FIRST INSTALLMENT

With the first day at the Police Academy behind him, Kenneth Hutchinson returned to his apartment Monday evening at 5.30. The day had consisted mostly of introductions to the classes, taking notes and listening. A lot of listening.

Tomorrow was going to start early. The cadets were expected back at the Academy at 7.30, half an hour earlier than usual. All the new meat would be submitted to a thorough physical exam. This physical would be more detailed than the first one the cadets had undergone a couple of weeks ago. That was when Ken had found out he had passed the written admission test with flying colors.

After the physical, the rest of the day would be spent undergoing other tests.
Cardiovascular workouts such as running and biking would be alternated with the measurement of lung capacity and the testing of eyesight, hearing and equilibrium.
They would have their blood drawn after which they would get fitted for their uniforms.

He checked his mail and found a response of a possible party interested in subletting his apartment.
Good, one less thing to worry about Kenneth thought.

Next Sunday night was the last night Ken would be sleeping in his own bed before having to share a room with another cadet at the Academy dorm for the next twenty weeks or so.
The rules were that anyone who had to commute over 45 minutes to the Academy each day had to reside on the Academy grounds. Unfortunately for Kenneth his lovely, though modest, apartment was situated on the quieter side of town, where traffic was still relatively slow and nature just as relatively plentiful. This meant it took him fifty minutes through the heavily congested city traffic each day to get to the Academy. That meant that for the next twenty weeks he would spend both his days and nights at the Academy grounds.

Because of this stipulation, Kenneth had been discussing with his divorce attorney whether he should get rid of his apartment. But his attorney had advised him to sublet. So Kenneth had been removing his more personal items, such as legal papers, insurance papers, passport, some mementos with sentimental value, linen and some of his clothes to a rented storage. He had placed an ad at the local council office. They had assured him they had strict rules and screening methods so that whoever would occupy his pad for the next twenty weeks wouldn't trash the place.

As soon as she finds out I'm subletting, Vanessa is going to be in her attorney's office demanding he go after the money for her Kenneth chuckled to himself.
Then his smile turned into an almost sad grimace. He was now in his bedroom, changing into more casual attire for dinner when his eye fell on a photograph in his drawer of himself with his sister and parents.

Policemen don't make much money. What if I start seeing the bottom of the trust fund treasure chest? Am I going to be able to live off a police officer's paycheck? Kenneth sighed.
Is dad going to make me feel I made the wrong choice, again --- He hadn't been too thrilled when I met and married Vanessa.
Kenneth stood pondering for a while, then shook his head and changed shirts.

First things first: what am I having for dinner?
In his kitchen he opened the storage cabinet. He pulled out some packages of dried fruit. From his refrigerator he retrieved some soyburgers and an eggplant. He collected his utensils, spices and pots and pans and soon was busy making his usual super-nutritious meal.

While he was busy in his small kitchen, his mind was going over the day's events. So many new cadets, so many different types of people who all wanted to become police officers.
Hardly any women, most of those there are younger than I am. So many different backgrounds, yet we're all pursuing the same dream. Weird.

Then the memory of the curly haired kid crept into Kenneth's mind. A slight shudder went through his body.
Good God, what a character! How on earth he'd managed to get through the written test is one big question mark to me.
Kenneth was cutting his ingredients and stirring his soy sauce while his mind wandered back to the kid again.
Somebody ought to tell this kid that if he keeps eating the way he did today, he's going to have a coronary by the time he's 30!

Kenneth's phone rang. He turned the gas low and walked over to the phone to pick it up.
"Hello? --- Oh hi Mr. Saunders. --- No, no, I'm still fixing dinner. No never mind, talk to me."
Kenneth listened carefully as his divorce attorney gave him new information on his divorce from Vanessa. After hearing what the attorney had to say, he answered.
"Well, the point is exactly what we'd been discussing before: for the next twenty weeks or so I will not be available --- period. And after that, should I be so lucky to graduate, I'm not exactly going to have a money tree. You know that and so should she."

Again he listened to the voice on the other side. Then he started to chuckle and shaking his head.
"Oh that's just beautiful. That would be something for her, wanting me to sell an apartment that I'm renting. It's just too rich, isn't it?!"

The attorney explained to Kenneth what his next steps would be and after he was finished Kenneth brought the conversation to a close.
"That sounds right to me Mr. Saunders. You'll keep in touch, right? I'll give you the number where I can be reached at the Academy as soon as I have it, all right? OK, thank you, bye bye".
Kenneth hung up and returned to his pots and pans, his mind now pre occupied with his impending divorce.

Across town from where Kenneth Hutchinson was on the phone to his attorney, Dave Starsky entered the street where his uncle and aunt lived at 5.45.
He parked the blue Ford his uncle Al had loaned him from his garage business in one fluid move. His uncle had taught him to drive in the backyard of his business from when he was just a few months shy of his 15th birthday. Dave was an excellent driver; it just came naturally to him. He got out of the car slowly and trudged across the street to his aunt and uncles apartment.

"Hi Davey, how was your day?"
Miss Thelma was sitting on her balcony eager to hear how her favorite neighbor had done on his first day at the Academy.

Dave looked up at his favorite neighbor with his incredible blue eyes and smiled a rather tired smile.
"Oh, I guess it was all right Grandma. I just found out some stuff I didn't know so, I gotta talk to my Aunt an' Uncle 'bout it"

"Honey, you look tired. Why don't you go on up, have dinner and go to bed early!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda bushed. They spent a lot of time talkin' today. Not much action. I just gotta figure out how to take care of some things, so I gotta talk to the folks first, before I can get some sleep".

"Listen to me Baby! Don't wear yourself out right at the start. Remember you always told me you wanted to be a policeman, so you have to watch yourself so you can stay fit for that academy of yours, you hear! Listen to Grandma now! Go on, go on up."

There was no arguing there, so he smiled at Miss Thelma again and went inside.
His Aunt Rosie was already busy making that evening's dinner. She was surprised to see her nephew's demeanor as he almost absentmindedly kissed her cheek while grunting an unintelligible greeting. He walked right through the kitchen into the hall, to hang up his jacket.

Rosie stared at him and when he just remained by the coat rack lost in his thoughts she finally said to him
"It couldn't have been that bad!"

Dave seemed startled at the sound of her voice and gave her a troubled look, still not saying a thing.

Rosie was getting impatient.
"I'm not a mindreader Davey! Tell me what's up --- Go on!"

"I uh, I think I got a big problem Aunt Rosie"

She waited for the rest to spill out, but her nephew was preoccupied with his thoughts again. That was it. Aunt Rosie was still in the dark about what was bothering her nephew.
"Now you're going to tell me what's bothering you in the next sentence that leaves that mouth of yours or it's no dinner for you tonight!" she told him, while waving the wooden spoon she used to stir her spaghetti sauce.

Dave, still looking troubled, came into the kitchen and finally told her what was bothering him.
"Did ya know that cadets who live over 45 minutes from the Academy gotta stay on the Academy grounds for almost the whole twenty weeks?"

"Well of course you have to, how else would you expect to graduate and become a policeman?! Of course you have to follow the whole training, don't be ridiculous" Rosie sputtered, shaking her head.

"No, no that's not what I'm sayin', I mean --- ya really gotta stay there, ya know, sleep there, at the dorm".

Rosie turned to look at her nephew. In a calm quiet voice, that masked the anxiety underneath she asked him,

"What are you talking about? Sweetheart, you knew you had to spent some time as a resident cadet there, didn't you?"
Her voice rose as she spoke the last words.

"Yeah, for a while, but ---" Dave turned and shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't know you'd hafta stay there almost through the whole thing if you lived too far off. Just because it takes ya an hour to get there. Ma never said anything 'bout it, Uncle John never said anything 'bout it ---" his voice trailed off and his face once again clouded over.

Rosie was caught a little off guard. The boy was right. She couldn't quite remember if her sister had ever told her that Mike Starsky had to stay in residence at the Academy too, all those years ago. Nor could she remember John Blaine, a police detective friend/neighbor who lived down the block ever mentioning this commute rule. John had befriended Rosie and her husband Al shortly after Dave, then an impossible, unruly, violent and angry 12-year-old, had come to live with them. He'd helped her and Al get through to her nephew and tame him.

"If I'da known that ---" Dave mumbled.

"If you had known that what?" Rosie asked.

"The deposit Aunt Rosie! The deposit on my new apartment! Now it's just gonna sit there empty and that money's gone!" Dave cried out looking at her with an expression on his face of a little boy lost.

She sighed, then saw her nephew was still looking at her, as if he expected her to have an instant solution to this problem.
Inside she had to smile. Her younger sister Rachel had sent her 12-year-old problem child off to Rosie. Rachel's hope had been that Rosie would be able to recognize the problems her eldest son was having. She'd hoped that her older sister, whose two sons had just left the house, would be able to nip any sprouting trouble in the bud.

"Sweetheart, if you are so worried about it, talk to your Uncle Al when he gets here or call John. We'll find a way, don't worry."
She looked up at her nephew. Although he was a young man now, she could still see the little boy in his eyes.
"Now go wash up and help me get this on the table so we can have dinner as soon as your Uncle's home."
She gave him a pat on his tush and raised her voice.
"Don't just stand there, go on!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

SECOND INSTALLMENT

7.30 AM Tuesday
Again the reception hall was buzzing. Cliques were already forming, consisting mostly of people who had been sitting together the day before.
Neither Kenneth Hutchinson nor Dave Starsky were too eager to have to spend the day in each other's company again, so instead of watching the crowd to find each other, they were checking the crowd to avoid each other.

A voice came over the speaker telling them to assemble by assigned section in the gyms designated to that respective section.
Both Kenneth and Dave were not too happy to hear this, each having the bumpy ride of the day before on their minds.

Along one side of the gym, tables and small mobile cabinets were set up in a long line so it wouldn't take too long for the cadets to get their measurements recorded: height, weight and fat percentage.
The other side was divided into three separate areas by curtains to make cubicles. There the eyesight, equilibrium, lung capacity, hand-eye coordination and endurance would be tested after which the cadets were to give their mandatory bloodsample. First though, all the new cadets (males and females underwent this examination separately) had to strip to their underwear and socks.

Kenneth Hutchinson didn't know why he simply had to look at the curly haired kid. Was it because he'd left such an "in your face" impression on him the day before? He didn't understand it himself, but his eyes were just drawn to the kid.
He watched as the kid, who was two turns before him, walked up to the doctor and his assistant. Kenneth was surprised to see that for a teenager, his bared body looked quite built and mature. The kid was lean, no ounce of fat, even a hint of his ribcage could be seen, but his shoulders were impressively wide, his hips youthfully narrow. His build could only be described as athletic.

