Agent on the Run

Maria felt a blush touch her cheeks at Chantry's ribald statement. Chantry could be quite blunt with his choice of the vernacular, but she chose to humor it this time. She knew what he was about. All this talk on the physical, as well as his perusal of her was his attempt at laying the groundwork to get her settled down with a man before he passed away, inveterate matchmaker that he was.

Chantry, like most men, thought that the most stable form of existence for a woman was to be fully yoked with a ring on her finger, laid out flat taking it from her man several times a week, with a baby swelling her belly out every couple of years, until the kids were old enough to take to soccer practice. Her response to that was, 'No thanks! Not interested!', But men were ever if not annoyingly persistent.

Maria wished that men would just leave her alone. Chantry, bless his heart, just couldn't help but fall into the proverbial pit of masculinity's approach to what a woman wanted or needed from life.

Chantry was studying her again and mentally Maria prepared herself for the next round of this recurring debate with him.

"You're not a lesbian are you?" Chantry asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Good heavens no! Why would you say such a thing?" Maria said deeply disturbed that he could think such a thing of her.

Chantry chuckled in response, "Because I saw your defenses all thrown up, as you enacted your proverbial strategy of playing keep away with me. I thought I'd shock you out of your defensive line with a statement I know couldn't be further from the truth in regards to you."

Maria regarded her boss closely; oh he was good at this game, even old as he was.

"Kind of defeats the purpose of information hunting to alert your target of your culpability isn't it?" She asked guardedly.

Chantry shook his head, "We both know that you are far too intelligent to ever let anything slip that you don't want to."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me old man."

Chantry shrugged, "It was worth a shot."

Chantry stared out at the sunny landscape reflectively. He supposed he shouldn't badger his star pupil with personal questions, but truth of the matter was that he didn't have anything better to do. His range of options for interrogation purposes were dwindling though. Time for abject in your face honesty.

"How old are you Maria?"

Maria glanced at him and he implored her with his eyes to divulge her secret. She glanced at him for a long moment and he thought she wouldn't answer, but then she surprised him by responding, "One hundred and twenty seven years."