Excerpt
Bevan Longhorn is in his office and it’s the time of day when he usually leaves
and goes to his place for the evening. But today, he doesn’t rush out and Dorothy
comes to his door wondering what still keeps him there. She observes him for a
good moment and thinks he resembles someone trying to locate something that
refuses to be found. She says,
“Are you staying for a while, Bevan? Do you need anything else from me? If
you don’t, I think it’s time for me to leave.”
He looks at the clock on the wall and agrees she should go. No, he doesn’t
need anything from her; what he wants to do he has to do alone.
“You can go, Dorothy; I don’t need anything else, thank you.”
“Good night, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Dorothy.”
His mind takes him to the Saturday night party at Hakim’s. He wonders
whether they’ll have what he wants, but he doesn’t want to call anybody at this
time of the day and from this office. He’ll find out soon enough when he meets
them; no need for panic at this time.He begins writing a letter to his sister Evelyn.
Dear Evelyn,
By the time you read these lines everything will be history. I ask for your
forgiveness what I have decided to do and for not having been courageous enough to
share it with you when I saw you last. After all, I’m not going to get the chance to
retire with you and William in San Francisco. I have no regrets regarding my career
and the way my life has unfolded throughout the years. It is, after all, the result of
decisions I made myself. The only thing I regret is the way I chose to act, although I
hope to affect a change in the ways this agency conducts itself and does business in
future. I love taking the opportunity to change things; I hate the means I have chosen
to make my point. Please forgive me for this. I love you, as always, your brother,
Bevan.
He seals the letter, writes his sister’s address on the envelope, and puts it in
his briefcase. Then he writes a second letter to his buddy Jerry.
My dearest Jerry,
You are the only one who I can trust with this last word, since by the time you
read this, all has taken place. I made my choice, I made my point. Jerry, ‘The Circle’,
is broken. I have broken the base for all the wrong decisions the agency has made…
