#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: Nice Disguise

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. The chatty "taxi" driver with the loud "Hawaiian" shirt is back, and he caught up with Genna outside headquarters. Last week, he talked her into getting into his conveyance. The last sentence was:  With pursed lips and narrowed eyes, Genna yanked the door open and slid inside, “Are you satisfied?”

He turned slightly and winked. “Yeah. Ready for Mid-Day Repast?” He named a popular eatery near spaceport. “I know it’s a little late but . . .”

“No, thank you, I’m not hungry.”

As the conveyance rose above the buildings, her stomach betrayed her. Its growling reminded her she’d missed Mid-Day Repast, and First Meal had consisted of half a protein bar. Being called to headquarters had twisted her stomach into knots in anticipation. She’d thought it best not to have much in her stomach, hurling in front of her superior would’ve made quite an impression.

The driver glanced back at her and smirked, “Somebody’s hungry.”

That's the snippet. Here's the rest of that scene.

“Nice disguise. Was it for my benefit?”

“Your ego is overwhelming.” She paused. “How did you find me?”

“The card I gave you.”

“I threw that away. Try again.”

“You threw it away?” He clasped his chest. “I’m crushed. Truly, crushed.”

“Oh, for the Matriarch’s sake.”

He twisted around. “See. I knew you were Traishan.”

“What?”

“Traishans worship a fem deity, the Matriarch. I kinda like that. Too many cultures have paternalistic deities. As for finding you, I have my ways, Rimmer Girl.”

Now, how did he find her?

I haven't posted the blurb (draft) in a while, so here it is:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

Hope you are all staying safe. We had a special treat last Sunday when our son backed his mini-van into our driveway and the whole family climbed in back (tailgate open) while Hubs and I sat in our garage (out of the rain) and visited with the family. So good to see the twins (2 1/2 yrs old) and their 5-yr-old sister. A great Mother's Day gift.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is one of those joyous/sad holidays. Joyous because my children celebrate with me—either in person or via Facetime. Sad because I miss my mother.

This picture was taken outside the church after my baptism. She was so young, only twenty when I was born. Six more children came after me. Coming from a family of two, she didn’t quite know what to do with seven. But she managed. Dad built our house—with help from his brothers and dad. Once the basic interior was done, sheetrock walls and plywood floors, he was done. So it was up to Mom to finish. She learned how to spackle and tape and lay tile floors. Not the peel-and-stick type tile. Oh, no. The kind where you had to spread tarry-like adhesive. She’d never done anything like that. But she managed.

Add nursing care to her list of accomplishments. All of us children went through many of the childhood illnesses today’s kids are vaccinated against—measles (both kinds), mumps, chicken pox. Mom managed our care. Broken bones, lacerations, etc. sent her to Emergency, injured kid in tow. When my dad’s COPD became worse, she nursed him, too.

 

At St Moritz

After he was gone, she blossomed. Took trips around Europe with my mother-in-law and her sister, sold off the albatross of a house, enjoyed her grandchildren, and gardened for fun in her new condo. 

She celebrated her 80^th birthday with family and friends before Alzheimer’s sneaked in and stole her from us. As the disease progressed, we occasionally caught glimpses of her old self. The last picture I have of her (below) was taken six weeks before she died. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I see recognition in her eyes. That she understood she was holding my first grandchild.

I wish my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren could have known what a remarkable woman she was.

Mother's Day

I hope all the mothers among you had a great day yesterday. I did. I really did. Besides being with my son and his wife, they decided to have their baby baptized on Mother’s Day so Hubs and I could be there. So very thoughtful. Living 2,000 miles away means we’ll miss a lot of events in Baby Girl’s life. At least, we didn’t miss this one.

The hardest thing will be leaving. After two weeks of holding our newest granddaughter, I’m sure to go into withdrawal. When my other grandchildren were born, we were less than 300 miles away. A fairly easy drive. Now they’re twenty minutes away. Thank goodness for technology. Even though it won't be the same as being there, we'll Facetime or Skype and our daughter-in-law will send pictures. And, gee, Arizona in the winter? Hmmm.

Grandchildren bring so much happiness. They don’t have to do anything to bring a smile to my face…Hubs’, too. I've had to wrestle with him over who gets to hold the baby. LOL

Our daughters—both the one we raised and the one our son married—are great mothers. Our own daughter has been at it for almost eight years; our daughter-in-law, only 4 weeks. The love these women have for their children shines out of their eyes and fills me with such pride and joy.

On Mother’s Day, I think about our mothers who have passed on. Neither of our mothers had an easy time during the early years of their marriage. Hubs’ parents married during the Great Depression. Money was so tight they delayed having children for a long time. My mom and dad married during World War II. Separations and moving from base to base had to be tough. 

Mom encouraged me to do my best in school. She was a great speller so she always quizzed me on my word lists each week. She was so pleased when I became the first in both hers and Dad's families to graduate from college. As I grew older, she and I became more like friends. I loved the times we went out for lunch and wish we could still do that. Even though Alzheimer’s cut her life short too soon, she did get to meet my first grandchild. Mom died six weeks later, but from pictures I could see a glimpse of the mother she used to be as she held the baby.

Mothers, daughters, granddaughters. All part of the flow of life.