"Full name?"

"David Michael Starsky."

"Age?'"

No verbal answer followed, just an embarrassed and uncomfortable look, that Kenneth recognized from the day before, accompanied by a clearing of the throat.
Kenneth watched intently as he could sense something out of the ordinary was going on. One of the instructors from the day before stepped up to the doctor with a note and discretely spoke into the doctor's' ear while the latter was going over the note.

What's this then? Kenneth thought to himself.
The night before, he'd gotten himself in such a mood that he was seriously considering not going back to the Academy the next day. Rereading the regulations for the LAPA, he had found that one could only be admitted to the academy from age 21 and up, with the maximum age being 35.
I knew it! The kid's probably only 18 or something, he cheated on his written exam, he's been found out and he's out of here! Kenneth thought, surprising himself that he felt sorry for the kid.

But to his further surprise the doctor just nodded to the instructor, who in turn gave a short nod and wisp of a smile to the kid.
The kid let out a deep sigh and regained a more confident expression.

"So you'll be 21 in about three months from today?"

"Yep --- Yes sir."

Kenneth's mouth dropped slightly. He was dying from curiosity at the scene that had just played itself out.
21 in three months?? They have got to be kidding! Kenneth thought, as he looked at the kid's babyface. Kenneth himself had just celebrated his 25th birthday four months earlier.
Wait a minute, he is too young, why were they breaking the rules for this kid?

"OK, let's measure you up, step over here please."

The kid stepped in front of the wall where the different heights were indicated as in a line up.

"5 feet 11" and one half inches." the doctor said to the assistant, who wrote it down in the youth's file.
"Now let's see how much you put on the scales. Over here, that's right."
"165 and one half."
The doctor got out an instrument, ordered Dave to hold his arms straight out to the sides and attempted to get some fat from the Dave's waist into the instrument to measure his fat percentage. It was such a pathetic amount of fat that the doctor managed to get that he just told his assistant to leave that one blank.

When he tried to measure the fat on Dave's upper arms it, again, was an unsuccessful attempt.
The doctor picked up Dave's file and asked the final question.
"You're left handed?"

"Yeah, so?"

The answer the kid gave made everyone within earshot laugh, including the doctor and his assistant. Kenneth just let out a sound that was between an exclamation of disbelief and a snort of laughter at the kid's response. Dave himself stood there embarrassed for a split second, then as everyone started to laugh he joined them, grinning rather sheepishly, as if he didn't quite get the humor of it all.

"No need to get all defensive, son." the good natured doctor chuckled.
"It's just a little fact for your file, nothing suspicious."

Dave was done with this part of the examination and had to wait in the next line.
While that line was moving on slowly he could still see and hear Kenneth's examination as it took place.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

THIRD INSTALLMENT

"Name?"

"Kenneth William Hutchinson, sir."

"What does this stand for?" the doctor asked as he stood next to the blond man, while pointing at his file. Dave watched as the blond man mumbled something in response.

"You'll have to speak up," the doctor said.
The blond man leaned over to the doctor a bit and softly said something into his ear.
The doctor's face got an odd expression.
"The third?" Dave could hear the doctor exclaim, and as soon as he'd said that, he noticed the blond man getting a distinctive blush.

Hmmm, the guy's name is Kenneth William Hutchinson the third, almost sounds like royalty, Dave thought as he became a bit more interested in following this examination as it went on.

"Age?"

"Twenty-five, sir."

"Step over here please, so I can measure you --- 6 feet and one inch." the doctor said.
"Now, step on the scales, please --- that's --- 168 point zero."
The doctor looked up at the blond man.
"You could use a little more weight for your height. It would be better if you could do something about that."

Of course the fat measurement was unsuccessful and Kenneth, too, was told to stand in the next line.

Dave entered one of the cubicles.

"David Michael Starsky?"

"Yes --- Sir."

"Alright, just take a seat."
The doctor indicated a chair behind a complicated machine. Dave remembered seeing one just like it at the optometrists before, from the time his Uncle Al had had his eyes checked when he needed new reading glasses.
He sat down and followed the doctor's instructions. The doctor wrote down the results on the file. Then he was told to take his place behind another piece of machinery, which measured lung capacity. First though, he had to answer the standard questions.

"I see you'll be 21 soon."
Dave nodded.
"Do you smoke?"

"No sir."

"Have you ever smoked?"

"Took a couple a puffs as a teen."

"What do you mean by a couple of puffs, more than ten cigarettes a day?"

"Nah, more like five."

"At what age did you start, at what age did you stop and did you ever smoke more than five per day?"

"Uh, started at 11, quit at oh, I dunno, 15 and uh, well maybe ten ---"
Dave looked matter of factly at the doctor who frowned at him, causing Dave to get that embarrassed look again before clarifying things for the doctor.
"Per day I mean, ten per day --- max."
Dave nervously cleared his throat.

"Did you ever have any disease or illness affecting your lungs?"

"Had my tonsils removed, twice, cos I kept gettin' these colds all the time. I guess I had to go in again cos they missed 'em the first time around!"
Dave sniggered, but soon put his serious face back on, as he could see the doctor was frowning again. He cleared his throat.
"Uhm, that's all I guess."

The doctor looked at Dave a moment longer, then wrote something down. The man really was making Dave nervous.
"Do you engage in any endurance sports such as long distance running or biking?"

"No."

"Did you or do you play or practice any sports?"

"Uhm, played baseball, football and basketball in high school. Uhm, lately I just carried around heavy stuff."

There was another frown from the doctor. Dave shifted uneasily in the chair.
"You practice weightlifting?"

"Nah, well, not with weights." Again Dave cleared his throat.

The doctor looked at Dave expectantly, waiting for the rest of the explanation. The expression on the doctor's face resembled the one Dave's Aunt Rosie would get, whenever she was waiting for him to expand on his vague explanations. "I'm not a mind reader you know." He could almost hear her say it as he looked into the doctor's expectant face.
"I uh, I work in my uncle's garage. There's some heavy equipment there that I haul around a lot. So that's not really weights, but they do weigh a lot, so uhm, yeah."

The doctor paused to look at Dave again, then wrote something on the file. He then instructed Dave to take the mouthpiece of the apparatus into his mouth while the doctor's assistant put a pin on Dave's nose to ensure he would only take one breath and only exhaled once into the mouthpiece. Dave exhaled until he turned a light shade of red. The doctor read the outcome and jotted it down in the file.

Then came the equilibrium and hand-eye coordination tests. He was instructed to stand on one leg first, with arms stretched out to the sides for half a minute and touch his nose with alternate fingers before switching legs. Then he had to walk along a line, similar to the test drunk drivers have to perform.

While Dave was doing all this, Kenneth Hutchinson was undergoing the exact same tests in the next cubicle.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

FOURTH INSTALLMENT

"Your name please?"

"Kenneth Hutchinson, sir."

"Kenneth William Hutchinson?"

A slight frown creased his forehead.
How many Kenneth Hutchinson's did the man think enrolled for this training?
"Yes sir, that's right."

"Take a seat please."

Following the doctor's instructions, his eyesight was tested and found to be perfect. The doctor wrote down the results in the file. Then he was told to take his place behind another piece of machinery, which measured lung capacity. Kenneth, too, had to answer the standard questions.

"Your age is ---25, correct?" Kenneth nodded.

"Do you smoke?"

"No, sir."

"Have you ever smoked?"

"In my teens I did for a few years."

"Between what ages was that, and how much did you smoke?"

"I think from age 14 until age 19 or 20. I started out with about ten, maybe 12 a day. That became a pack a day around age 17 and from then on I tried smoking less until I quit around age 20."

"Did you ever have any disease or illness affecting your lungs?"

"I had an pneumonia once around age 11. Nothing since."

"Do you engage in any endurance sports such as long distance running or biking?"

"Yes sir, I do, I run 5 miles each morning."

"Did you or do you play or practice any sports?"

"I played baseball and basketball in highschool, basketball in college too as well as judo and wrestling, and I was on both the track team and the swimming team. And now I run, of course."

Kenneth then followed the instructions and exhaled a long, powerful breath into the machine. The doctor read the outcome and jotted it down in the file.
Then it was Kenneth's turn for the equilibrium and hand-eye coordination tests. He performed the test flawlessly and the doctor was impressed by the blond man's performance on all test parts.

Dave and Kenneth both came out of their respective cubicles at about the same time.
They now had to give their bloodsamples, after which it was lunchtime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

FIFTH INSTALLMENT

In the cafeteria, they sat at the same table, with four other cadets.
Dave was talking with the others quite casually.
These guys are fun, Dave thought, as he engaged in light banter with them about the day's events so far. He glanced over to the far side of their table where the blond guy, What was his name again? Oh yeah, something the third, was sitting, rather by himself.
Well, he's free to join in any time but if this ain't his thing ---
Dave still thought the blond guy was somewhat snobbish, although he was willing to think more kindly about him now.
Hey if your name ends with the third you probably don't know how to act any differently.

Kenneth noticed the curly haired kid already seemed to have made friends here. He, on the other hand, seemed to be merely tolerated as if the others around the table didn't quite know how to approach him. As lunch neared its end, Kenneth took out his pocket watch to see how much time they had before they would have to do the endurance tests.
Just a little under an hour.
He would not have any trouble doing the final tests. As usual he'd had a light lunch, mainly consisting of fruit. He had noticed however, that the curly haired kid had picked predictable ingredients for his lunch. He'd been working his way through an eggroll, two hamburgers, two cokes, one banana and a small bag of peanuts.

As Kenneth got up from the table to clear his tray, he noticed that the kid had stood up as well and had walked over to the candy machine, next to the counter where the empty trays were stacked.
Ken watched the kid's actions and couldn't believe his eyes.
Don't tell me --- After stuffing himself with all those artery cloggers, he still has room for a candy bar?!

Kenneth emptied his tray as he watched the kid consider the choices on the machine's menu. He couldn't contain himself anymore. He walked up to the kid just as he put his dime into the machine.
"Hey, uhm, listen. I'm sorry, I forgot your name."

Dave Starsky was just about to push the button on the machine when he heard a, by now, familiar voice. He turned around. Yep, that blond guy again. With a look that was beyond description, he asked in an annoyed tone,
"What?"

