America's top-known ex-spy Valerie Plame Wilson was looking stylish in black bustier and flowing white pants, posing for paparazzi on the red carpet earlier this month at a film festival in Deauville, France.
A few days later, she was standing in her Santa Fe dining room, sans makeup, in sneakers and sweatshirt, fighting off jet lag as she presided over some run-of-the-mill domestic chaos. She had children -- 10-year-old twins Samantha and Trevor -- to hustle to school and a frisky dog to walk. Her husband, Joe, a former ambassador, had just returned from a business trip to Baghdad and was on the phone, squabbling with the airline over lost luggage. Their fridge was practically blank and Samantha had proclaimed her English muffin "disgusting."
Ms. Wilson took a bite. "Sourdough," she announced, handing the offending muffin to her husband. He dug in with feigned relish, thought that it might taste better with some worms. The little girl rolled her eyes.
For Ms. Wilson, a former undercover operative for the C.I.A. whose exposure in 2003 engulfed the Bush White House in scandal, the hectic morning was a precious sliver of normalcy in a life that has had anything but. She and her husband fled Washington's echo chamber for Santa Fe three years ago, seeking peace and seclusion after the so-called Plame Affair destroyed his international consulting business, wrecked her espionage career and nearly took down their wedding.
A few days later, she was standing in her Santa Fe dining room, sans makeup, in sneakers and sweatshirt, fighting off jet lag as she presided over some run-of-the-mill domestic chaos. She had children -- 10-year-old twins Samantha and Trevor -- to hustle to school and a frisky dog to walk. Her husband, Joe, a former ambassador, had just returned from a business trip to Baghdad and was on the phone, squabbling with the airline over lost luggage. Their fridge was practically blank and Samantha had proclaimed her English muffin "disgusting."
Ms. Wilson took a bite. "Sourdough," she announced, handing the offending muffin to her husband. He dug in with feigned relish, thought that it might taste better with some worms. The little girl rolled her eyes.
For Ms. Wilson, a former undercover operative for the C.I.A. whose exposure in 2003 engulfed the Bush White House in scandal, the hectic morning was a precious sliver of normalcy in a life that has had anything but. She and her husband fled Washington's echo chamber for Santa Fe three years ago, seeking peace and seclusion after the so-called Plame Affair destroyed his international consulting business, wrecked her espionage career and nearly took down their wedding.
0 comments:
Post a Comment