Jade Greene
Issue Four

"Peacekeeper"

Jade is called into the Secretary-General's Office. He is on the phone with the Ambassador to Iraq. A worried expression is on his face. There is always a worried expression on his face when he receives a call from Iraq. "She stands, ready to listen to anything he asks. He motions for her to sit. She steadily sits in the black leather chair and glances at the hands of her mentor. His hand seems to be quivering slightly. She listens to his voice and feels a faint tone of sadness.Something is very wrong in Iraq. She looks out the door and sees people rushing in the normal UN way. She places her hands on his desk at he hangs up the phone. He looks up at her and is silent a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I was just notified that 12 Peacekeepers and 6 civilians were killed in a suicide bomb attack outside the capital. Another 29 are injured, many were children."

Jade is made speechless, as she is often in her job.

"Please write a short speech for me. I have to call the Presidents of Sweden, Germany Spain and the U.S. and give my condolences."

"Yes, Sir right away."

Jade doesn't normally write any speeches, but when you're asked to you do.

She goes to her desk and begins typing the speech to be given to the press. She looks at the news board and shortly sees the news being reported by the entire American and foreign news channels. The airwaves are filled with the news of the attack. The pace of UN employees picks up. The tension level raises several notches. This is a nearly weekly thing, with some bad news coming in from all over the globe.

To think, she puts on her headphones and listens to some Mozart while she types the speech from the official information. Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder and jumps. She looks back at her buddy, Interpreter Carmen Fernandez. She has the biggest smile on her face in total contrast to the entire staff. Her big brown eyes beam, her long curly brown hair is pulled back from her face. She shows a pair of play tickets to Jade.

Jade removes her headphones and glares at her friend oddly.

"How can you be happy right now?" Jade asks.

"No offence but it is always crazy here. That's why I got us tickets to see Cats tonight."

"I have to finish this speech."

"You'll finish the speech and go crazy until 7 tonight and then be ready to go watch Cats with me at 8. By the way have you eaten any lunch?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You are getting thinner than normal. You can't not eat every time something bad happens."

"I'll be fine. Please just let me finish my work... I'll see you at 8."

"Good. See you later."

Carmen shoves the tickets back in her pocket and skips back to the Translator booths.

Jade thinks to herself. Carmen will come up 7 stories to pester her on a break and she is busy the entire day freaking out over things she cannot stop from happening.

 

After she has finished the speech she prints it and gives copies to the Sec-General. He looks it over and approves it. So she sends copies to the other sections and they have it translated and dispersed. Many in the UN have seen the speech before it is given. Shortly later the Sec-General goes to the General Assembly Hall in which crews of world News media are their with all their cameras set-up. Jade takes her normal position behind Mr. Annan and follows him and the rest of the entourage into the Assembly Hall. Mr. Annan is announced and then he takes the podium. He doesn't need to read the speech from the prompter, he had already memorized it. As Jade listens to the words with the horrible facts of the tragedy seer into her mind. Her eyed fill with tears and she had to step away from the podium to catch her breath. She rushes out of the backdoors into the hallway behind the General Assembly Hall.

The hall is filled with several security members and staff intently listening to the speech. No one looks at Jade as she stumbles into the hall. She is gasping for breath. Suddenly memories of past tragedies are all coming back at once. Everything from her childhood, to the Terrorist attacks to what happened today in Iraq are all hitting her at once. She leans against the walls unable to take a deep breath. Carmen comes dashing down the hall from around the corner. She looks at Jade who is turning colors and coughing, trying to breath.She grabs Jades hand and pulls her up from the floor. Jade stumbles. She drags her to the nearest restroom and dumps her over a sink and starts splashing water in her face. Jade begins to breath a little better. Her blouse is now soaked, but that isn't the problem.

"Jade, you should really talk to someone about these Panic Attacks."

"I'll be fine."

"Fine? What is this, the second one this week."

Jade looks up at her with water dripping down her face. "Yes, it is the second. But it isn't a big deal."

"You had one while listening to the speech that you wrote. What does that tell you?"

"I have some frustrations that I need to work out."

 

Jade feels better now. She stands up and uses a paper towel to dry off her face. Carmen grabs several towels and tries to blot the water off Jade's suit. "Well, it'll dry on it's own I guess."