Kenneth looked at the kid with a questioning expression on his face, but the kid just stared back at him.
Your name nitwit, I just asked for your name for crying out loud! God, this kid has the I.Q. of a golf ball!
"What was your name again?"

"Starsky, Dave Starsky, 'n you?"

"Listen --- Dave? Uhm, Kenneth, Kenneth Hutchinson. Uhm, oh, you do know we are about to be tested again, this afternoon?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So? So you had quite a lot to eat for lunch and ---"

"What's it to you?" Dave sounded annoyed.
What the hell is this guy butting his nose into my business for!

"Well, I just wanted to warn you that if you have to get very active, physically, on a full stomach, well, that's just asking for trouble."

No response at all. Dave just stared at Kenneth as if he were a creature from outer space.
Who the hell does this guy think he is? My mom?

Kenneth was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable under the stare of those piercing blue eyes.
What's he going to do? He looks like he wants to hit me.
Kenneth nearly flinched when the kid finally moved.

Tilting his curly head a bit, Dave leaned towards Kenneth and spoke to him in an almost conspiratorial tone.
"Ya know somethin'? Yesterday I just thought you were weird, but today? Today, I know you are."
He turned his attention back to the machine and yanked on a lever. He retrieved the candy bar from the slot, looked back at Kenneth, made a "Cheers" gesture to him with the candy bar and walked back to the table.

Well, I guess his arteries are not my responsibility.
Kenneth remained at the candy bar machine a while longer, shook his head and went for a walk on the campus.

The second part of the afternoon was reserved for the endurance tests that were being held in another gym. Again they didn't seem able to escape each other's company as the doctor instructed Dave to take his place on the stationary bike while Kenneth was dispatched to the treadmill right next to it. They both got some electrodes placed on their bodies and then they were off.

Running on a treadmill was kidstuff to Kenneth so he was quite relaxed and his breathing barely picked up in intensity as he went on with the exercise. Dave, on the other hand was biking like a mad man as if he had to break a speed record.

Kenneth, again, couldn't help himself watching the kid.
No condition, that figures. No wonder with his food intake, Kenneth thought.
Still, when he studied the kid's face and body, he was surprised to see that the youth wasn't panting at all despite his maniac routine on the stationary bike. The look in the kid's eyes however, resembled one of a bull in an arena with the red cape of the matador in front of him.

The doctor stopped his stopwatch and gave them five minutes to regroup themselves before switching machines. They stood there next to each other, both panting a little bit now, as the nurses took off the electrodes, only to put others back on.

When their heartrates had returned to normal, Kenneth had to do the bike test and Dave went on the treadmill.
Again, Kenneth watched as the youth ran in place, once more with that very focused look in his intensely blue eyes.

Dave had thrown a few quick glances at this Hutchinson guy while they were being tested.
What is this guy, a machine or something? He don't even sweat! he'd thought to himself as he watched the blond man getting through the exercise seemingly without effort.

Kenneth could hardly believe it when he heard that both he and the kid had passed the test with flying colors.
Must be his age, Kenneth inwardly muttered.
You can't eat like that and get away with it forever.

The day was over before they knew it. Tomorrow was going to be an evaluation day. During a day filled with all kinds of team activities, the Academy instructors, as well as a team of psychologists, were going to assess the cadets and determine which cadets would be fit to share a room at the dorm for the rest of the course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

SIXTH INSTALLMENT

8.00 AM Wednesday
All the new cadets were assembled per section on the academy grounds. Each section consisted of 20 cadets. In section B, Dave and Kenneth's section, there were no women. The cadets in section B ranged in age between 20 (Dave) and 25 (Kenneth). Most of them were either 22 or celebrating their 22nd within the next three months.

The cadets had to change into their sports attire and regroup at the track field. There they were put under a wide range of rigorous physical exercises. The entire morning was filled with all kinds of physical training including weightlifting, agility course, cross-country running, and hurdles. You name it, it was going to be done this morning.

This was not a course for the weak; this was almost like trying out for the green berets.
The hard physical exercises took most of the morning, followed by a short break, lunch and then assembly in front of the Academy building again in yet another set of track/sports attire.
By buses, the cadets were taken to a large park on the outskirts of town. The city council had given the police academy permission to use the park for their orientation day activities, although it remained open to the public at the same time.

All sections received some tasks they had to fulfill as a team.
They had to clear a road obstruction, build a makeshift camp without any materials or tools, take a cross-country trek without any directions and arrive as a whole group within three hours at the assigned spot. The only equipment they received were compasses and a list of items they were required to collect on the way.

Because they had many assignments and only three hours in which to do them, the main point of the whole exercise was for each group to discover whose talents were best suited to which tasks. As soon as that was clear, the tasks would be assigned accordingly so that the whole group would be able to make it to the rendez-vous point in time. It was like a treasure hunt, and not quite what at least Dave or Kenneth had had on their minds when they'd decided to join the police.

What none of the cadets knew was that they were being monitored by what seemed like ordinary passers by, but who in reality were experienced police officers and psychologists.
They observed as each group went over their options.

Section B was blessed in that it didn't contain big egos. Within five minutes it was decided Kenneth would be the leader, if only because he'd scored high on tactics and strategy in his written test. Furthermore, he was meticulous as far as the subject of time was concerned.
Soft-spoken and calm he went over their assignments and asked each of his group how he'd scored on each subject in the written test. He also asked them about their scores on yesterday's physical tests. He made a quick inventory and assigned teams of 2 to 4 of "his men" to each task.

It turned out the kid, this Dave Starsky, had gotten through the written test with minimal results which made Kenneth wonder.
Why do they so readily accept a person with relative poor results on his written test when he's also under the regulatory age of 21 to be officially accepted by the Academy?

Since to Kenneth's surprise, the Starsky kid did have perfect scores on all physical tests and requirements, he decided he would team up with the kid for the last one of the tasks. All 20 in section B, or as it was unanimously decided, Kenneth's group, now agreed to the tasks they'd been assigned and Kenneth sent each on their way with some final remarks and advice.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

SEVENTH INSTALLMENT

Kenneth had assigned himself and Dave to the task of clearing the obstructed path. When they arrived at the spot he wished he'd chosen 6'5", 200 pound Jeremy Hendricks instead.
This wasn't an obstruction. This was a landslide! And it was just him and one of the smallest in the group, Dave Starsky. Kenneth checked his watch. The walk alone to this spot had taken up 20 minutes of the three hours they'd received for the entire group assignment. He turned to ask the kid if he had any suggestions on how they were going to move this huge boulder. Dave Starsky was nowhere in sight.

Some people approached who were apparently taking a walk through the park. They seemed to be in their early fifties, a couple with their dog.
The woman let out a little squeak
"Oh my, what's happened here?"

The man with her looked at the obstruction.
"My goodness, was it a landslide, young man?"

Kenneth realized the man was addressing him.

"I have no idea, sir. We just got here ourselves."

"We?" the man asked looking around, not seeing anyone but the tall blond young man.

"Uhm, yes uh, my uh, my friend is, is just, ---"

"This oughtta do it!" Kenneth turned toward the sound of Dave's voice.

About half a minute later, out from between the trees came Dave Starsky, hands and knees dirty, one knee even sporting a bloody scrape, shirt stained, hair even more unruly than usual and he was carrying ---
A tree? Is that idiot really carrying a tree?
Kenneth could not believe his eyes at the sight of Dave Starsky walking back out on the path carrying a small tree on his right shoulder, a big smile across his dirt smudged face.

"Don't worry folks, we're gonna get that rock outta here in no time." he pleasantly told the middle aged couple.

As he approached him, Kenneth started walking toward Dave.
"What uh, what do you plan on doing with that exactly?".

Dave shot him an incredulous look
"I thought you were such a brainiac? Leverage man, leverage!"
Dave made a face and passed Kenneth who stood there open mouthed for an instant before turning and following the decisive strut of the youth.

"Dave, Dave --- DAVE! Wait a minute, wait a minute. Can't you see the size of this boulder? This dwindly little treestump you've got there is going to break for sure."

"Oh yeah??"

"YEAH!"

"Wanna help or wanna watch?"

"It's not going to work, the boulder is too big, the tree is too thin, the thing is going to break."

"You're sure?"

"You won't make a dent in it!"

Dave flashed a lightning bolt to Kenneth with his sapphire blues. He'd walked around the rock while they had their "conversation" and had now decided under which end of the rock he was going to stick the thin end of the tree. For leverage, he wedged a good-sized rock, which he found lying nearby, under the tree.
"Help or watch?" he asked one more time.

Kenneth shook his head but they were supposed to be a team so he answered
"Help."

"OK, you put your back there against the rock. No there, not here! I'm here with the tree remember!"

Kenneth sighed and did as the kid asked.

"Now, on the count of three, wiggle."

"What?"

"Wiggle man, wiggle, move that sucker back and forth."

Kenneth started to "wiggle" on the count of three. To his amazement, he could feel the rock shift.

"More, more, little more, little more. More to your left, your LEFT man, your LEFT!" Dave was yelling at Kenneth.

Suddenly, the rock really began to move. Kenneth couldn't contain himself and looked to his right. What he saw he almost couldn't believe. Dave had maneuvered the position of the tree under the rock in such a way, he was practically using it as a see saw, but then the way a monkey would probably use it. He was half hanging, half sitting from, on, over the tree using his entire 165 pounds for leverage. Just as Kenneth was watching him, Dave gave one last big pull with his entire body weight while yelling at Kenneth, "BACK TO Y'R LEFT!" and then the rock moved and fell into a shallow ditch next to the path.

Kenneth had turned and had watched the rock go in amazement. When he looked back he saw Dave lying on his back, the tree half on top of him, his face one big smile. He seemed joyful at his success like a 5-year-old.

Kenneth walked toward the kid with an outstretched hand to pull him up.
"Well, you did it."

"Told ya it would work!" Dave beamed at the couple as well.
"Well, ya can go on with your hike now, have fun!"

The woman walked up to the both of them.
"Thank you so much, otherwise we would have had to walk all the way back, thank you, bye bye."

The man shook their hands, and then the couple resumed their walk.

As they watched the couple leave, Kenneth turned to Dave again.
"How did you know it would work with such a thin tree?"

"Oh, done it before."

"Moved a boulder?"

"Nah, a truck." Dave answered matter of factly.

Kenneth's mouth started to drop again.

"Uh a, a truck?"

"Yeah."

