IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS

CHAPTER 4

Over the next few days, the new cadets slowly settled into their daily routine. Hutch soon learned not to encourage Starsky to accompany him on his early morning runs but to let him sleep instead. The curly haired man was definitely not the best company early in the morning, at least not until he'd had a couple of cups of coffee first. He started studying together with Starsky in the evenings, helping the smaller man with his class assignments. Hutch willingly helped him with the legal language that Starsky had trouble comprehending and showed him little tricks to help him to retain what he read. In return, Starsky showed Hutch some of the self defense techniques he had learned both on the streets of New York and in the military. Hutch discovered that Starsky had a sharp, intelligent mind and an insatiable curiosity along with a remarkable memory for details. All he needed was a little help learning new ways to process information he didn't understand so that it made sense to him. In spite of their obvious differences, the two men made a good team and a strong friendship was starting to develop.

Hutch had never had many friends, especially close friends. With his sheltered background and his parent's refusal to associate with anyone they considered coming from a lower social class than themselves, he hadn't had many opportunities to develop the skills needed to develop close friendships with his peers. It wasn't until he was in college that he was finally able to begin to form relationships on his own, based on his own preferences, without his parent's approval. Maybe that was why he felt such an instant bond with the dark haired displaced New Yorker because he knew his parents would never approve of him being friends with someone like Starsky.

But Hutch knew it was more than that. Starsky made him feel accepted for who he was as a person, not because of his name or his family's money. Starsky didn't give a damn about the things that were so important in the social circles that Hutch had grown up in, the lifestyle that Hutch had voluntarily rejected. With Starsky, Hutch could just be himself for the first time in his life. He didn't have to impress the other man or try to be something he hated.

Hutch enjoyed his early morning runs around the track at the academy. They gave him time to think. Running had always been therapeutic for the tall blond. He had turned his back on everything his family held dear to do something he wanted to do with his life, not something that was expected of him. And he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions, even if it alienated him from his family and destroyed his marriage. For the first time in his life, Hutch felt free of the responsibilities and expectations that had weighed him down for twenty-one years. After his run, he returned to his dorm room to shower and chance. By that time, Starsky was usually up and just finishing up with his own shower. They would have breakfast together in the cafeteria before heading for their first class of the day.

After classes were over for the day, they continued hanging out together, studying until nine PM and then lying in bed after lights out talking and getting to know each other. As the first week of classes grew to a close and their first free weekend approached, Starsky asked Hutch about his plans for their two days off.

"I figured I'd just hang around here." Hutch told him "The last time I talked to Vanessa she said she was going out of town for the weekend so there's not much use in going back to an empty apartment ."

"Hey, why don't you come home with me? My Aunt and Uncle won't care." Starsky suggested

"I don't wanna impose. I wouldn't feel right about it."

"Bullshit." Starsky told him with a grin "You won't be imposing and it'll beat the hell out of hanging out here all weekend. Come on, Hutch….it'll be fun."

"I don't know…." Hutch said hesitantly. The idea sounded appealing but he still felt funny about accepting Starsky's offer.

"I ain't taking no for an answer." Starsky said firmly "So get some stuff together so we can blow this joint." Starsky's enthusiasm was contagious and Hutch felt himself grinning broadly as he grabbed an overnight bag out of his closet and began to stuff it with a couple of shirts, some jeans and clean underwear. Grabbing his shaving gear from the bathroom, he tossed it in his bag and zipped it shut. By the time he had finished with his own packing, Starsky was finished too. Laughing between themselves, the two friends left their room and headed for the parking lot.

Since he was Starsky's guest for the weekend, they took the dark haired man's car. Hutch relaxed, leaning back in his seat, as Starsky expertly maneuvered through the late afternoon traffic. He handled the car with ease, darting in and out of traffic effortlessly. Forty-five minutes later, Starsky pulled into the driveway beside the house where he'd spent most of his teenage years. As the two men climbed out of the car, the front door flew open and Starsky's Aunt Rose came running down the sidewalk towards her nephew. Hutch watched with an amused smile as the older woman grabbed the smaller man in a warm heartfelt hug and then tousled his unruly curls affectionately.

"It's about time you got here." She told him "Supper's already on the table."

"Looks like we're just in time." Starsky said with a grin as he slipped his arm around her slim waist. Glancing across the roof of the car at Hutch, he said "Aunt Rose, this is Ken Hutchinson. He's my roommate at the academy. I invited him home with me for the weekend."

"Glad to meet you, Ken." Rose said with a warm smile as Hutch walked around the front of the car and joined them on the sidewalk. "I hope you like fried chicken and mashed potatoes because that's what we're having for supper."

"Sounds great." Hutch assured her with a happy grin as he followed Starsky and his Aunt into the tidy little house. He didn't often get the chance to enjoy a real home cooked meal. His parents had a full time cook and you'd never find fried chicken being served at the Hutchinson dinner table. And Vanessa would rather eat out than even think about cooking something herself. Out of necessity, Hutch had learned to cook for himself over the years.

