more ways than one. It is not good to be called a spy in Danubia. Arthur, in two weeks I have not found a single private employer willing to hire you." Spokesman Ralkliv opened a folder. "That leaves only two options. The first is that you could be placed on a criminal labor crew for the Ministry of Public Works. The second option... By the way can you swim? Yes. Alright, the second option is that every fall the Ministry of Natural Resources uses a criminal work crew to clean up around the reservoir as well as do some maintenance on park grounds, it is only until winter though by that time perhaps I can find you another position."

�Do I have the choice, Spokesman?"

�Either of these options are acceptable to me, but you might want to think it over some."

�There's no need, I want the Ministry of Natural Resources job up on the lake."

Ralkliv nodded. "Very well. In two weeks you will need to report to the headquarters but before then I will have to get you an appointment with them for the necessary certification. They require some basic water rescue training for all workers, there is a training center not far from here."

Spokesman Ralkliv opened a desk drawer and removed a bundle of papers about an inch thick. "I have to go downstairs for a few minutes, why don't you look through some of the mail that has accumulated since you have been gone."

Ralkliv left and Arthur picked up the letter on top. "Lets see, one from the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs." He ripped it open and read. 'We thank you for taking the time to write the Office of the...' Arthur skipped ahead. 'regret to inform you that no further action is legally warranted in your case at this time. However, the US Department of State is dedicated to assuring the fair treatment of US citizens held in custody overseas, therefore a US Consular Officer will be sent to meet with you at the soonest possible date.'

The next letter was from the office of his congressman. 'Under current international agreements the United States Congress does not have the authority to alter the legal status of US citizens held in custody outside of our borders...' Arthur skimmed ahead. 'It would be more appropriate to direct your efforts to the European Bureau of the Department of State.'

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Great, this is the one time that they don't want to meddle overseas." He knew his own future was looking bleak, every effort he had made so far to get assistance from the US had failed, and the way that Danubians viewed him made any kind of reduced sentence very unlikely. "I've only been here four months." Arthur whispered to himself. "Nineteen years and eight months to go."

There was a sense of disbelief when he glanced at the next envelope. "You have got to be kidding me! It must have taken a bloodhound with crystal balls to find me here." He ripped open the envelope labeled Alumni Association. 'You are cordially invited to attend the Annual University Homecoming and Alumni Banquet.'

Arthur smiled deviously. "So they encourage alumni to send in a picture of themselves and news of what's going on in their lives along with a donation. I would definitely have the most interesting capsule in the alumni newsletter. Lets see, what would I say?" Arthur flipped the paper over and started scribbling on the back.

Dear Alumni Association,

It is good to hear from you, please allow me to catch you up on what's going on in my life. The past few months have been very challenging and exciting! I had always wanted to visit Europe so back in May when a business opportunity presented itself I took a big risk and traveled to a country in Eastern Europe known as the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia. It was quite a change from what I was used to, but I always felt that going new places and meeting new people really expanded a person's horizons. From the beginning I was positively captivated by the Duchy; its fascinating customs, culture, and unique legal system. Now I truly understand what it means to step outside my comfort zone. I have a new job, a new place to live, new friends, and I am taking advantage of this opportunity to learn a difficult foreign language. And the people are so friendly here! I suspect that I'm going to live in Danubia for a good long time, in fact, one might say that the government even insists upon it!

Sincerely yours,
Arthur Liggett, criminal # 88588

�Ok, now all I need is a photograph and I can have Tee type this up and send it in with a donation. I dare them to take the money and publish this!" Arthur Cackled. "Tee's gonna have a spasm."

Arthur straitened up as Spokesman Ralkliv returned. "Spokesman, I want to take some photographs to send back home, where can I get a cheap camera at?"

Ralkliv shook his head. "You can not."

�I can pay for it, my sister could wire in the money if I don't have enough here."

�No, I mean you are not allowed to possess a camera." Ralkliv sat back down at his desk.

Arthur was confused yet again. "Criminals can't have cameras?"

