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Episode 086 |
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Cowboy Diplomacy Khizer splashed water onto his face. Bent over the sink in the Turkish airport, he scrubbed
the sleep away from his eyes before looking up. In the mirror, he could see the entire
men’s bathroom. The stalls empty and a
static quiet filling the tiled room, he could hear the voices outside from
the airport just beyond the door. He tilted over again, splashing a handful of water into
his face a second time. He rose up
again to see a young Middle Eastern woman standing next to him. Dressed in a black suit with a blue
headscarf, she smiled as he wiped his face with the paper towels. “Feel better?” she asked. Khizer leaned on the sink, staring down the drain. “All of this changing direction and
destination is catching up with me.” “Just a few more stops,” she said confidently. “In no time, we’ll be in Zakho. From there, the trip will be simple.” “I think you underestimate that state of that country,”
Khizer said, staring at himself in the mirror. She smiled. “You
underestimate me.” He rose, turning to her. “You have given me little to put faith
in. You came to me, you sought my
help.” “We provided you with detailed plans,” she began. “Which I had to secure, I had to pay for,” Khizer
said. “Were it not for your nature, I
wouldn’t have given you a second thought.” “You doubt me,” she said, her smile gone, “and you
doubt your very faith.” Khizer stepped towards her, glaring down into the
woman’s sharp eyes. “Whether you are a
Power or no,” he said, “if you came to me, you know me, and you know my faith
is without question.” He moved to
speak more, but the door to the bathroom opened. A white man in a gray suit with a bushy
beard came in. He looked at Khizer
standing alone in the middle of the bathroom with a strange look, then
proceeded into a stall. Khizer shook his anger away and looked back to the
mirror. He stared at his own eyes for
a moment longer. He collected his
bags, then stood to find the woman in his reflection at his shoulder. “It’s only a bit farther,” she whispered
into the reflection of his ear, the words gently swirling inside his mind. He
turned and walked out. |
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