Espionage—The Great Game: Intrigue in Muslim Society, Christian Values with Sexual Overtones

By Robert Thompson

Stan, handsome, six feet two inches tall, with dark-brown hair and piercing blue eyes, and neighbor Pete, six feet, 180 pounds, met in scouting at twelve and became brothers in spirit. Their intertwined lives and adventures carry them through college and beyond. Their high school friend Butch leads them astray, but they are redeemed when they meet again at Quanticos CIA training and SEAL training facilities. They are paired in CIA mission assignments. They are EMT noncombatants in Iraq and Iran. Their last assignment is in Afghanistan at which time they are separatedButch is assigned to Damascus and Stan in Kabul. They are in reality espionage agents (spies). Stan sacrifices everything to fulfill his most dangerous secret assignment to infiltrate the highest level of opposition. In the process, physical requirement to ingratiate himself turns into emotional commitment, and he is caught in the trap of his own making. The subject of his surveillance is Prince Mohammed, whose illegitimate brother, Sayed, frees him from Taliban imprisonment. And there begins the beginning of the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546204718

Book preview

CHAPTER 2

PETE

P ete and Stan. Pete was younger by a few months, having been born in September and Stan in April. From about the age of twelve, if you saw one, you saw the other. Their families were neighbors but not really neighborly until the boys met at Boy Scouts. St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, where Pete and his family attended, hosted the neighborhood Scouting program.

The Mullers were members of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Stan’s two older sisters spoiled him as a baby. His dad, Dick, a popular lawyer, enjoyed the outdoors and the whole family participated in downhill skiing and camping. Stan particularly liked fishing and hunting with his dad and their friends. As a teenager, Stan had lots of school and church friends. The only truly intimate friend was Pete. Stan always included Peter in the family activities, until it got to be too much as the boys grew older. This caused tension in the family until, finally, the whole family accepted Pete as a brother from another mother.

Pete’s parents enrolled him in the local parochial school, along with his three sisters and brother. This put a great strain on the family’s finances. His mom, Nadine, volunteered at the church in exchange for tuition. In addition, she took on odd jobs to supplement the family income. His dad, Ray, was the local postal carrier. Theirs was a tight family unit.

St. Ignatius couldn’t afford an athletic program. Recess was overseen by the nuns and one of the auxiliary priests. After elementary, Pete entered junior high and then the only high school in town. Naturally, Stan was there, too.

At the beginning of high school, Pete stood less than five feet and weighed less than one hundred pounds. He preferred computers and cell phones, and spent hours taking them apart and played with them until he knew every function. Most of the guys considered him a geek. Stan thought Pete was smart and liked hanging out with him. They developed a special bond.

In this world, bullies were everywhere, even in small towns like Kearney. There were three guys who harassed kids on their way to school, especially those they didn’t like or were different. But, if you caught one of them on his own, he would probably piss his pants. Of course, Pete was a prime target. They always shouted the same thing, Hey, you little faggot boy. Queer, sissy. You wanna fight? Scared are you? Come on, then.

By that time, Stan was pretty close to five feet, ten inches, and muscular. He heard the taunts and ran to catch up with Pete. Okay, you little shits. Take off before I cream the lot of you. And if I ever hear you picking on Pete again, it will be the last time. Now get off. From then on, Stan waited for Pete so they could walk to school together.

CHAPTER 3

PETE’S TRANSFORMATION

S tan loved swimming. Pete had never learned. During summer vacation, after freshman year, Stan inveigled Pete into signing up for the swimming program at the Y. It was held on Saturday afternoons from two o’clock to four o’clock. Pete was scared of the water at first. He began slowly but, once he got into it, he liked it more and more. Stan knew how to swim, so he either sat on the edge of the pool or tread water at the deep end while Pete was practicing. There were ten other people in the class, so Pete wasn’t alone.

