Chapter 15-16 - Former CIA, Now LAPD

Chapter 15 – Invisible Borders

February 2, 2016 – 7:34 p.m.

Grant Residence – Kitchen

The smell of home-cooked food still hung in the air. Michael was washing the dishes with a cloth slung over his shoulder. Harry was watching TV in the living room, engrossed in an episode of MythBusters. Athena was drying the dishes when she heard May's voice from the dining room.

— "Mom, can you help me with this geography assignment?"

— "About what?"

— "The Crimean crisis. The Russian invasion in 2014. The teacher wants us to analyze the political and historical context, and explain the consequences to this day."

Athena smiled with a sideways glance at Michael.

— "You know who can help you with that much better than I do."

May, intrigued:

— "Who?"

Michael dried his hands and looked down the hallway, where Mike was entering with a bottle of water. Athena turned to him with a half smile.

— "Mike, have you invaded Crimea yet?"

Mike raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

— "Technically, no. But I was close. In Kiev in 2014, on a mission to assess border instability. Why do you ask?"

May crossed her arms, looking at him with typical teenage skepticism.

— "Geography assignment. About Crimea. Do you have thirty minutes and the patience to explain a war without sounding like an encyclopedia?"

Mike put the bottle down on the counter, pulled up a chair, and replied:

— "I do. But only if you promise not to tweet anything I say."

May smiled, surprised.

— "I promise."

Athena kissed her daughter on the forehead and said softly to Mike:

— "Good luck. She's tougher than the State Department."

7:45 p.m. – Dining room table

May opened her notebook, got a pen and the recorder on her cell phone ready. Mike leaned back in his chair, eyes alert. He didn't speak like a teacher. But he spoke like someone who saw what others had only read.

— "Let's start with the basics. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Ukraine became independent. But Crimea, a strategically vital peninsula in the Black Sea, remained within Ukraine's borders. But the majority of the population there was ethnically Russian."

May took notes carefully.

— "And why does that matter?"

— "Because when you want to justify an invasion, you start by claiming that you're 'protecting your people.' That's what Russia did. It used the presence of Russians in Crimea as a pretext."

— "So they invaded out of the blue?"

Mike shook his head.

— "It wasn't out of the blue. In 2013, Ukraine was about to sign a deal with the European Union. Moscow hated the idea. So the Ukrainian president at the time, Yanukovych, suspended the deal — which sparked mass protests. The movement became known as Euromaidan."

May interrupted him:

— "That made headlines around the world, didn't it?"

— "Yes. And it quickly turned violent. The president fled. And the new interim government was pro-Western. That was the trigger. Russia invaded Crimea in February 2014."

May was jotting down notes quickly.

— "What was the invasion like?"

— "Subtle, at first. Soldiers without insignia — the famous 'little green men' — began taking over government buildings, radio stations, military bases. They denied being Russian, but they were. Within weeks, Crimea was occupied."

— "And the rest of the world let them?"

Mike paused, then replied:

"Diplomacy has its limits. The US and the EU imposed economic sanctions. But no one wanted to start a direct war with Russia over Crimea."

May looked up.

"What about the people who lived there? Did they agree?"

"Russia held a referendum in March 2014. The majority voted in favor of annexation. But it was a process without international oversight, with military pressure on the sidelines. So… reliable? No."

She wrote in bold letters:

"Referendum – fraud?"

"And what happened next?" she asked.

"Crimea was annexed by Russia. Ukraine declared the action illegal. And the tension only grew. In 2014, armed conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine, with separatists backed by Moscow. The undeclared war dragged on for years. And it continues, to this day."

May took a deep breath.

"It's much more complex than I thought."

Mike smiled.

— "Real conflicts always are. Behind every bomb, there is national pride, history, money, natural gas, old resentments and fear. And fear... drives more wars than weapons."

May typed this on her phone as a direct quote.

— "Can I put your name as the source?"

Mike laughed.

— "Just put 'Source close to international security'. It will seem more mysterious."

8:45 p.m. – End of work

May closed her notebook with a sigh of relief.

— "If I don't get an A, I'll personally talk to the teacher."

Mike stood up, grabbing his bottle.

— "Don't tell me you learned everything from a police officer. You'll break the teachers' egos."

May approached with a smile more sincere than usual.

— "Thanks, Mike. Seriously. That was better than any book."

Mike looked at her kindly.

— "You're smart. You just needed the right map."

She went to the living room, and Mike returned to the kitchen. Athena was waiting for him, arms crossed, leaning against the counter.

— "You won her over. And that, my friend, not even Michael could do."

— "She just needed someone who would treat the subject as something that mattered."

— "And you did. And you know what else?"

— "What?"

— "I think you're becoming part of this house, even without realizing it."

Mike smiled, his eyes tired, but full of something new. Hope, maybe.

