Ha ha, I didn't mean Johnny was dumb or careless like Barney Fife. I mean his crazy ideas, the way he has to EXPLAIN everything he says like no one is smart enough to understand, and the way he's like "Alright, yeah, you're right, let's forget it…but I think you really should do it this way!" Just kind of like that (And, whew, YEAH he's way better looking!)
Anyway, on to the story!
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When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black
And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray
And you calling me colored ?
Unknown
"Man, that was CUR-RAZY!" Chet groaned as he jumped down from the engine, I slammed the squad door and nodded wearily. We had just gotten back from an apartment building fire..seven stories. I don't think I'd run up and down that many stairs within an entire year as I did in those last five hours. I was tired, I was dirty, I felt like my limbs weighed a ton and my brain was fuzzy from fatigue.
"Dibs on the shower!" I heard Marco yell as he took off toward the locker room. We all groaned collectively, everyone wishing they had thought to stake claim.
I resigned myself to lying down on the floor while I waited for Marco to get out of the shower, hoping to claim the next spot! But it felt SO good to finally just relax and I let Roy have the next shower and decided I could wait till he got out…
"HEY, GAGE!"
I jerked awake and sat up quickly. Then I realized it was just Chet leaning over me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and I laid back down.
"Don't fall asleep again, lazy!" Chet nudged me in the side with his foot and I growled at him, throwing my arm over my eyes to block out the light.
"I'm not asleep…" I mumbled.
"Um…actually you've been asleep for a while now, "I heard Roy's voice say. "You've been out for about an hour…"
Then I jumped up and my eyes shot to the clock on the wall. Oh man…I had five minutes until we were off duty!
"WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS WAKE ME UP!" I shouted, looking around at everyone. But I didn't have time to argue or complain. I had to get cleaned up before Destiny arrived!
I ran to my locker to grab my change of clothes and then turned to head to the shower but came face to face with…
"DESTINY!" I yelped in surprise, literally jumping back. I placed my hand over my heart from the shock and exhaled slowly.
She smiled brightly at me and my lips automatically curved upward in a responding smile.
"Um…did I scare you?" she asked, looking amused. "The door was open…"
"Just surprised is all," I corrected, not wanting to seem completely unobservant.
"Just get back from a fire?" she asked, looking e up and down.
I looked down at myself and blushed. I was still in my turn outs, I could feel my hair sticking out wildly, I was covered in soot and I'm sure I smelled like a woodstove.
"Yeah…is it THAT obvious?" I chuckled. "I'm sorry…I fell asleep and I was JUST on my way to the shower when you came in."
"Oh, well don't let me stop you!" Destiny replied pleasantly, "I'll just wait outside for you."
"No way!" I said quickly, ushering her toward the kitchen. I tried not to touch her so I wouldn't get soot on her dress. "Come on in here and meet the guys! They'll definitely keep you company until I get back."
I felt her tense up a little but she kept walking as we made our way into the kitchen where the crew had gathered to have a last cup of coffee before shift change.
"Hey, guys, I have someone I'd like you to meet," I announced as we entered. "This is Destiny Ross. Keep her company while I get cleaned up, alright?"
Everyone looked up and I felt that familiar feeling of pain and anger flare up inside me when I saw their smiles visibly falter and fall into looks of confusion and concern. I kept my composer and proceeded to walk her right up to the table and started introducing them.
"Destiny, these are my shiftmates," I stated, pointing out each individual, "This is Captain Hank Stanley, my partner, Roy DeSoto, Mike Stoker, Marco Lopez and that joker is Chet Kelly."
"Nice to meet you all," Destiny said pleasantly, but her voice seemed strained.
I expected exuberant greetings and jokes flying from Chet's mouth about "why she would want to be with that clown" or something…ANYTHING. I felt like yelling when they all sat there with blank looks on their faces, all except Marco who grinned widely and shook Destiny's hand happily.
"Hi, Destiny!" he said cheerfully, "Johnny's been talking about your guys' date tonight ever since he got here yesterday!"
Destiny seemed to relax some at the open friendly greeting and small talk and she smiled back at Marco and laughed a little.
"He forgot to mention one little detail by the look of things," she noted.
At that moment, I felt a little bit better because Roy jumped up from his seat and stood next to Marco, reaching out to take Destiny's hand in a handshake.
"Well, I guess that's true," he said, "But I'd say it doesn't matter one way or the other because now you're here and we're all might glad to meet you. Would you like a cup of coffee? It's fresh made!"
Destiny looked at Roy with relief, and I felt the same relief flood my emotions.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, "Just one spoon of sugar, please?"
"Coming right up!" Roy grinned and went to the sink to fix the cup. I looked around the room at the other three men and I frowned visibly at them, but they were giving me nervous and unsure glances in return.
I stepped to Destiny's side and leaned down to whisper in her ear:
"I'm so sorry about those three. I honestly have never seen them act this way. Will you be ok here with Marco and Roy?"
