To Protect and Serve

by Pat Adeff

  Nodding, Nancy moved closer to the motorcycle and watched him walk over to the group. She was too far away to hear anything, but saw Doug call out to the young man and wave him over.

  The young man spotted Doug, looked away, and then crossed his muscled arms over his chest and refused to take a step. His jaw clenched in a manner very similar to Doug’s.

  Nancy watched as their conversation quickly became a heated argument. Although she could now hear their voices, she still could not make out what they were saying.

  The other young people were standing off to one side and a couple of the girls were looking at the ground as though they were embarrassed by the conversation.

  Finally Doug abruptly turned around and stalked back towards the motorcycle and Nancy. Beyond Doug, Nancy saw one of the other boys put a hand on the young man’s shoulder, but he shook it off and strode in anger to a red Ford Mustang. One of the girls broke off from the rest of

  the crowd and ran to the car, jumping into the passenger seat right before the car shot out of the parking lot and into the street, its tires squealing.

  When the car’s tires screamed, Doug stopped walking and clenched his eyes shut, holding himself very still. He stayed that way for several moments. Finally he opened his eyes, saw Nancy and made himself relax.

  Then as though the incident had not just happened, Doug smiled at Nancy and moved to her side. “Are you ready for some dinner?”

  Nancy searched his eyes for some sign of upset, but could find none. She thought, Okay, if that’s the way this man handles his emotions, I’ll follow his lead. If he wants to talk, he will. She hadn’t been overly disturbed by the event, and knew somehow that he would tell her about it when he was ready.

  Doug was thankful Nancy didn’t badger him with questions, or get hurt when he didn’t want to talk, like some of the other women he’d dated. He smiled at her as he grabbed her hand and moved towards the restaurant door. Yes, she was someone very special.

  Nancy loved the way it felt so natural for him to take her hand.

  He opened the door and when he put his hand on the small of Nancy’s back to escort her into the restaurant, both of their breaths caught. Oh, boy! This was gonna be some night.

  Nancy was rapidly realizing how much she had missed affection from a man. And this particularly handsome man was dishing it out in spades!

  ………………….

  Doug’s a dad? He has a kid? A grown kid?

  What about an ex-wife?

  Nancy wanted desperately to ask Doug questions, but knew intuitively that he needed to tell her in his own way.

  They’d passed on drinks and appetizers and had ordered dinner directly since the kitchen was about to close.

  Over salads and then steak dinners, Doug haltingly told Nancy about his son, the young man in the parking lot. Andy was in his mid 20’s, but acted like he was still 17, staying out late, drinking too much and hanging with a younger, irresponsible crowd.

  Doug was somewhat surprised to find himself opening up to Nancy and telling her things that he’d never even told Bill and Patty. It just felt right to confide in her.

  Andy’s mom, Sue, and Doug had been rookies on the force together over 20 years ago. They had a brief stint as partners until one night after a really bad day at work where they’d had to fire their guns, wounding a robber, they’d gone to her apartment, had a few beers and one thing had led to another. They weren’t in love, just in need of comfort. They were both surprised and chagrined when they woke up the next morning sharing a bed.

  They didn’t mention it again and managed to get assigned different shifts. Until a couple of months later when Sue met Doug in the parking lot and informed him that he was going to be a father.

  Out of sheer shock and being young, he made the stupid mistake of asking if she was sure it was his. She wouldn’t speak to him for another seven months.

  Sue took maternity leave and he didn’t hear from her until after the birth, when she handed him a copy of the birth certificate with his name on the line indicating “Father,” and “Andrew Brandon” indicating his son’s name.

  Doug had asked her if she wanted him to give her any child support or to be a part of Andy’s life in any way. At first she’d said “no,” and Doug only saw them by chance once or twice a year. But later as Andy approached his teen years, Sue asked Doug to talk with him occasionally when Andy got into trouble.

  However, by this time in his life, Andy had developed quite a bad case of “I hate Dad, because he never cared about me and abandoned us” and refused to listen to Doug’s advice.

