Clouds and Friendship

It was the end of the workday, the last word had been typed in the report, and it was finally time to go home. Hutch stood and stretched. "Ready to go, Starsk?"

"You bet I am," his partner answered, reaching for his keys. "Let's go."

Upon leaving the building and arriving at the bottom of the stairs, Hutch stopped and stretched his sore muscles again.

"Okay, Buddy?"

"Yeah, just stiff." He glanced over at Starsky, who was looking at him with a worried frown on his face. "Hey, Starsk? What say we drive out to the beach? It's not far, and I'd like to get out of the city for a little while."

"Sure, sounds good to me, too."

They came to the Torino, hopped in, and a short time later, Starsky pulled into the parking area. There were few people on that section of the beach and after reaching the water's edge, Hutch pulled off his shoes and socks, then pulled up his pants legs. Starsky soon did the same and they started walking along in comfortable silence, carrying their footwear.

With the warm sand beneath his feet, the cool water lapping at his ankles, and the breeze fluttering through his blond hair, Hutch could feel the tensions of the day drain from his body. Then…

"Hey, Hutch," Starsky said, with his arm raised and pointing. "See that outcropping farther down there? Race ya and the last one there has to buy dinner tonight!" he shouted, as he began running.

"Wait for me!" Caught off guard, Hutch got a late start, but soon passed his partner and reached the rocks just ahead of Starsky. Panting and grinning, he looked up and accused, "You let me win, didn't you?"

"No way! Now I have to buy dinner."

They both fell to the sand, sprawling on their backs with their arms and legs out to the sides. After his breathing eased, Hutch softly said, "Starsk, when you were a kid, did you ever just look at the clouds in the sky and see the pictures painted there?"

Starsky looked fondly at his friend, smiling at the wonder he saw on his face. "Yeah, I guess I did. What do you see?"

Hutch dreamily gazed up at the blue, cloud-filled sky. "See those two clouds just drifting along, apart from the others?"

Starsky took his eyes off his partner and looked upwards. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, those are you and me. Floating along, sometimes pulling apart, but always touching. Just like us, spending a lot of time together. And even when we are apart, I still feel you with me." He paused. "You'll always be my pal, Starsk."

"You too, Hutch." He reached over and gently touched Hutch's arm and then pointed toward the sky. "And all those other clouds are the city and the people around us. And that big cloud following behind us? That's Dobey, trying to pin us down, 'cept he can never quite manage to catch us."

Hutch chuckled. "I see that, too, and I kinda doubt he ever will. You hungry?"

"I sure am!" Starsky leapt to his feet, reaching down to lend a hand to Hutch.

Standing beside his partner, Hutch suggested, "How about we stop somewhere for a pizza? We can take it to my place and watch a movie."

"That, pal, is the best idea you've had in a long time!" he shouted, as he started running back toward the car. "C'mon! I'm hungry!"

Laughing, Hutch joined him and they both ran back to the car, looking like the young boys they had been just a few years before.