Delicious aromas drifted out of the kitchen as the three of them made their way into the heart of the home. Hutch watched as Starsky's Uncle greeted him with a hug just like his Aunt had before they all sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Rosie had fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes with white gravy, green beans with bits of bacon, hot rolls, and a cherry pie for dessert. Hutch thought it was the best meal he'd eaten in a long long time.

Starsky ate his food with the same gusto that he seemed to do everything, settling for seconds since they had company for supper. Hutch immediately felt welcome and right at home in the Starsky house. Throughout the meal, Starsky entertained his Aunt and Uncle with tales of his first week at the Academy. Hutch stayed quiet, just enjoying watching the interaction between the three members of the little family. He could feel the love and honest affection that bound them together. He found himself wishing he had that same kind of closeness and bond with his own family. He'd spent a lonely childhood, raised and cared for by servants and nursemaids. He'd rarely seen his parents or spent much time with them. Even when he did, he was expected to be the perfect little gentleman who was seen and not heard with impeccable manners. So, he was perfectly content to sit back and enjoy watching Starsky basking in the love of his family.

After supper, they all went into the living room where Uncle Al settled down to read the evening newspaper and Rose embarrassed Starsky by telling Hutch stories of his early days in Bay City. Finally, Starsky told his Aunt that the two friends were going out for a little while but he promised faithfully to be back before midnight. As they left the house, Starsky rolled his eyes at Hutch and grinned. "I don't know about you but I'm ready for a beer."

"I like your Aunt and Uncle. Thanks for inviting me for the weekend." Hutch told him as they climbed into the car.

"Hey, I kinda got used to having you around this past week." Starsky told him offhandedly "I like spending time with you, Hutch."

"I like spending time with you too, Starsk." He admitted fondly, unconsciously shortening Starsky's name affectionately.

Starsky drove to a combination bar and grill in downtown Bay City. It was called THE PITS and was owned by Huggy Bear's Uncle, who was training the tall thin black man to take over for him when he retired in a few years. The bar was crowded when they arrived but the two friends spotted two empty stools at the bar and sat down before someone else took the seats. Huggy Bear was tending bar and when he saw Starsky, he automatically began to fill a frosty mug with draft beer. Catching his eye, Starsky held up two fingers. Huggy nodded and started to fill the second mug. Carrying them down to the end of the bar, he sat one in front of Starsky and one in front of Hutch. Grinning at his dark haired friend, he said,

"You out slumming tonight, Curly?"

"Hey, just showing Hutch here the sights." Starsky told him with a grin. "Huggy Bear, this is my room mate, Ken Hutchinson….Hutch for short."

"Nice to meet you, Hutch." Huggy told him smoothly "If Curly says you're okay, then that's good enough for me."

"Nice to meet you too, Huggy." Hutch said with a grin as he eyed the black man's colorful attire. The tall thin black man was dressed in black pants with a bright yellow shirt and a multicolored vest. He found himself thinking that Starsky certainly had some interesting friends.

"So how's cop school going?" Huggy asked, turning his attention back to his curly haired friend.

"No complaints." Starsky told him "Learning all about how to catch the bad guys."

"That'll be a switch." Huggy said with a chuckle. "How's it feel on the other side of the line?"

"Pretty damn good." Starsky told him with a wide grin, his sapphire eyes sparkling with shared secrets that didn't include Hutch.

"Well, some of us have to go earn a living." Huggy told him with a snort "We ain't got time to play cops and robbers all week."

As the tall black youth walked away, Hutch glanced at his curly haired friend and said "Interesting character."

"Huggy? He's one of the good guys." Starsky told him "We've been friends since I first came to Bay City. He helped me though a lot of the hard times. He knows everything there is to know about what's going on in the streets….he'll be a good contact when we get out there."

"Setting up contacts already, huh?"

"Hey, it's never too soon to start…you never know who might come in handy later on."

Their conversation turned to other things as they finished their beers and ordered another. Wandering over to the pool table, Starsky challenged Hutch to a game. They both turned out to be equally skillful at the game but in the end it was Starsky that won. They played two more games while enjoying another beer with Hutch winning one and Starsky winning one. Keeping his promise to his Aunt, Starsky kept a close eye on the time making sure they left in time to make it back home before midnight. Rosie and Al were already in bed when they arrived, so the two friends quietly made their way through the house to Starsky's old bedroom.

Eyeing the double bed nervously, Hutch said "Uh….look, I can just sleep on the couch."

"Believe me, you don't wanna sleep on that couch." Starsky told him with a chuckle "Your back will never forgive you. What's the big deal? There's plenty of room here…it ain't like I'm gonna try and jump your bones or anything like that."

"Okay." Hutch finally conceded, still uncomfortable with the arrangement but accepting it. If the idea of sharing the bed didn't bother Starsky, then Hutch was determined not to let it bother him either. He had already discovered that Starsky had very few inhibitions compared to the guilt plagued blond. The two of them crawled into the bed and were soon sleeping peacefully.

Hutch enjoyed himself the rest of the weekend. By Sunday night, Rosie was insisting that he call her Aunt Rosie and was fussing over him as much as she did her nephew. Hutch found himself looking forward to coming back again.