Image created Using Canva
"Controlled Alzheimer's?" I asked my handler, H, in shock and amusement.
"Yes." He answered in his same monotone way. I couldn't understand how he didn't show a sign of holding back a chuckle at the joke.
"I'm not joking, Alexa." He said cutting short the laugh that was about to leave my mouth.
"He's the best Spy in the agency, even more so because of his condition. Your only job is to identify him and remind him of the date."
My eyes sparkled as he gave me the briefing.
The words "my" "job" flowed around my head in tiny imaginary bubbles.
The fact that I had graduated from a fresh spy that needs to be spied on and graded during a practice "controlled" mission to an assistive spy to the agency's best was a huge step.
"Are you listening, Alexa?" H asked me and I realized I had drifted off the conversation.
"Yes sir." I replied immediately
"Uh huh..." He said, which I'm sure would have sounded doubtful if we were conversing face to face, but the doubtful tone was washed out by the indirect phone call, a few hundred kilometres and several hundred algorithms locking the call.
"Any questions?" He asked about ending the call.
"Does he have a name sir?" I asked, ready to get tracking.
"He doesn't, we figured there's no need naming him since he forgets it after every mission."
Before I could ask another question I heard the click of the line being dropped.
I stayed still looking rudely at the hung up phone, although my anger was short-lived as I remembered the job I had been given.
I looked at the side note where I was mindlessly writing key points of the call, an active product of training by H.
As I read through the note I could feel my anger fueled by my growing confusion.
"The hell is this?" I yelled out.
I looked at the note again and listened through the call recording.
After two re-reads and re-listens, I came to a conclusion.
"He didn't actually say it." I said chuckling as the sad realization hit me like a train.
I wondered how H could leave out such details from a mission debriefing.
I couldn't call him back since I wasn't a real agent yet, nor could I drop the mission due to its high importance.
Your only job Is to identify the target and tell him about the date.
I repeated H's statement in a mocking voice.
My first job and I had no description of the target, no name of the target and no time limit, how am I supposed to identify him?
After a minor breakdown, I decided to go to the gym and try to sweat out an idea.
I put on some tights and sneakers and went to the gym below my apartment.
The first thing I noticed was how full it was.
The place was packed and the smell leaking out of it was devastating.
I looked at the flyer outside...
Men's Gym Retreat.
I looked through the glass windows and indeed noticed that all the customers were indeed men.
In actuality I wasn't the only one looking at them as there were quite a few girls all ogling at the display of abs and manliness.
I felt sick with nausea as I fought my way through the growing mob of girls.
I ran across the street and sat down at the street bench there trying to catch my breath.
"Annoying, isn't it?" I looked at the man sitting across from me.
"What is that?" I say in between gasps.
"The annual Men's Gym Retreat" he says with a dramatic yet sarcastic flair of the hands.
"Although they say it's annual I can swear that it's happening every 4 months now."
He looked over at me. "You alright?"
"I'm better now." I say just regaining my composure.
"Cool, although you can't use the gym for the next 3 weeks, I do know a nice trail that's great for a run," he says standing up and stretching his body, "That's if you're interested of course?" He offers.
I thought about it for a moment, it's not like I had any other thing to do, and plus I did really need to get my heart pumping.
"Sure" I agreed.
"Cool," he said. "I see from your sneakers that you're a bit of a track person yourself."He picked up a bag from beside the bench. "Try to keep up."
Immediately he began jogging, I quickly did some stretches and raced after him.
I got in pace with him in 6 seconds and felt great about my victory in speed.
The victory was short-lived as I saw him beginning to inch ahead of me again.
I half-jogged, half-ran after him, and tried to keep pace.
He kept a uniform pace with wide jogs and steady yet firm receives.
The pace of a pro.
After 20 minutes, I could feel my chest starting to close up on me. I checked my pedometer wristwatch and discovered we've jogged 15kilometers.
He didn't even show any sign of strain, I haggardly jogged after him, just managing to keep him at arms to length.
Suddenly he stopped, I nearly ran into his back before I bent over to try and catch my breath
He turned around and started laughing, a rich infectious kind of laugh.
"Why didn't you tell me to stop if you knew it was too much to handle?" He asked as he handed me a bottle of water from his bag.
I immediately took the water and drank.
"Well you said I should keep up, and I did."
"Just barely." He added and started laughing.
There was a charming side to his humor.
"Sooo, may I know the name of the guy who I may or may not have gotten lost with?" I ask, putting my foot out there.
"Well since we're not lost, I guess I could deny you such a privilege," he began and I could feel the red creeping up my cheeks.
I was too rash, Why did I phrase it like that?, Idiot, idiot, idiot.
Just a couple of things that were going round my head.
"It's Jayden." He answered with a smile as he noticed my slightly pink cheeks, which made them get even redder.
"And may I know the headstrong beaut who thought she could turn a friendly jog into a competition?" He says, flashing a smile.
"That was hardly a friendly jog," I made my point known.