  This frustrated Doug, because for years he’d wanted to help raise his son, but Andy’s mother didn’t want him in the picture and Doug felt he had to respect her wishes. Over time, watching Sue jump from one boyfriend to another, Doug found it easier to pretend he wasn’t Andy’s father, than to feel the frustration of watching the life she and Andy were living.

  Lately Doug hadn’t seen much of Andy, since the kid had been out of town trying to finish his bachelor’s degree. The kid! See? Even Doug still thought of Andy as a kid.

  Well, at least one of Nancy’s questions had been answered. If Doug had fathered a son when he was around 25 years old, and that kid was now around 25 years himself, then Doug must be close to her age. Okay!

  Which led to another question. Why was Doug still an officer with a beat? Why wasn’t he in a suit or retired?

  Nancy felt that on a first date, though, she couldn’t really ask questions like that. First date! She still couldn’t believe that she had accepted his invitation. She also couldn’t believe that he’d asked her out while she’d been wearing that ridiculous outfit! The man was either blind or desperate, but he truly did not seem to be either!

  By the time dinner was done and the band had started up in the bar area of the restaurant, the conversation had gotten back on more neutral ground, and Nancy and Doug were relaxed and enjoying each other’s company, learning each other’s facial expressions. They discovered that they were both avid Angel’s Baseball fans, loved the beach at a stormy sunset, and both hated sushi. Finally a comfortable silence enveloped them, but only for a moment.

  “Dance?” Doug nodded his head towards the dance floor.

  Oh, boy! thought Nancy. This really IS a date!

  “Love to!”

  Doug paid the bill by leaving money on the tray as well as leaving a good tip for the waitress. Nancy was pleased to see that he wasn’t a cheapskate like Jonathon. Wait! Where had that thought come from? She hadn’t thought of Jonathon in weeks! Oh, well. Must be the fact that she was once again doing the man/woman thing. Oh, she was so out of practice.

  However, the evening had been moving along with very few awkward moments, so far.

  That is, right up until that moment when Doug pulled Nancy into his arms to dance. It had been so long since she’d been this close to a male that it took her several moments to relax. She felt like a skittish 14 year

  old at her first dance. Doug was a smooth dancer, and his hand felt nice and warm though the back of her sweater. Nancy finally relaxed in his arms and he pulled her closer.

  Doug could smell the subtle scent of spring rain along with soap. God this woman smelled good and felt great in his arms. She was soft and feminine and fit just right. And her curves were making his mouth go dry.

  Just as the Tobey Keith song was winding down to its finish, Nancy felt what she thought might be a soft kiss at her hairline. She pulled her head back to look up into Doug’s face, but Doug pulled her in closer for a final quick spin as the song ended, and they ended up almost tripping over each other’s feet. They laughed their way to a table closer to the dance floor and Doug caught the cocktail waitress’ eye. He held up two fingers and she nodded and went to the bar.

  A few minutes later the waitress, dressed in her Halloween costume of Pirate Maiden, brought over two non-alcoholic beers, placed napkins on the table, and then the bottles on top of the napkins.
/>   “Thanks, Roxie. On my tab?” Doug smiled at the waitress.

  “Sure, Doug.” Roxie smiled at him and moved to the next table, clearing off a couple of empty glasses and wiping down the water rings with a practiced sweep of her bar rag.

  “I hope you don’t mind that the beer is non-alcoholic. I just prefer not to drink.” Doug sounded slightly embarrassed.

  “Oh, no.” Nancy replied. “I can either take it or leave it. I’ve never been much of a drinker myself.”

  Doug held up his bottle and Nancy raised hers and they clinked together.

  “To a great evening with a fun date.” Doug smiled and once again looked like he was in his 30’s.

  “Okay. I just have to ask. How old are you?” Nancy stammered her way through the question, then felt the heat rise up her chest and neck.

  “I’m one year older than you.” Doug looked at her unflinchingly and waited for Nancy’s reply.

