November 1991. The Colonel and I have been enjoying the good life in the Executive area for about 18 months. I say "the good life" with tongue in cheek; he had been spending his days trashing half of his beloved Space Station through all the cost-cutting and restructuring efforts, and I had been working my tail to the bone 10 hours a day and sometimes weekends in support thereof.

In addition to the Colonel, I supported the Director of Business Management, the Director of Contracts, and the Vice President-General Manager. Sandy was supposed to be the VP-GM's secretary but she'd just spent 15 years working in the Marketing Office and didn't have the necessary computer skills to provide the kind of support he required. She didn't know a spreadsheet from a Danish. So he turned to me for the majority of his needs. As icing on the cake, I also had my Senior Lead duties for the secretarial staff. I was busting my ass doing it all.

One bright, sunny day the Colonel was notified that he would be taking over the Operations and Robotics directorate effective immediately. That meant he would be moving to the Space Park Building. He came to my desk that same afternoon and told me about it, asking me if I would move with him.

It was a tough decision. I had to think about it a long time. I enjoyed working in the Executive Area, as difficult as it was, because I liked being the power behind the throne.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that a secretary can run a company almost single-handedly if she has the ear of management. She is the voice of reason, the sanity check, the person her boss leans on in times of chaos and indecision. And a VP's secretary is the conduit through which he plugs in to the needs of the whole component. That was the reason I had applied for assignment in the Executive area when I came off PDR duty. I figured if anybody was gonna run Muthah, it should probably be me.

But in the final analysis, there was no way the Colonel was gonna get away from me. I would have followed that Marine through the gates of hell. So after almost two weeks of indecision, I finally said "yes" and announced my departure.

The next morning my phone rang. It was MacBeth.

"I know you hate surprises," she said, "so I have something I have to tell ya."

Now I don't know where she got the idea that I hate surprises. I love surprises. I really do. But somewhere along the way that notion was planted in her head, so I didn't bust her chops.

"Lay it on me," I said.

"Sandy and Tracy are cooking up a big surprise going-away party for you. This morning I received an email message from Sandy. They plan to ask you out to dinner, just the two of 'em. While you're at dinner, they want me to call the restaurant and tell you that my car has broken down and ask you to come get me. I will be on NASA One at the Prickly Pear Club. It's all a ruse, of course, to get you to the Prickly Pear where the masses will be waiting to yell, "Surprise!"

"How very interesting ... "

"I didn't really know what to do when I first got the message. What should I tell her? I finally decided I should do what any agent worth her salt would do, and pass the word along to you. At least this way you are warned in advance."

Hmmm. What *should* one do in this particular situation?

Now that the surprise was ruined, there had to be a way for all concerned to get a little fun out of it. And now that I knew they thought I could be so easily duped, well, I just *couldn't* let that go.

"Always the secret agent, aren't you?", I said. "You did good, kid. Write her back and agree to the op."

"Whatcha gonna do?", she asked, giggling.

"I don't know yet, but we'll figure out something. Just write her back and say you'll do it."

Sure enough, a little later in the day, Sandy approached.

"Tracy and I would like to take you out to dinner somewhere really nice as a going-away present," she said. "Would you like that?"

It was all I could do to keep from bursting into laughter. I reached *way* down there for all the control I had and said, "Gee, Sandy, that's sweet. I'd love to! Where are we going?"

"We thought we'd take you to Villa Capri," she said.

"Wow, way cool. When?"

"Friday night. 1900 hours."

"I'll meet you there."

The big day arrived. MacBeth and I had met for a couple of strategic planning sessions since she had given me the word, so she was well-versed in her revised role.

Sandy, Tracy, and I are sitting in the Villa Capri, right by the windows. The candles are softly glowing. The table is appointed in a most elegant manner, with beautiful crystal wine glasses and fine china. Outside the bay water laps at the attached pier and the seagulls play at the water's edge. We are eating our salads, talking about all the big changes that are taking place and how much they are going to miss me, etc.

Suddenly the waiter appears at our table. He turns to me.

"Is your name Youngblood, by any chance?"

"Yes, I'm Youngblood," I say.

"There is a telephone call for you, madam. A rather urgent call, I believe."

I look at Sandy and Tracy with surprise amd wonder in my eyes. A telephone call? Pour moi?

I excuse myself and leave to take the call.

I was glad that the telephone was quite some distance from the dining room, around the corner and near the front door, because when I got on the phone to talk to Beth we were both laughing so hard I was afraid I would be heard back at the table. It took me a few minutes to compose myself after our conversation. I stayed away a respectable amount of time and then returned.

"Who was that?", Sandy asks when I take my seat.

"Oh, it was Beth," I say. "Can you pass the bread, Tracy?"

"Beth? What did she want?" Sandy is like a dog with a bone.

"She had some car trouble, nothing to worry about," I say. "So, how do you two think you're gonna like working with Dottie after I'm gone?"

"Okay, I guess," Tracy says, her voice kinda trailing off. She looks at Sandy and their eyes lock. She is silently urging Sandy to take the ball and run with it. Sandy moves in for the play.

"Yeah, Dottie will be fine," Sandy says, "but back to Beth ... what do you mean she had some car trouble but it's nothing to worry about?"

I lay down my fork.

"Can you imagine? The child's car breaks down somewhere down on NASA Road One and she wants me to come pick her up and take her home." I try to sound a little exasperated.

Sandy and Tracy exchange a quick glance.

"Well? Are you going?" Sandy, gnawing on that bone again.

"No, of course not!", I say emphatically. "I told her I was having dinner with you guys and that she should call somebody else."

Both of their mouths dropped open at the same moment. I could have driven a Mack truck through either one of 'em. A horrified look began to spread across their faces. Gawd, it was a beautiful moment! My only regret was that MacB was not there to share in the glory of it and see the looks of disbelief and incredulity that stared back at me across the table. It was a Kodak moment. A picture worth a thousand words.

"You did WHAT?!?" Sandy almost screams at me.

"I told her to call someone else, that we were having too much fun here for me to leave right in the middle of it."

I thought they would shit.

Not only was their surprise party doomed, but they could not *believe* that I was such a cold-hearted, self-centered bitch that I would actually tell my best friend to take a hike when she was in trouble.

I just changed the subject again and went back to work topics, rattling on about this, that and the other. Our entree came, we ate, we talked, with both Sandy and Tracy trying to steer me back to the subject of Beth the entire time. I would not be moved.

"Listen, maybe you should go check on Beth."

"Bullshit," I'd say. "She's got lots of friends she can call."

"Youngblood, I cannot believe you told her to call someone else."

"Beth is cool. She understands."

To answer the question in your minds, yes, I finally decided to let them off the hook. After dinner, after dessert, after coffee, as we were preparing to leave, I said,

"Hey, guys, wanna stop for a drink somewhere?"

Relief flooded over both of them. The eyes, so sad and resigned just moments before, suddenly came awake with new life.

"How about the Prickly Pear?", Sandy eagerly suggested.

"Sure, why not, it's on the way home."

The two of them didn't discover the truth until they arrived at the Prickly Pear and found Beth and I doubled over in laughter. I thought they were gonna string me up when the truth emerged.

But thanks to MacB, Super Sleuth Extraordinaire, a good time was had by all.