"Tommy" Part 18
"Tommy"
By Gentile
Part 18
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[Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips] Got the full spread. Rarely did Girl & I splurge for Treacher's, but, with Tommy coming through like he had it was no problem.
Tommy regaled us with tales of the police, mostly up north when his beat was Ames Avenue as we worked thru the Fish & the Chips & the battered hot dogs I so loved. He could tell a story too, by God. It's a knack, one I haven't got, but, Tommy certainly held, even to a case that turned out to be close to home..."Had one, Girl, not too long ago in Pap." (He'd go short for Papillion). "At night, real late." Girl was listening in rapt attention. Me too. Her father? Forget it. He would try and tell the stories of his Cleveland PD work and it would always be a bitter disappointment. Made your ass want to eat your britches listening to him. Ugh.
Tommy: "Dangerous moment, Culburn. I lit him up, pulled him over. Guy and his missus, busting 115."
"Cully, that's you!!!" Girl laughing & pointing to beat the band.
It was a priceless moment. Girl couldn't stop laughing, He got me and quite good. She hopped up & hugged his neck. "You are so cute!"
Girl had fallen for him. And vice versa. To watch them interact over that table that first night was both alarming & well, beautiful. The alarm was bound to trigger. But, the beauty, the satisfaction out weighed the alarm, for sure. They talked to one another like old friends, even though our age difference was considerable. Girl was a puzzle. She had multiple sides. She could work whether at the house, or, at the office with such dedication to quality. Then in the next breath be a muse of sorts, or, a spoiled c***d, and an interminable cock tease. She knew how to work a room, or, a person. She was like that when I hit her with that snowball in Junior High & had changed very little in the interim.
I'd just made a pot of tea when the phone went off.
Girl grabbed it off the wall.
"Hello.
Yes.
Yes, sir." Girl pointed at Tommy.
"Of course, sir, Sergeant Gentile is sitting right here."
"Oh, yes, sir, it is Girl. Oh, I'm fine, we're having tea and well, here's Tommy, I mean Sergeant Gentile."
"What the..." To-my-self.
She placed the flat of her hand over the mouthpiece.
"Tommy, it's your Captain, honey." In a whisper.
Took the receiver. "Good evening, Captain."
"Of course I can, sir. Not a problem whatsoever."
"Well, yes, I'm sure they would be most interested. Very kind of you, Captain."
Girl's brow furrowed at once.
"No, sir, no. I thank you for thinking of me. Yes, sir. No problem. Good night, Captain."
Girl took the phone from Tommy & replaced it on the wall.
"Tommy, what? I don't want you to go, you're on vacation, we're all on vacation. This is our special time now. Don't go, Tommy. Make him stay, Cully."
"No, Girl, listen. Ssshhh." She'd already started vibrating in place. He'd have to hustle, or, she'd start crying at any moment. "Remember, you were going to take me shopping first thing in the mor..."
"Honey, listen: I have good news and even better news. I have to pull a shift tomorrow evening, yes. And the better news? Who's up for a drive-along?"
---------
"What is that, Tommy?"
I knew, but, I let the cop tell her. It was his news after all. They were both so happy I thought he was going to pick her up again, but, they settled for a hug.
"Wow, I don't believe it. Do I get to sit in the front seat with you, Tommy? Cully, you'll sit in the back. Right, Tommy?"
Right off I thought of the last time she'd sat in the front seat in a police cruiser with him, but, I kept my mouth shut tight. That would dawn on them sooner or later.
He sat down and she immediately hopped into his lap. "No, you'll both be in the back seat and if something should come down serious I'd put you out and continue on. Back-up would be along shortly, or, I'd return."
"No, I don't like the sound of that, Tommy. Just take the easy calls tomorrow that way you don't have to put us out and we can all stay together." Girl was way ahead of everybody.
I played it cool, because big mouth Girl played it so big. She worked him over as to the merits of the drive-along and her quest for front seat privileges. I steeped the tea, set out the cookies and watched not them, but, over them. I'd interject once-in-awhile, but, I just liked to, well, yes, watch.
---------
And it was amazing how we'd become so comfortable around one another so rapidly. I thought nothing of the fact that she was perched on his lap like that. Seemed so natural, even though the sight was striking. There was a beauty there, the contrast in color and size perhaps? Yes, but, there was more. It would take time and we had that, that time was en route. Time to look at them, consider them and make um***** appraisals, judgments, & decisions, nearly all to-my-self. Tommy had set me at ease. There was no act with Tommy, no bravado, an honesty that was graveling. He was a regular "Joe." More like an extraordinary "Joe." Yes, that was it. I secretly admired him right out of the box. He was an accomplished man, there was no denying that.
"You could learn a lot from him." I reminded myself. "Without-a-doubt." To-my-self.
He had Girl in the palm of his hand, and quite frankly she had him the same way, but, he wasn't trying to maneuver her, or, me, or, the complex situation we were in. And she wasn't either. This had happened. God had dropped this into our lives for some reason. The obvious reason: to save & preserve Tommy's life. Seemed so huge a responsibility. I felt dwarfed at the calling. Thank heavens God had dropped that calling closer to Girl, by inches. She was up to it. Relished it. I thought of "Dragline" imploring "Luke"---"Get mad at them damn eggs." That's how Girl would approach saving Tommy. Get mad at anything that tried to stand in her way as the savior of this man.
And I could be honest, if only to myself: Girl needed this. Girl wanted this. I could quash it, but, I never considered doing that, not seriously anyway. If I didn't want it after all was said and done I'd have a case and could live with it, but balancing (yes) & (no) as a lifestyle became my life.
[Cuckold] is an ugly word, a vulgar term. I hate it so.