— "Maybe I am."

Chapter 16 – Things That Stay

February 3, 2016 – 4:12 p.m.

Grant Residence – Living Room

Afternoon light streamed in through the front windows, illuminating the living room's beige carpet with golden hues. Michael was in the kitchen, focused on a new recipe some kind of goat cheese quiche that scented the air. Harry was on the sidewalk with a new bike that kept tipping to the left.

May walked down the stairs with purposeful strides. In her hands, her notebook and an envelope. Mike sat in the armchair by the window, silently reading an internal LAPD report on his cell phone still in uniform, but with his jacket thrown over the back.

"Hey," she called, her voice firmer than usual.

Mike looked up.

"Hey. How are you?"

May sat on the couch across from him, crossing her legs with carefree elegance. He held out the envelope with the name "Miss May Grant" printed on it in red letters.

— "Remember the geography paper? Crimea?"

Mike nodded with a slight smile.

— "Sure. The way you summarized the idea of 'invisible borders' was great. Did you present it?"

May bit the corner of her lip, holding back a smile.

— "Not only did I present it... I got the only A+ in the class."

Mike raised his eyebrows.

— "Really?"

— "The teacher read aloud a portion of my conclusion. She said it demonstrated 'mature political understanding and geostrategic thinking unusual for my age.'"

She made air quotes with her fingers.

Mike leaned back in his chair and smiled genuinely, a glint in his eyes that was hard to contain.

— "So you tricked me. You're dangerous."

May gave a short, amused laugh.

— "You surprised me, actually. I thought you were just another adult explaining things in a Wikipedia-like way. But you spoke to me in a way that was… serious. Real."

Mike put his phone aside.

— "I took you seriously. Because you take the world seriously. Even if you're still figuring out how."

May stared at the floor for a moment. Then she picked up the envelope, already opened, and took out a small handwritten card:

"To May Grant: Your critical mind holds the promise of leadership. Keep being curious, courageous, and analytical. With admiration, Mrs. Morales."

She handed it to him.

Mike read it silently. Then he handed it back.

— "You should keep this. You'll need these words on difficult days."

She stared at him for a moment longer than usual. Then she asked, bluntly:

— "Were you like that? A curious teenager? Or were you born serious and quiet?"

Mike laughed, surprised by her frankness.

— "I was... restless. I was always wondering why no one talked about real things. My parents avoided difficult topics. I started reading about geopolitics because I thought the world was logical. It took me a while to understand that it just has... patterns."

May crossed her arms, thoughtful. — "It's weird, but... talking to you makes me feel more grown-up. Like what I think really matters."

Mike was silent for a moment. It was getting to him. More than he cared to admit.

— "Because it's important. You have more insight than you think. You just have to keep listening to yourself and questioning everything else."

4:45 p.m. — Back Porch

After dinner, Mike went out to the back porch with a cup of tea. May followed him. She sat on the steps. He leaned against the doorframe.

— "Do you remember the first time the world let you down?" she asked.

Mike hadn't expected the question. But he answered honestly.

— "Yes. In 2008. I was on an operation in North Africa. A local asset was executed because of a mistake at the top. I knew it wasn't my fault. But I was the one who gave the final order. He thanked me before he died. And I… I've never forgotten."

May absorbed the silence.

— "And how do you keep going after that?"

Mike looked up at the sky.

— "Trying to do it right every chance I get. Because even if the world is still messed up… we can still help someone understand. Make better choices. See clearly."

May regarded him with respect. With something else too genuine admiration.

— "You should teach."

Mike laughed.

— "Maybe someday. When the noise inside my head dies down."

5:30 PM – Saying Goodbye at the Door

Mike grabbed his jacket. Athena was in the kitchen, watching from afar. She exchanged a silent glance with her daughter, who simply nodded.

At the door, May said softly: — "Thank you. For everything. For listening to me. For explaining. For treating me like someone who matters."

Mike bent down a little to look her in the eyes. — "You don't need anyone to tell you that you matter. But… I'm glad to be one of those who do."

She hugged him. Quickly. But genuinely.

Mike pulled away, touched. — "Good night, May."

— "Good night… Mr. Edwards."

He laughed, walking down the steps.

Athena appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. — "You know she's going to call you to review all her papers now, right?"

— "As long as they're on complex topics, we're fine. But if it's equations... I'm out."

She smiled. "You're doing her good."

"She's doing me good, too."

Athena was silent. Then she answered: "I guess that's what it means to be part of a family. Even if it doesn't follow the classic models."

Mike walked away on the sidewalk. "Models are molds. And no one was made to fit into a mold."

Athena watched him walk away, and when he got in the car and drove away, she closed the door... with the kind of peace you feel when you're on the right path.

Full story on my Patreon

Chapter 8 - Chapter 15-16