"With a tree?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"How did you do that? WHY did you have to do that?"

"Ya don't wanna know." was all Dave said and Kenneth could tell from his body language that as far as Dave was concerned, the subject was closed.

With their task completed, they headed off down the path to meet the rest of their section at the rendezvous point.
Meanwhile the man and woman had settled on a park bench and had gotten out their assessment lists. They agreed this pair had succeeded in their assignment in an inventive and team spirited way.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

EIGHTH INSTALLMENT

Section B, Dave and Kenneth's group, made it back in three hours and seven minutes, the third group to return. They had, however, accumulated the best overall team score, despite incurring a time penalty. What none of the twenty cadets of Section B knew yet, was that indirectly Kenneth's successful teaming up of individuals had sealed the teams for sharing a room at the police academy dorms as well.

The buses took all cadets back to the Academy building. The long hours "alone together" had begun to forge some unions amongst the cadets. The bus-ride back was much more animated and noisy than the ride out of this morning had been. It resembled a grade school trip.

After they got back to the academy the cadets would first hit the showers to wash away the dirt of a very intense day before heading to their respective homes.

Dave Starsky probably needed a shower the most. His "forage into the forest to abduct a tree", as Kenneth had so eloquently described it to the others on the bus, had made him look like a naughty, very dirty five year old.

Kenneth found himself thinking that all in all he and the kid had gotten on nicely today. He watched Dave during the bus-ride back and found himself chuckling at the childlike rowdiness he expressed with some of the other younger cadets.
He is one wild, compact bundle of energy.
The image of the kid tramping out of the woods with the tree on his shoulder and that huge grin on his face was branded into Kenneth's memory.

Dave was laughing and having fun with some of the other cadets on the other side of the bus. They were exchanging stories on how they'd done on their assignments and, of course, history was edited to their liking here and there. While one of the others was telling his story, Dave glanced over to the back of the bus where Kenneth was sitting in the corner seat.
This dude's not as uptight as he seemed yesterday and the day before Dave thought. They'd even had a few laughs together.
He's got some good ideas Dave tried not to look at Kenneth too long and turned his attention back to the others.

Back at the Academy the buses stopped and opened their doors. The cadets, sweaty and weary now, slowly made their way to the building and inside to the showers. The female cadets separated and headed for another gym, with separate shower facilities.
This was the second time all cadets undressed in each other's company, but it was the first time they really had to strip down to their bare bodies. All the noisy joy was beginning to calm down to a self- conscious low keyed banter. Kenneth, who already was used to communal showering and steambaths from the gym he regularly visited, was the brave first to totally strip to the nude.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to get home today!" he joyfully exclaimed while picking up one of the bars of soap that were laid out on a table by the wall before walking into the showers.

Dave, who'd been too shy up to this point to strip any further than his socks and briefs, kind of admired the guts of this brainiac and said out loud
"I guess we gotta follow the leader, section B!" before he started stripping down to his birthdaysuit.
Then he sauntered over to get a bar of soap and before he entered the showers, big Jeremy Hendricks had caught up with him and they entered together. Soon enough all the (male) cadets were taking a shower and the day came to a hilarious end with a soapbar fight to unwind from the day's activities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

NINTH INSTALLMENT

8.00 AM Thursday
Thursday was going to be mostly a theory day again. They were going to get lectures on what the year would entail, as far as academics were concerned. They would get information on how many exams there would be, what scores they needed to get in order to be able to not only finish this 20 week training successfully, but also to secure a further climbing of the career ladder in the police department. So all in all, this day resembled the first day of this week in many ways.

Back again in the classroom, seated next to each other, Dave and Kenneth were almost back to their unfamiliarity of the first day. Somehow, the outdoor assignments had freed them both and had allowed them to interact, if only a little.
As soon as they were constrained by the schoolbench set-up again, they seemed worlds apart.

Kenneth regretted to see that the curly haired kid, who yesterday had seemed to begin to open up to him, had returned to his earlier demeanor of disinterest and nonchalance.
He watched as the kid frowned frequently during the instructor's lecture.
Could it be he really is having trouble understanding all this stuff? Kenneth found himself wondering as he studied the kid.

Dave could feel the stare of those bright blue eyes almost penetrating him.
What's up with the brainiac? he wondered to himself. I'm having enough trouble trying not to fall asleep from all this b-o-r-i-n-g stuff and he's back to eyeballin' me again. I wish he'd stop that!

A surge of anger was beginning to surface on Dave's face as he quickly glanced over to Kenneth, before the blond could turn his eyes away from his curly haired neighbor.
"Whaddaya want?!" Dave hissed.

"Huh?" Kenneth was startled at the sudden animosity from the kid.

"What d'ya keep starin' at me for? Ain't ya supposed to listen to the guy?"

"I uh, I wasn't staring at you ---"

"Yeah, right!"

"I wasn't." Kenneth hissed back.
"I was just wondering why you stopped talking to me?"

An incredulous look from two sapphire eyes followed by a smirk.
"We're supposed to listen dummy, not talk! Now shut up, this ain't none of your hoity toighty tea parties."

Kenneth's expression changed as if he were slapped in the face.
So that's how I'm perceived here, as some kind of snob who shouldn't be here.
He swallowed and looked briefly back into the kid's eyes. Nodding his head in understanding, he quietly turned his attention back to the lecture.

Dave had felt a jab through his gut as soon as his sarcastic remark had left his mouth. Somehow he felt guilty and was sorry for the blond guy, he obviously had touched a nerve.
Geez, I didn't wanna upset the guy, what did I do now?
He'd seen the hurt look in his neighbor's eyes before he turned away.
"Hey ---" Dave touched Kenneth's arm lightly. Kenneth looked toward him, slowly.
"I uh, I just meant ---"
Dave looked into the light blue eyes, which still seemed to convey hurt at his earlier remark. Dave decided to try the light way to ease the awkward situation.
"I meant I really gotta concentrate on what this guy is sayin', I was way back at the end of the line when they handed out the brains ya know. Can't afford to miss a beat."
He followed his statement with a big and brilliant lopsided smile.

Kenneth had absorbed the kid's razor-sharp remark like a blow to his gut, taking the wind out of him. He'd been wondering why no one spontaneously had come up to him, or had engaged in a conversation with him, why he'd been so isolated most of the week.
The only time there had been interaction with others had been during the orientation day with the assignments. And of course, the few conversations and run ins he'd had with this impossibly unruly kid next to him.
As a matter of fact, however sketchy and not altogether positive, the little talks he'd had with the kid had been the only conversational contact he'd had with any of the other cadets. And now this kid had touched upon something that had been nibbling away at him for years.

Ever since he'd been a teen and had become aware that, because of his background, life was easier and kinder on him than it was on others, he'd been increasingly trying to shake off the burden of a well to do upbringing.
From then on, he'd begun trying to distance himself from that well paved road, and had begun to try to forge a whole new, independent road for himself. Kenneth had always thought he'd pretty much succeeded in becoming one of the "common people". Yet here was this kid, who'd only known --no, not even known-- just been around him for a few days, and he had, with incredible accuracy, put into words all that Kenneth and his roots stood for. And had hurt him. Because it was true.

And now this kid, Kenneth could tell, who probably came from a considerably less fortunate background than he did, was feeling guilty for having uttered the truth.
Kenneth managed a warm smile back at the kid, who seemed as surprised as relieved at this.
"That's quite all right." Kenneth told the kid, who visibly let out a sigh of relief.
"I should have more respect for our professor, not to mess up his class." he chuckled.

"Are you two ladies in the back done their with your little tea party?!" the instructor's voice belted through the entire classroom. He was obviously addressing Dave and Kenneth.

Dave and Kenneth looked at each other and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes sir, we're sorry." Kenneth replied as he looked back at the kid next to him, who was trying very hard not to laugh out loud.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

TENTH INSTALLMENT

The day moved on rather uneventfully. Much more talking and note taking. At the end of the day, the only thing left for the cadets to do, was to pick up their uniforms. Everyone had Friday off. Those who did not meet the commuting criterion had to move their things into the Academy dormitory on Saturday. Come Monday all would have their hair cut and become full-time cadets for the next twenty weeks.

As the day came to an end and the new meat of all sections assembled at the gym to pick up their uniforms much of the banter and spirit of the previous day seemed to return. Maybe it did because it was beginning to dawn on the group that they were really on their way to becoming police officers.

Someone suggested they go to a bar and celebrate their last night off for quite some time to come. A last chance to let their hair hang down (literally, since they were getting their mandatory haircuts on Monday). So after picking up their uniforms, Kenneth, Dave and a dozen other cadets from various sections drove downtown to one of the popular local bars.

All the cadets were in good spirits. Some were teasing "the kid", as Dave Starsky by now had been affectionately tagged by his peers. Would they be able to smuggle the kid into the bar, him not being 21 yet? They'd tousled his thick curls and pinched his cheeks and had laughed until their faces were red. Dave had taken this display of juvenile affection quite good-naturedly. He really liked this group of guys. The Academy was going to be fun.

They managed to smuggle Dave into the bar successfully and the party to bid farewell to their lives as mere civilians could begin. There was lots of laughter, stories, jokes, drinks and snacks.

Big and gentle Jeremy Hendricks and Dave Starsky were getting along famously. Jeremy was the second youngest of section B, as he would be celebrating his twenty-second birthday in a month's time. At 6 feet 5 inches, 200 pounds he was huge and could have come across as threatening to anyone of lesser stature.

However his round, friendly, ever-smiling features, his strawberry blond, thick short hair and his baby blue eyes immediately betrayed his "gentle giant" nature.
Although Jeremy was a newly transplanted resident to Bay City, this son of a local grocer in Iowa, had taken an immediate liking to another import Bay City resident --Dave Starsky. They couldn't have been more different from each other, yet from day one, these two unlikely friends only needed half a look and no words to at least share their almost adolescent sense of humor.
In turn, Dave and Jeremy's infectious giggles and fits of laughter affected the other cadets.

As the unequal duo was hamming things up again, Kenneth walked over to the bar for a refill. He looked at the two young cadets with an amused smile on his face. One couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

"Jeez, those two better get it out of their systems tonight, before being straight jacketed into their uniforms on Monday."

Kenneth heard the voice but didn't quite catch the sentiment behind it. He looked over and saw a cadet from another section standing next to him.
"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said they'd better get their antics out of their system tonight before being obliged to behave themselves like officers of the law." the other cadet said.