�Most criminals can, but you were convicted of espionage so you are not allowed to possess any recording devices. I went over this with you after your trial"

Arthur didn't want to say that it had taken weeks to get where he could understand Ralkliv's heavily accented English clearly. "So could I get Samantha to buy the camera and take the pictures I want?"

�Absolutely not!" Ralkliv tapped a forefinger on the desktop as he forcefully made his point. "Directing another criminal to conspire with you to go around the law is even worse. Arthur, I am your custodian under the law and you will do as I say, you must not try and circumvent the intent of the law." Spokesman Ralkliv made an exasperated gesture and leaned back in his chair. "Arthur I... I just don't trust you, when I talk to you it seems that your words are calculated and you show no expression at all as though you don't want me to know what you're really thinking."

�Spokesman, please understand that I'm not trying to be evasive, it's just that this place is so strange to me and I don't want to offend anyone by saying the wrong thing." Arthur wondered if he sounded convincing. "Spokesman, there is still the matter of the photograph. How can I legally obtain a photo to send home?"

Spokesman Ralkliv sighed. "I'll have my secretary take a couple pictures, is that satisfactory criminal # 88588?"

�Yes sir." Arthur smiled. "That's excellent, but there's one other thing concerning Samantha..."

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The courting business was a complicated affair; Spokesman Ralkliv had looked quizzically at him as he started writing it all down in his notebook. For Danubians the courtship protocol was ordinary but to a foreigner like Arthur it was beyond confusing. It seemed they had complicated rules for just about everything. To keep track of it all Arthur wrote down everything he learned, the notebook was already half full of his scribbling. While skimming through the pages he had an idea. He was considering organizing his observations like a manual; Arthur thought that if some other English speaker was arrested maybe he could give him a copy. What to call it?

There was no time to think about that now, Arthur checked the clock, it was six-fifteen already; time to go to the hotel to meet Samantha's parents. This meeting was either step three or four in the protocol, depending on how you counted; it was hard to say since his was not a typical case. During the last week at the labor camp Arthur had asked Samantha 'out' while they walked along the inside of the perimeter fence. Arthur planned to have some kind of a date once they got back to Rika Chorna, but the next day Samantha informed him that it was not going to be that easy. One of the female criminals had explained the whole courtship process in some detail.

First he needed Spokesman Ralkliv's permission, since he was Samantha's spokesman too that was strait forward enough. Next he needed to be invited to dinner with Samantha's host family, and that's where the trouble began. She might as well have asked to have a wet dog seated at their dinner table. It seemed that there was a serious social stigma with having him over for supper but after much negotiation Ralkliv and the host family came to an unusual agreement. Samantha's parents were coming to see their daughter on the 14th of September; the deal was that if Arthur could gain her parent's permission, then Samantha's host family would reluctantly invite Arthur to sit at their table.

They probably didn't think Samantha's parents would even consider giving the infamous spy permission to court their only daughter but Arthur was determined to prove them wrong. Samantha told him all about her mom and dad. Arthur knew where they lived, and worked, their hobbies, and a lot of other information that might help him make a good impression. They would obviously be concerned about his crime though Arthur was sure that they thought their daughter was being treated unfairly and so they might have some sympathy for his situation too.

Arthur walked through the sparsely decorated hotel lobby and found room 112 near the end of a narrow hallway; he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and knocked on the door. The same man that Arthur had briefly met three months earlier opened the door. "Please come inside Mr. Liggett."

There was a tense handshake. "It's good to meet you again Mr. Sherman. Please, call me Arthur."

Introducing himself to Samantha's parents while naked was an uncomfortable situation to say the least. In the spectrum of bad ways to meet a girlfriend's parents, being naked with a tracking collar on your neck would surely score high on the list. Arthur thought he was over his inhibitions toward nudity until he was standing naked in front of these two fully clothed Americans. It was beyond embarrassing, though the Shermans looked just as red in the face as he probably did all over. "This is my wife Anna." Mr. Sherman ushered his tall slender wife forward to shake Arthur's hand. "Samantha will be along in a few minutes, we wanted to speak with you alone first." They invited Arthur to sit at a small dining room table, perhaps so he wouldn't look quite so distracting.

