IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS
Spoiler: This is the Sequel to The Gates of Hell and follows Starsky on his journey to the Police Academy where he meets Hutch for the first time.
CHAPTER 1
The blaring of his alarm clock jolted David awake with a start. From force of habit he started to reach out to hit the snooze button but stopped when he remembered what today was. It was his first day at the Bay City Police Academy and it wouldn't do to be late. For the next eight months, he would be living in a dorm on the Academy grounds while he trained to be a police officer just like his father had been before him. He had gotten his acceptance letter two weeks ago and had immediately given the cab company his notice. He had spent all day yesterday packing the few things he would be taking with him and then had gone out with Huggy last night to celebrate his acceptance.
Tossing aside his blanket, he shoved himself to his feet and crossed the hall to the bathroom to grab a quick shower. He could smell breakfast cooking and knew that Rosie was making pancakes, one of his favorites. After his shower, he pulled on his ragged blue jeans, a faded blue tee shirt and his blue Addias running shoes with the white stripes. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and shaved. He had gotten his hair cut two days ago and although it was shorter than he'd worn it since he came back from Nam, it wasn't as short as his military haircut had been. He had made sure that it was still within regulation length for the Academy, although with his thick dark curls, it still looked unruly.
Whistling happily, he went into the kitchen where he greeted his aunt with an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek and a hug. She smiled indulgently as he sat down at the table and sat a plate stacked high with pancakes and link sausages down in front of him. She couldn't resist reaching out to tousle his curls affectionately.
"Excited about today?" she asked, even though the answer was evident by the sparkle in those expressive sapphire eyes.
"Yeah, I guess." David told her nonchalantly, even as a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. He attacked his breakfast enthusiastically. As he ate, Rosie poured him a cup of freshly brewed coffee, mixing in generous amounts of sugar and cream just the way he liked it. He grinned as she sat it on the table beside his plate and took a cautious sip. "Did Uncle Al already leave for work?" he asked around a bite of food.
"Yes but he said to tell you good luck. You are coming home this weekend, aren't you?"
"Yeah." David assured her "I only have to stay in the dorm during the week. Weekends are free time."
"Do you have enough money in case you need anything?"
"Don't worry. I have plenty of money to get me by until I get my first check." He had been surprised to learn that the police cadets were paid even while they were in training just like in the military. And, just like the military, the pay wasn't that great but it was enough to get by on especially since he wouldn't have any real expenses unless he went out to eat or to hang out after classes with friends.
He finished his meal and rinsed off his plate before putting it in the sink. Giving Rose another fond kiss, he hurried out the door. His second hand car, a battered red Chevy, was parked in the driveway. He had already loaded his suitcase and a couple of boxes in the trunk so he was ready to go. He climbed underneath the wheel and turned on the ignition. The engine sputtered a bit before finally starting. As soon as he started making some decent money, the first thing he intended to do was to buy himself a reliable vehicle instead of a used clunker that cost more to keep running than it he paid for it to begin with.
It was a bright sunny day in April, a perfect day to start this new phase in his life. He loved the weather in California, especially after having been born and raised in New York until he was thirteen. He might miss some things about New York but the weather, especially in the wintertime, wasn't one of them. With his naturally olive complexion, he tanned easily without much effort and it gave him a healthy glow.
Half an hour later, he pulled through the gate that opened into the grounds of the Police Academy. Following the clearly posted signs, he followed the driveway around to the back of the three story brick building that housed the dorm rooms for the new cadets. Parking in the lot designated for students, he turned off the ignition and pocketed his keys as he climbed out of the car. Following the directions that had been included in his acceptance letter, he walked across the spacious Academy grounds to the administration building and joined several other young men close to his own age who were going into the building.
Four uniformed officers in their late forties sat at a table just inside the entrance. Each one of them had a small sign in front of them designating different letters of the alphabet. Starsky joined the line in front of the sign for letters P through T. As he waited his turn, he glanced around the room. To his left was a long table with several uniformed officers handing out books, equipment, and uniforms to the cadets who had already checked in. To his right was a long hallway that led to the administrative offices.
When it was his turn, the officer at the table gave David his room assignment and keys. Welcoming him to the Academy and wishing him luck in a bored voice, he directed him to the other table to collect his books, his various equipment and his uniforms. By the time he finished, he was carrying a large box filled with various items he would be responsible for over the next eight months. Carefully making his way back to the dorms, he balanced the box on his hip as he reached for the door to enter the building.
The door opened from the inside and a tall good looking blond dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a matching polo shirt held it open so Starsky could step inside. Smiling his thanks, David brushed past the blond, who hurried down the sidewalk towards the administration building. David paused to watch him for a moment. His first impression was that the other man was someone with class and breeding, probably money too, the type who normally wouldn't even give David Starsky the time of day.