"Oh, I don't know. No harm in some innocent fun." Kenneth answered.
"After all, we're here to celebrate our last night off for some time to come, right?" Kenneth smiled politely smile at the young man next to him.
"I'm Kenneth Hutchinson, by the way."

"John Colby. I saw you before at the building. What section are you in?"

"Section B. And you?"

"Section A."
John Colby, was a 23-year-old, originally from Connecticut. He had a thick shock of light brown hair and big, bright blue eyes. His eyes however failed to give him an air of innocence, which one would most likely expect. He was of average height and build. He scrutinized Kenneth for a moment and then asked,
"What do you make of this Academy stuff so far?"

Kenneth had just taken a sip of his new beer and was ready to politely excuse himself from Colby before returning to the rest of the group. Obviously this John Colby needed to unload something.
"Well, I can't say it was like anything I had expected. But then I didn't really have any idea what it would be like. How about yourself?"

"It's slow. The academics are a laugh, compared to college. I wouldn't have minded if the selection for cadets was a little more strict," John Colby answered in a confident voice.

Kenneth was delighted to hear Colby had apparently been to college as well. So far, he had no evidence of anyone in Section B having had an academic education.
"True, but then again, just how many graduates voluntarily pass up a chance of making it in the corporate world in favor of making a meager living writing out parking tickets, huh?"

John Colby snorted.
"Right. So you went to college? What was your major?"

"I took three. Well, two at first: pre-med and pre-law. I exchanged pre-med for sociology. You?"

"Psychology and criminology."
John Colby started to add something when Dave Starsky and Jeremy Hendricks approached the bar, giggling like a couple of kids.

Kenneth chuckled at the sight.

"Bartender, sir, hello?" Dave Starsky was calling for some service as big Jeremy stood faithfully behind him, smiling friendly at John Colby who didn't seem to be as amused as the young duo.

"Could we have a refill here? Gimme your glass, Jer. Here ya go. Thanks."

"Dave, Jeremy, I want you to meet --- John, right? Yes, John Colby. He's in section A."
Kenneth began the introductions.

John didn't look too impressed when Dave Starsky enthusiastically took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Hiya. Dave. Starsky. Nice to meet ya. Oh, and my little friend here's Jeremy."
Dave pointed at Jeremy, who immediately dissolved in another fit of the giggles after Dave's introduction, which didn't amuse John.
Dave was about as entertained by his remark about Jeremy as the latter was and chuckled as he continued,
"We're in section B."

"Yes, so I gathered." John replied economically.

Kenneth did appreciate the humor and banter between the two younger cadets.
"What happened back there? Did I miss something?"

"Oh Ken, man, Joe just proved you CAN drink beer through your nose." Jeremy hiccuped,
"Unfortunately he did it with Pete's beer!"
Jeremy let out a belly laugh, causing Kenneth to grin and Dave to bend over the bar, gulping air after a fit of laughter. John Colby smiled along, although his heart didn't seem to be in it.

Right at that moment three young and pretty ladies exited the ladies room behind the far end of the bar. The girls, two blondes and a redhead, were dressed in miniskirts and tops. As they slowly made their way through the bar, Kenneth could see the girls were looking at something in the vicinity of where he and the other three cadets were standing.
As he zoomed in on their glances and their apparently excited, though hushed, discussion he suddenly realized they were taking in the form of Dave Starsky, as he was leaning over the bar, his backside turned toward the three girls.

Dave's dress style was quite unlike that of Kenneth Hutchinson. Where the latter preferred dress pants or corduroys topped off with long sleeved shirts or turtlenecks, Dave Starsky had been wearing jeans every day so far. The jeans had such a tight fit that they seemed to have been painted on his body. Today, he had topped off his ragged, torn jeans with a red sweatshirt. Of course the ensemble wouldn't be complete without his customary blue Adidas sneakers.

Kenneth watched as the three girls began to move toward the bar.
He, John and Jeremy moved out of the way a bit, so the girls could approach the bar to place their order. Instead of ordering, however, one of the blondes touched Dave Starsky's shoulder lightly. He turned around with a smile on his face, expecting one of the other cadets behind him. But when he suddenly found himself face to face with a very pretty blonde, his smile turned into a bashful grin.

"Hi, I was just wondering. Do you come here often?" she asked the curly haired cadet in a seductive voice.

Kenneth couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the blank expression on the kid's face.

"No." Dave looked at the girl with a look, that could only be described as innocent.

"My girlfriends and I were wondering if we could buy you a drink." the blonde continued, as if her proposition was just the every-day average way to approach a total stranger. Meanwhile, her hand had found its way from Dave's arm to behind his neck, digging her fingers into his thick curls.

Dave's expression turned sheepish and Kenneth thought he could detect a light blush on the kid's face. He couldn't believe the girl's actions, but was just as amazed at this spunky kid's timid response.

Dave cleared his throat, his eyes shifted from Kenneth to Jeremy and back.
"Oh?" Dave again exchanged looks with Kenneth and Jeremy before focusing on the blonde again.
"Well, uhm, as a matter of fact I uhm, I just got me a refill so --- so I'm fine ---
Thanks."

"Oh you're fine all right!" the girl chirped as she began to pull Dave in a bit closer. She gestured to her two girlfriends. They immediately closed in a bit more on Dave who by now was totally cornered by the threesome.

"What's your name?"

Dave was definitely beginning to look like a trapped animal as the three girls pressed closer, taking him in from head to toe.
John Colby couldn't believe his eyes and ears. He snorted and shook his head, smirking at Kenneth.

Kenneth, however, decided he needed to bail the kid out.
Don't these girls have any shame? Getting lucky with the opposite sex is nice, but this is ridiculous, Kenneth thought.

They were practically undressing the kid with their eyes and were hovering around him as if the three other cadets didn't exist. This seduction had gone too far, even for ladies' man Kenneth Hutchinson.
"Hi, his name is Dave." Kenneth extended his hand to one of the girls.
"This here is John, and Jeremy and my name is Kenneth. Pleased to meet you."

The girls seemed slightly distracted by Kenneth's interruption and almost absent-mindedly shook hands with the other cadets, barely taking their eyes off Dave.
"Dave, huh? Gosh, Dave, do you have any idea how cute you are? Are you sure we can't get you another drink?"

Dave looked up at Jeremy and made a face. Jeremy however, was also slightly shy, so Kenneth felt it was up to him to come to the kid's rescue. And not a moment too soon, either.
"Oh look, I think we're expected over there."
He pointed his beer glass over to the corner of the room, where the others were playing pool, while he took hold of Dave's sleeve with his other hand.
"Come on Dave, I think it's your turn. Nice to have met you ladies." he said as he literally pulled Dave by his sleeve from the overheated threesome's circle.

For the rest of the night Dave Starsky would not hear the end of it. Over and over he was teased about his encounter with the three "lusty dames". But it all was done in good fun and the night ended very cheerfully and fuzzily due to their alcohol consumption. The party finally broke up at one o'clock in the morning and all the cadets went home for a well-deserved night's rest.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT

7.00 AM Friday
Kenneth Hutchinson was clearing away the clutter he had used to prepare his protein shake with. He had consumed the power drink ten minutes ago and was now putting his blender into his kitchen cabinet for one of the last times. On Sunday he would be packing it for storage, since he wasn't sure he would be able to use it in his dorm room at the academy. He could always bring it in later, should there be a way to keep up this healthy habit of his.

He went over to the couch to put on his running shoes. Despite the fact that he had not seen his bed before 2.00 a.m., Kenneth had still set his alarm for 6.30 this morning, to begin his morning rituals.
After he tied his shoes he got up and left his apartment for his daily five mile run.

Kenneth loved the morning. He would use his morning runs to think about life. His life in particular. Not the present, not even the future. Mostly he would think of the past.
Twenty five years and four months ago he was the proudly received first born to Kenneth William Hutchinson II and his lovely wife, Constance. Three years after Kenneth, his sister, Catherine, was born, and the family was complete.

His father was a highly paid executive at one of Minnesota's biggest companies, his mother a socialite with countless honorary memberships in charities and committees. In other circles she would have been called a housewife or a stay-at-home mom, but in the circles in which the Hutchinson's traveled, such a term did not exist.
While Kenneth II was putting in long hours at the office, or was away on one of his many business trips, Constance often sat at home discussing charity events with the other ladies in the club. Therefore the household was mainly run by Martha, the housekeeper.
Martha would work extreme hours. She would arrive around 6.30 am so she could have breakfast ready for the family by 7.00. Then she would get Kenneth and his sister ready for school and drive them over there.
When she returned, she would clean the house and make the beds while Mrs. Hutchinson made a list of errands for Martha to run. Sometimes Constance Hutchinson would join Martha shopping, especially when guests were expected, but mostly she would either have to go out on an appointment or have a friend or two over for lunch while Martha did the grocery shopping.

By the time Martha left for the day, at 5.00 PM, she would have set the table and have dinner prepared on the stove and in the oven, so all Constance had to do was follow Martha's instructions and watch the clock.
Constance was a champion at heating up the lovely meals Martha had slaved to buy and prepare.

Despite their busy lives, Constance and Kenneth II did raise their children themselves. Martha was just there to keep the children company when their parents were occupied and to make sure the house looked impeccable.

No, the Hutchinsons had their children's future all mapped out. When Kenneth III was three weeks old, he was already enrolled in a very reputable private kindergarten.
At the age of two, his parents entered him as a future pupil at a private grade school.
After grade school he went to his first public school experience. But it was still the best public school in the city. Only the better circles sent their offspring to this high school.

It had been during his high school years, that Kenneth Hutchinson III had begun to notice his life was not the average life.
His first realization came at the age of 14. A new pupil came into his class-- Jack Mitchell, son of a very successful businessman. In fact the success of Jack's father made Kenneth Hutchinson II's business successes look pitiful.
It was at that moment that Kenneth realized his family's wealth was relative.

What struck him most was that Jack Mitchell, despite his family's wealth, was raised in a completely different fashion than he had been. Yes, Jack's mother was into charity work, but she would take Jack with her, and together they would physically help in food drives, whereas Constance would raise her funds amongst her own circle of friends and write a check.

Jack and Kenneth became friends and so Kenneth was exposed to a totally different side of life. The irony of it all was that it took a family whose wealth far outshone that of the Hutchinson family, to make Kenneth aware of the poverty some people were experiencing, day in and day out.