"Yeah, Johnny," she replied simply, shrugging, "I'll be ok here with them. Now, go get washed up!"
She playfully gave me a little push towards the door and I chuckled as I headed out into the bay and towards the locker room.
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When B-Shift arrived and we were all free to go, Destiny and I headed to my Rover in the back. I held the door open for her and she slid in as daintily as a china doll. I pulled myself in much less gracefully and we pulled out of the station lot.
"I want to apologize for Mike, Chet and the Cap," I said softly, breaking the silence.
Destiny sighed heavily.
"Is it sad that I'm so used to it I hardly even care anymore?" she said sadly. She looked down at her hand in her lap. "Not that you ever get used to it. It still hurts just as much as it ever did."
"I know what you mean," I nodded. "But I didn't think they would…I mean they get along fine with Marco and I! Sure, Chet makes Indian jokes a lot, but I know in the end he's only kidding."
"Don't worry about it, Johnny," she shook her head slowly, "You can't change the world and I'm done trying to please everyone."
I fell silent, not knowing what to say really. I pondered her words and thought about all the times I'd been picked on in school and when applying for jobs because of my heritage. It's not something you can help, you know? Why can't people just accept that we are who we are, but we're all people no matter what color we are?
"Well," I said slowly, not really knowing where this was coming from, it just poured out, "You don't have to try hard with me. I'm already pretty doggone pleased with you."
Destiny turned her head to look at me, her eyes searching mine for any hint of humor or sarcasm, but there was none to find because I wasn't joking one bit.
"Well…" she began slowly, "That's a relief to hear. Not something I DO hear very often."
"So…" I tried to veer the conversation elsewhere, "How's your leg doing? Had any more issues with it?"
"Not a bit," she seemed just as eager to change topic, "I guess I just ran myself too hard the other day. I've been out running since then and I've been just fine."
"Good deal," I said with a grin, "Because you're gonna need your legs today!"
She looked at me in confusion and I just smiled back.
"What are we doing exactly?" she inquired.
"You'll see!" I replied, trying to sound mysterious. I hoped it came out that way instead of creepy…
Destiny turned around in her seat and examined the back of the Rover. Aw, shoot…forgot to cover all that stuff up.
"Rock climbing?" she asked, seeing the gear all over the floor.
"Way to ruin the shock value!" I said, shaking my head in annoyance at my lack of concealment.
She turned back around and looked forward out the window, her eyes wide.
"I've never done this before…" she murmured. "Is it dangerous?"
"Psh! Not with me teaching you!" I stuck out my chest in exaggerated pride.
"That's not what your friends would say…"
"Hey, now, what were they lying to you about that whole time?" I asked, annoyed already by the crew's response and now to find out they were spreading vicious rumors?
"Well it was stated by your friend Chet that you're fantastically clumsy," Destiny clarified. "Everybody seemed to agree."
"I'm not clumsy," I muttered, "My mind just gets moving too fast for my body to keep up. But I've never failed at my job and you better believe it!"
"Touchy subject?" she asked softly, looking slightly ashamed.
"I just hear about it a lot…"
"Well," Destiny's voice took on a cheerful note, "I guess you'll have your chance to prove them wrong today, won't you?"
I grinned as we turned onto an off road that led to some of the easier to climb rock formations. Destiny was looking around as we passed several difficult climbs and was looking nervous.
"Don't worry," I encouraged, "We're not going to start you on those! I've got some a little more tame in mind."
"Good," she sighed with relief, "Because I don't think I could make it a quarter of the way up some of those!"
I chuckled.
"It takes some building up to," I agreed.
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I finally found the very choppy, not very tall, firm footing rock wall I was thinking of and pulled up near it and parked. After I rounded the front ad opened Destiny's door for her, because I was raised to be a gentleman, I opened the back of the Rover and began pulling out supplies.
Destiny stood there holding the rope I handed her looking adorably confused, she eyed if suspiciously.
"It's not gonna bite ya," I teased, shouldering my rope and picking up the rest of the stuff.
She gave me a "ha ha, very funny" sneer and then smiled. Oh wow…she had the most captivating smile I'd seen in a LONG time!
"So…" she said hesitantly, looking up at the rocks, "How do we do this, exactly?"
"Well, first I'm going to get our ropes secured at the top and then we'll go up together, ok?" I asked and she nodded. So I chose a first place for a firm footing and then proceeded the easy free climb up the not so high rock formation. I tied both of our lines securely at the top and repelled back down.
Destiny was looking at me with an impressed look and she was smiling a strange smile. She looked thoughtful and delighted at the same time.
"Ok…" I announced, "Time to go up!"
Destiny pulled her shoulders back in determination and shook a strand of hair back from her eyes. She looked up the formation to the top that leveled out to become the forest beyond the edge.