After the session was over, Pete and Stan showered and wandered around the building checking out everything. They discovered that the Y boasted a gym. The equipment was limited and mostly ignored. Around Pete, Stan loved to show off. He loaded some weights onto the bar and lay back on one of the benches. He pressed a hundred pounds for about five reps. He wanted Pete to try it. There was no way little Pete could press a hundred pounds. Stan changed the weights to fifty pounds. That was still too much. Stan reduced the weight to twenty pounds. Pete pressed two or three reps before quitting.

This was the beginning of Pete’s transformation. After swimming, they went to the gym for an hour. Stan made up a routine: bench press five pounds more each session until Pete could press fifty pounds. Run on the tread mill for ten minutes. Calisthenics consisting of two fifteen sets of sit-ups, two reps of fifteen touch the toes, and skip rope for five minutes. Afterwards, they showered and headed either home or to one of their hangouts.

By the time school started again in September, Pete had bulked up and gained at least five to six inches in height and broke one hundred pounds for the first time. Stan gained an inch or so, too, coming in just under six feet. The routine became a part of their life and they didn’t want to give it up.

Swimming classes were over and Pete finished as one of the better swimmers in his class. The test for graduating was to swim the length of the pool and back, which he did with ease.

The weight regimen was separate, and they had become used to it. They hoped they could continue on their own, but the Y began a new program of martial arts in the gym. Stan loved that sort of thing and was gung-ho for signing up. Pete was hesitant. Besides, it cost fifteen dollars per session, and there were three sessions a week. The program was for six weeks. This was pretty steep for Pete’s family. They could barely make ends meet as it was.

Stan wanted to sign up in the worst way, but he didn’t want to leave Pete out. So he cooked up the scheme that he would sign up and, after each session, he would teach Pete what the class had learned. This way Pete could learn and Stan could practice. Besides Saturdays, the sessions were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, seven o’clock to nine o’clock in the morning.

By the time the first six week program ended, Pete was pretty much up there with Stan. The Y offered a continuing more advanced martial arts program. Stan was really into it and signed up, which meant that Pete had no choice but to go along. He liked how his body was responding and he was learning a lot, so there was no problem on his end.

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, the boys had completed two six-week sessions. Pete had grown another three or four inches and was getting close to five feet, nine inches. His weight hadn’t broken one hundred twenty pounds, so he was tall and slim. Stan just over six feet. His body was more defined, as well.

With his dark hair and blue eyes, and knockout personality, Stan was very popular with the girls. He had his pick of any young lady for dates and the prom. There was a lot of pressure for him to pick one girl, but Stan preferred not to date just one girl. He enjoyed being surrounded by a lot of female friends. This pissed off the guys, because Stan would show up wherever the group was hanging out and, as soon as he walked through the door, the girls swarmed him. The guys were his buddies, too, so their pique didn’t last.

Pete had started shaving, but the craze that year was beards. He thought a beard might make him look mature, so he let his facial hair grow. He was pretty scraggly looking when he first started and had to endure a lot of kidding and finger pointing. His hair was kind of dirty blond, but his beard came in darker. Stan thought it looked good. Pete kept it neatly trimmed, as well as his mustache. By now he was around five feet, ten inches and gained some weight, although he still weighed less than one hundred forty pounds. He was in good shape, thanks to the workouts and martial arts. Hard to imagine anyone had bullied him. He had come out of his shell and mixed easily with the others. Plenty of girls had their sights set on him, and he didn’t lack for dates whenever he wanted. Mostly, though, he hung out with Stan and the group.

CHAPTER 4

THEIR FIRST SEPARATION

A t the end of the school year, the Mullers planned a family vacation to Yellowstone. They asked Pete to come along, but he had to be practical. The family needed him to help out financially. This would be the first time he and Stan would be separated. It would seem odd not being together and hanging out. It also interrupted martial arts training.

Pete was still fifteen and needed a work permit. He wouldn’t turn sixteen until September. Stan was sixteen in April. As soon as finals were over and school was out, Pete began working at one of the local computer repair shops. He had dealt with them for quite awhile and he knew them and they knew him. He was hourly, but limited to under forty hours per week. He worked a five-day week, seven hours a day or less, depending on the work load. He had Sundays and Mondays off, which meant he worked Saturdays.

