Natalia’s best friend, Svetlana, is waiting for her at the Moscow Yaroslavsky Station. The young women have been friends forever, from the time they were little devochkas, to their current similar age of 35. Even when they were university students at Point Loma Nazarene University (BA) Liberty, they managed to sit next to one another.
So, it is no surprise that it was Svetlana who was waiting as the train lumbered (this is my fantasy, so a high-speed bullet train like the Sapsan (peregrine falcon) or Lasthka (swallow) wouldn’t work.
It is nighttime. Better to hide the arriving young woman. Natalia is Russia’s most popular asset. And yet, she has been ordered back to her home country. A brouhaha had erupted when a handsome Jewish senator (note that the author of this report is also Jewish) casually mentioned her name in a TV spot.
Surprisingly, It was the casualness of Jon Osoff’s throw away line that tossed everyone into a tizzy. It was not salacious. It was uttered once without any follow-up. And yet, and yet, it created a media storm. Prior to Osoff’s remark, few of us knew of Natalia’s existence. It was if we were merely eavesdropping and the name Natalie Harp, plus constant female companion, shocked us enough to pay attention.
“So, you been called home, Natalia?” Svetlana asked as she offered a hand to help Natalia exit the train’s stairs.
“You had been doing so well all of your years in Washington, all of the hours you’ve had to spend with the dope of an American President, and then a Yid blows your cover.”
“I know, I know,” Natalia said. “I have so much kompromat on the idiot Trump that I had to keep purchasing new ring binder notebooks to keep up. You wouldn’t believe the mycop I collected!”
“And of course you couldn’t use Safari or Chrome to send messages,” Svetlana said. (Svetlana, long envious of Natalia’s trips, said this sarcastically.) “Some 12-year-old on his Mac could catch it and run to her papa with it.”
“But who would believe it?” Natalia said. “With my blonde hair, humble posture, and 24-hour silence, no one could’ve imagined I’ve been a Soviet asset all of these years.”
“Hasn’t anyone watched “The Americans?” they queared in unison.
After loading an airport cart with all of Natlia’s luggage, files labelled “Top Secret” and clothing she had purchased at Uniqlo; “You wouldn’t believe the prices,” Natalia said to Svetlana, who pretended she didn’t hear the dig.
Natalia surely knew Svetlana’s meager Spy Budget, but she seemed to gloat at mentioning USA enterprises.
The women retreated to Svetlana’s apartment because Natalia’s had already been leased to a younger, male spy. “Svet (as Natalia called her best friend), thank you for letting me stay with you. My handlers are so angry at me for being revealed that they wanted to put me up in a Travelodge by Wyndham. Can you imagine?”
“No worries, you can stay here as long as you need,” Svetlana said as she helped Natalia open and peruse her American wardrobe. “Polo ,Ralph Lauren, Nike, Calvin Klein,” she said as she read the labels. Jealousy causing her temperature to rise, which was actually okay because you know how drafty those Russian apartments are.
“So what will you do next,” Svetlana asked. (She said this kindly, but she knew the route of a failed asset.)
“I suppose I’ll have a choice of McDonald’s or Burger King,” Natalia said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief given to her by Trump.
Svetlana, suddenly overcome by jealousy, ripped the cheap fabric from Natalia’s hand.
“Good luck,” she said to her oldest and dearest friend, “but I may need this for my next assignment.”
elaine, great political fantasy
Such fun