The "doing his laundry" that Tommy had referred to was dropping it off at the Laundromat next door to his barber's shop. For a small extra fee, the older lady who managed the laundry washed, dried, hung on hangers and ironed what needed to be ironed, certain of her customers clothing. Tommy was one of her favorites and "certain" customers. After a couple of earlier attempts to do this for himself had resulted in near disaster, this way was better for both of them.

     With the three hours he had before he was to meet Teri, Tommy decided he could possibly accomplish a small amount of the housework he had been promising himself to do. Like most bachelors, promising to do it tomorrow was much easier than doing it today. It was, he told himself, rapidly approaching a national disaster state.

     The site of the disaster was located two miles outside the city limits, on the shore of Lake Tempe. It was, as Tommy liked to tell those who asked, five rooms, a carport, two acres and 200 feet of shoreline. He posted a sign at the entrance to his lane telling all who read it, it was " 'Tommy's Territory.' My version of sanity in this crazy world."

     This bravado was only partially true. He accrued with it the house keeping, yard work, and maintenance chores that drive a bachelor crazy. Tommy had purchased the cabin and its environs five years earlier, one year after arriving at Channel 4. He left behind two years seniority at another station, and a bad marriage. The outside was not in any immediate need of his attention, he concluded as he parked his jeep under the carport. It was the inside that needed "shoveled out." He was at the point that he either needed to do some dishes or buy another set. Although he was meticulous about removing the left over food and garbage to the container outdoors, he believed the dishes looked equally comfortable in the sink or in the cupboard. Sweaters and jackets hung from the backs of chairs and shoes were tucked under various furniture. At least this was the "Home Spun Philosophy" he uttered during the times there were still clean dishes in the cupboard.

     Even discounting his earlier need to find such a retreat, the cabin was a lot like him. Raised in an orphanage, he had few illusions about life, at least his part in it. He had learned early that if you wanted something, you worked for it. You limited your wants to something you could afford. The cabin, including its attachments, was not pretentious. It was comfortable. It was solid. And, it was affordable. Tommy was happy here. Even if Tommy achieved his goal of attaining network status and was forced to move to one of the nation's larger cities, he would not sell the cabin. The uncertainty of his childhood had given him a phobia that required him to always have a secure base to which he could return. The cabin was that security blanket.

     Placing the last washed dish into the drying rack, Tommy glanced at his watch. If he was to meet Teri on time, he needed to start something cooking while he showered, or he could grab a sandwich at a fast food joint on the way to the station. It would, he decided, be a shame to dirty any of the newly washed dishes. He would stop at a drive-in on the way. Hanging his shirt on the back of one of the dinette chairs, he headed for the shower.

     "A cheeseburger, fries and a vanilla shake," Tommy told the cute redheaded waitress at the drive-in, "and could you hurry it? I'm running late."

     "I shouldn't wait on you at all," was her half-pouting, half-joking reply. "You promised to take me flying and fishing, and haven't done either."

     As she walked away, Tommy carefully focused in on the shapely pair of legs so visible beneath the mini-skirt of the uniform. She's right, he thought, I should take care of that very soon. When she returned he found out that her next day off coincided with his. She gave him the address at which he could pick her up. Tommy hoped it would rain. A dreary, damp day, the two of them sipping drinks while reclining on the couch in front of the fire place, seemed to him more enjoyable than taking her either flying or fishing.

     He was five minutes late for his appointment with Teri. Other than possibly angering her, it wouldn't have made a difference if he had been a hour late. Their appointment with Senator Mann wasn't scheduled until eight-thirty.

     Together they scanned Mac's list of questions. It contained several questions pertaining to an up-coming junket to Honduras by Senator Mann and two members of his committee. While the announced visit was billed as one in which the Senators would investigate the use to which the Honduran Government was putting the relief supplies sent them by the United States, Mac's questions asked about a meeting with the Nicaraguan Freedom Fighters, the Contras. The questions were so positive about a meeting of this kind taking place, it was as if he had inside information concerning it.

     "Mann's better known for his temper than his tact," Teri reported as she finished reading the list of questions. "If he's trying to hide something, this might get a little hairy."

     "Yeah," Tommy replied, "I've seen some footage where Mann really went after the interviewer over things the interviewer asked. Once, I remember, he didn't even bother to answer, he just walked out."

     "Could be that Mac's info is wrong," she said, "but usually he's right on target. Is Mann running for re-election this year?"