David climbed the steps to the third floor and followed the numbers on the doors until he came to room 309. Using the key he had been given when he checked in, he unlocked the door and went inside. The room wasn't much bigger than his bedroom at home and it seemed even smaller because of the two twin beds, two nightstands, two dressers and two desks jammed into the small area. Since it looked like his room mate hadn't arrived yet, David sat the box in his arms on the bed to his right. Picking up the dress uniform lying on top of the pile of other things in the box, he carefully hung it in one of the closets next to the tiny bathroom. He put the Academy issued sweat suit and two cadet uniforms in the top door of the dresser closest to his bed.
The books for his various classes he sat on the shelf above the desk at the foot of his bed. The rest of the items in the box included his police utility belt, a pair of regulation black shoes, his identification badge that confirmed his status as a cadet at the academy, and a detailed map of the campus designating the location of the different class rooms, the cafeteria, the gym, the track and the exercise field. There was also a class schedule for his first 3 months at the academy. The mornings would be spent in the class rooms while the afternoons would be spent outside on the track, on the various obstacle courses, or in the gym. His first set of courses would cover everything from basic criminal procedures and traffic laws to defensive driving, firearms training and combat techniques. Since the Academy was similar to the military in their procedures and regulations, Starsky almost felt like he was going through basic training for the army all over again.
After putting everything away he had been issued when he checked in, he left his room, locking the door behind him, and went back down to the parking lot to get his suitcase and the boxes he had brought with him from home. Carrying them back up to his dorm room, it didn't take him long to unpack the few belongings he had brought with him. He didn't need to bring much since he would be going home on the weekends. When he had finished putting his stuff away, he left his room again. This time he headed across the campus to the auditorium for orientation. As usual, he was running late and the Commandant of the Academy was just starting his welcoming speech when David quietly slipped into the room and grabbed the first empty seat he could find.
There were a total of one hundred and twenty cadets in the class. They were divided into six sections of 20 cadets each per section. Per academy regulations, Starsky and his room mate would be partnered during their time there. They would have to learn to function as a team much the same way they would have to do when they graduated and actually started working the streets with their training officers. The various speeches from different instructors and commanding officers at the Academy took up the rest of the morning. By the time orientation was over shortly before one in the afternoon, Starsky was fighting to keep his eyes open.
With the rest of the afternoon free to familiarize themselves with the campus and the various buildings before classes officially started at eight A.M. the next morning, Starsky joined the other young men leaving the building. Sauntering casually along the sidewalk, David found his way to the cafeteria to get something to eat. The room was crowded, apparently most of the other cadets had had the same thing in mind. David made his way through the line, filling his tray with two ham and cheese sandwiches, two containers of chocolate milk, some potato chips and a bowl of chocolate pudding.
Glancing around the room, he found a seat at a small table where another young man his own age was sitting eating a bowl of chili. The other man looked up with a friendly smile when David politely asked if he could join him. "Sure have a seat." He said pleasantly. "Name's Colby. John Colby."
"Dave Starsky." David said with an answering grin as he sat down across the other young man. The other man was David's height with a stockier build. His light brown hair was cut short and his green eyes were keen and intelligent. He was casually dressed in blue jeans and a green tee shirt. "Nice to meet ya."
"Is that a New York accent I hear?" Colby asked with a grin as David started eating one of his sandwiches.
"Yeah. I was born there but I've lived here in Bay City since I was thirteen." David told him "Never quite lost the accent though."
"So what section are you in?"
"Section C."
"Hey, so am I. What room are you ?"
"Room 309."
"I'm in 326. Have you met your room mate yet?"
"No."
"I got stuck with some black guy named George something." Colby said with a smirk. David arched an eyebrow but kept silent. Being Jewish and having dealt with prejudice of his own through the years, Starsky was more tolerant of other races and religions than some of his peers. Of course, being in Nam and fighting side by side with men of every color and religion helped too.
His attention was drawn across the room to the serving line where he saw the same tall blond he'd seen earlier leaving the dorm. Being slightly taller than a lot of the other men made him stand out almost as much as his good looks and expensive clothes did. Following David's gaze, Colby snorted and said "Look at Mr. GQ. Where does he think he is? An Ivy League college?" They both watched as the tall blond awkwardly balanced a tray as he moved through the line. After getting his food, he chose to sit at a tiny table near the back of the room by himself instead of joining any of the other cadets at one of the other tables. "Guess he thinks he's too good for the rest of us." Colby said, a cold tone creeping into his voice that Starsky didn't particularly care for.
Their conversation turned to the topics of cars and girls as Colby and Starsky finished their meal. Carrying their trays to the metal meal carts, they dumped their trash and slid the empty trays into one of the vacant spots on the cart. "Hey, you wanna grab a beer sometime after class?" Colby asked as they left the cafeteria together. "I know this great place downtown with the best looking strippers in town."
"Yeah, sure. Sounds Great." Starsky said "I need to get back to my room. I still got some stuff to put away. See ya around."
"Yeah. See ya around." Colby said as he started walking in the opposite direction of the dorm rooms.