(to be continued)
By Gentile
Part 18
---------
[Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips] Got the full spread. Rarely did Girl & I splurge for Treacher's, but, with Tommy coming through like he had it was no problem.
Tommy regaled us with tales of the police, mostly up north when his beat was Ames Avenue as we worked thru the Fish & the Chips & the battered hot dogs I so loved. He could tell a story too, by God. It's a knack, one I haven't got, but, Tommy certainly held, even to a case that turned out to be close to home..."Had one, Girl, not too long ago in Pap." (He'd go short for Papillion). "At night, real late." Girl was listening in rapt attention. Me too. Her father? Forget it. He would try and tell the stories of his Cleveland PD work and it would always be a bitter disappointment. Made your ass want to eat your britches listening to him. Ugh.
Tommy: "Dangerous moment, Culburn. I lit him up, pulled him over. Guy and his missus, busting 115."
"Cully, that's you!!!" Girl laughing & pointing to beat the band.
It was a priceless moment. Girl couldn't stop laughing, He got me and quite good. She hopped up & hugged his neck. "You are so cute!"
Girl had fallen for him. And vice versa. To watch them interact over that table that first night was both alarming & well, beautiful. The alarm was bound to trigger. But, the beauty, the satisfaction out weighed the alarm, for sure. They talked to one another like old friends, even though our age difference was considerable. Girl was a puzzle. She had multiple sides. She could work whether at the house, or, at the office with such dedication to quality. Then in the next breath be a muse of sorts, or, a spoiled c***d, and an interminable cock tease. She knew how to work a room, or, a person. She was like that when I hit her with that snowball in Junior High & had changed very little in the interim.
I'd just made a pot of tea when the phone went off.
Girl grabbed it off the wall.
"Hello.
Yes.
Yes, sir." Girl pointed at Tommy.
"Of course, sir, Sergeant Gentile is sitting right here."
"Oh, yes, sir, it is Girl. Oh, I'm fine, we're having tea and well, here's Tommy, I mean Sergeant Gentile."
"What the..." To-my-self.
She placed the flat of her hand over the mouthpiece.
"Tommy, it's your Captain, honey." In a whisper.
Took the receiver. "Good evening, Captain."
"Of course I can, sir. Not a problem whatsoever."
"Well, yes, I'm sure they would be most interested. Very kind of you, Captain."
Girl's brow furrowed at once.
"No, sir, no. I thank you for thinking of me. Yes, sir. No problem. Good night, Captain."
Girl took the phone from Tommy & replaced it on the wall.
"Tommy, what? I don't want you to go, you're on vacation, we're all on vacation. This is our special time now. Don't go, Tommy. Make him stay, Cully."
"No, Girl, listen. Ssshhh." She'd already started vibrating in place. He'd have to hustle, or, she'd start crying at any moment. "Remember, you were going to take me shopping first thing in the mor..."
"Honey, listen: I have good news and even better news. I have to pull a shift tomorrow evening, yes. And the better news? Who's up for a drive-along?"
---------
"What is that, Tommy?"
I knew, but, I let the cop tell her. It was his news after all. They were both so happy I thought he was going to pick her up again, but, they settled for a hug.
"Wow, I don't believe it. Do I get to sit in the front seat with you, Tommy? Cully, you'll sit in the back. Right, Tommy?"
Right off I thought of the last time she'd sat in the front seat in a police cruiser with him, but, I kept my mouth shut tight. That would dawn on them sooner or later.
He sat down and she immediately hopped into his lap. "No, you'll both be in the back seat and if something should come down serious I'd put you out and continue on. Back-up would be along shortly, or, I'd return."
"No, I don't like the sound of that, Tommy. Just take the easy calls tomorrow that way you don't have to put us out and we can all stay together." Girl was way ahead of everybody.
I played it cool, because big mouth Girl played it so big. She worked him over as to the merits of the drive-along and her quest for front seat privileges. I steeped the tea, set out the cookies and watched not them, but, over them. I'd interject once-in-awhile, but, I just liked to, well, yes, watch.
---------
And it was amazing how we'd become so comfortable around one another so rapidly. I thought nothing of the fact that she was perched on his lap like that. Seemed so natural, even though the sight was striking. There was a beauty there, the contrast in color and size perhaps? Yes, but, there was more. It would take time and we had that, that time was en route. Time to look at them, consider them and make um***** appraisals, judgments, & decisions, nearly all to-my-self. Tommy had set me at ease. There was no act with Tommy, no bravado, an honesty that was graveling. He was a regular "Joe." More like an extraordinary "Joe." Yes, that was it. I secretly admired him right out of the box. He was an accomplished man, there was no denying that.
"You could learn a lot from him." I reminded myself. "Without-a-doubt." To-my-self.
He had Girl in the palm of his hand, and quite frankly she had him the same way, but, he wasn't trying to maneuver her, or, me, or, the complex situation we were in. And she wasn't either. This had happened. God had dropped this into our lives for some reason. The obvious reason: to save & preserve Tommy's life. Seemed so huge a responsibility. I felt dwarfed at the calling. Thank heavens God had dropped that calling closer to Girl, by inches. She was up to it. Relished it. I thought of "Dragline" imploring "Luke"---"Get mad at them damn eggs." That's how Girl would approach saving Tommy. Get mad at anything that tried to stand in her way as the savior of this man.
And I could be honest, if only to myself: Girl needed this. Girl wanted this. I could quash it, but, I never considered doing that, not seriously anyway. If I didn't want it after all was said and done I'd have a case and could live with it, but balancing (yes) & (no) as a lifestyle became my life.
[Cuckold] is an ugly word, a vulgar term. I hate it so.
(to be continued)
5年前
