AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 18
Brady was informed that, during his little conversation with Colonel Gonzalez, several of his members were on the phone with Charlie. Armando enjoyed speaking to her after he let her know that Brady had offered Colonel Gonzalez a trip to the White House to be awarded a medal and have a sit down with the President.
The way Armando explained it to Brady, wherever Charlie was sitting, she immediately fell on the floor and started rolling in laughter.
It was all turning out to be so surreal, but Brady had to keep his focus on herding up the Americans and getting them packed into the vans Charlie was sending over to the terminal.
However, before they were going to be released, Colonel Gonzalez had one additional request.
“I would like to speak to your United States President please. On your phone, please. I would like to be reassured that you have the authority to do this. I’m sure you understand what kind of a position I am put in. What if it never comes to pass? Then how do I look in front of all these people? You understand?”
“I do. We’re going to work on it. I think you’ll get your call. Just hang on. In the meantime, I want you to help us sort all the Americans that are there, and I also am going to make an additional request of you.”
Maggie’s eyes turned into saucers with where this conversation was going. He could tell she was not sure Brady should push his luck any further than he already had. Brady heard the cackles and catcalls, some “Hooyahs” and “high fives,” and “wait till the president gets a load of this.” It was really difficult to focus, and Brady nearly took his comms off.
“What new thing are you asking me?”
“I want Father Salvador released as well to my custody.”
Apparently, the colonel wasn’t aware there was a Father Salvador. That told Brady that perhaps he was only in charge for the moment. Somebody, a bigger fish, was going to come in and usurp him.
“My sister was going to be meeting with him, and she was doing some pre-marital counseling with him. He was supposed to meet her here, and he never showed up. Someone told me a priest had been detained, and I believe it to be him. I assure you, Father Salvador is just a poor Catholic priest who runs a medical clinic. That’s all.”
One of Colonel Gonzalez’s lieutenants whispered something in his ear.
“Ah, I think we can help you with this. He’s already been cleared. It’s just the paperwork. I apologize for the delay. You will have your counseling, which is very important before you get married, I assure you.”
The colonel’s lecture on morality and sticking to canons of the Catholic Church was almost too rich to bear. Brady was about ready to gag.
“I must give my liaison a call then. You will give me five minutes?”
“Of course, señor. You may sit with your sister.”
Brady put his arm around Maggie’s shoulder and drew her closer to the doorway, near the entrance to the back hangar, in case they had to return through the tunnel.
She kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “You are amazing, Brady. I can’t believe you’re pulling this off.”
Brady shook his head. “Like our pilots told us this morning, we’re not there yet and a lot could happen.”
He dialed Charlie’s number.
“Well, fuck’s sake, if it isn’t the hero of San Felipe. You know, Brady, I think I greatly misjudged you. I have not had so much fun in I-can’t-tell-you-how-many years doing this crazy crap that I do. Your creativity, the way you are with people, not a single shot fired, I mean Americans on the verge of getting released. It’s just never done. Nobody ever does this. When I called the president and told him what you had arranged, he asked me quite frankly if he should fly down there. Half his staff grabbed him and told him no. I mean, it’s just it’s so crazy you even have the President of the United States following the dictates that you set out. Where do you get these ideas?”
He considered her question, not sure how to answer. He was, after all, just playing the hand he was dealt, one step at a time. None of this had ever been part of the plan.
“I guess it’s because I had an alcoholic father who liked to lie a lot and I kind of got good at telling stories. But you know, I’m thinking the Navy trained me.”
“Oh no, Brady. This is not the Navy’s doing at all. This comes from somewhere else.”
“Well, Charlie, there’s a little wrinkle. We cannot leave until we get the president on the phone and he can talk to Colonel Gonzalez. I think it would be wonderful if we could do a FaceTime call, which everybody here, including the men who work under him, would get to witness. I want them to see that it actually is the president and not somebody mimicking him. Can you help me do this?”
“As a matter of fact, I think that’s an excellent idea. I’m going to suggest it. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll call you back. Your vans should arrive within the next ten to fifteen minutes as well. You get your people gathered up, along with the rest of the team, while you hang on the line with the colonel and your president—your very grateful president, I might add—and then when you get back to the States, I’m going to have a little discussion with you about your future.”
“That’s not going to happen, Charlie. I’m going to stick to chickens, selling eggs at the farmers market, raising baby chicks, and having a ton of kids. I am really not interested in being a politician or working for them.”
“Brady, you already are.”
The FaceTime callwas something right out of a movie, and the entire room was part of the personal chat the president had with Colonel Gonzalez. Brady knew phere were all kinds of State Department officials who had inserted their hands and their minds into everything that he and Charlie had arranged, but the president liked what was set up, and he liked that he could take responsibility for the rescue of the Americans and could use it in his political career.