"My name is Alexa." I say handing him back his now empty water bottle.
"Welcome Alexa, to the checkpoint." He says spreading his arms and doing jazz hands for dramatic flair.
"What is the checkpoint?" I ask observing the serenity of it all, being this close to nature had a certain peace about it.
"The checkpoint is the perfect unpolluted place."
"We have a place to fish," he gestures to a stream.
"Here of course is the dining hall and kitchen." I looked around and saw the skeleton of a precious fire frame.
"And of course we have a place to rest under the huge willow tree." He finished his short tour.
"So may I ask why you brought me here?" I said smiling.
"Well you seemed so tired of the city life, so I thought you needed to recharge a bit. If you want to go though, you can. It's not a really far distance to get back on the main road."
I thought about it for a moment, I didn't feel any particular danger from staying with him, plus if anything happens, I'm pretty sure I could take care of myself.
I looked back at him and noticed he had already started lighting a fire.
The sky had already gotten dark so it would be unwise to go back even if I wanted to.
"So do you normally bring city life depressed girls to the checkpoint? Or am I the first."
He chuckled before answering.
"Not really, normally city life girls don't run away from a bunch of sweaty muscle packed guys." I shuddered at the memory.
Then the fire lit, casting an orange glow at everything around, making our surroundings even prettier.
"Do you fish?" He says holding a fishing pole towards me.
"You've gotta be the first guy who's asked me this question in such a setting." I say laughing
"What do other guys say?" He asks after I've collected the pole.
"Some just go straight to ask about me, my life, you know try to fish me rather than asking if I fish." I explain holding the pole, using them to disturb the long grass filled with fireflies.
"That seems like such a tedious, roundabout way of doing things." He replied.
"You sound like you have a better way."
"Well yes." He replied simply
"I always feel it's better to talk about myself when the listening party has something warm to eat." He said with a laugh and I followed.
After the fishing and cooking, we sat outside, enjoying the fireflies and stars while eating fish and some fruits picked from neighbouring trees.
"How did you find this place?" I asked him, feeling totally relaxed.
"I think it was after a job, coming back home, my car broke down so I decided to wander a bit." I replied with a 'hmm' as I put a piece of fish in my mouth.
"I wandered quite a while and got here."
"You wandered or got lost?" I said, laughing.
"Well aren't they both the same thing?" He answered back.
"Although it may not look like it, I'm a bit of a scatter-brain, it doesn't affect my work much but I do tend to forget some things."
"Well let this be a date that shouldn't be forgotten!!" I say raising my roasted fish on a stick and he using his own as we clink fish in a sort of toast.
"What about you? Why were you so down in the morning?" He asks me
"Just some work stuff," I reply and he urges me on with a knowing 'hmm' as his fish was in his mouth.
"Well I work in a service agency and just got a job delivering packages to someone." I explain to him and he nods his head.
"Well, specific details for the successful delivery of a particular package weren't given and maybe the successful delivery of this package would determine if I'll continue in that work." I let it all out.
"Hmmm, that's a bit tough." He says before taking another bite.
"It is tough and I don't know what to do, like how am I supposed to finish the job now." I say in worry.
"Remind him about the date and I don't even know what the date is."
Jayden sat quiet for a while and I looked to check if he hadn't dozed off.
"Jayden?" I asked and he jerked.
"Is anything the problem?" I wondered if my problems were so bad that it had caused problems for another.
"Naa, I guess I'm just a little bit sleepy." He said laughing.
"Oh really? Is my life that boring." I ask laughing
"It isn't though. It's a great thing that you have so much passion about your work that your mental state is troubled by a mistake made by your handler, although you shouldn't allow such things to bother you here."
"Did you just call me mad?" I ask him
"You're at the checkpoint." He continued pointedly ignoring me
"Hence for the time you are here, you
should leave troubles outside."
"I wish I could stay here forever then." I say then took the last bite of my fish.
He disposed of his stick and laughed.
"I will be leaving here early tomorrow though, I've got work to do."
"I guess the date is over then." I say, sleep already knocking on my door.
"I guess so Alexa." He replied, "Good work ."
I woke up under the willow tree with a note showing directions of how to leave the checkpoint.
Although I didn't need them as I had the directions memorized when I jogged after him in here yesterday, the sentiment was well appreciated.
On my way back to city life, I realized just how bright everywhere looked. How I seemed more alert and the surroundings looked sharper.
I guess a well rested body and mind out of the city can do wonders.
I wondered if I would see Jayden again, when I passed the street bench and the gym that introduced us to each other.
In my apartment I saw a letter on the floor and immediately my spy skills kicked in as I checked for any signs of force entry.
After a thorough scan and I was sure it was only the letter, I picked it up, on the back was a big H and I already knew that I had failed out, with a broken heart and teary eyes I started to read.
Congratulations
You've passed your last mission with flying colours and have been recommended to start right away.
The target was well pleased with your passion and literally had to chokehold me into submission for me to write the last line.
Would you like to see later at work to discuss our next date?
Jayden