Desperate and Digging

And incredulously, she texted back. Like a completely self-absorbed nincompoop.

And then later, sent another text, following up on all the other texts, because evidently, it was of enormous global importance for me to answer her questions, and she was not going to let me not answer.

She had very cleverly designed a question that would - if I answered it honestly and directly - satisfy her craving for information about other things.  Confirmation of her assumptions and deductions from the vast amount of factoids that she amassed from Facebook.

Her question was an invitation.  It was an invitation to join her on a short trip. One that as described would be hard to decline. Unless I had other plans. And she had ideas about what those plans specifically involved from a time commitment on my part. So very clever is she.

But I am more clever.

I cheerfully replied, when I'd left for home that day, that while the plan sounded so yummy and fun and I'd hate to miss it, unfortunately I had plans - in fact, I was committed right on through the weekend and into the next week. 

But she was not shaken off.

She had an idea that I had plans for Friday that were of interest to her. She said, "Not even Friday? I thought you'd said you were available on Friday. Not even for a drink?"

I had never ever said such a thing. She just wanted me to tell her what I'd be doing instead. 

Thank God I had my wits about me. 

"No. Not even Friday." 

The nerve of her. To even think that she was smarter than me. I may have been played when I did not know this was sport. But now that I know there is a game to be won, she can just retire her jersey.  No effing way I'm giving her even a shred of intel to use for her own nefarious purposes.

The trouble was, she'd been using other people as her moles and they were seeking information all over the network, and perhaps less suspicious people were giving up the tapes.  She had all her puppets with their strings up. 

But I left it at that until that night. 

When she tried once more to engage me in conversation.  Very unwise.