Alien Diplomacy

you that.” Snickering to myself, I got the dogs’ leashes on, handed Dudley and Duke to Kyle and Dottie and Duchess to Len, then got Jamie bundled up for the great outdoors.
    Diaper bag hooked on one handle-hook and my purse hookedonto the other, random Poofs along for the ride, we headed for the elevator. The dogs tried to pull the boys the way they did with whichever A-C had them; but though A-Cs might be stronger, football players were apparently better at dog handling, at least my two were. Both boys had the dogs minding by the time we reached the front of the Embassy.
    Navigating the steps was an issue, or would have been if White hadn’t joined us. “Need a helping hand, Missus Martini?”
    “I never say no. You want to come for a walk with us, Richard?” It was a safe bet—he had his coat on.
    “Frankly, I’d love to.” He held the door for all of us, then helped me get Jamie’s stroller down the stairs. Enhanced or not, her stroller had so many bells, whistles, and A-C gadgets on it that I couldn’t lift it safely by myself, especially not with her in it.
    We went over to Sheridan Circle Park first because it was close and the dogs really needed the stop. Len and Kyle remained underwhelmed by their dog duties, but they only complained a little bit. Dog necessities completed, I contemplated where to go next. It was a nice day, and we’d been out for only five minutes—seemed sort of a waste to just go back to the Embassy.
    “Any suggested destination, Richard?”
    He gave me a small smile. “I’m sure you’re not aware of it, but we’re fairly close to the Embassy of Paraguay.”
    “What a great destination idea!” It was particularly great because I knew without asking that Jeff, Chuckie, Reader, and everyone else would forbid us to go. Under the circumstances, I let the accurate mention of my lack of awareness slide. “Lead the way, Mister White.”
    We started at a slow stroll, Len and the girl dogs in front of us, Kyle and the boy dogs bringing up the rear, White walking next to me. It was rather pleasant.
    The one positive I had to give this area was that the buildings were, for the most part, beautiful. They tended toward old and stately, with lots of mature and well-maintained foliage. The streets were loaded with trees, and there was a lot of grass. It was much greener than I was used to, coming from the beiges, browns, and reds of the desert.
    One of the things no one had mentioned to me until I’d lived at the Embassy over a month was that it was actually disguised to look as old as everything else around it. It gave the feeling of having been here for a couple of centuries, as opposed to a few decades. Our Embassy wasn’t the most astounding, architecturewise, but itabsolutely fit in with its surroundings and achieved the whole “looking smaller outside than inside” thing, though everyone insisted it was just good design, not cloaking or any other mysterious visual effect.
    “What’s the word, Richard? Did anyone make any progress on any damn thing last night or this morning?”
    “Sadly, no. Other than our Concierge Majordomo, who’s planned the Embassy’s social calendar for the next several months, presuming we all survive tonight.”
    I wasn’t sure if I should feel happy nothing had progressed without my help or worried. Settled for both. “Pierre’s a god.”
    “Truly. He’s also ordered all the equipment needed for the school and day care center.”
    I ran that sentence over again in my mind. Wasn’t computing. “Excuse me?”
    White chuckled. “Denise Lewis wants to have something to do to pass the time, since she had to give up her job to relocate here. And our children don’t go to regular schools.” This I knew to be true; they were all schooled within the A-C community.
    “Denise wants to teach and run a day care center?”
    “The Lewises will be living on premises, and Kevin will have the title of Defense Attaché. Because she has a teaching degree and also has children living with us, Denise has graciously requested to be in charge of the day care center and school. For the Embassy personnel and for those in Alpha and Airborne who might prefer to have their children schooled here as well.”
    “Can I take my classes from Denise, too?”
    “Sadly, no.” White said this with a straight face, but I could tell he wanted to laugh. Hey, it was worth a shot.
    It didn’t take us too long to reach our destination. The building the Paraguay