Chapter 69

69 
BELETZKE'S PET STORE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Mr. Benjamin Beletzke nervously adjusted his tie. Running a pet shop in the midst of the power and importance of Washington's diplomatic district required one to be dressed appropriately for any class of customer.

The bird the general had selected was in a transport cage nervously rocking back and forth. His customer had requested a mature parrot with clipped wings and extraordinary color. The general had made the common request that the parrot should not know any speech. What is a cute phrase to one can be an abomination to another.

His instruction had been explicit. He was simply to prepare the bird and himself such that he could deliver it promptly at ten AM. The identity of the client and the address of the delivery were still a mystery to him. The general had told him only that he would call just before the delivery to give him the details. He had inflated the price of the animal several hundred dollars, but the general had declined to negotiate, simply telling him that his client would pay the price upon delivery.

The sale of a three thousand dollar parrot for forty five hundred promised to be a bright spot in his day of commerce. But price be what it may, the bird was one of the finest he had ever had in his shop.

"This is General Tower, Mr. Beletzke. I'm calling with the details of the delivery you promised to make for me this morning." the voice on the phone seemed to be preoccupied.

"Yes. Good morning, General. I'm already to go. Where is the bird to be taken?" Beletzke asked.

"Very good. Take the bird to the service entrance on the west side of the Watergate. You'll be met there. You are expected. Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." The line went to a dial tone.

Mr. Beletzke loaded the bird into his little delivery truck and started the short trip to the Watergate. Several times he began to imagine Who his client might be, but each time he shook his head saying to himself that such a thing wasn't possible. By the time he saw the hotel ahead, he had convinced himself that the bird was a gift from the general to his girlfriend.

Beletzke's Pet Store was very intentionally located in the part of Washington where foreign dignitaries frequented high end shops for gifts while they were in town. The conditions of this sale would have seemed overly dramatic to a pet store owner in the suburbs, but Beletzke had established a lucrative business by accommodating just such requests without question or hesitation.

General Tower had given orders to both the Secret Service and the Marines, advising them to assist with the transaction. Because Beletzke had known nothing about his customer, and that he had been called only minutes before the bird was to be delivered, there was little opportunity for such a man to become much of a security risk. Tower had selected a Jewish man on purpose. Unlike the Christians, the Jewish community had taken a 'wait-and-see' attitude in lieu of riotously strong opinion.

General Tower had also made it a point not to be present while Jesus Robeles dealt with this shopkeeper. He needed more information about how well these boys could deal with the everyday world. Besides, how much trouble could they get into sitting in the Watergate with security forces all around them?

"Juan! The parrot is here! We have to meet a man in the conference room. Agent Barnes is going to take us down." Jesus said excitedly.

"Why don't we meet him up here so the parrot can see its new home?" Juan asked innocently.

"That's a good idea! I'll tell Agent Barnes." answered Jesus. He walked to the front door and knocked. Security protocol required that One knock before opening the door, even when One was already inside.

"Yes. Sir?" Agent Barnes spoke in his normally nervous manner. "Are You ready for the trip downstairs?"

"Agent Barnes, we would like to meet the parrot and the shopkeeper in Our quarters." Jesus informed the man. Every time Barnes heard the Portuguese and understood the English it seemed to have an unsettling effect on him. The Agent was instructed to attempt to develop a rapport with the guests in the penthouse, but he only seemed to become more nervous day by day.

"Sir, I don't think we can do that. Security protocol requires two armed Marines with You at all times when You are with people who are not part of our security team or previously approved visitors. At the same time, Marines are not allowed in the penthouse unless there is a full security alert. This provision is a part of Your Visiting Dignitary Status." Agent Barnes had an answer for everything.

"Agent Barnes, I realize that you are charged with being very cautious, but I think we will be quite safe with a Jewish parrot salesman in the company of two Marines in the safety of our own home. Please make the arrangements at your convenience. We will be here all morning today as is the case with every morning of every day." Jesus spoke softly so as not to agitate the man further. Then He closed the door. He and Juan had already learned that the Secret Service could make objections to any plan ad nauseum if the conversation continued. The drama accomplished, the young men looked at each other in silence forced against giggling.



The first to arrive were two Marines, each carrying the ever-present automatic rifle. The younger of the two was a private, and his companion was a Gunnery Sergeant. They snapped to attention at either side of the doorway and stood in motionless silence awaiting the arrival of the bird. This would have been a reasonable development, except the bird and the shopkeeper failed to appear.

Juan asked, via Jesus' translation, "Wouldn't you like to relax just a little until the bird comes? We certainly won't tell anyone."

The Sergeant answered explosively, "No Sir. We are on duty!"

At that moment the younger man's stomach gave a hungry growl. The Sergeant glanced over with quick disapproval.

Jesus asked the younger man, "Are you hungry?"

This question placed the Private in the hands of his own paradox. He looked at this Sergeant for some sign of what he should do.

The Sergeant finally responded. "Answer Him, Private."

"I am a little hungry. I live off base." he said sheepishly.

"What does 'living off base' have to do with getting enough to eat?" Jesus asked.

"Well, Sir. There wasn't very much left for breakfast by this time of the month. I have a wife and a baby girl." the Private hesitated, looking again at his Sergeant for guidance.

Jesus eyes fired. "You risk your life to guard Me, and I ask you to do that on an empty stomach? Your pay isn't enough?" He said with a degree of consolation not seen on the earth before.

The Sergeant was beginning to wish that he was somewhere else, but the Private attempted to sooth the situation with more explanation. "We qualify for food stamps. It's really not so bad."

