Green Eyed Monster
Sergeant Joe Getraer stood behind the podium at the front of the briefing room and glanced at his watch for the third time in the past five minutes. All of his officers were present and accounted for. Except one.
"Hey everybody, I'm back!" Officer Frank Poncherello greeted his colleagues with a toothy grin as he strode into the room.
"Your first day back and you're already five minutes late," Getraer growled.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that, Sarge!"
"I trust you enjoyed your vacation?" the sergeant asked sarcastically.
"Man, it was great! My mom made the best—"
"It was a rhetorical question, Frank!" Getraer said firmly, his patience already wearing thin.
Not wanting to push his luck, Ponch slunk to the rear of the room and took a seat next to Officer Jon Baker.
"Hey, partner! What's the matter with Sarge? Did he get coal in his stocking or somethin'?"
Jon simply bowed his head, trying to smother the laugh that fought to escape.
The morning briefing went as usual, but just as everyone was about to leave for their beats the sergeant made an announcement.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Officer Baker back from medical leave," he proclaimed. "Per doctor's orders, he will be on light duty for at least a week."
"So I get to ride solo, right Sarge?" Ponch asked enthusiastically.
"No, Ponch," Getraer replied. "You're still on probation for…uh…something, so you'll be riding with Grossman."
"Aw, man…" Ponch whined as Arthur Grossman approached, helmet it hand.
"Come on, Ponch, it'll be fun," Grossman urged. "I got a book on astrology for Christmas and it's really fascinating…I'll tell you all about it!"
As the officers dispersed after the briefing, Ponch hurried to catch up to Jon who was headed for the desk that would be his new home for the next several days.
"Hey Jon, how about you come over after work? Mom sent a bunch of food back with me. We can eat and catch a game on TV."
"Um, sorry buddy, but Kate is cooking dinner for me tonight. Kinda a 'first day back at work' thing."
Ponch didn't even attempt to hide his frown.
"Hey, why don't you join us? I'm sure she wouldn't mind one more mouth at the table," Jon smiled.
"Naw, that's alright. Maybe some other time. I'll catch you later, okay?" And with that Ponch snagged his helmet from the table and left to meet up with Grossie.
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"You know," Ponch called to Grossie above the hum of his motor, "It was really because of me that Jon and Kate got together."
"Oh? I thought it was because they live in the same building and Kate's cousin is a friend of Jon's."
"Well, that too," Ponch replied grudgingly. "So, how do you like her?"
"Who?"
Ponch rolled his eyes. Grossman could be so dense at times.
"Kate! What's she like?"
"She's nice," Grossie responded. "I only spent time with her at the hospital on Christmas Eve when Jon got into his accident, but she seemed really nice. Convinced the staff to let her spend the night in Jon's room. She was really worried."
Before Ponch could respond, a car whizzed by. The two officers exchanged looks before turning on their lights and pursuing the speeding driver.
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Late that afternoon, Jon opened his apartment door and was greeted with myriad aromas wafting from the kitchen. He turned to find his small dining table already set and Kate working at the stove, her back to him and her hair pulled up. Not wanting to startle her, Jon cleared his throat loudly before speaking.
"Hi, honey! I'm home!" he called from the small foyer. Wow, that sounded kinda weird, but not altogether bad.
The pretty brunette turned toward him and put down the large spoon she had been using to stir something with. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she walked over to him, giving him a soft peck on the lips. Ever since ringing in the New Year on the beach, she seemed more relaxed and comfortable with him. Jon grinned at the thought.
"How was your day?" she asked, returning to a pot that was bubbling away on the stove.
"Fine," he replied. "Considering I was chained to a desk all day."
"Well, you better get used to it," she admonished. "Those ribs still need time to heal."
By now Jon stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, peering over her shoulder.
"What smells so good?" he asked.
"Beef stew and biscuits," she answered, wiggling out of his grasp. "Now go wash up while I get this on the table."