These experiences turned on a switch inside young Kenneth's head. He became extremely socially aware and felt almost guilty about his well-to-do background.
Kenneth II was not pleased to see his son gradually change into someone he referred to as "a radical". The older Hutchinson still managed to persuade his son to enroll in one of the country's prestigious universities, even influence his choice of majors.
So Kenneth started out with pre-med and pre-law. But by the fall semester of the first year, Kenneth changed directions and dropped pre-med in favor of sociology, much to the older Hutchinson's disdain. Kenneth's father had accused him of becoming a socialist and suddenly Kenneth had realized that he and his father were not speaking the same language anymore, if indeed they ever had.

Kenneth had kept quiet whenever he was at home, and had lived by his parent's rules during each visit. But the more time he spent away from them, the more the new, real Kenneth surfaced. And the new Kenneth had nothing to do with those circles anymore.
He managed to keep the relationship with his father peaceful, if not strained.

And then, in his last year at the university, he had met Vanessa, a stunningly beautiful brunette. They had fallen head over heels in love with each other and Kenneth was all but ready to just walk away from it all and live a simple life. Kenneth the romantic would just live off love with Vanessa. But it was Vanessa who had urged him to not drop his studies and to graduate, so he could enter law school.

At the age of 21, Kenneth graduated in the top three of his class. His father had been relieved and proud enough to buy him a car as a graduation gift. This gift, however, also served as a means of persuasion, so Kenneth would enroll in law school.
Kenneth gave in one more time. If not to make his father happy, then to please Vanessa. In fact, his acceptance into a prestigious law school made Vanessa extremely happy for reasons that would later drive her and Kenneth apart.

Studying had never been an issue for Kenneth, so law school turned out to be just another level of education for him. Vanessa continued at the university and worked part-time, but only because they couldn't live off love. Their relationship had become so serious that their mutual decision had been to not live off Kenneth's trust fund just yet. Kenneth worked the odd part- time job, while in law school.

By the time he was 23, and Vanessa had graduated from university, she and Kenneth moved into a two room apartment. Soon after, they eloped during a long holiday weekend, without informing their respective families.

Kenneth became more and more unhappy in law school. He became aware that the idealistic views he had always had about justice and the basic rights of human beings were light years removed from the every day reality of society. Again the strings to his highly developed social awareness were pulled, when he was studying case after case for his papers, in which the only thing that became clear to him was that there was very little social justice, if any. When you had money, you had rights. When you were born at the bottom of society, you were doomed to become the victim of an injustice somewhere along the way.

Kenneth spent less and less time at the study houses and study clubs, and searched and found an almost underground association of alternative lawyers who ran legal services for free, for those who needed legal assistance, but could not afford the average lawyer's fee. Then and there he made the decision: he still wanted to complete law school, but he was not going to become a corporate lawyer.

When his visits to his parents dwindled to a minimum, and the reports on his progress in law school were almost non-existent, Kenneth received an urgent phone call from his father.
He had managed to keep the older Hutchinson at bay with vague, but still optimistic and most of all, diplomatic and almost cryptic descriptions on how his situation was, at present.
Eventually his father had found out and had exploded, threatening to withhold from his son any support from his wealthy connections, which could be so helpful to Kenneth's future. But Kenneth had not cared, because he had already decided he was not going to follow in his father's footsteps. No business career for him. No executive babble. He was not going to make use of the offer of one of his father's lawyer friends to join his firm once he'd completed his law studies.

No, Kenneth had seen the light and he was going to find himself a job in the social field. He didn't quite know how or where he would offer his legal services to the under privileged at the time, and he was too busy working toward his graduation to be able to take the time and really contemplate his future. After he graduated, he still did not know what he was going to do.
There Kenneth was: a 24-year old graduate of law school, with a gorgeous wife, many dreams and ideals and no job. He was lucky enough his grandparents had left him and his sister very substantial trust funds so his financial future was, at least for now, secure.

But his indecisiveness made Vanessa nervous. She kept on urging him to make peace with his father, to take the help from his father's wealthy friends, to join that law firm, to respond to that ad of that corporate business. She couldn't stand it, that Kenneth would be helping out at the local charity for free, while he could and should be accepting a posh job at a prestigious law firm.

The beginning of the end of his marriage had been when Vanessa, upon Kenneth's revelation that he was contemplating becoming a police officer, had contacted his parents and informed them of their son's irresponsible behavior.
It had come to a big blow up between him and his father. Vanessa had returned from her job only to find a seething Kenneth at home and another fight had followed, this time between Mr. And Mrs. Kenneth Hutchinson III.
And then it had become oh so clear, that all Vanessa had really ever wanted was to become a socialite like his mother. Her idea of making the world a better place was to draw the checkbook belonging to her lawyer husband and her charitable self and make out a check to the poor. Kenneth's ideal on the other hand, was to work hard to improve society, so that every door would be open to every human being, no matter what his background was.
The ideals and hopes for the future of the young couple could not have differed more.
Soon after, Vanessa had moved out. Not long after that she had filed for a divorce.

And that's where his life was at now. No job yet. But training for a job he thought he would be good at. Earning $ 800,- a month during his time at the Academy. He was in the middle of a divorce, had no idea if he could fulfill his wish to graduate from the police academy and he had not spoken to his family in five months.
Still, Kenneth ran his five miles with more peace of mind than he had known in his entire life. Because for once he was exactly where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to do.

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

TWELFTH INSTALLMENT

8.00 AM Friday
Dave Starsky was still in bed when his phone rang.
His blankets, pulled up all the way to his hairline, were tossed aside as he fumbled to reach his phone. Still sleepdrunk he answered in a croaky voice, his eyes closed.

"What?"

"What kind of way is that to pick up your phone! Really, Davey."

Dave's eyes opened to slits.
"Aunt Rosie?"

"Who else? Don't tell me you were still sleeping?"

"Well---"

"How late did you get home last night?"

"Well, it---"

"Did you forget John was meeting you here for breakfast? Will you hurry up and get down here, pronto!" his aunt definitely sounded agitated.

Dave rubbed his head, yawned deeply and scrambled to his feet. He had undressed on his way to bed yesterday and had left a trail of clothes from the door to his nightstand.
He collected his clothes and took a quick shower.
His clothes smelled from the smoke and the sweat of the night out so he discarded them and chose a new ensemble from his closet. A blue sweater and another pair of tight jeans were once again completed with his blue Adidas and faded leather jacket.
After a quick shave, he brushed his teeth and left his tiny apartment.
Nuts, forgot to brush my hair. Oh well.
Dave just ruffled his curls a little and hoped for the best as he got into the blue Ford and drove over to his aunt and uncle's.

John Blaine was already sitting at the table in his aunt's kitchen when Dave arrived 15 minutes after the phone call that woke him up.
John looked up with an amused expression on his face as his protιgι tried to sneak into the kitchen.

"You didn't brush you hair! Do you have any idea what that looks like? Birds can start a nest in there!"
Aunt Rosie was irritated because Dave had kept John waiting.

"Oh, the boy looks fine, Rosie! Morning, Dave, how have you been?"

"Fine, Unc --- I mean John," Dave corrected himself with a shy smile.

He had first met the big, gentle policeman when he was 12.
After his father was killed at the age of 37 when Davey was 11 years old, the boy had become increasingly difficult to handle. His mother Rachel, a widow at 32, was left with a seven-year-old who didn't have a clue, and an eleven-year-old who thought he was the man in the family now.

Soon Davey had begun to skip school and fall in with the wrong type of friends, or little hoods as his grandfather used to call them. He would try to help his mother out financially. He conveniently forgot to tell her what exactly he'd had to do for the money he would put on her kitchen table every now and then.
When a neighbor informed Rachel just what her sweet curly haired angel had been up to, she at first couldn't believe it. But when she'd confronted the boy there had been an outburst from him the likes of which she had never seen before. It turned out Davey had never processed the death of his father and had adopted a "me against the big bad world" attitude almost overnight.

Soon things were going from bad to worse and not even her father or her brother could rein the boy in.
When Rachel was at her wit's end, she had called her older sister for advice.
Rosie and Al, who had moved to California, had then decided to step in and help Rachel's unfortunate family.
They had offered to take Davey in and try and straighten him out. Rachel had taken them up on their offer with gratitude. After all, they had just finished raising two good boys. Alan Jr., then 19, was starting his second year of community college and Gary, 18, was a freshman.

With two successful tries at raising fine young men, Rosie and Al had thought they wouldn't have too much trouble straightening Davey out.
They couldn't have been more wrong.
When Davey arrived in California shortly after his twelfth birthday, he was madder at the world than he had been before. At that time he felt more than ever that the world was against him. Why else would his own mother have deported him to live with her older sister? The boy was a walking time bomb.

Davey ran away from Rosie and Al's home on the very first night there. Luckily, they found him and dragged the boy home. The following days had been largely filled with shouting matches between Al and Davey, during which the boy uttered gutter language that even an experienced man like Al had never heard before in his life, let alone coming from the mouth of a 12-year-old.
The boy was not shy in kicking and lashing out at his usually patient Uncle Al either.

By the end of the second week there already had been various complaints from their neighbors and two incidents that needed the assistance of the police.
It was at that moment when Al and Rosie decided to take the advice of one of the officers who had brought Davey back home, after yet another incident.
So the boy was put under the guidance of a young police officer by the name of John Blaine.
He lived near Al and Rosie and was part of a unit that counseled for youths who were walking a thin line between a life of crime and a more civilized existence.

In order to win the boy's trust, John had told Dave he could call him "Uncle John".
John had spent many, many hours trying to get through to the foul-mouthed, violent and most of all angry skinny pre-teen that Dave had been at the time. It had taken him four months before the anger broke and the boy became accessible. John had continued as Davey's mentor. Despite a few setbacks, when Dave had fallen in with bad company again for short periods, John had finally managed to keep Dave on the straight and narrow from age 15 on up.

As he looked at the fine young man who stood before him now, a sense of pride mixed with relief washed over John Blaine.
"Now, what did we agree to? It's John now. Just plain John. All right?" he reminded his pupil.

Dave grinned as he took off his jacket and sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"You didn't have anything to eat yet of course?" his aunt asked, still in a bad mood.

"No, I ain't. Whaddaya got, Aunt Rosie?" Dave asked, looking at her with the most innocent look he could muster, hoping it would change her demeanor.