The Y continued the martial arts program on their regular schedule. The program now offered advanced classes leading to the ultimate black belt. Stan balked at missing out while on vacation. The Y assured him that a new session would be starting in September, and he could sign up then.

Stan told Pete that he would call when they arrived in Wyoming. Pete couldn’t afford a cell phone, so Stan had to call the home phone.

The Mullers flew into Wyoming and stayed outside of Yellowstone’s eastern gate. They rented a car to get around. Typical of a first visit, they pointed at everything they saw: Look. Did you see that? Everyone was excited when they saw their first buffalo. Look!! Look!! What’s that? Look at those antlers. It must be an Elk. There was something new and exciting at every turn in the road. They drove around most of the morning looking at everything. Their destination in the park was Yellowstone Lodge and Old Faithful, where they planned to have lunch.

In Stan’s mind, there was something missing. When you see something or do something exciting, it doesn’t mean as much if you don’t have someone to share it with. Stan wished Pete were there so they could talk to one another, share, laugh and point out things. So they could dream and fantasize and talk about what they wanted to do and to do guy things.

Stan was supposed to have called when they arrived, but it had been two days and Pete hadn’t heard from him. It was past eight o’clock and still no call. Pete settled in watching TV when the phone rang. His mom got to it first. She held the receiver out toward Pete. He talked with Stan for over an hour. Stan’s phone was running out of battery. Pete managed to get in when are you coming home?, but the cell phone died.

Pete was learning a lot at work. He was the only high schooler the Smiths had hired that year. In addition, there was one full-time guy named Alejandro. He certainly knew what he was doing. Alejandro was originally from Cuba and had come to the U.S. as a child with his parents. He had graduated high school and had attended a community college/tech school where he learned computer skills. He was in his early twenties and kept pretty much to himself. Pete liked to ask a lot of questions, and Alejandro was good about explaining computer workings but, when it came to anything personal, Alejandro clammed up or changed the subject.

Alejandro looked very fit. His skin tones were more white than olive; his black hair combed back. When he smiled, as he did often, you could see his teeth were even and white.

He also appeared to be Pete’s height, just under six feet tall. Pete heard rumors that he went to out-of-town bars on weekends. One good thing: Alejandro didn’t smoke or do drugs.

Pete couldn’t wait for the Mullers to get back. It was the first week in August and a work day for Pete. He had to wait until his shift was over so he could go home. He left running, only to find that the Mullers had come and gone grocery shopping, but had dropped Stan off at the computer repair to surprise Pete.

There was no one in the front when Stan burst through the doors yelling for Pete. Alejandro came out from the back room. Hey, man. I’m looking for Pete. You missed him. He left about an hour ago to find his buddy, Stan. I’m Stan. Oh. You guys must have crossed paths. Why don’t you give him a call? Stan stuck out his hand and Alejandro introduced himself. Thanks, buddy. See you around.

Pete was at odds with himself, waiting. Stan could see Pete and came around the back way so he could sneak up on him. Pete was so intent he heard nothing so, when Stan tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped about a foot off the ground. Each grabbed the other and laughed and kept slapping and poking at each other until they finally got control of themselves. They talked excitedly. It was well after dinner time and they were still going at it. Neither one paid any attention to the time. Finally, they decided they would grab a hamburger, fries and a Coke and took off. The two moms just threw up their hands and put dinner away.

Pete still had to work at the computer repair until the end of August. Stan played some pick-up basketball, went swimming at the Y, and worked out when the gym was free.

Stan liked spending time with Pete. They needed to be teenagers to discover themselves; to be vulnerable with one another without fear of judgment; to tell their most intimate secrets to someone they trusted and to build an unbreakable bond. To evolve and break out of the cocoon of the child to the butterfly of the almost adult. They told each other their feelings, something they would never have told their family. Family love they took for granted. They were just beginning to understand what it meant to feel love for another person.