  “Oh. Well. That’s good!” Nancy took another swig of her beer and relaxed. Then another thought crossed her mind.

  “How do you know how old I am?” Nancy was puzzled.

  It was Doug’s turn to stall for time now.

  “I, uh. I found out.”

  “How?”

  “I, um. I looked up your DMV record.”

  Nancy didn’t know whether to be upset or flattered. She chose the latter.

  “When did you do that?”

  “The afternoon after I came to your house the first time.”

  Nancy and Doug looked into each other’s eyes and something shifted between them. He reached out and took one of her hands in his. He ran his thumb over her palm and she became instantly aware of the calluses on her hand. Nancy tried to pull her hand back, but Doug hung onto it.

  Nancy was trying to find a way to explain about how her hands were so rough because of the stagecrafts class she taught, when Doug said “I like your hands. They’re honest hands.”

  Then he did something that caused Nancy’s breath to catch in her throat. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. She really hoped that her hand smelled clean after the motorcycle ride and dinner.

  He kept her hand in his and smiled at her. Just then the band started up with a slow number and Doug pulled her to her feet, out onto the dance floor and into his arms.

  The music was slow and they swayed in time, fitting closer and closer. Finally the music stopped and so did Doug and Nancy. They stood there for a heartbeat then pulled slightly apart.

  Doug looked down into Nancy’s face. He loved her face. Her skin was soft. Her eyes were honest and warm. Her lips were… her lips were stained purply-red… sort of.

  Doug smiled into Nancy’s eyes and asked “How did your husband ever let you go?”

  Nancy’s breath hitched and she pulled away from Doug. She really hadn’t wanted to get into this on their first date. She wanted the magic to last a little longer.

  Doug saw the haunted look that passed across Nancy’s face and wished that he could take the words back.

  “Nancy. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He slid his hand down her arm and took her hand in his and led her back to their table. He held out her chair and waited for her to sit. As he leaned in to help push her chair in, Doug’s senses were once again filled with just how right she smelled. Soap and spring rain.

  He moved around to the other side of the table and sat down facing her. He took Nancy’s hand in his again.

  “I don’t want to pressure you, but I would really like to know what happened with your marriage.”

  Nancy realized that Doug had opened up to her when he told her about his son; and now it was her turn to reciprocate.

  She hadn’t truly spoken to anyone about it before. But something told her that Doug wouldn’t condemn her for anything she told him. She also knew somehow that she trusted him, completely. She felt safe.

  So, she explained how she’d met Jonathon. She told about their wedding, about when the girls were born, and how he’d asked her for a divorce several times throughout their marriage, but she’d always convinced him to work with her to hold the marriage together. The truth was, at the time, she knew she was the only one creating their marriage.

  Nancy spoke of her humiliation at their last disastrous anniversary dinner, as well as later when she finally gave up and said yes, Jonathon could have his divorce.

  Doug had sat quietly throughout Nancy’s story, just holding her hand and noticing how much she seemed to blame herself. From where he sat, Jonathon was a class-A jerk.

  Nancy was quietly looking at Doug’s hand surrounding hers. Then she watched as he gathered both her hands in his.

  Doug then looked into her eyes and said the perfect words.

  “He was a fool to let you go.”

  Nancy’s breath caught and held before she shakily replied, “Well, I’ve always thought so.”

  With that, both of them smiled and laughed.

  Just then the band came back from their break and started up with a raucous song that had Doug and Nancy heading for the dance floor to join the crowd in their line dance.

  Nancy loved the way that she always found Doug right next to her, or she’d bump into him and he’d “have to” put an arm around her or a hand on her waist.

  Doug loved it even more than Nancy and that was saying something!

  Neither of them could remember ever having had a more fun evening EVER in their lives. All too soon, it was time to go home.

  The motorcycle ride was heavenly.

  CHAPTER 10

  The next day, Nancy went through the motions of teaching, but found herself frequently staring off into space, which would normally have caused her students to wonder, except that they were all still in sugar comas from the previous evening’s festivities. Things worked out well that day in class. For once, teacher and pupils were on the same level.

