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“I don’t know how I would react if some woman came up to me and called me Daddy,” Renegade snort-laughs as he says it. “See I can’t even get it out without cracking up.”
“Dating now is a totally different world from when I was a teenager or even a twenty-something,” I concede. “But I was attracted to Karina’s picture from the beginning. There was something about the way she smiled and the way the smile reached her eyes. We didn’t have a whole lot of conversations back and forth – honestly, I think she liked the way I look. But within a week, we were making plans to meet one another for dinner in Birmingham.”
“Oohhh, took her to the city, huh?”
“Where else was I gonna take her?” I give him a glare. “At the time I didn’t know she lived right here in town, I thought she lived in the surrounding area. Anyway, we went to dinner, and we ended up having sex in the backseat of my Jeep. She ignored my attempts to get in touch with her after that for a week or so, and then I had to go talk to Caleb’s class.”
“No fucking way.” Renegade snorts. “She was the teacher?”
“She was,” I confirm. “Given the second chance, I wasn’t going to let her get away. We came to an understanding, and we’ve seen each other once since then. Last night. And I invited her to come with me and Caleb to the hunting and fishing show tomorrow.”
“Does Caleb know?”
“Yeah, and that’s presented its own set of difficulties. She’s his teacher, he kind of thinks she’s hot, and while I don’t think Caleb would ever do anything to make her uncomfortable, it might take us all a while to know how to interact with one another.”
“That makes sense. I remember when Whitney and I first got together. It was easy for us, when it was just us. When you added the prying eyes of everyone else into the mix, that’s when it became difficult to know what to do and how to react. The first time we had dinner with her family as a couple, we told them all she was pregnant. Talk about just throwing it out there.” He shifts in his seat. “Tank decked me, and I worried that I’d fucked up our friendship, but everything worked out.”
“I think that’s kind of where I am,” I admit. “There’s so much that can go wrong. Like what if we don’t make it? What if I fall hardcore for her, and it ends up being something she doesn’t necessarily want? What if her and Caleb don’t get along outside of her classroom? What if she gets in trouble for dating a student’s parent?”
“What if it all works out and at this time next year you’re still with her and happier than you’ve ever been? It can’t be all gloom and doom my man.”
I hear what he’s saying, but so many things in my life have fucked up, I’m just not sure I can count on it.
My cell phone buzzes in the cup holder next to where I sit. Picking it up, a smile immediately spreads across my face.
K: So, I have one of those questions.
Fuck, my heart pounds just from seeing her name on my phone. When did I become this guy?
M: Which is?
K: What’s your favorite type of music? Tickets for Shinedown go on sale next week, for their concert in January of next year. I know it’s presumptuous, but if you like them and I like them? Maybe we can make plans. I’m being optimistic in our future here.
She sends me a picture of herself holding up a sign that saysgo out on a date with me? I can’t help the laugh, even though it causes Renegade to glance over, a knowing look on his face.
M: I’m a rock fan, and I love them. Count me in! I say yes to your date.
The answer I get from her is a .gif withYAASSSSgoing across the bottom. The stupid smile on my face feels good, and it feels even better to know she’s the one to put it there.
* * *
Things have been relativelyquiet today as we’ve made our rounds through downtown and along the outlying areas of the county. We’re an hour from going off-shift when a call comes through dispatch.
“We’ve got a report of what appears to the caller to be teenage kids drinking at Laurel Springs Park,” our weekend dispatcher relates the information to use clearly. “She states they’re loud, crude, and obnoxious. Two teenage boys making vulgar gestures and being all around inappropriate at a family park. She says they’re drinking something out of bottles, but she doesn’t know what it is.”
“10-4,” I answer back. “Show Renegade and I as responding, we’re about five minutes out.”
The lights on our cruiser pop on, as does the siren. When Renegade presses the accelerator, I hold on to the ‘oh shit’ handles as the engine responds. Being able to drive fast, be a little reckless, and the adrenaline spike I get as I’m about to answer a call – this right here is probably my favorite thing about being a cop, besides helping people. When I was in the Army, I lived off the dangerous aspect of some of the missions I took. My skill set was very specific, and nine things out of ten I did, I’ll never be able to talk about to another human being. But it gave me purpose, it gave me something to do other than sit at home and wonder how I was going to feed my kid. No, that came later. After the Army, when I had to jump back into civilian life. Things weren’t so easy then.
In a matter of what feels like seconds, we’re pulling into the park, and immediately we see the teenagers the caller spoke about. Maddox Stanford and Billy Langston have played football with Caleb since he joined the team. They’ve been over to my house more times than I can count. I’ve sat in the stands with their dads, watching them play. Truth be told, I can barely believe what I’m seeing in front of me right now. Two kids who are in the prime of their lives are looking like two homeless bums on a park bench, drunk, in the middle of a Saturday.
“Maddox, Billy.” I nod at the two of them as we approach. I have my thumbs hooked in my duty belt, giving them the appearance that I’m at ease. Really, I’m anything but. This scares me. I have a few more months to get Caleb out of here and keep him clean. With influences like this, it’s going to be harder than I thought.
“Mr. Harrison.” Maddox sits up straighter, trying to appear sober, but then a grin starts spreading across his face and the laughter of someone who’s inebriated cuts through. “Or should I call youOfficer Harrison?” He laughs, hitting Billy in the stomach.
They both laugh obnoxiously, and I do my best to remember I’m dealing with boys who aren’t mature yet. “You should put the bottle down and stand up.”
They do, both seeming to be somewhat reprimanded for the moment. I pull out my cuffs and secure Maddox’s hands behind his back. “You’re being detained, not arrested. I’m cuffing you for my and your safety.”