Jon couldn't remember the last time he had a homemade meal this good. The tender meat and savory gravy reminded him of suppers back home in Wyoming. He had a heaping spoon of the tasty concoction half-way to his mouth when Kate spoke up.
"I have some good news," she said as she nibbled her fluffy biscuit.
Jon lowered his spoon, his food forgotten. "Oh yeah? What is it?"
"The teacher I've been subbing for decided to resign. The school hired me on as her full-time, permanent replacement," Kate announced with a wide smile.
"That's great! Congratulations!" He felt like launching out of his chair and squeezing her tight, but he suddenly looked down at their meal and frowned. "Why didn't you say something sooner? We could have gone out and celebrated instead of you cooking."
Kate lowered her eyes shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not that big a deal."
"Did you tell Trish?"
"No, she had already left for the hospital by the time I got home. You're the only one who knows."
"Tell you what. Why don't you and me and Trish and Ponch all go out to dinner tomorrow night? You like Italian, right?"
"Sure," Kate replied hesitantly.
"Then I know the perfect place!"
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The following day found Ponch perched on the corner of Jon's desk chomping on a Ding Dong.
"Poncherello, shouldn't you not be here?" Getraer asked as he passed through the room.
"Nope! Grossie and I came back to finish up the paperwork for that accident on the Hollywood Freeway this morning."
The sergeant took a breath as if to say something more but ended up just shaking his head in dismay as he walked away.
"Hey Ponch, got any plans for tonight?" Jon asked.
"Naw, not unless you count watching ladies' mud-wrestling on TV."
"Well, Kate, Trish, and I are going out to dinner to celebrate her new job and I thought you'd like to come along. You know, kinda double date so you could get to know Kate better."
"Wait a minute," Ponch swallowed the last bite of his Ding Dong. "Did you say Trish was going? As in Trish the nurse?"
"Yeah, she is Kate's cousin after all."
"No way! Count me out, man!"
"But I thought you liked Trish?"
Ponch shook his head vigorously. "Remember that time I wiped out on my motor and had to get a tetanus shot?"
Jon nodded, not sure where this story was leading.
"Well, she gave me the shot and made it hurt really bad! I thought I was gonna die!"
"I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose," Jon laughed softly.
"I'm not," Ponch groused.
"That's too bad," Jon sighed. "It won't be the same without you."
Ponch sat silently, as if reconsidering the offer.
"I guess I could go," he agreed grudgingly. "For you and Kate. Besides, there's this little Mexican restaurant that just opened up that I've been wanting to try."
"Um, Ponch, Kate likes Italian so I already went ahead and made reservations."
"Oh. Okay," Ponch replied flatly. "I better go check on Grossie and then hit the bricks. See ya tonight."
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The cozy restaurant was dimly lit and intimate, decorated in the Mediterranean style with soft music playing in the background. Jon frequently brought dates here, but somehow tonight, with Kate, it seemed extra special. But Ponch was unusually quiet and that bothered him. Normally effervescent and eager to commandeer the conversation, his partner had barely said a few words and they were already into their second course.
"Kate, why don't you tell Ponch where you're teaching?" Jon prompted.
She eyed the dark-haired man warily. He hadn't spoken directly to her all evening.
"I'm teaching English Literature at Lehigh Polytechnical."
"No kidding?!" Ponch exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and a genuine smile spreading across his face. "That's where I went to high school! Is Mr. Singleton still the principal?"
"He sure is," Kate smiled back at him and visibly relaxed.
"Hey Jon, remember a few years back when he asked me to speak to the entire student body?" Ponch asked, his pearly white teeth now out in full force. "Was I great or what!? Had 'em eating out of the palm of my hand!"
"Uh, that's not exactly how I remember it," Jon muttered, but his partner had already turned his attention back to Kate.
"You tell Mr. S. that I'll come back as a guest speaker anytime he wants."
"I'll do that," she replied with a laugh.
Much to Jon's relief, the rest of the meal passed in easy comradery until it came time to leave.
"What do say you and I get together and do something this weekend?" Ponch asked after the ladies excused themselves to go powder their noses. "Just us guys."