Mrs. Sherman poured Arthur a glass of water and sat down, she had that calm persona common among counselors, a friendly smile and piercing eyes. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself Arthur?"

Arthur gave a practiced speech with plenty of eye contact. He gave a brief description of his upbringing, family, education, jobs and such. He was sure to put in several pauses to make it seem less rehearsed.

�Arthur," A visibly nervous Mr. Sherman tapped his fingers together and leaned forward. "There is the matter of the crimes you were convicted of... we can't allow Samantha to see someone dangerous, you understand. Samantha believes that you were innocent of the crimes and merely fooled into participating in that break-in and theft, and that you weren't involved in the shooting. Is that true, are you not guilty?"

Arthur was not so calm then, he forgot his practiced response altogether. Arthur had a sip of water and stared at the glass in his hands. "I used to say I was completely innocent... that my employer had just used me to get what he wanted, but the fact is I chose to ignore all the warning signs that what he offered couldn't possibly be legitimate. He said he would pay me ten thousand dollars cash to get that data for him, ten thousand for one days work and I took it."

�I didn't really know much about Mr. Rumak at the time. I met him in Germany on the morning of the eighth of May, we flew into Danube City, and then boarded the train for Rika Chorna; we arrived at our destination not six hours after we first met. I didn't inquire all that much about what he was up to, he seemed to know what he was doing like he had been here before. The software that he needed help with was very specialized and rare, only a few hundred people in the industry would know how to use it and most of them couldn't just leave their jobs during the workweek, so I let myself believe that the use of my technical skills on such short notice were worth the enormous amount of cash he offered. He had plausible answers for the few questions I asked, but I didn't press the matter. Really, I didn't want to know."

�I should have refused to work for him... Without my help he probably would not have been in Rika Chorna that day and that police officer would not have been shot. The policeman almost died, he was hit three times. He has a wife and two little kids, and from what I understand he may never fully recover. I do regret my involvement in that crime but there's nothing I can do about it now, except... suffer the consequences." Arthur stopped talking and looked up at the couple seated in front of him. While he had spoken he had a distant feeling like he was alone and talking only to himself, he certainly hadn't planned to be so brutally honest. "Mr. and Mrs. Sherman, I have my problems but I'm no danger to your daughter, or anyone else for that matter."

�I would have been suspicious if you claimed to be completely innocent," Mrs. Sherman said. "I appreciate you telling us the truth." Her eyes darted toward her husband, then back to Arthur; she seemed to have difficulty bringing up the next part. "Arthur, I want to know about Samantha, yesterday she admitted to us that she had been using ecstasy for the past year. Do you think she's clean?"

�Definitely, there's no drug problem here. She never said anything to me about drugs since her arrest; I don't think she was addicted. It would be nearly impossible to find drugs here anyway, and even if a criminal found a dealer he still couldn't buy anything, you see criminals aren't even allowed to carry money."

�Good, that's so good to hear." Mrs. Sherman said. "Samantha told us how you tried to warn her and Laura about the drug laws, and you tried to keep them from getting arrested. She said you got in trouble because of that."

Arthur nodded. "That seems like a long time ago... having lunch at that restaurant. Tourists don't understand how harsh the laws are here but I guess my warnings didn't do much good. I was really shocked to see them arrested the next week."

�And you got punished for trying to keep Samantha and Laura out of trouble." Mr. Sherman looked angry. "Unbelievable."

Arthur decided that it would be best to let them assume that his motivations were pure and noble that day. "It wasn't their fault. I made my own decision when I chose to not report a crime."

�I appreciate you trying to help them, Arthur." Mrs. Sherman's shaky voice betrayed her outward calm. "How is she being treated... is she being abused?"

Arthur was pretty sure Mrs. Sherman had been crying recently, the swelling and redness in her eyes couldn't be completely hidden by makeup and Visine. "She spent three months at the labor camp. Life there was harsh. The work was exhausting, conditions were primitive, and the guards were very strict, the smallest infraction would get a criminal punished, the..."

