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Topic 48: What is one thing you've learned from your parents?
When one is young, one tends to try out quite a rich gallery of images. I did not know yet what I wished to be when I joined the CIA, but I did know I wished to suceed. Aside from the obvious requirements - intelligence, skill, dedication, and so forth - showing interest in the various occupations and passions of your superiors was an easy way to do so. When one of them complimented me on my shooting skills, I told him my father had taken me hunting as a boy. His face lit up, and he invited me to a hunting trip in Maine for the weekend.
"That was a bit obvious, don't you think?" said my new partner Jack Bristow later, when we were alone. We didn't know each other very well yet, but he was clearly the most gifted agent of my own age I had been able to discover, which made him either the worst rival or the best ally I could hope for. Getting assigned together might let me find out which it was going to be, which was why I had pushed for it. Now I gave him my best noncommittal look.
"My father took me hunting," he quoted. "Your father is a peaceful record store owner in Brooklyn who never touched a gun in his life."
This was entirely correct, but what was most interesting was this: I had not talked about my family background with Jack. Not out of any desire to hide it, but there were more interesting topics of conversation. Which meant he must have accessed my file. Because he was curious, or because he was looking for a weakness. Either possibility intrigued me, as did the fact he was letting me know what he had done, because there was no way he was not aware of the conclusion I would draw from his little observation. I looked at him and smiled.
"The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination," I conceded.
"Not if your imagination leaves you stuck with Pryors in Maine for the weekend," Jack said, deadpan.
Now I had little interest in hunting or Adam Pryors, other than his usefulness to me professionally. And I was reasonably sure the weekend would be dull, though no more so than having to do standard surveillance for an arms dealer's second cousin once removed, which was the sort of job young and inexperienced agents such as ourselves got. But he had made it just that much more colourful.
"Well," I said, "if it gets too bad, I shall rely on you coming to the rescue. There should be a phone in Pryors' lodge, and you can practice for work by telling him all about my aunt having had a heart attack."
Jack folded his arms and leaned back on the chair he sat on. "What makes you think I don't have anything better to do during the weekend than waiting for your phonecall in case you get bored with cozying up to Pryors?"
"Because we're partners, Jack," I said, and felt it the first time, that electric charge I was going to associate with him. Forget the either/or, I thought, regarding the future possibilities of rivalry versus alliance. Why shouldn't it be both/and? "And my father did teach me never to refuse a favor from a friend."
He looked as if he was going to protest he had not offered any favors, but that would only lead to me pointing out that he wouldn't have brought up the entire subject otherwise, and he knew it. So instead, he gave me one of his narrow long looks. And nodded.
I knew parental lessons would come in handy. Especially if one invents them.
"That was a bit obvious, don't you think?" said my new partner Jack Bristow later, when we were alone. We didn't know each other very well yet, but he was clearly the most gifted agent of my own age I had been able to discover, which made him either the worst rival or the best ally I could hope for. Getting assigned together might let me find out which it was going to be, which was why I had pushed for it. Now I gave him my best noncommittal look.
"My father took me hunting," he quoted. "Your father is a peaceful record store owner in Brooklyn who never touched a gun in his life."
This was entirely correct, but what was most interesting was this: I had not talked about my family background with Jack. Not out of any desire to hide it, but there were more interesting topics of conversation. Which meant he must have accessed my file. Because he was curious, or because he was looking for a weakness. Either possibility intrigued me, as did the fact he was letting me know what he had done, because there was no way he was not aware of the conclusion I would draw from his little observation. I looked at him and smiled.
"The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination," I conceded.
"Not if your imagination leaves you stuck with Pryors in Maine for the weekend," Jack said, deadpan.
Now I had little interest in hunting or Adam Pryors, other than his usefulness to me professionally. And I was reasonably sure the weekend would be dull, though no more so than having to do standard surveillance for an arms dealer's second cousin once removed, which was the sort of job young and inexperienced agents such as ourselves got. But he had made it just that much more colourful.
"Well," I said, "if it gets too bad, I shall rely on you coming to the rescue. There should be a phone in Pryors' lodge, and you can practice for work by telling him all about my aunt having had a heart attack."
Jack folded his arms and leaned back on the chair he sat on. "What makes you think I don't have anything better to do during the weekend than waiting for your phonecall in case you get bored with cozying up to Pryors?"
"Because we're partners, Jack," I said, and felt it the first time, that electric charge I was going to associate with him. Forget the either/or, I thought, regarding the future possibilities of rivalry versus alliance. Why shouldn't it be both/and? "And my father did teach me never to refuse a favor from a friend."
He looked as if he was going to protest he had not offered any favors, but that would only lead to me pointing out that he wouldn't have brought up the entire subject otherwise, and he knew it. So instead, he gave me one of his narrow long looks. And nodded.
I knew parental lessons would come in handy. Especially if one invents them.