Jon slowly shook his head. "Gosh, I'm sorry, Ponch, but I'm taking Kate car shopping this weekend. Now that she's got a steady income she can get rid of that old rental."
"I know this guy at the used car lot who can get her a real deal," Ponch offered eagerly.
"Thanks, but I got it covered."
When Ponch looked at him skeptically Jon continued: "I have a friend who works at a dealership over on Wilshire. He already promised to work something out for her."
"Oh, that's great. Really great," Ponch replied, but Jon heard the disappointment in his voice loud and clear.
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The following week, Jon remained on desk duty so Ponch once again rode with Grossman.
"So how do you like her?" Grossie asked as they patrolled the Southern California highway.
"Who?" Ponch called.
Grossman rolled his eyes. "Kate! Who do you think?"
"She's okay, I guess."
"Just 'okay'? Jon seems to think she's pretty terrific."
"Well, I'm not Jon," Ponch countered.
"You know what? You sound jealous."
"Me?! Jealous?! Of what?!" Ponch asked incredulously.
"Think about it," Grossie urged. "You and Jon are best friends. You work together and spend a lot of your free time together. Now, because of Jon's injury and his spending time with Kate you hardly see each other."
"That may be, but I am not jealous!"
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Friday morning Jon waited for Ponch outside the briefing room. The two normally sat together at the back table, but lately his partner was sitting next to Grossman.
"Hey, wait up!" Jon called when he saw Ponch walk through the doorway. Ponch stopped but didn't turn around right away.
"I've got some good news," Jon said, now standing beside his partner.
"Oh, yeah?" came the dry response.
"Yeah. I saw the doc yesterday and he cleared me for duty. Come Monday I'm back on my motor with you!"
"That's great, partner," Ponch replied, slapping his leather gloves against Jon's chest.
"I was thinking maybe we could break out the dirt bikes and do some off-roading this weekend. I need to shake the rust off before next week."
"What's wrong? Kate busy?"
Jon shrugged. "As a matter of fact, she is. It's the end of the semester and she'll be working on report cards."
"So, I'm your second choice?!" Ponch spat.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You know darn well what I'm talkin' about, Baker!"
A small group of officers turned down the hall and gave the pair an odd look. Not wanting to cause a scene, Jon grabbed Ponch's forearm and pulled him into the locker room.
"Look, it's not like that," Jon said holding his hands out in a placating gesture.
"Then what is it like?!" Ponch shot back. "Ever since I got back from Chicago you always have an excuse not to do something. 'I can't come over to your place to watch the game 'cause Kate is cooking dinner,' 'We can't go to the Mexican restaurant 'cause Kate likes Italian,'" he mimicked. "And then getting her a deal on a used car isn't good enough, either! But now you want to do something with me because she's busy?!"
"Hey! Take it easy! Will ya? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous!"
"Now you sound like Grossie," Ponch pouted.
"Well, maybe he's right! Whatever happened to, 'Hey, she's from Montana and you're from Wyoming! You're practically neighbors!' Sometimes I think the only reason you cited her was so you could shove her phone number at me!"
"Maybe I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were gonna get so serious about her!" Ponch yelled before suddenly snapping his jaw closed. "You really are serious about her, aren't you?" he asked, his composure back in place.
"Yeah, I guess I am," Jon admitted, scrubbing the back of his neck.
"Aw man!" Ponch plopped down on a bench between two rows of tall, metal lockers. "I knew it would eventually happen to one of us, but I never really thought about what it would mean."
Jon sat down next to his friend. "It isn't like we're getting married tomorrow and moving to Timbuktu, ya know. You're still my best friend, but I can see where I may have gone a little overboard. But Kate is a part of my life now, and even though we're takin' things slow, there'll be times when—"
"I get it, partner," Ponch said. "Hey! Maybe I could get Trish to fall in love with me! We could have a double wedding! Then we'd be cousin-in-laws!" he exclaimed, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Oh, brother," Jon murmured, slowly shaking his head.