Arthur was relieved that Samantha arrived at that moment to interrupt him; even with the summer tan Arthur could see her blush, that first meeting with her parents must have been horrible for her. Samantha took the empty chair and there was a brief attempt at having a normal conversation. Samantha's father finally interrupted the awkward silence to go to the hotel office and order some food. They talked more freely after the food arrived and Mr. and Mrs. Sherman got into the second bottle of wine, Arthur and Samantha drank tea. At the end of the meal her parents exchanged glances.

Mr. Sherman, who had drank the majority of the wine, stood with a noticeable wobble and cleared his throat. "Arthur, I think that you are a good young man who has made some serious mistakes, but then so has Samantha." He placed his left hand on Arthur's shoulder and then grasped his hand for an overly vigorous handshake, Arthur awkwardly stood up and Mr. Sherman slapped him on the back. " Arthur, I think you two would be good for each other." Mrs. Sherman looked embarrassed as he continued. "Anna, I'm sure you feel the same way, Samantha has had worse boyfriends..."

�Arthur, what my husband means to say," Mrs. Sherman interrupted her husband to Samantha's apparent relief. "Is that if you promise to treat our daughter with respect and take care of her as best you can, you have our blessing."

�Yes, I will of course. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Sherman." After an awkward pause Arthur continued. "Uh... You see everything is formal here, there has to be documentation. I need your permission in writing, with signatures and the date."

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Arthur turned in the signed statement to Spokesman Ralkliv then it was on to the next phase: dinner with her host family. This one was very tricky; Arthur knew these people were just looking for cause to reject him. But according to their rules they needed a specific reason and Arthur was determined not to give them one. Arthur carefully reviewed the two pages of protocol that he had written down before taking the bus to their house.

The couple that hosted Samantha were both bureaucrats who worked in the provincial government. They had two children, a five-year-old girl and a boy under a year old. Samantha suspected that they took her in just so that they would have a servant to care for the kids and clean the house. They weren't friendly at all, she had to kneel before speaking and when they did talk to her it was usually just to give orders. Samantha liked the two kids though, the little girl followed her around constantly calling her something that sounded like 'Sanka', and Samantha slept on a cot next to the baby's crib.

Arthur knocked on the painted wooden door and waited almost a minute before anyone answered. A tall man with a dark beard and a grim expression finally opened the door. Arthur had to follow protocol and kneel down on the front porch; seconds of silence passed before the man gave Arthur permission to get up and enter the house. There was an equally cold introduction of the wife and kids. The wife ordered Samantha, who had been in the kitchen, to serve some drinks.

Throughout the formal dinner Arthur got the feeling that they were looking for a mistake, a reason to reject him. There was an order of doing everything at one of these diners, and being a criminal, Arthur nearly always went last. The conversation was another complex game, with Arthur's grasp of Danubian basic at best there were many chances for a slip up. He decided that the less he said the better, so he spoke only when spoken to and kept his practiced answers brief and simple. He was inwardly amused at how frustrated the couple seemed toward the end of the meal, he had not given them a single reason to reject him. When the dinner was finished the hosts looked furious at having to invite Arthur back to their table the next week.

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The final challenge was culinary rather than strategic. It was time for Samantha to come eat at the house of Arthur's host and Jakt was preparing something special. Jakt was an adventurous cook and a mushroom hunter. The previous day the old man proudly displayed his prize by dumping a pile of moist baseball sized nodules out on the kitchen table. The dozen or so gray and brown clumps were still coated in mud from recently being dug up out of the forest floor. "Uh... What do you have there Jakt?"

�These," the old man proudly asserted. "Are the rarest type of mushroom in the central mountains. I'm going to cook them for you and Samantha tomorrow, wait till you taste it!"

