Marci
Tale of an Air Force Wife
by
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Marci sat before her computer monitor in the Dallas office of U.S. Customs. The window behind her afforded a panoramic view of the city’s business district, but she paid little attention to it. She had seen it a hundred times and today was – well, "one of those days." Ed, a Special Agent was in a big hurry, but nevertheless rushed into Marci’s office and greeted her in a manner that was polite. "Hi Marci how’s things going?" But he continued without waiting for an answer: "Hey, have you got my 293 ready? The deal is going down in 35 minutes." She looked up at him, with that look in her eye that said, well it really doesn’t matter anyway how busy I might be, but tried to accommodate him as pleasantly as she could. "Hold on now, just chill out for a second Ed, I do have everything ready for you, but I’m waiting on Wayne to sign off on it; he’s been in conference all morning. But the good news is I really think it’s about ready to break up. Give me 10 minutes or so and I’ll bring you the paper work and the money. Okay?" "Well what the hell. I guess I’ll have to wait, won’t I?" Ed turned and walked out of her office without another word. Marci started looking over several other forms which also needed the RAC’s signature, she wanted to make sure she had everything perfect before opening the safe to get the money ready for disbursement. As Imprest fund cashier of a class B, $30,000 government fund it was Marci’s job to review and document forms, disburse monies to 34 Special Agents and nine members of the administrative staff. For the Special Agent’s typical case, he needs vital information from an informer, to justify an arrest on a particular case. Since the informer will often demand compensation for his information the agent will make a reasonable offer. The amount of money which changes hands depends largely upon the value of the information or material exchanged. This morning, like many other mornings, law enforcement officers, from agencies such as DEA, FBI, ATF, and the local Dallas Police department were with the Resident Agent in Charge for the semi-annual meeting. Marci kept one eye on the door to the conference room so she would see Wayne enter his office. She needed those signatures in a hurry now, more than the 10 minutes had passed and she knew that Ed was anxious to get moving. As soon as the doors opened and she saw Wayne enter his office, Marci rushed in so he could he sign the forms quickly before another interruption accrued. Marci then rushed directly toward the long hall which lead to Ed’s office. After securing his signature on the "293" and reminding him that he must return the pink copy with the informer’s signature, she turned over the $3,000 to him. She logged the transactions into a ledger – since it was her responsibility to keep the balance of the fund accurately. Marci was familiar with several administrative and investigative computerized systems and was able to assemble information to offer solutions to the Resident Agent in Charge and other personnel in a variety of enforcement, administrative problems. Using the CIPPS (Customs Intergrated Personnel Payroll System) she was able to enter data and retrieve personnel reports on an individual basis using the person’s social security number as identifier. Very often Marci would spend part of her lunch break, searching the computer database to discover if there are any interesting summer temporary relocation positions available. This month being April, it was a good time to take a look. Much to her delight, headquarters in Washington had an eight week temporary administrative position requiring her skills and grade status. The assignment was for eight weeks at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan – from mid-June through mid-August. This peaked Marci’s interest for two reasons: first, because she was single again and seeking a brand new adventure. And second, (and more importantly) because she spoke the language and understood their culture. For the first time in her life, she was truly free to go and come as she pleased. It wasn’t a difficult decision, Marci decided to write a memo requesting that she be allowed to leave Dallas in order to replace the secretary in Tokyo. If the RAC (Resident Agent in Charge) approved, he would send it on to Washington with a letter of recommendation so she might be considered as a candidate. And there was more to consider than her qualifications alone – He needed to demonstrate that the Dallas office would operate smoothly without her. It meant placing other admin staff in charge of her responsibilities during her absence. On May 16th at 9:30 am Wayne called Marci on the office phone and told her to please come into his office. Thinking that Wayne wanted to give her some dictation, Marci brought her steno pad with her. "Oh Marci, hi" he greeted her, "come in here; I have some news for you, and boy I think you are going to be pretty happy about it! A fax from Washington came in earlier – they’ve made the selection of the candidate for the Tokyo assignment. Need I say more?" "Oh my God, you mean I got it!" "Yes, that’s right, they agree with me that you would be the perfect secretary for that assignment. You’ll be receiving information soon and a special official passport will be issued to you." "But Marci, before you go, please be certain that you have all your duties here covered You will have to train Dee, on the Imprest Fund and the CIPPS as soon as possible. Now get going – you have a lot to think about and do, Congratulations Marci!" About an hour later everyone in the Customs office knew that Marci had been selected for the Tokyo assignment. And Marci wasn’t the one doing the telling. Everyone had received an e-mail message from Headquarters with the news, so of course they all had to stop by Marci’s office to congratulate her.
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About the Book
Marci: Tale of an Air Force Wife
During a chance encounter on a Japanese train with an interesting man, Marci begins doing something she hasn’t done in ages – she shares her life story:
We see Marci as a very popular teenager with a propensity for men in uniform – and with no shortage of Saturday-night dates. We follow her development from being a rather reserved young girl, to a young woman who is at home on the floor of a military dance.
Not surprisingly, Marci marries a military man – an Air Force Staff Sergeant named Rodney – and the story follows Marci around the world as an Air Force wife to England, to Japan, and various locations back in the States. But what should have been an American-as-apple-pie life – a military wife raising four children – is seriously marred by awful secrets that Marci must deal with largely by herself.
As Marci enters its concluding chapters, we again return to the present, and the beginning of a new phase of life. And so we leave Marci, full of hope. Because she knew the love of her life was out there, and this new man in her life, Philip, just might be him.
About the Author
A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Martha Mass has lived in all parts of the United States and foreign countries. Her experiences traveling and raising four children to adulthood have given her a keen insight into human nature and a sensitivity to others’ physical and emotional needs. Martha is a former employee of the U.S. Customs Service. During her time with the service, she was very fortunate to be assigned to the U. S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. She was working at the Dallas, Texas Special Agent in charge office, and is now retired. Her role as an astute observer of the human condition has served her well as a writer of poetry, and her poems have been included in numerous anthologies published by the International Library of Poetry. She has served in editorial capacities on several in-house newsletters and presently edits and produces a parish bulletin for a Wisconsin church. Marci is Martha’s first novel, a project that was six years in the writing. Martha is married to Warren Mass, a magazine writer and editor who has also recently completed a novel. Their long-term life plans include returning to the seacoast of New England, to devote more time to their writing endeavors.