     "Naw, he's an off-year one this time, but the President is. Probably Mann will be running around a lot drumming up funds and support for both the President and the party. Supposedly, this one's billed as a fund raiser for the local party candidates."

     Tommy switched to a slightly different subject concerning the near-at-hand elections. "This could be a busy year for us. With both parties fielding fairly strong candidates and with the way the 'mud slinging' has already started, we could wind up spending all our time covering politics."

     A smiling Senator Mann, fresh from an enjoyable banquet, arrived at the room selected for his interview. Teri's introduction of him was warm and friendly. So was the tone of her voice, but her first question wiped the smile from his face. "Senator, it is my understanding that you are leading a delegation to Honduras next week. There you will meet with both representatives of the Honduran Government and the Contra leadership. What exactly will you be discussing with each?"

     In an attempt to regain his earlier composure, a small smile returned to the senator's lips. It was a poor attempt at replacing the larger one it carried a moment before. "Someone has given you erroneous information, young lady," Mann replied, directing his reply at Tommy's camera. "We are not meeting with the Contras. Our only mission is discussing with representatives of the Honduran Government the effect and future needs of the humanitarian relief supplies we have been sending to them."

     "Does your mission include on site visits to the refugee camps or are you merely holding hearings in the Honduran capital?"

     "We will definitely have a first hand look at what these humanitarian supplies are accomplishing. The tax payers deserve to know if they are getting their money's worth."

     "Does this include the military supplies we have been shipping to the Contras?" The disarming smile was again on her face.

     "This is the last time I'm going to correct you," the anger was evident in his voice. "We are not meeting with representatives of the Contras."

     Not giving him time to conclude the interview or get into a long winded diatribe covering some non-important item, Teri quickly asked, "If my understanding is correct, these camps are scattered all directions from the capital. Are you going to split up and some visit those North and West while the others visit those in the South and East?

     Still angry, Mann replied to her latest question, "No young lady, we will not split up. Together, courtesy of the U.S. Army, we will be flown by helicopter to each of the camps. Incidently, there are no refugee camps in the south. That area is where the fighting is taking place, and as I told you, we will not be meeting with those involved in the fighting."

     "I have only two more questions Senator, and I would appreciate it if you didn't patronize me. My name is Teri O'Leary, not young lady. My information says you will meet the first two days of your junket with officials of the Honduran Government, then spend the next two days visiting the refugee camps. The last two days I believe you will be closeted in the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Why two days in the Embassy?"

     This time he neither used the "young Lady" title nor her name. He answered without reference to anyone. "We will be discussing the effectiveness of our relief program with our ambassador, giving him instructions and listening to his suggestions for improving the program.

     Tommy grinned to himself as he prepared to zoom in on the Senator's face. Having read Mac's notes and questions, he knew Teri was about to deliver her final thrust. He did not want the viewers to miss Mann's expression.

     "Is the ambassador expecting you or is he flying in from somewhere?"

     "No, he'll be with us during the visitations and flying back to Tegucigalpa with us. We'll all spend that night at the embassy. He'll...." The Senator, suddenly realizing there was a great deal more behind the question, looked sharply at Teri.

     "Who then," Teri asked again with the same friendly voice and smile she used in her opening statement, "is being flown in to the embassy by army helicopter from a camp on the southern border? The area you are not going to visit and where, by your own words, the fighting is going on."

     Tommy's camera caught the Senator's mouth dropping open in surprise and the angry glare in his eyes, before he walked from the room.

     "At the Holman Hotel, this is Teri O'Leary for Channel 4 Instant News."

     Together Teri and Tommy watched the interview on the local 10 o'clock news on the monitor in the lounge at the station. Even with an angry Senator walking out on it, it was a good interview. The next day it ran on all of the network's affiliate stations.

     "Those questions Mac had you ask," Tommy said to her discussing what they had just watched. "Did you get the feeling that they had been prompted by sources with greater resource potential than a local news director would have?"

     "You mean like the one about someone being flown in from southern Honduras to the embassy by helicopter?"

     "Exactly."

     "My feeling," Teri replied, "is that Mac got it from network sources. We'll have to ask him."

     Tommy closed her car door after she had taken her place at the wheel. Leaning through the open window, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "You don't need me to prod you along anymore," he told her, "you can work with anyone they assign you. You're as good as they come."

     She loved the praise, but his message startled her. Reaching up, she pulled his head back down and returned his kiss. "I'll always need you," she said, meaning it. Although she basked in the warmth of his praise all the way home, the thought of not working with him gave her an uneasy feeling. It was something they needed to talk about.