They spent some evenings with the rest of their friends at the local hangout, usuallyBig Bobs Burgers, or Steak and Shake or A&W. In their small town, there weren’t a lot of choices. Of course, there was always the movies but, somehow, that was reserved for weekends. Their families wondered why they never stayed home.

High school junior year started the Wednesday after Labor Day. Stan had English and Physics, and Pete, Math and Science, so they weren’t in the same classes. They did lunch with the same group of friends. Early days of fall could be really pleasant and warm and, when they could, skipped out the side gym door to the athletic field just to breathe fresh air. School seemed stuffy.

KHS (Kearney High School) had a strong athletic program. Stan really liked sports, especially football. He signed up for the team. All of their home games were on Saturdays: same day as martial arts. Football season lasted until the end of November. Of course, he couldn’t do both. He opted for football and put martial arts on hold. He played as part of the varsity first string both junior and senior years. He wasn’t the star quarterback but, as a receiver (he had great hands), he helped the team reach the finals in their division. There was a lot of talk about his getting a scholarship. It was an exciting prospect, but Stan wanted something different for his life.

Pete never missed a game. He sat in the same spot for every game so Stan knew where to look.

CHAPTER 5

OUT OF CHARACTER

S tan and Pete had always been squeaky clean students throughout their high school years. Never in any trouble, quite the opposite. They were the leaders whenever anyone needed help. It was completely out of character for them to be sucked into a prank that had been conceived by Butch, a football buddy (whose real name was David Huntzinger). The plan was to release all of the athletic department’s hundreds of golf balls, basket balls, and baseballs onto the floor of the gym. The logistics were to gain entry after midnight by breaking the glass of the outside gym door, doing the deed and escaping the same way.

It was two weeks before graduation. About eleven thirty p.m., Stan, wearing a hoodie, crept downstairs and out the back side door of the house. Pete was wearing a long-sleeved, dark shirt and standing at the back door waiting. Stan’s car was in the driveway, but they were afraid of waking up the house if they started it there. In muffled whispers they finally decided to push the car onto the street before starting it. Pete placed his hand on Stan’s arm and asked him if he really wanted to do this. Stan felt committed and didn’t see any harm. They parked the car a block away from the school. Keeping in the shadows, ran between trees and street lights until they saw Butch lurking near the school.

They skirted the building, and made their way to the gym door on the side. The door was bathed in light from above. Instead of all of them trying to get in, Butch had taken a claw hammer from his car and skulked along in the shadows. He tried the door knob, but it was locked. He muffled the sound of glass breaking by wrapping the hammer in a cloth he carried in his pocket. It took several tries, but the glass turned out to be shatterproof. It took him about ten to fifteen minutes to finally open the door with the latch from the inside.

They were having a great time, until the police patrol showed up. They hadn’t figured on the door being alarmed. All three of them looked like deer caught in headlights. The police took them into custody and drove them to the precinct station. The duty officer knew Stan’s and Pete’s parents but not Butch’s. The officer let them call their dads. At after one o’clock in the morning, the boys knew their families would be sleeping. They were so nervous they could hardly dial the right number.

Dick was dumbfounded when Stan told him what happened. He told Stan not to say anything and to tell the other two to keep quiet until he got there. Pete’s dad was dumbstruck and said he would be right down. Butch’s dad, Fritz Huntzinger, would normally not have been home but, luckily (or unluckily) he was. Butch’s dad screamed so loud that Butch held the phone away from his ear. He called him a dumb fuck, among other colorful words. It wasn’t anything Butch hadn’t heard before.

Dick and Pete’s dad came in the same car and arrived before Butch’s dad. Dick was well known in the district. He was able to get each of the boys released to the parent. Butch’s dad came in like a black cloud, but Dick was able to head him off. He told him what had transpired with the police and that he could take Butch home.

Stan and Pete were mortified. They opened their mouths to apologize but Dick held up his hand to stop them. There was no conversation on the way home. The silence was more damning than if they had been lashed.