  She finally quit trying to teach anything new, and put on one of the movies in the Red Curtain Trilogy by Baz Luhrman. At least it was Shakespeare.

  While her students got into the story of unrequited love between two people their own ages, Nancy was thinking the rest of her date had gone very nicely. And when Doug had walked her to her door at 11:55 pm, he’d taken both her hands in his, thanked her for a wonderful evening and then kissed her on the corner of her mouth.

  And let me tell you! That soft kiss was more erotic than any full-on, open mouthed kiss that Nancy had EVER had! She’d tingled all the way from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. And a few places in between.

  And every time she replayed that kiss, she felt the same sparks shoot through her again. Oh! Good grief, Nancy! Get a grip. It was an innocent kiss. Yeah? Then why did it make her blood sing? Maybe because it had been years since a man showed any interest? Yeah. That must be it. ANY kiss from any guy would have caused this reaction.

  Liar.

  There was something about Doug that was so different. She couldn’t understand why some woman hadn’t scooped him up yet.

  “Ms. Adams? Excuse me, Ms. Adams?”

  Nancy brought her attention back to the classroom and realized that the DVD was skipping and her students wanted her to fix it.

  “Ms. Adams? Are you all right?”

  “You bet, Diandra. Just suffering from a little sugar shock myself.”

  Eventually the bell rang and Nancy exhaled and relaxed while the students filed out for the weekend, calling good-bye to her. She straightened her desk and then sharpened all the pencils that she kept in a coffee can decorated like a panda bear on her desk. It had been one of the numerous crafts gifts that one of her students had given her over the years. And she’d kept every one of those gifts. She was finally erasing the chalkboard when she heard someone’s throat clear behind her.

  Doug had walked into her classroom after the students had left, only to find Nancy stretched up onto tiptoes while she was erasing the board. He found his throat close when her curvy backside moved from side to side in time with
the eraser moving across the chalkboard. He cleared his throat and was about to say her name when Nancy swung around and found him standing just across the desk from her.

  They were both holding their breaths and then slowly smiled at each other while silently exhaling.

  Nancy was the first to find her voice. “Hi!”

  “Hi, yourself.” Brilliant Doug. Say something else.

  “So, how did you survive the day after Halloween?” Well it wasn’t witty, but it would do.

  “It was the usual. You’d think someone would come up with a way to have Halloween on Fridays every year. It would sure make life easier.” Good! You sound almost normal, Nancy.

  “Look. I know there’s some unwritten rule somewhere that I’m supposed to wait at least three days before calling you after a date, but I was in the neighborhood ... well actually I wasn’t, truth be told. I decided to stop by and see if you’d like to go out again tonight.” Doug wasn’t sure if he’d made any sense, but he hoped Nancy had understood him.

  When she didn’t answer right away, Doug realized that he’d just assumed that she wasn’t doing anything else. Wow, that was stupid! For all he knew, she had dates lined up for months to come. Pretty arrogant, Saunders!

  “I’m sorry. I know this is short notice, and I’m sure you probably already have plans. Would you rather make it next week?”

  “No.”

  No? As in ‘No, I don’t want to go out with you next week?’ or ‘No, I don’t want to go out with you at all, ever again?’ Doug looked down at his hat that he was turning around in his hands. He felt foolish. Unwise for coming by the day after their first date. Daft for just assuming she’d want to go out with him again. Brainless for standing in front of her desk like some recalcitrant 6th grader talking to their teacher.

  “Tonight.”

  Tonight? He glanced back up into her face.

  “Doug, I know I’m supposed to play coy and hold back and make you wait another week for our next date, but I just don’t want to. I had a really great time last night, and I’d love to go out with you tonight.” Nancy had decided that playing by The Rules wasn’t going to work in this case. For all she knew, he’d be injured in the line of duty, and she’d spend the rest of her life wishing she’d grabbed the bull by the horns -- speaking metaphorically, of course.