All night I thrashed around my bed. My stomach irked and churned in excitement. When my alarm finally buzzed, I had gotten less than ten minutes of sleep. The clock read 4:30 a.m. I jumped out of bed and quickly dressed. I put on long black pants, a light blue button-up shirt, a long gray overcoat and my shimmery badge. Quickly, I ate my cereal, brushed my wavy hair and left.
The whole way there, my stomach swirled. I could hardly drive because my hands were shaking in sheer excitement. When I finally got there, a woman, about thirty-five years old, met me in the parking garage. Her hair was a glistening brown and had clearly been straightened. Her eyes were warm and welcoming, but her expression was very professional. Escorting me, she presented the office space and desk I would work at for the next forty years. My desk was pushed facing another desk. It was my partner DI John River's desk.
DI River had a resting droopy face and his hair was slowly receding. He looked about forty-five, but he was closer to forty. He appeared slightly irritated at the moment.
"Okay, River this is DS Jacqueline Stevenson, your new partner," the woman sternly spluttered. She turned to me, "And DS Stevenson, this is your desk and partner DI River as I'm sure Marcus told you earlier. By the way, I'm Chrissie Read. If you need anything at all, just let me know. Why don't you and River get acquainted, yeah?"
Chrissie strutted away and left the old man and I together.
"I don't like your desk shoved up against mine. And your name is too long. Stevenson. You need something shorter," River grumbled.
"Back at University people called me Stevie."
"Stevie? Isn't that a man's name? Besides you're too young for that name. What are? Twenty-two?"
"No, I'm twenty-five."
He said nothing more to me that day, but he did something very odd. Quietly, he kept mumbling to himself. Incessantly, he would turn around and act like he was talking to someone, but no one was there.
The next day we said hello and didn't chat much. Well at least not to each other. He again murmured to walls, empty chairs- the air. He looked like a nut.
"Who are you talking to?" I finally asked him.
He didn't answer me.
"Do you want to get burgers and maybe a milkshake after work? We can get to know each other a little better. Then maybe on Friday we can go get drunk and sing karaoke. I used to do that with my girlfriends on Fridays at University."
"No. I'm not the 'going out' type."
"Well, screw you, Mr. Magoo!" I screamed.
His face turned pale and his mouth opened slightly. I stood up and walked away to the break room. He followed me. Chrissie was in the break room drinking coffee or tea maybe.
"Mr. Magoo?" River mocked.
"You look just like him and you're a nutty-nut-nut like him. You constantly talk to yourself."
"I'm not talking to myself I-" he stopped.
I folded my arms in front of my chest. "What then, who then?"
"Nevermind. We can go get burgers, but I won't eat anything."
"Not even a few chips?"
"Nothing."
"All right, Mr. Magoo. Sounds like a plan."
"Stop calling me that ridiculous name!"
"Nope, Mr. Magoo, you nutty-nut-nut. "
I proudly left the room to River and Chrissie's laughter. It was already starting to feel like home.