The school board chair was notified by the police, and arrangements were made to have the boys and their dads clean up the mess before school opened on Monday. In addition, they were ordered to appear before the council for disciplinary proceedings. The council suspended all of them for a week, and fined each of them five hundred dollars.

The Mullers gathered in the family room. Stan’s demeanor was one of embarrassment and disappointment. Rather than raking up the whole incident, Dick asked his son what he thought his punishment should be. Stan had never felt so low in his life. He apologized to his dad and mom and offered to pay the fine from his savings, and voluntarily turned over his car keys. Dick accepted the keys and said that he would return them after the fine was paid. He didn’t need to say it, but did anyway, that there would never be another incident. His dad said that if ever there was, Stan would find his bed had been moved to the roof. They all laughed and hugged each other. That is what families do.

Peter’s family was already financially strapped and this added expense was devastating. Even more embarrassing, Ray had to borrow the five hundred dollars from Dick in order to pay the fine.

Ray and Nadine asked their parish priest how to handle the situation. Father Burkewicz suggested he talk with Peter. In the meantime, the entire Michaels household was depressed. Father Burkewicz counseled Pete to pray, say ten Our Fathers, ten Hail Marys every day until the fine was paid, and that Pete be responsible for the full amount. Pete naturally was contrite and told his parents the penance Father Burkewicz had given him. Ray and Nadine were pleased with the advice. That night at supper, the whole family was informed. Pete apologized to the family. In a few days, the atmosphere lightened and things returned to normal.

The only one Pete could turn to for help and advice was Stan. They put their heads together to try and figure out how to go about repaying the money. Stan felt responsible for getting Pete into trouble in the first place, especially since Pete had cautioned him before they did the deed.

Stan suggested that they canvas the neighborhood to see if there were any odd jobs they could pick up, such as mowing yards, washing windows, painting. As it happened, there was a lot which looked like a dump. On the Keep Out sign on the fence was the name of the owner and address. Jake Tick, owner, was the local scrap iron, rag, etc. dealer. This might just be what the boys were looking for.

They showed up at the scrap yard looking for Jake. Nobody seemed to be around. They were a little timid about wandering about the yard, and were just about to take off, when Jake showed up from around the corner of the building. Not a good place to be. What do you boys want? Stan took the lead and asked him about cleaning up the lot. Are you offering? They were offering - but not for free. The boys outlined their predicament. Jake asked them what they thought they were worth. The guys had no idea. Jake offered to pay them minimum wage and that he would provide the dumpster. It sounded good, so they struck a deal.

Stan told his dad about the deal with Jake. The minimum wage was seven dollars, fifty cents an hour. This would work out to seventy-five dollars for a ten-hour day times two, or $150. With the amount of junk and debris, it would probably take them at least three days to clear the lot. If it worked that way that would give them $450 - fifty dollars shy of the $500 they needed. Stan’s dad suggested that the guys take pictures of before and after.

The boys were on suspension and anxious to get started. They showed up at the lot around eight o’clock the next morning. The gate was locked. They called Jake at the yard, who told them that the dumpster wouldn’t be delivered to site until around ten that morning. But, if they wanted, they could pick up the key from him and begin clearing before the dumpster arrived. The boys were anxious to get started, so Stan and Pete drove over to the scrap yard and picked up the key.

Butch’s dad was often gone, being an over-the-road trucker, so discipline was usually left to his mom. This time, however, Butch’s dad was home. He was not a happy camper and neither was Butch. His dad confiscated his car keys, removed TV privileges, as well as set a curfew. Of course, that never stopped Butch. He did escape a beating on the proviso that he pay back the $500. He was reminded that money doesn’t grow on trees.

Nagging at them in the back of their minds was the fact that finals were coming up during their suspension. Ten hour days didn’t leave them any time for studying or hanging out. By the time the day was done, they were done in. They really were not used to that kind of physical work, so it took its toll.

Butch heard about what they were doing and wanted in. As long as it didn’t queer their deal with Jake, they had no problem. Jake offered Butch the same deal: minimum wage for ten hour day. Three of them made the work go faster. Jake dropped by two or three times a day to make sure the guys were working.