"First thing," I said after I had checked to see if her equipment was placed and working properly. "Remember that the most important aspect of climbing is your legs. Yes, your grip and arms are important, but if your footing is bad then your grip and hold might not keep you up. ALWAYS make sure your footing is stable and solid."
Destiny examined the wall for a god foothole and finally picked up her foot and placed it in on a small rock shelf and nodded satisfactorily.
"Very good," I said, pleased she understood and followed my instructions, "Now, find a place to get a good grip and brace yourself. But don't pull yourself up if you can avoid it, lift yourself up with your legs."
I grinned and gave her a thumbs-up when she successfully executed the first step. Now…to do it over again with no room for second guessing. But Destiny was already taking another step up to find a foothold and she soon pulled/pushed herself up the wall a little further. Wow…this girl was really something else! I stood at the base of the rocks and watched her climb up as if she'd done it a million times, I felt a smile spreading across my face when she flung her leg over the top and looked down at me with a look of excitement and exhilaration.
"Well…are you coming or not, slowpoke?" she teased, breathing a little hard from her climb. I grinned up at her and started climbing, covering the distance much faster than she had, and swung myself up on the top next to her. I gave her a smug look and she dropped her eyes sadly.
"I thought I did that pretty fast…" she said quietly, "But I guess not."
"Hey!" I laid a hand on her shoulder, my smile faltering. She looked at my hand like she'd never seen one before then her eyes looked straight into mine. "You did amazing for the first time! It takes practice and I've been doing this for as long as I can remember. Don't judge your achievement by me!"
And my heart fluttered happily when she smiled, the white of her teeth contrasted dramatically against her dark lips. I gazed at them, considering taking a chance and going in for a kiss but she suddenly turned her head and looked over the edge of the small cliff. I sighed slightly and turned to look at what she was seeing but there was nothing interesting there and I realized she had just broken the moment on purpose. Hey, she' worth taking it slow for I reminded myself as disappointment washed over me give her time. This whole thing is probably odd for her. Heck, maybe she's not even thinking of this as anything but two friends hanging out.
"So…" I said, leaning back on my palms and dangling my legs over the edge. "You ready for something a little bigger? There's a formation not far from here that's a good step up from this."
Destiny's lovely brown eyes looked over at me and she nodded excitedly.
"I'm ready!" she said, standing up. "Wanna race this time?"
"You're on!"
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The second climb took much longer for Destiny to complete and then I taught her how to repel. She was very good at the whole thing, especially for this being her first time climbing and I found my admiration for her growing.
"That was so fun, Johnny!" she said breathlessly as we walked back to the Rover with our gear. "I feel like my legs and arms are jelly but it was a blast!"
"Glad you had a good time," I said with a smile, throwing my ropes and harnesses in the back of the vehicle, "You were amazing! I think you've got yourself some natural talent there."
"Really think so?" she asked, looking surprised, "That last climb took me a long time!"
"Most first timers don't even finish the climb," I stated with a wink. She gave me a funny look and then her eyes dropped to her feet where they scuffed the dirt, but I saw her pleased smile as she avoided my eyes out of meekness.
I leaned against the side of the Rover and looked at her appreciatively. She looked amazing to me as she stood there in her khaki shorts and her black tank top, her hair pulled back into a long, curly ponytail. She was sweating from the climbing and she had dirt one her arms and face, but her pure white smile showed that she was at ease and enjoying herself. She started talking to me about how exhilarating the climbs had been and how strong she had felt after she conquered the rocks and at one point she let out with a hearty laugh and I felt my chest flutter in a funny way that made me smile even wider as I listened to her.
"Well…this was so fun, Johnny!" she said, leaning up on the Rover beside me, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she looked around. "Where to now?"
I looked at her in surprise. She didn't want to go home and she seemed to be happy and content. Usually, this was when I drove the girl home and she told me "Don't call me, I'll call you."
"You…you got anything in mind?" I asked, still not quite sure what to think about her statement. I hadn't planned for it to be a very long and intimate date.
"I'd really love to just…talk to you," Destiny said, her head turned so she could look me in the eye. "So…wanna go get a drink or something? Just to relax and tell our stories?"
I smiled at her and nodded.
"That's…one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time," I replied, more than eager. Believe it or not…I felt like I WANTED to know her on an emotional level and that isn't something I felt very often. I remember Mike telling me once that if I wanted to keep a girl around I should sit down and talk to them about themselves, get to know them as a person and not a body. This was my first date since he'd told me that and I was excited to see what his suggestion made of things.
Destiny smiled her earth-shaking smile at me as I opened the passenger door for her to step up into. I found myself excited to hear her story as I climbed into the driver's seat and we pulled out of the park into the flow of the city again, headed for a small bar I knew of not too far down the road.
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Well here's Chapter 2! It's been a while, but I promise I'm still here! It's just been a crazy week and I haven't had hardly any time to spare. I have big plans for this story so keep posted!
And don't get riled up about any character reactions or statements yet, all will be explained in due time.
REVIEW :D