"So you've already eaten all your food stamps? You didn't have enough to eat for the whole month?" Jesus asked pointedly. "Does your baby have what she needs? Does she have food stamps to eat?"

"No, Sir. Food stamps are for buying food. I see to it that our baby always has enough." the Private replied. "Food stamps are a kind of welfare. We use them to buy more food than we could on my military pay."

Now Jesus had a visible fire in His face. "Sergeant. Private. I want to thank you both very much for telling Me these things. I want to assure you both that no soldier watching over Me with his life and no baby waiting for him to come home will be hungry while I'm in town! Here I am trying to buy a parrot while this goes on!" Jesus turned to Juan who had already disappeared into his bedroom. "Juan!"

"I already have it. I think we should save some to pay for the bird, but I think there's plenty here." Juan said as he carried his dresser drawer into the living room. It was half filled with bundles of hundred dollar bills. Santos had been sending ten thousand in cash each week.

The Sergeant spoke quickly now. "Sir, we are absolutely forbidden from taking money from You. I'm sure the Private appreciates the offer, but he would get into terrible trouble if he took any money. Besides, most of the Marines on duty here have the same situation. We always make it. We're Marines."

"You can't accept a gift to help out?" Jesus asked incredulously.

"No Sir. We are paid to perform our military duties. Securing this Hotel is a military duty. Besides, there are four hundred and twenty eight enlisted men in this command. You can understand the morale problems which would ensue."

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. The Marines were once again at attention, rifle ready. The door opened to admit Agent Barnes, who, from long habit, looked around the room for any threat before he caught himself. Following him was a disheveled Benjamin Beletzke, now in only a pair of trousers and a shirt with an open neck. He carried a large cage with a canvas cover over it. The bird had arrived.

The tableau in the penthouse once again resumed its script. Mr. Beletzke sat the cage down heavily on the coffee table in the living room. Agent Barnes stood dumbly holding the packages he carried for the pet store owner. The Marines were once again silent and motionless on either side of the door.

Mr. Beletzke came to the point. "Do You want the bird out of the cage?"

"Of course! Let her out!" Jesus and Juan answered in unison. The parrot emerged from the cage and walked curiously around the table top.

"She's wonderful!" said Jesus as He reached for her.

Beletzke was puzzled, "How did You know the bird was a female? That is something difficult to determine -- even by experts."

"I haven't had very much experience with females, but I have known a lot of parrots on Paraneho where We grew up. She's very beautifully colored for a female!" Jesus spoke while concentrating on the the bird. The parrot seemed to grow brighter as He spoke. Enough so that both Beletzke and Barnes noticed. "Well, just look at her!"

Juan held the bird in his hands, as with a messenger pigeon. Suddenly distressed, he spoke to Jesus in Portuguese. "Someone has clipped her wings!"

Jesus took the bird and gently lifted her wings. His eyes showed a momentary anger as He looked questioningly at Mr. Beletzke.

"That's so she won't fly away, Sir. I don't recommend hold the bird in Your hands. They can bite." the shopkeeper answered.

The parrot, of course, was not only quite calm while she was being held, but seemed to exude a very satisfied feeling.

"Who would harm such an animal for mere convenience? Did you do this Mr. Beletzke?" Jesus asked.

"No they are already clipped when I receive them. The general ordered a bird that could not fly." Beletzke answered a little defensively.

After Jesus translated this last conversation, Juan speaking in a neutral tone, said "Isn't that just like General Tower." Always in the moment, he continued to say, "I think we should name her after Beatrice, our first friend!"

"That's a wonderful name! Beatrice was brave, loving and loyal to Us. Who better than her?" Jesus smiled, placing the bird down on the table. "That's better. Beatrice would want her to fly and be free."

The giant bird fluffed her wings once or twice, testing her weight. Then she flew out the open balcony door and disappeared down into the city below.

"I don't understand how that bird can fly, but I made my delivery as ordered. I think I deserve to be paid even if Your parrot is gone for good." Beletzke protested instantly.

"Oh, she'll be back after she has some time to look around. Juan, We need to pay the man." Jesus smiled. "By the way, Mr. Beletzke, how much is it?"

While Juan was once again carrying the drawer full of bundled hundreds from the kitchen, Mr. Beletzke's price went up again. The shopkeeper felt the strip search he had endured on his way in was worth at least a thousand dollars. He nervously mumbled something about six thousand. Juan handed him one five thousand dollar bundle, then quickly counted out the remainder.

Beletzke turned to Agent Barnes to ask, "Is this real money?"

Agent Barnes finally laughed, a little, in the company of his charges, "Yes, I promise that it is. I work for the Treasury Department." His good humor was short lived as Beatrice suddenly flew into the room and landed on his partially balding head. The agent froze in fear.

Juan tapped his shoulder with a finger. The bird immediately flew across the room and perched there. He turned his head to speak a few words in Portuguese to the parrot. Beatrice would have been smiling if she had been equipped for it, but in perfect English, she replied "I'M BEATRICE! I LIVE HERE! I LIKE TO FLY!"

Beletzke was collecting himself to leave, Yet the sudden utterance of the parrot caught him quite by surprise. "That's a trick isn't it? Ventriloquism?" Then he turned toward the parrot and in a practiced tone, asked "Beatrice? Beatrice?" all the while watching Jesus and Juan. The bird said nothing. "Why won't she answer?"

Jesus answered nonchalantly, "She only understands Portuguese."

That night Beatrice asked for a litter box and a perch. Of course room service was able to provide both. She was a very happy, cheerful bird. She made the penthouse very much more homey.