It took a full three days to clear the lot. Before paying, Jake wanted to make sure it was done right. The boys made a sweep to make sure the lot was in good order. While waiting for Jake, Stan took an after picture. Jake showed up going on six thirty in the evening. He was pretty thorough in checking it out. Meet you over at the office. All three drove over in Stan’s car. Jake always dealt in cash. He counted out the bills and gave the whole pile to Stan to sort out.

Stan paid Butch his share of $225 and handed the balance to Pete. Shocked, Pete said no. Half of it belonged to Stan. He shook his head and said he felt guilty about getting Pete involved. Besides, he had enough in savings to pay the fine. Pete gave Stan a man hug and thanked him.

CHAPTER 6

GRADUATION

A fter suspension, the guys returned to school. There were only a couple of days left before school was out. All the classes were finished, and the entire school body did nothing but goof off. It was useless for the teachers to try to keep control. The students were in high spirits, and the most grist for the mill was the prank. The guys were swarmed with all kinds of people wanting to know all of the details, when they did it, how they did it, who was in on it.

Stan, Pete and Butch still had to complete their make-up. They had to study. First and foremost, they had to make arrangements to take their finals, otherwise they wouldn’t be graduating with the class.

Graduation procession was set for Sunday afternoon at three o’clock. The guys had to get in their finals before then. School was officially out on the prior Wednesday, and none of the boys had taken his tests. Everyone was panicking. Stan’s dad contacted the school principal. It took some persuading, but the principal agreed to oversee the process on Friday morning beginning at nine o’clock Stan had English and Physics, Pete, Math and Science. Butch had English and Science.

Stan and Pete were at the school door by eight thirty. Only the janitor was on premises and he refused to let them in. Butch finally arrived about five to nine. At nine o’clock precisely, the janitor unlocked the door and directed them to the principal’s office. All of the exams were on the computer. Mr. Forsythe assigned each student a particular computer and directed that Stan and Butch open the computer to the English exam and Pete, the Math. No talking during the exam. At nine fifteen a.m., Mr. Forsythe directed them to begin and recorded the time. Two hours had been allotted. At precisely eleven fifteen, Mr. Forsythe directed that each student hit save button.

They were allowed to take a twenty minute break before the next step. The computers were switched, so the results could be tabulated.

Different computers were set up and, at noon, Mr. Forsythe assigned Stan the Physics computer, Pete the Science computer and Butch the Science computer. They were directed to open the computers and find their respective pages. At exactly twelve ten p.m., they were directed to begin. Each exam lasted two hours. At two ten p.m., Mr. Forsythe instructed the students to hit save and close the computers.

Mr. Forsythe rose from behind his desk and announced that they were free to leave, and that each would be notified by e-mail, either pass or fail.

The week before, the boys had rented cap and gown in anticipation of graduating. They were now very nervous waiting to hear. Friday night and nothing. They kept checking their e-mails. Saturday morning, still nothing. Pete was the first to be notified. He found the answer around one thirty on Saturday. It was pass. He immediately called Stan, who was still waiting to hear. They were commiserating with one another when an e-mail popped onto the screen. Pass. Butch was the last to know but he, too, passed.

They were now officially high school graduates. A pall, which had been hovering over them, lifted. They celebrated with wild yelps and contorted dancing.

Pomp and Circumstance filled the gym, turned stadium, that Sunday afternoon, as the grads processed to their seats. One of the local dignitaries had been called on to deliver the commencement address. It was Joseph P. Morgan, head of Morgan, Stanley and Muller, attorneys at law (Stan’s dad’s firm). Then the Saludatorian and, finally, the Valedictorian had the final word. Usually, it’s the other way round but, the powers that be, thought it fitting if the Valedictorian had the final say. All of the speeches were inspiring and boring. The students just wanted to get their diplomas and to go home.

Then began the calling of graduates in alphabetical order. Pete preceded Stan in the M category. All of the graduates threw their caps in jubilation and, in the aftermath, then came the pandemonium and shouting and cheering. The moms and dads collected their respective grads and left with their memories.

