Page 25 of Colombian Chemistry

Had I really been out of the game that long that I’d been duped so easily? And by a civilian, no less. She wasn’t even some well-trained spy who’d pulled one over on me. That’s what stung the most. But for some reason, I’d ignored all the little alarms that had gone off in my head, and I’d gone and believed her anyway—rookie mistake.

“Did you say something?” Irene called from behind me.

“No,” I grunted out.

She fell silent again, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. Since we’d started hiking this morning, she’d been a non-stop chatterbox. Like a little kid following me around, excited to tell me all about what they’d learned in school that day. But Irene spewed out words and terms that even someone as highly educated as me couldn’t follow. I’d been trained to blend into any society, even the most elite and academic, but Irene was something entirely else. The woman’s IQ must be higher than a hippy at a Grateful Dead concert.

“Did you know that rainforests are self-watering, and that’s why they’re called rainforests? Using transpiration, plants release water into the atmosphere, and that moisture makes a cloud over it. Even when it’s not raining, the cloud keeps the plants humid and warm. That’s why it’s so humid here.”

“I didn’t know that,” I said.

“And did you know only about ten percent of the Amazon has been explored? Isn’t that amazing? After all these years, we’ve barely even touched it. You and I could be walking on ground no human has ever seen before. I think that’s amazing. Don’t you think that’s amazing?”

“Yep, it’s amazing,” I deadpanned.

“I mean, think of all the scientific discoveries just awaiting us down here! My father was so thrilled to get to study the rainforest in person. And me too. I mean, once I got over my fear of flying to get down here, I was really excited. And now I’m here, in the rainforest, and I’m not even studying it. It’s kind of sad.”

“You’re studying how to stay alive in it. That’s something.”

“I suppose you’re right. I’ve learned a lot today already.”

“So have I. I’ve learned that I’m not fifty grand richer.”

She went silent for a moment, and I heard the leaves crunching beneath her feet as she walked behind me.

“I am really sorry about that. I love my father and would do anything to save him. Even lying. Which I’ll have you know is not something I ever do. I get anxiety from lying. It’s too much pressure. The last time I lied, I tried to play hooky in sixth grade and told my mom I was sick. I got so much anxiety from the lie that I really did get sick and ended up throwing up. Then I had to tell my mom the reason I was throwing up wasn’t because I was sick, but because I’d lied. She kept me home that whole day anyway because I was such a wreck about the lying that I couldn’t stop puking. I don’t understand why people lie so much. It’s terrible. So much work holding all the little lies in your head to support the big lie. I didn’t like lying to you. It was very stressful.”

“Yeah, well, neither did I.”

“Didn’t you, like, lie for a living? As a spy or whatever it was you were?”

The accuracy of her words almost stopped me in my tracks, but I kept walking. “Yeah. I did. But it was for a good cause. But I still don’t like being lied to.”

“So, you can lie, but others can’t? Mine was a good cause too. Even though I didn’t like it and it made me feel sick, I did it to help to save my father. How is that any different from what you did?”

It wasn’t, I supposed, but I was still pissed. It had been almost an hour since I’d uncovered her secret, and even though, yeah, I was mad as hell, I also understood her motivation—saving someone. I could relate to that. I’d done a hell of a lot worse to save people, and myself for that matter. Sure, I was bummed I wouldn’t be getting that sweet little spread of land away from town just yet, but I understood.

“I did what I had to do. And I suppose so did you,” I said, finally letting some of the disappointment from the lost payday fade away.

“Thank you! Exactly. It was a lie of necessity. But I am going to figure out how to repay you someday.”

“We’ll see,” I said, then stopped to examine my surroundings.

“What’s wrong? Are we lost?”

I snorted. “I don’t get lost, Sweetcheeks. I’m just trying to decide the best path to get there. It’s getting pretty steep here. I want to take the path least likely to get you killed.”

“Aw,” she said sweetly. “See. You do care about saving my life. I’m growing on you. Admit it.”

A quick glance over my shoulder captured that sweet smile of hers that still induced my heart to race like it was trying to win the freaking Indy 500.

“I will admit nothing of the sort,” I lied. Truth was, she was growing on me. Far more than I’d wanted to admit... especially to myself.

In the hours since I’d known her, sure, I’d gotten into some truly shit situations, but I was used to that. It was old hat. What wasn’t old hat was the laughter she continued drawing from me so easily.

And the smiles. My cheeks actually hurt from smiling since the movement was so unnatural to me. I hadn’t laughed this much in decades, and even though her strange random facts and constant chatter could get annoying, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t also downright charming and adorable.

Being with Irene reminded me of the guy I was before the government job, the spying, the military, and all the bloodshed. She reminded me of the guy I was in high school who loved playing pranks on people and was always the first to laugh and the last to stop. I kinda missed that guy. For just a brief moment, I remembered him again, and it startled me. It seemed like a lifetime ago I was that person, and until now, I’d forgotten he existed.