HOW OH HOW DID I WAKE UP IN WARSAW??!!

                             


Well, to answer my question...once again I am sort of on a mission.


In early December I went to a little get together for my former 


Humes High School classmates. Carmine and Beanie (my friends 


you met from TREASURE HUNT) are still in Rosario, Argentina


 helping with a soup kitchen there. I went by myself, only planning 


to stay a few minutes. Here came a "made it big" classmate, Larry 


___to sit  by me. I'm glad Larry never knew he was the class nerd. 


                                           


I always liked him. 


"Annie, I've heard about your rocking chair travels, and


 I must say, I am intrigued!! Everyone says you have come into a


huge amount of money which can only be used for travel. Is that right?"


I answered that it was true. I could never explain about my 


monopoly money...no one would believe it!! 


"Yes, Larry. I have gone to Norway, Barrow/Dalton Highway, 


Alaska, and Argentina. It has been fun for an old lady!!"

He asked if I was up for some more adventure. He handed me his 


card which indicated he was with the CIA.


 "I can come to your house and talk with you and Ben about a little


 something you can do for your country!!" MY COUNTRY?!! Suddenly Larry looked like a very exciting person!!                                
                            


And I felt like Miss Marple. "I need to buy a hat!! " This would be fun!!!!                                                                   
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Part 2. After a few days passed, my adrenaline rush was gone and I decided that Larry had been joking with me at the Humes Alum party. 


Anyway, he is also 78. Surely he wouldn't be working for the CIA anymore.


So Ben and I were having breakfast when we looked out the window. Here came Larry!! 


He was in a warm up suit running right up to our front door. 


                                     


He said he had parked a few blocks away. We asked him in and then we all sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. 
                             


 Without any pleasantries, he said, 
"It is obvious that I am too old to be working for the CIA now,
 even though I still have my old badge.                           


 "But my son does, and I help when I can. He mentioned to me that there is a problem with a Polish double agent who has given us a lot of important information, which I can't discuss. Anyway we have him in a safe place in this country. 


The problem is his sister in Poland. She keeps threatening to go to  the newspapers, demanding to know if he is alive or dead and what has happened to him.  Her brother gave us this handkerchief  to get to her, so she will know for sure he is fine. It was a gift from her. We want you to take this handkerchief to the Wieliczka salt mine and drop it at a designated place. An assigned person  will retrieve it and give it to the sister.
When she gets it, she will know her brother is safe. Simple? Yes. No danger."


Then he dropped the bombshell on Ben. "Ben you have to go too. Please. You are a retired college professor. You and Annie have been married 54 years and  lived in the same house for 50 years. You look entirely unsuspicious!! Annie will need you. She would look weird wandering around Warsaw Old Town and the salt mine by herself!! So it is settled!!" 


 Ben rolled his eyes but did not protest! And I was thrilled Ben is going too!!


"Now there is one more mission to carry out," Larry continued. Do you remember Peggy D____our classmate at Humes? Well, her daughter married a boy with Polish ancestors. Peggy's granddaughter who lives in Memphis has won a piano scholarship to the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Her name is Ania Womack."
He laid some pictures on the table as he talked.
 Ania at 9 (facsimile)    at 14 (fac) at16,  now (facsimile)


"Ania's parents were killed last year in an automobile wreck; she is an orphan now and penniless. Would you be willing to pay her transportation and take her along with you?  She knows a little Polish and could help language wise. Her father's aunt still lives in 
Warsaw and will give Ania a home; she will contact you, Okay?"
                                   great aunt (facsimile)


We remembered sweet Peggy who died some years ago. Of course we would help her granddaughter.


He handed us an envelope with instructions and the handkerchief and quickly left...continuing his run....!!!!
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Yesterday we met Ania at the airport for the first time. We loved her right away. Since money is no object, we got first class tickets 

UnitedFlight 6090	2:14 PM, Dec. 28 Memphis International (MEM) Memphis, TN	4:07 PM, Dec. 28 O Hare (ORD) Chicago, IL	1h 53m
	Aircraft type: Regional jet - Embraer RJ145 Operated By Expressjet Airlines, Inc.
Ideal LayoverO Hare (ORD)1h 18m
	LOTFlight 2	5:25 PM, Dec. 28 O Hare (ORD) Chicago, IL	9:50 AM, Dec. 29 Pol Okecie (WAW) Warsaw, PL

 We left Memphis yesterday at 2:14 PM. Left O'Hare at 5:25 pm.We WOKE UP this morning  at 9:50  in Warsaw!! So this was a long way of telling you how we woke up in Warsaw!!



  

Ben, Ania, and I   are going to Polonia Palace Hotel now. We assumed Ania's aunt would meet the plane??  But we have a suite reserved; so we have plenty of room for Ania. We are exhausted. Will write more soon!    Love, annie in memphis 
If you are enjoying this story, you will find the next part:
WHERE OH WHERE HAS ANIA GONE?


                                      
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