The day of the special dinner Jakt chopped the fungus up and dumped it in a large pot of boiling water, thick brown foam churned to the surface. The aroma was indescribable in polite company. Eager to escape the fumes Arthur enthusiastically volunteered to pick up some special cut of meat that Jakt had ordered from the butcher. He didn't recognize the word that the butcher used to describe the mysterious meat but judging and from its size it must have been either bovine or equine in origin.

Later that day Arthur met Samantha outside the house to warn her. "Ok here's the deal, we're going to be eating some kind of strange slimy fungus that Jakt dug up in the woods, and I believe that the side dish is made out of something's tongue. Now Jakt's really proud of this meal so we have to eat it and act like its really good."

�Eeew... I don't want to eat anything that tastes me back. Are you sure it's a tongue? I mean I don't think I can eat that."

Arthur took Samantha's hand in his and then peered off into the distance for dramatic effect. "I know these are dark days and we have suffered greatly, but now is not the time to give in to fear, or collapse in defeat; now is the time to rise to the challenge! We must harden our stomachs to this fungal invader, devour the tongue that's placed before us, clean our plates and ask for seconds!" Arthur made a grand gesture, pointing upward. "This will be our finest hour, we will march into that dining room, we will eat that disgusting meal with smiles on our faces, and we- will- not- throw-up... until later."

�Nice speech, very inspirational and topical." Samantha smiled brightly as they walked toward the door.

�Thanks, I've been working on it for an hour."

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The following night they entered the criminal's club, took a seat in the back, and ordered two mugs of ale, but neither one was finished. Arthur raised his eyebrow slightly and Samantha shrugged. They hurried through a dim hallway toward the back of the club. There were doors to either side, some open some shut, that complex Danubian music was playing loud on speakers overhead. They picked an open room on the right side of the hallway. A mattress fitted with a white sheet rested on the concrete floor. A metal shelf bolted to the south wall held more sheets, towels and a box of condoms. Everything looked clean at least.

Arthur closed the door behind them. Samantha pressed close; her bright green eyes reflected the single light above the door. Arthur kissed her gently at first then decided to abandon caution altogether. His hands slid down and cupped the curve of her bottom. Samantha made a pleasurable moan and reached down between their bodies and circled her fingers around him.

�I should have brought my notebook, to keep a record." Arthur joked. "I bet I have to file a report on this later."

�Never mind that." She stepped over to the shelf and removed a packet from the box.

Samantha smiled her wicked smile. "Before you have anything to write about, spy boy you're going to have to catch me first." She flipped off the light switch.

Arthur made two strides in total darkness toward where she had stood, she had moved but a barely suppressed giggle gave away her location. Arthur wheeled around, dropped to his hands and knees and listened; there was a motion to the left. He reached out and grasped some sort of limb before she twisted and rolled away, this time toward the corner, she had no place to retreat to now. Arthur was pleased he had tracked down his prey in the small rectangular room. She squealed and giggled uncontrollably as Arthur caught an ankle in his right hand and moved forward to pin her down; she spun to the side and maybe would have got away if she hadn't been laughing so hard. He gripped her waist and dragged her on top of the mattress in the middle of the room. "No more escapes for you." He pinned her down and kissed along her lean stomach. "I'm afraid that I will have to conduct a careful search to make sure your not carrying a weapon, a spy has to be careful after all."

�Ah..." her shapely legs parted. "Well, if you must... mmm... you really are thorough, Arthur." Her fingers pressed the back of his head pulling him closer. "But you're not really going to... Ooh... take advantage of an innocent young lady are you?"

Arthur moved back up her body and grasped a nipple between his fingers. "You mean there's an innocent young lady in here too?" He pinched hard enough to made her yelp and squirm beneath him. "I'm afraid she's just going to have to wait, I have my hands full already."

Their collars clinked together as they kissed. Arthur felt her hand reach between his legs and fingers run along the length of him. "Mmm... I think you're the one carrying the weapon, maybe we should put a... cloak on that dagger before you... try and conceal that thing." She pushed Arthur back to his knees and he heard the pack open. With apparent practiced skill she rolled the latex in place.

