Behold Leviathan

"Well, how was it?" she inquired.

"Oh, just another day at the office," Kip said nonchalantly.

"Oh Good!" Nikki said with a sigh of relief. "No more fire works then? Oh, I'm so happy for you! Did you get your way? "

"Oh," Kip replied, "You know how it is - getting there is half the fun!"

They were having a pleasant, intimate dinner in a quiet corner of the café. The table linen, Kip observed a little self-consciously, was crisp and starched, silverware shiny, and the dinnerware china exquisite. Just outside the window was a small garden with those Japanese Belushi trees. Yes, it was a special place for them both.

Then Kip noticed, from the corner of his eye, three uniformed men approaching. Like a tsunami out of season, they looked very awkward in the ritzy joint. Then he started, as they came into focus. Christ almighty, uniforms... Brother not again! They came up quickly. Noticing the abrupt change in Kip's expression, Nikki turned to look too.

"Federal Marshals," one of them said and presented them with a warrant with less courtesy than the Ancient Mariner feeding the hungry Albatross. "We have orders to take Mr. Cleary into custody," motioning toward Kip with a crook of his neck.

"Nope, been there, done that," Kip deadpanned to the stoic doldrums expression in the policeman's face. Totally ignored them, then; Kip turned and pressed onward with his romance. The officers didn't move. Pouting almost, they made little squirrel sounds and pawed at the ground like a cat looking for a clean spot in the litter box.

"You heard the gentleman," Nikki chimed in. "We're not interested - bug off!"

"You could please apologize to the lady!" Cleary said, wringing his arms from out of the grips of the musclemen. By this time, Nikki was giggling, at the insane brashness of her dinner companion.

It brought Cleary's heart joy to see the sparkle in her beauteous eyes. 'If this is the big one, then prison will be worth every second of it,' he said with a Groucho Marx cigar twist of bread between two fingers, and she laughed a little bit more. Then the thugs tightened their grip, and his attention left her. They were strong and wanted him to know it. Cleary expected a pistol butt to the back of the head at any time.

Nikki put her wineglass down then, sobering up a little after their laugh. Very carefully she took a napkin and dabbed a speck of food from her lips. Then she reached down at her side to grab her purse, the model of domestic acquiescence. Standing, she pushed the chair aside and left to the powder room.

She was walking over to the U.S. Marshals, now; Kip saw curiously. One of them saw her approaching and said something rude.

"Screw you," was the unexpected statement - from Nikki!