Chapter 2
Julian was standing on the school steps when she pulled up. He opened the back door, tossed his backpack in, and slid in, closing the van door.
"Buckle up," Buffy reminded as she pulled into traffic.
Julian noticed the papers in the back seat. He picked them up. "What's this?"
Buffy glanced in the rearview. "It's your Uncle Marco being too helpful."
"You have something you have to tell me, Mom?"
Buffy leaned her head back against the headrest. "We'll talk about it when we get home, okay?"
"Okay."
In the back seat, Julian seemed fascinated with the applications.
"Mom?"
"Julian?"
"Are you going to apply to the CPD? Or the CFD?"
"Haven't decided yet."
"You should," he encouraged.
"Why is that?"
"Because it would be cool to say my Mom is a cop or a firefighter."
"Dangerous jobs, Jules."
"Mom, most cops go through their whole career without drawing their gun."
"Someone's been listening to their Uncle Marco."
"You know I want to be a Detective, Mom."
Buffy nodded. He had a point. He'd been talking about being a detective or a cop since he was two years old.
"So, why not go for it? I think you'd be awesome."
Buffy wiped a tear from her eye. Her baby was growing up right before her eyes. Since he had turned ten, he seemed to possess a knowledge and wisdom beyond his years. Both jobs were dangerous. She wanted a safe job so she could come home to Julian every night. Cops and firefighters had families and kids all of the time. Thanks to better technology, firefighters and police officers were surviving injuries that were previously fatal.
"I'll think about it, ok?"
"Ok. But I still think you'd be awesome."
"If I do this, you realize that Fire Department shifts are 24 on and 48 off. You'll be spending more time at Grandma's."
"That's ok. I can hang with Uncle Marco. And Grandma is teaching me to cook."
"You seem to be taking an interest in cooking. Are you sure you don't want to be a chef instead of a detective?"
"No. I just want to learn how to cook because it makes Grandma feel important and useful."
Had she not been driving, Buffy's foot would have hit the brake. Since they were in the middle of Rogers Park traffic, she couldn't do that. "Who told you that?" she asked.
"No one. She just likes to feel like she's needed. Everybody knows that, Mom."
"Lord knows she fusses over all of us enough," Buffy agreed. "So you really don't like to cook?"
"No, I like to cook. I don't want to end up like Uncle Marco. He burns water."
Buffy stifled a giggle. "Uncle Marco is too macho to learn to cook. He views it as women's work."
She put on her turn signal and turned the van into the driveway.
"Seriously, Mom. Think about it. I think you'll do good."
Buffy put the van in park and turned off the engine. She watched Julian open the door and tear off into the house. She wondered if Marco had texted him before she got to school to pick him up. Two of her men were on board and she hadn't even decided if this was something she wanted to do. She got out of the van and started inside the house.