CHAPTER 7

ANGIE

A t this juncture, Angie had never met or even heard of Stan Muller and/or Peter Michaels. She lived in St. Louis, several hundred miles from Kearney.

Angie Philemon was the second oldest of twelve. The oldest, Kitty, was at university in Kansas City. She had taken out student loans to pay for college. The siblings ranged in age from twenty to two - and no twins. Life was tough for the Philemon family. Matt, the father, worked in the stock yards and her mom, Kathleen, mostly anchored at home, made extra money by transcribing medical notes. Money was tight.

Being the oldest left at home, Angie, and the two siblings next to her, assumed responsibility of caring for the younger children. With that many mouths to feed, they needed additional financial aid. The Catholic Church provided some clothing and let them use the food pantry. If Angie left for college (which she intended to do), there would be one less mouth to feed and body to clothe. But also one less hand to help out. Plus she would not be working and earning to contribute to the finances.

Angie didn’t know how she was going to swing college. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to saddle herself with a big loan debt. Her prospects were poor to nil. She considered herself smart, and she had plenty of other attributes.

By anyone’s standards, Angie was a knockout. A lot of guys hit on her, but none of them got to base one. She was as tough as she was attractive. She had to be to survive. Stand her on a piece of paper and she still only barely made five feet, two inches, and weighed in under one hundred pounds. Also, she couldn’t see her shoes in an upright position.

She fought battles at home and in the street. Her petite frame fooled a lot of people but no one tangled with Angie. She was tenacious and determined - and gay. Her philosophy was: Let them judge you. Let them misunderstand you. Let them gossip about you. Their opinions aren’t your problem. You stay kind, committed to love, and free in your authenticity. No matter what they do or say, don’t you dare doubt your sacred value or the beauty of your truth. Just keep on shining as you do.

Angie held an average 3.5 all through high school. She was at the top of her math class as well as Spanish. She was a self-starter and had the maturity of one much older. Determined to make it on her own, she began searching for ways and means of paying for college. First, she had to decide what career to follow. Teaching appealed to her but her primary love was nursing.

The St. Louis area had plenty of hospitals. It might be possible to get accepted into a hospital-sponsored educational program aimed toward a specialized field. The idea was good but she found nothing that excited her.

She had been thinking of leaving St. Louis and going to college somewhere else, maybe in another state. There were always a lot of scholarships that nobody applied for. That was a thought. She started researching in the school library. The librarian suggested checking out scholarships for areas that were in need of nursing skills.

There was one she found which paid for room and board, plus books, and spending cash. The program was actually a loan arrangement which had to be repaid. It was through the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. If approved, the recipient must agree to commit to a two-year tenure at an Indian reservation in South Dakota. In addition, for each year she stayed on the job, the federal government would reduce the cost of her schooling at the rate of $10,000 per year. In addition, once she started working, she would earn a salary of $2,500 per month, but she had to live off the reservation at her own expense.

She called the number listed and requested an application. It took two or three days for it to arrive. The application itself was lengthy and required transcripts, recent picture, copy of birth certificate in addition to a lot of biographical information. The mailing address was in Virginia. Angie began gathering the necessary information, which took a couple of days to get everything together and in the mail. It was coming up on the 4th of July by then.

Angie was on tenter hooks as the weeks dragged by. It was almost the end of July and August first was this coming Sunday. She was getting anxious and wondered if she should call, or should she wait. At any rate, she had to get money together for the trip anyway. She had no car. Plane fares were expensive. She hated taking the bus.

She found an ad in the Dispatch:

Seeking passenger to share expenses St. Louis to Champaign, Illinois, leaving Sunday, August 18. Driver’s license required. Call. And it gave a local number.

Actually, the distance St. Louis to Champaign isn’t that far, maybe three to four hours at the most. Expenses were probably gas. No overnight involved. It sounded doable. What was she going to say? She didn’t know if she would be going. She hated being in suspense. She thought she would take a chance and call the number in the ad anyway.