Jade looks at her friend. "Thanks for saving me."

"I couldn't leave you in the hall, could I?"

"You know you are strong for a little woman."

"Grr!!" Mock flexing her muscles, "You're not the only strong chick around the office."

Jade cracks a smile. She feels better now, though still weary from the attack. "I think we better see how the press conference went."

The two women leave and "walk to the door of Assembly Hall just as the press conference ends and Mr. Annan looks across the crowd and sees Jade. He flashes her a parental stare as he walks to the elevator with the escorts.

 

Jade goes back to her office and is met by the Sec-General standing over her desk looking at her photo on her desk. He smiles slightly at her as she enters the room to put her at ease.

"Your speech was a success. I'm sure it made our position on the matter clear."

"And what is that sir?"

"We will continue to fight for peace."

Jade feels a bit relieved.

"So why did you suddenly leave the conference?"

"I was feeling ill Sir."

"Really, you do look a bit fatigued. If you are ill, perhaps you should take a couple days off to recover."

"I hope I'll be fine."

"You have to take care of yourself. You are a person not a machine, I want you to take some time to regain your health."

"Yes, Sir."

"Hope you feel better soon."

Mr. Annan sets Jade's photo back on the desk and leaves back to his office. He turns at the door letting Luke Suede come by. Jade looks out the window and doesn't see Luke come in after Mr. Annan. Luke comes up behind her and quitly stares out the window also. Jade shifts and bumps into Luke. She is startled and he yelps when she steps on his foot. She intantly becomes flustered.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you. I have a pass see." He says in his most cheesy voice.

"Oh." Her nerves calm again and she grasps her head feeling faint again. Luke grabs her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I have to go home for the rest of the day."

"Good cause I'm free."

"Oh wait, I'm supposed to go see a play with Carmen, she'll be mad."

"I doubt it. If you are sick you need to stay in."

 

From Jade's apartment, Luke calls Carmen and explains why Jade can't come to the play. Carmen is more than happy to have Jade stay home with Luke. Dilbert begs to be let out of his cage. Luke goes and opens the door and the now half grown duckling comes bursting out. He wiggles his rump in delight to be free and goes straight to Jade's feet. She bends down from her seat in the sofa and picks him up. She pets him and he quickly settles down in her lap. Luke asks Jade if she is hungry and she responds that she isn't. So he ignores her and makes them both dinner.

 

Jade has begun to doze off when Luke wakes her to say that he has finished cooking. The duckling is running behind him like he is mama duck. She reluctantly gets up and goes to the dinner table. He serves up two big helpings of food. She looks at him oddly.

"What has ever made you think that I eat that much food?"

"Carmen said you hadn't eaten lunch, so you must be starving."

"Really? Hmmm. I suppose I need energy to go out tonight?"

"You can't go out looking for trouble tonight. You are sick."

"I am well enough to go out."

"And have some rapist slit your throat?"

"I manage to take care of myself."

Dilbert quacks from the floor. He is upset that he hasn't been given his dinner. Luke grabs the small bowl of Duck feed and gives it to the little Pekin. He then turns his attentions back to Jade.

"You are ill. I won't let you go out tonight."

Jade becomes agitated and bites her tongue. She shovels a fork full of Luke's stew into her mouth.

 

After dinner, Jade is coaxed into a hot bath. She sets up the bubbles and is ready to get in when she hears a repeated crashing noise from her bedroom. She runs in a sees Luke smashing her Yin-Yang symbol top to bits. The pewter with enamel fractures under the force of the large hammer. She is aghast. He keeps swinging at it, smashing it into so many little pieces. His face is angry. She screams out at him.

"What are you doing!!?"

"You won't go out tonight."

"It's my choice."

"And I'm stopping you."

"Then use that hammer to bash me!"

He stops and looks at her. "Why would you ever think I would hurt you?"

"You smashed my costume with a hammer!"

He drops the hammer on the bed and puts his arms around her. 'I want you to be safe."

"I am"

 

When Jade goes back into the bathroom she finds Dilbert swimming amongst the bubbles in the tub. Jade drops her towel and jumps into the tub with the duck.