It worked. Rosie could never stay mad at him for a long time.
Davey was so totally different from her own two sons, Gary and Alan Jr.
Her sons had her husband Alan (Al for short) Mancowicz' blondish, almost Nordic look. They were built just a little pudgy like their dad, with straight blond hair and dark blue eyes in extremely friendly faces. Both had very even-keeled dispositions.
Davey's temperament, on the other hand, could be just as explosive as his late dad's. As for Davey's looks: he was a perfect mix of both his parents.
From his late father Michael (Mike for short) Joseph Starsky, Dave had inherited the olive complexion, the bright blue eyes and the big and brilliant lopsided smile. He was also bestowed with the same lean, athletic look that had made Rosie's younger sister fall for Michael Starsky instantly.
From both his mother and father's side he was blessed with beautiful, thick, dark chestnut curls. His nose was a smaller version of his dad's, with the tip going ever so slightly up, just like the tip of his mother's small nose.
His handsome appearance was made complete by the sweet and innocent expression with which his mother had first charmed his father, all those years ago.

Both Rosie and Rachel had immediately noticed the tall, dark and handsome police cadet when he had come to learn about investigating a burglary scene at their next door neighbor's house, all those years ago.
Rosie was 22 at the time. She, her husband Al and brand new baby boy Alan Jr., had spent the first 18 months of their marriage packed in her parents' apartment over an Italian restaurant. They lived there until they had saved up enough to get their own place. They had shared the apartment with her parents Rosa and David Connolly, sister Rachel, who was 14 at the time, and brother Jack, aged 17.

Their family was an interesting ethnic mix.
Rachel and Rosie's mother, Rosa, had an Italian father and a Jewish/Irish mother. Their father, David, was born to a Jewish mother and Scottish father.
All the families had found each other in one of the immigrants' quarters in New York.

Rosie had continued in her parents' tradition when she found all she was looking for in chubby, blond Alan Mancowicz. He had inherited his melancholic eyes from his Jewish father and his blond, pudgy looks from his German mother.
Yes, they were an interesting batch.

And then entered Michael Joseph Starsky. Another ethnic mix, who happened to live just a block away from the Connolly family, as it turned out.
He came from a family with a Scottish mother and a Polish/Jewish father and had two older sisters and an older brother. Michael Starsky had been a very handsome figure at the tender age of 19. The minimum age to be accepted at the police academy had been 18 in those days. He came to their block to learn about questioning techniques and assessment of a burglary scene. The senior officer who was in charge came to question the Connolly family in case they might have witnessed some unusual events.

Rosie had looked on as her 14-year-old sister, Rachel, and the 19-year-old police cadet, Michael, seemed locked into each other's gaze from the first moment they set eyes on each other.
Rosie remembered how she had thought at the moment that Rachel and Michael bore enough resemblance to each other to be able to pass as siblings. Both had dark curly hair, both had bright blue eyes. But there the resemblance stopped.
Rachel had full lips that made her mouth, when closed, look like a rosebud. When she laughed her lips revealed two rows of perfect, small teeth. Her skin was alabaster. Her face was soft and round and her blue eyes wide and innocent. As Rachel grew older, she never lost the innocence in her eyes.
Mike Starsky had a face with strong features. He had a strong nose, and his olive skin made his expressive sapphire blue eyes stand out. His eyes were framed with the longest eyelashes either sister had ever seen on a man. His smile was probably Mike's most distinctive characteristic. When Mike smiled his big, brilliant lopsided smile, revealing his perfect teeth, the whole world seemed to light up. Even back then, older sister Rosie could see that both Rachel and Michael had found the love of their lives in each other.

A year later, as they had secretly begun seeing each other with Rosie and Al as chaperones, Rosie noticed the difference in the young couple's characters. Her young sister was calm and deliberate. Michael Starsky was emotionally high strung and full of ideals.

When Rachel was 17 and Michael 22, the girl's parents finally found out why the young policeman had made such an effort in checking on the family's safety.
David Connolly was not happy to see his young daughter absolutely convinced that Michael Starsky, the first man she had ever dated, was the love of her life. It wasn't because he didn't like the young man. It was because of the job he had and the dangers it entailed.

But their love won everyone in both families over and so, at the age of 19, Rachel married the man of her dreams. Two years later, Rachel and Michael Starsky welcomed their firstborn, a son, into the world. In honor of Rachel's father the boy's first name became David. And because he was Michael Joseph Starsky's firstborn, Michael became his second name.

Now this very David Michael Starsky was sitting in her kitchen opposite the man Rosie had been calling David's guardian angel from the moment he had healed the boy's soul.
What a world of difference existed between the 12-year-old they received into their care, and the 20-year- old who was now training to become a policeman.

"Aunt Rosie?" Dave still looked up at her with his father's eyes.

"What?" Rosie asked.

"What'ya got for breakfast?" came Dave's next question.

"Oh, uhm." She smirked at her handsome nephew.
"As if it matters. You'll eat anything!"

John Blaine had to laugh as he watched Dave make a face.
"Well, I've uh, I've checked into your housing situation" John began.

"Yeah?" Dave leaned forward, anxiously.

"You do know you fall under the commute rule?"

"Yeah, I found that out all right." Dave sank back in his chair. That didn't sound promising.

"I'm sorry, but it's not really a new rule. I just never considered you'd fall just outside the parameter. You know, up until ten years ago, you could drive from here to the academy in 25 minutes!"

Rosie put a plate in front of Dave. It contained four muffins, two fried eggs with ham, a sausage and hashbrowns. Next to it she put a decanter with orange juice and a big mug filled with milk.
"Drink it!" she said in a threatening voice as she anticipated the face Dave made at the sight of the milk.

Dave picked up the bottle of ketchup and began covering his fried eggs with the red substance.
Both John and Rosie looked on with expressions on their faces, which traveled between amusement, horror and wonder. Neither would ever get used to the absurd eating habits of their nephew and pupil.

"Dave? Ketchup? For breakfast?" John couldn't help himself.

"Yeah, so?" Dave said without looking at John. He was now in the process of adding some mustard to his concoction.

Rosie and John looked at each other and as Rosie went back to her work at the kitchen counter, John shook his head before continuing to Dave:
"I looked into your apartment situation. It's too bad I overlooked the commute rule. But I know the department has an out-of-towner coming in, to help in an investigation. If you want to, you could sublet your apartment to him?"

Dave looked at John with his mouth full and a question mark in his eyes. He indicated with his fork that he had a question. When his mouth was empty enough he asked John,
"What's, uh, an outtatowner?"

"It's what we say when a police officer from another town or state for that matter comes in for a trial or to help on a case. I think he's needed here for about as long as your training will take. If you're interested, I'll set it up. Heck, I will even show him the apartment. It's closer to my house than it is to here anyway"

"Would you do that John? It would definitely help us out a lot." Rosie answered for her nephew.
Dave looked up at her, pouting.

"Don't look at me like that! This is the best offer you will get on such short notice. And with John keeping an eye on things for you, you'll really know it's safe. A police officer in your apartment. I like it."

John chuckled. Dave sighed and let his shoulders sag.
"Yeah well, I guess so." he mumbled.
"I still gotta get my stuff out again, though."
It came out almost triumphantly, as if he needed to have the last word on this issue.

"You know, Dave, we've just cleared out our basement. We have a nice wardrobe and storage in there. Why don't you just move your things to our basement for these few months, instead of hauling it all the way back here? I just told you our house is closer to your apartment. Hmmm? What do you say?"
John looked at his pupil with anticipation, although he already knew what his answer would be.

"Well, are you sure it won't be too much hassle?" Dave asked while finishing off his second muffin.

"Of course it won't. You will be doing the moving yourself. I just donate the storage."
John let out a belly laugh at Dave's shocked face.
"I'll let Maggie know you'll be coming by." John said as he got up to leave.
He hugged Rosie and gave Dave a teasing rub through his curls.
"Bye, Rosie. Be seeing you, son."

Rosie looked at her nephew, who was working away at his impossibly huge breakfast.
"I can't thank God enough for bringing that man into our lives." she sighed.
Dave looked up at his aunt and nodded in agreement, then flushed away the last of his sausage with a big gulp of milk.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

THIRTEENTH INSTALLMENT

After returning from his run, Kenneth had spent some time on packing those things he would bring to the Academy with him in boxes. All he had left for use now, were two changes of clothes and underwear, two towels and washcloths, his shaving gear, his last bedlinen and enough utensils, kitchenware and ingredients to make his last meals for the coming three days.

At 10.30 AM the person he was going to sublet to, arrived to take a look at his apartment. Kenneth had been pleasantly surprised to see it was actually a young couple. The young man was a resident at Memorial Hospital, his wife an undergraduate. They really were a decent couple and Kenneth was satisfied they would take good care of his apartment while he was at the Academy.
After they left. Kenneth finished his cleaning and packing, after which he prepared and ate his customary nutritious lunch. At 1.30 he left for an appointment at his attorney's office to inform him of the last details regarding his stay at the Academy.

The rest of the afternoon Kenneth spent taking care of odds and ends. Then, it was off to the gym for a long workout and sauna.
By 6.00 in the evening he was back at his apartment where he prepared and ate his dinner. About an hour later, John Colby arrived. They had arranged the night before at the bar, to watch the basketball game together at Kenneth's place. So they sat down with a big bowl of non-fat, non-salted, non-buttered popcorn and a couple of beers and spent the night watching sports on TV.
After a couple of beers each, during a commercial break, they began talking a little.

"Man, that guy sucked. My grandmother can do better than him." John complained, while grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"No kidding." Kenneth agreed.
"Want another beer?"

"Yeah sure, thanks."

Kenneth retrieved two more beers from the refrigerator and, handing one to John, let out a sigh.

"Whoa man, that's some sigh! Something wrong?" John asked while opening his bottle.

Kenneth smiled.
"Did it come out that way? No. I was just…. I was just thinking. New beginnings, you know. Don't you have feelings like that?"

John looked pensive for a moment. Then he turned back to face Kenneth with a smile.
"Well, I hadn't until you brought up the subject!"

They looked at each other and broke into a short round of laughter.

"Oh I guess it's just me. I've been told I have this tendency to moodiness every now and then."
Kenneth shrugged before taking a sip from his beer.

"Hey man, everyone's entitled to a bit of that every once in a while." John patted Kenneth's shoulder lightly. He looked closely at Kenneth.
"If you want to unload ---"

Kenneth hesitated. He desperately needed to talk to someone and besides his attorney, his training buddies at the gym and his downstairs neighbor, he had barely spoken to anyone since the break-up with his family.
"Once I do, you might start to regret it."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." John answered.
"Come on man, it's okay."

