Rope-a-dope

He had gotten to this point, after much thought, and far too much experience. What mattered was not some theoretical or getting hooked up with some other guy, who didn't know he was being hooked up with you. It was what is in your face right now.

Right now, the following parameters are what constrained him. 1. He had to put food on the table. 2. He wanted to stay married--this is something he had over many other people in intelligence. 3. If he was ever going to do something for these guys again, it was going to be money up front, with no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Alternately, the system could find him some job to do.

They came back with his application. You have ADD, said Big Brother, handing his resume back to him.

"Your kidding," he replied.
"No its true," said the big guy. "You have itchy feet, you can't a new project off the ground, you have troubles at home, you have low self esteem."

Alfie considered this a minute. His inclination was to respond with the kind of sarcasm he usually used, but there was some truth to it. It was the first useful thing that Big Brother ever said to him.

"This describes almost everybody in the intelligence business, Alfie replied in all seriousness. "Why would somebody leave the country for the bulk of their working lives if they didn't have trouble with their parents or spouse. There is no perfect operative. Only the machine we fight against is perfect, but it's a machine, not a human. Our imperfection is what allows us to traverse the parameters in which the machine operates. We as humans can look beyond the universe and ask what came before the Big Bang? Where did God come from? And all kinds of probes into infinity that the Machine just can't do."

"Yea well, maybe," said Big Brother, cocking his all-seeing eye around the room in that dismissive way of his. "But you don't have a job."

"Great," said Alfie. "My duty is done. I'll salute and be on my way."

Big Brother grabbed his arm. "Wait. We do have an opportunity for you."

"Doing what?"

"It's similar to what you have been doing?"

"Festering in suburbia, starving to death, and waiting for Godot?"

"Just try to respond when you are contacted."

"Oh please," said Alfie. "Good bye..."

"I'm trying to help you here Alfie. You went and blew all of your money."

"On the last project you set me up with. Good bye Biggie."

"Bye Alfie. See ya."

"Not if I see you first."

"Oh, you will."