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By Root 280 0

ethnic unrest in Spain. Then Harleigh and her fellow violinists would play "A Song of Peace." The composition had been written by a Spanish composer to honor those who died over sixty years before in the Spanish Civil War. Musicians from Washington had been selected to perform, which turned out to be fittingeabecause an American, Op-Center's Martha Mackall, had been the first victim of the recent unrest. It was a coincidence that Paul Hood's daughter was among the eight violinists chosen. The twelve other parents had all arrived, and Sharon had scooted off downstairs to find the rest room. The musicians had come down to say a brief hello a few minutes before she left. Harleigh had looked so mature in her white satin gown and pearls. Young Barbara Mathis, who was standing beside Harleigh, was also calm and poised, a diva in the making. Hood knew that Harleigh's appearance was the reason Sharon excused herself. She didn't like to cry in public. Harleigh had been studying violin since she was four and wearing overalls. He was used to seeing her that way, or in her track and field clothes when she was earning all her ribbons. To see her walk upstairs from the dressing room, an accomplished musician and a woman, was overwhelming. Hood had asked his daughter if she were nervous. She said no. The composer had done the hard part. Harleigh was poised and she was smart, too.

Now that Hood thought about it, the old bull's-eye image of the United Nations probably wasn't what made him feel vulnerable. It was now. This moment, this point in his life.

Standing in the open four-story-tall lobby, Hood felt very much alone. He felt detached from so many things. His kids were growing, he'd ended a career, he felt estranged from his wife in so many ways, and Hood would no longer be seeing the people h less-than do worked with so closely for over two years. Is that what he was supposed to feel halfway through his life? Vulnerable and adrift? He didn't know. Everyone he'd associated with at Op-Center-Bob Herbert, Mike Rodgers, Darrell McCaskey, computer genius Matt Stoll, and even the late Martha Mackall-were single. Their job was their life. The same was true of Colonel Brett August, head of the Striker team. Had being with them made him like this? Or was he drawn to them because he wanted that life? If the latter were true, he was going to have a very difficult time making his new life work. Maybe he should talk to psychologist Liz Gordon about this while he was still eligible for office perks. Although she was single, too, and worked about sixty hours a week. Hood saw Sharon come up the winding staircase on the other side of the lobby. She was dressed in a smart beige pantsuit and she looked terrific. He'd told her so back at the hotel, and that had put a little bounce in her step. The bounce was still there. She smiled at him, and he smiled back as she approached. Suddenly, he didn't feel quite so alone.

A young Japanese woman walked toward them. She was wearing a navy blue blazer, a laminated ID badge on her breast pocket, and a big, welcoming smile. She came from a small lobby located on the eastern side of the General Assembly Building. Unlike the main lobby, which was located on the far northern end of the building, the smaller lobby adjoined the main plaza in front of the towering Secretariat Building. In addition to the offices of the member nations, the Secretariat Building housed the halls of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council. That was where they were headed. The three magnificent auditoriums were situated side by side, overlooking the East River. The United Nations Correspondents Club, which was where the parents would be taken, was located across the hall from the Security Council.

The young guide introduced herself as Kako Nogami. As the visting parents followed her, the young lady went into an abbreviated version of her tour-guide speech.

"How many of you have been to the United Nations before?" she asked, walking backward.

Several parents raised their hands. Hood didn't.