"Well. It's ---I feel --- I think --- Oh man, I, I just ---" Kenneth was searching for words.

John started to get worried.
"Hey man, this must be big. Are you in trouble in any way?"

"Oh no! No. Well, not really. It's --- Let's just say I'm at a crossroads of sorts. A fork in the road, you know? And --- when I was deliberating which of the two roads to take I thought ---"
Kenneth sighed and his eyes searched the space ahead of him while his mind tried to find the words to express his feelings.
"It felt so right at the time, you know. But now --- I --- I --- I just ---"
He paused and looked at John, his eyes went over the other's face before he continued.
"Like this morning for instance. I'm running my usual route and I feel --- So alive, so good and juiced you know. All is right with the world. And just hours later these doubts begin to start creeping in again." He shook his head.

"About the Academy?" John asked.

"Anything really. It's like --- every time I make a decision --- just moments after I've done that, this doubt always gets the better of me. I hate it. I mean, here I am 25-years-old, going through a divorce --- Trying to become a police officer for God's sake. I'm not a kid anymore, but somehow new things give me the creeps."

John studied Kenneth closely. Having studied psychology at the university he recognized a textbook case.
"You know what I sense here?" he asked Kenneth.

Kenneth glanced at John.
"What?"

"I sense a very domineering father, am I right?"

Kenneth looked into John's face, startled for a moment. The he laughed, shaking his head before slapping his forehead with his hand.
"Jesus Christ! I forgot you majored in psychology, how dumb is that!" he snorted.
"Oh man, just forget what I said. Forget it, forget it."

"Hey man, don't worry about it. I'm not here as a psychologist! Besides, you probably wouldn't be able to afford me!"

The two young men looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm here as a friend. Trust me. If you're in a jam, or need to unload something, just go ahead and unload, man. That's what friends are for, all right? I just hope I can expect the same from you."

Kenneth looked at John. He felt like he had found a friend again, for the first time since Jack Mitchell in high school.
"I really appreciate that, John. And of course, I'd do the same for you."

"Okay. That's cool, man. Now, about your doubts? Whether you've made the right choice? Let me just tell you that there are no bad choices. You hear me? NO bad choices. Ever. Because even if a choice you've made, may end up in bad results, it's still a good choice. You know why? Because then it serves to teach you a lesson. At least it's going to teach you the lesson to never make that particular choice again. Okay? Never look back."

John looked intensely at Kenneth who seemed to absorb all that John said like a sponge.

Kenneth's eyes remained locked with John's for a moment longer. Then he smiled at John and said in a soft voice,
"Thanks. Thank you for that, John. That's really heavy. It's so true isn't it?"

Kenneth thought about what John had said and a sense of relief washed over him. It was just what he had needed to hear.
They soon talked about lighter subjects again, sports being one of them. They had more beers and ate more, healthy, snacks. At midnight they finally called it a night.
Tomorrow they would have to move their stuff into the dorm.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

After Dave had finished his breakfast at his aunt's, he had swung by the garage to talk a bit with his Uncle Al.
At 10.00 AM, Dave was back at his apartment where he started packing those things that needed to be stored at John Blaine's house. He got a call from John's wife, Maggie, who told him he could come and bring over his stuff right away.
So he packed the first batch into his uncle's blue Ford and drove over to the Blaine's residence.

There Maggie greeted him and showed him where he could store his belongings. She made him stay for lunch as she had prepared his favorite dish.
Maggie and John had become very fond of Dave over the years. The fact that they once had a son, who was nine years younger than Dave, certainly contributed to that. Unfortunately, their son had died at the age of two, and the couple had remained childless since.

After his lunch with Maggie, Dave returned to his apartment to do more packing. After bringing two more loads of his belongings to John's house he spent the rest of the afternoon working at his uncle's garage. Then Jeremy Hendricks had phoned Dave and they had decided to get together and have some fun that night. So the two young cadets went out for pizza followed by watching a local ball game. The two unlikely buddies had a fun night and were looking forward to being roomies for the duration of the training.

Tomorrow was moving day.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The bumpy road to Me and Thee

Part two

Getting to know Me and Thee

By Jacqueline © 2000

FOURTEENTH INSTALLMENT

10.00 AM Saturday
Kenneth had packed the things he would take to his dorm room into his car and had driven to the Academy grounds at the earliest possible time. The brochure said the building would be open from10.00 in the morning until 5.30 in the evening for the cadets to move in their possessions. During those hours they would learn which room and roommate was assigned to them and they would have time to unpack.
So now it was exactly 10.00 am and Kenneth was one of the first to arrive. He knew that he wouldn't be paired with anyone from another section, so sharing a room with his new friend John Colby was out of the question.

He parked his car, entered the dorm building and went over to the reception desk.

A duty officer came to the desk.
"What can I do for you?"

"Uhm, I'm Kenneth Hutchinson. I'm a new cadet from section B. I'm here to find out my room assignment."

"Hutchinson, you say? Section B, huh? Ok, here's the map of the dorm for section B. You can find the room assignments over there on the bulletin board."

"Thank you, sir."

Kenneth walked over to the bulletin board. Typed next to his name, he could only see a room number and which floor it was on. The list did not make clear with whom he was to share his room. Second floor, room D. Kenneth studied the map of the building. Then he walked back to the duty officer.
"Uhm, sir?"

"Yes."

"I was just wondering if the building has any elevators?"

The duty officer just looked at Kenneth as if he thought the cadet was making a joke.
"No, just stairs. Why, you didn't bring a lot of stuff did you? It's only a small room you know. The closets and most of the other stuff you need are in there already."

Kenneth blushed slightly.
"No sir, I'm all right. I uh, I was just wondering. Thank you." He turned and made a quick exit.

Back in the parking lot he studied the floor plan to the building one more time. Then he got out his suitcase and headed inside. Once he had found his room he discovered the duty officer had not lied about it being small.
He guessed the room was about 20' by 16'. It contained two single beds, two small tables, which - he presumed - could be used as desks and two wooden chairs.
On each of the two closet doors hung a medium sized mirror. Above each bed was a shelf with a nightlight. There was a medium sized window that looked out on the grounds.

To Kenneth the room looked like a cell. Still, he decided to try and make the most of it.
He swung his suitcase onto one of the beds and proceeded to open one of the closets.
Hmmm, one rail, five shelves, three drawers.
He got some of his clothes out and began to put them into the closet. Suddenly he stopped.
Should I wait for my roommate? He might want this side of the room and this closet. Should we discuss it or just ---
For a moment Kenneth was in limbo about what to do. Then he decided to go ahead anyway and continued to fill up the closet.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

At 10.40 a.m., Dave and Jeremy Hendricks drove onto the Academy grounds. Dave's Uncle Al was right behind them in another car. They were moving both Dave's and Jeremy's stuff into the dorm.
Dave had not been too keen on starting his Saturday this early. His Aunt Rosie however had managed to convince him that once he'd have his belongings settled into his dorm room, he would have the rest of the day off to do what he wanted and that had tipped the scale for him.
Dave and Jeremy walked up to the reception desk, leaving Uncle Al with the cars.

The duty officer saw the unequal pair coming and walked up to the desk.
"Yes, can I help you?"

Jeremy took the lead.
"Good morning, sir. We're uh, we're new here and we're supposed to share a room."

The duty officer looked up at them with a frown.
"You got that from the list?"

Jeremy and Dave looked at each other. Then Dave asked,
"What list?"

The duty officer pointed at the bulletin board.
"That list. Which section?"

The two young cadets looked at each other again.
"Uhm, section B, sir." Jeremy said, while looking in the direction of the bulletin board.
"Sir? I thought you could, you know, make a suggestion as to who to share a room with?" Jeremy's question sounded almost hopeful.

The duty officer snorted while he handed them their floor plans.
"Yeah, right. If we'd be doing that, there wouldn't be too much studying going on, now would there! I think you boys better check the lists."

Jeremy and Dave walked over to the bulletin board, slightly discouraged now. Neither of them had any collegiate experience and had always thought you could personally pick your roommates.

When they found the list for section B, their eyes went over it with as much anticipation as fear.

"Can you make out anythin'?" Dave asked, squinting his eyes as he read the names.

"No, nothing yet." Jeremy answered.
"Wait! I got you. David M. Starsky --- uhm."

"What, what?? Come on, Jer!"

"Give me a second here, Dave. Uhm, I think you're on the second floor. Room, room, jeez this is hard to read."

"Well? Oh come on, Jer, lemme take a look."
Dave was getting impatient and tried to elbow his big friend out of the way.

"Here it is, I got it. You're on the second floor, room D." Jeremy said triumphantly.

"'Kay, now let's see where you are."
Dave looked up and down the lists.
"These things are in alphabetical order, right?"

Both young cadets were going over the lists with their index fingers. When Jeremy found his name, he was not a happy camper.
"I found me."
He sighed and his shoulders sagged as he spoke.

Dave immediately looked at the list and found Jeremy's name.
"Second floor, that's good. Uhm, room number --- room --- number ---"
Dave's shoulders sagged as well. He looked up at Jeremy with a disappointed expression.
"Damn, Jer. Looks like we ain't gonna be roomies."

Jeremy really looked down in the dumps. He was absolutely crazy about this streetwise, wild new friend of his and thought their time as roomies would be a blast.
Dave felt just as bad as his big gentle friend. His natural response to the bad news however was to immediately try and look at the bright side again.
"Hey look. We're on the same floor. And your room is probably right next door. It's not like we ain't gonna see each other at all."
He patted his big buddy on the back.

Jeremy managed a smile.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just hope I don't have a boring roommate."

"Well, compared to me everyone's dull," Dave grinned slyly.
"Come on, Jer, let's go see where the rooms are. Hey, you're still gonna help me carry my stuff up there, right?"

Jeremy smiled at Dave.
"Is that the only reason I could ride along?"

"What else?"

The two cadets made some mock boxing moves at each other before Jeremy put his big arm across Dave's shoulder and the two of them headed back out to the cars.

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While Jeremy and Dave had been in the reception hall checking out the lists, Kenneth had gone back to his car to retrieve the first box with his belongings. He had put his clothes into the closet of his choice and had returned his suitcase to the trunk of his car.
Once back in the room, he put his books on the shelf over one of the beds. Then he took out his multicolored throw and spread it over the bed. He was now looking at ways to personalize his side of the room. In his head he went over the items he had brought along, which weren't in the box he had just brought up. After his mental check he picked the box back up and headed back to the parking lot.

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