She knew why Hal had sent her this. In their social circle, respectability mattered more than anything. If she had a boyfriend frying French fries in the back kitchen of a fast-food restaurant, she would become everyone's laughingstock. The Fris family would be mocked along with her and might even be excluded from certain circles, losing a substantial share of its interests. True love could not solve that.
Being an agent did not sound like a particularly good option either. But if this agent was a presidential guard in charge of taxation, that was completely different. With that ID alone, Carol could make waves in every circle she currently belonged to.
Yet this gave Carol a different kind of concern. She had assumed that Hal had only taken a temporary job because he wanted to relax, and that once he had adjusted his state of mind, he would return to aerospace work.
But he had sent over this ID, proving that for quite some time to come, he might intend to stay in the fast-food kitchen frying French fries.
Carol knew Hal very well. Whenever Hal wanted to avoid something, he would do repetitive work. Even if ordinary people found it tedious, boring, and unrewarding, he would spend a great deal of time doing it.
Hal had never been someone accustomed to running away. Carol had always believed that Hal's sense of responsibility was the foundation of their relationship. So even if he could no longer be a pilot, even if he planned to work at a fast-food restaurant, Carol did not think it was a problem. She knew Hal would find a way and take responsibility for her and their future life. The ID he had sent was the best proof of that.
Hal had never been the kind