�Now it's on to the conquest." Arthur proclaimed. "It is?" Samantha bit down hard on his ear.

�Uh...yeah," Arthur tried to pull his ear loose while her teeth clamped down. "Ack... Haven't you ever seen a spy movie before? It's... standard procedure." He yanked his ear out of her mouth, pushed her back on to the mattress, and positioned himself between her spread thighs.

She gasped and clung to his back, "mmm... people tried to warn me about your... corrupting influence."

�You just wouldn't listen..." He kissed along her neck. "And now look where you are."

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They lay in the complete darkness resting a few minutes before they would have to get up.

�I woke up in the middle of a flower bed this morning." Arthur broke the silence.

�Uh... What?"

�I sleepwalk. Early this morning when it was still dark out I woke up in the neighbor's yard. This woman who lives next to Jakt let her dog out the front door, when he saw me laying there that beagle really freaked out and then the woman walked out into the yard to see what he was barking at. Judging by her reaction what she did not expect to see was some naked dude climb out of her tulips at four AM; she threw her hands up and screamed like a banshee as she ran back to her porch. I had just woke up with that dog barking in my face and didn't know what the hell was going on, so I jumped up and stumbled backwards over her picket fence and fell right onto the road."

�You gotta be kidding."

�No kidding... The beagle jumped the fence right behind me and bit the big toe of my right foot; there was this big commotion with the woman screaming, the dog barking, and me cussing. The whole damned neighborhood woke up, turned on their lights and came outside. Someone must have thought I was an intruder and called the cops. So early this morning I got taken to the police headquarters and put in a holding cell. The police were convinced that I was high on drugs, and wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. You know, I think Spokesman Ralkliv wanted to strangle me when the guards marched me to his office in handcuffs this morning. Anyway, after the drug tests came back negative I had to go before a judge this afternoon to explain why I caused the disturbance."

�What happened?"

�Well, I went into the judge's chamber expecting to get in more trouble for violating the terms of my sentence again. He gave me a chance to explain my odd behavior so I told my story and I was absolutely shocked to find out that the judge believed me. It turns out that Jakt was able to talk his neighbor out of pressing charges for the property damage, I'll have to repair her fence and clean up a bit, that's it though."

�Holy shit, that's weird. My brother used to do that, sleepwalking I mean, though he never went out of the house and all that stopped when he grew up."

�One time back in Louisiana I woke up sitting behind the wheel in my truck with keys in the ignition. It was the weirdest thing, as I woke up I was tugging on the steering wheel trying to make a curve. Anyway, I thought I was over it... I mean I didn't have any episodes in the last year or so... until I was in that work camp and it became pretty common again. Arthur laughed. "I really freaked some of the other criminals, stumbling around the barracks in the dark like a zombie. I think I became even less popular, if that's possible."

�It's all the stress I bet. Arthur you're so nervous all the time, maybe it would help if you talked about it. You know, I think that Laura and I adapted better than you did. Arthur this place freaks me out too but you're getting paranoid, you have to try and calm down some. Being all tied up inside will drive you crazy."

�I know, I know. I've never been so... so angry and... frustrated before. I barely sleep anymore. I know its not good to hate people but I do. During that flood back at camp I was actually looking out the barracks window hoping the whole town would be washed away. Most of those people hadn't done anything to me, but at the time I wanted them all dead for... revenge I guess." Arthur paused. "I don't want to be like that."

�Arthur," Samantha placed a hand on his chest. "If there's one thing I've learned from reading brochures in my mom's office it's that when a person looks at their situation more objectively they realize that life isn't just about them. Becoming bitter and resentful isn't going to help your situation anyway, you just need to let it go."

Arthur nodded. " Sounds like a good idea. I guess most of the people here mean well, in their own peculiar way. From their perspective I'm a foreigner who came in to their country to steal from them. It's really hard to think kindly about Danubians after going through all this shit, but I will make the effort to at least not... hate." Arthur reached down to find her hand. "Maybe your mom could send me a box of those brochures."

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The Not so Secret Agent - Chapter 9