It turned out that a young mother and baby had to go to Champaign to meet her husband. She didn’t have a driver’s license. The passenger was actually to be the driver of the car and had to go to her house where she and the car and the baby were. She lived on the other side of the city in one of the suburbs. Nothing could be finalized until Angie got a response from Virginia.

August is a hot month in St. Louis. People stay off the streets, usually in air conditioned places, like malls. The Philemons didn’t have air conditioning, except for a window unit in the parent’s bedroom. They relied on fans, which were completely inadequate. Angie and the two older siblings took the younger kids to the water park for a cool-off. While they were gone, the postal carrier dropped off a large envelope addressed to Angie. Mrs. Philemon placed it on the dining room table.

It was too hot to cook, so the whole family headed for their favorite eating-out spot, air-conditioned: Pizza Francesca. They could get two extra large, no extra toppings, for twenty dollars, plus drinks. All kids over twelve had to pay for their own drinks. The family only bought off-brand sodas, which were half the price of Pepsi or Coke. A few of the older ones carried their own sodas. The only problem was that the restaurant served sodas in paper cups. They watched for people leaving and grabbed the cups before the table was cleared. Sometimes, Pepsi got mixed with 7-up or cherry soda, or even Coke.

Everyone was reluctant to go back to their stuffy house, and lingered until the lights came on. The restaurant finally asked them to pack it in. They only lived up the street, so they walked. The sun was low and the intense heat of the day had abated. When they got home, Bobby, ten, ran to the kitchen and stood in front of the open refrigerator door for about ten seconds until he got yelled at.

Angie was heading for the kitchen when she noticed the envelope on the dining room table. She glanced at it in passing, but something caught her eye, and she stopped and picked it up for a closer look. Even in the dusky light she could see the return address read Virginia. She sucked in her breath and tore it open. The letter was accompanied by a $1,000 check. It began,

"Congratulations, Ms. Philemon. We are pleased to accept you into our . . .

She skipped down to where it read,

The enclosed check is to cover living and miscellaneous expenses for the first month of your participation in the government-sponsored nursing program. You will receive a similar amount for each month you are enrolled. In order to be eligible to continue, your grade point average must be 2.5 or above. If, at any time, your grade point average falls below 2.5, you will no longer be eligible to receive funds or to participate in the nursing program.

She would have to read all of the letter and study the conditions once her heart stopped jumping all over the place.

It was now mid-August. She called Mrs. Kincade with the news. Angie thought it the part of wisdom if she went over to see her before they started on the drive. She also wanted to check out what kind of car she would be driving and become familiar with it.

CHAPTER 8

UNIVERSITY DILEMMA

T here had never been any question about Stan’s going to college. The Mullers started planning for Stan’s education before he escaped the womb.

No matter which college or university, Stan was adamant that he and Pete were going together. Pete’s heart was breaking. He just couldn’t see any possibility of his being able to afford college. He and Stan spent hours trying to figure out possibilities.

As a first step, they contacted the school counselor, Mrs. Krajnak, for advice. Peter had strong grades in math and science. Many scholarships remained unused year after year. They needed something that paid not only for room and board, but also some of the expensive text books and lab fees, as well as tuition. Mrs. Krajnak said she would see what she could find.

Pete’s mom and dad remained skeptical. It was a lot to take in. They didn’t even want to explore the possibility because they felt it was useless. There was no way their finances could stand such an expense and they refused to talk about it.

Pete, being seventeen, with no financial backing or resources, couldn’t enter into any loan agreement on his own with a bank or private party. It would require the agreement of his parents. Stan even asked his dad if he could sponsor Pete. No, of course not.

Mrs. Krajnak found a possibility and called Pete. It was a science scholarship sponsored by a world-famous company in pharmaceuticals. It provided room, board, text books and lab fees, as well as tuition, in an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars per quarter. It also required that the student maintain a grade point average of 3.0. In addition, upon graduation, the student was required to commit to working for the sponsoring company for a minimum of two years with the possibility of becoming a full-time employee at end of