Anita's Day
By: Olivia
"A kind heart he hath. A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart."-
William Shakespeare-"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
"If the while I think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end."-William
Shakespeare-"Sonnet 30"
Lt. Anita Van Buren walked into her office. She moved slowly to her chair and fell into it. She
was exhausted. What a way to celebrate her birthday.
She and her detectives had been working on trying to find the murderer of one of the daughters
of Councilman Talbot. It had been a hard case made even harder by the political pressure put on
them. They had finally gotten a break in the case and had nabbed the perp. He pleaded his
innocence but she, Lennie, and Rey all knew he was the one. The evidence confirmed it. It was
up to Jack and Jamie to put him away.
Anita glanced at her watch. It was late-really late. After the perp had been sent to arraignment,
Anita had told Lennie and Rey to go home and get some rest. She would finish up the remaining
paperwork. They had done good work on this case, but then they always gave her their best. She
was proud of them and proud to know them.
Anita looked out her office window onto the precinct floor. It was still buzzing with life, even at
this late hour. It never ceased to amaze her how this place was never silent. But then crime
didn't sleep and therefore neither could justice.
She glanced at her watch again. A few more hours and her birthday would be over. Horrible day
for a birthday, she thought again. She regretted that she had been forced to cancel dinner plans
with her husband and sons. Tomorrow they would celebrate. Besides, she had almost decided to
stop celebrating birthdays.
Gathering her coat, Anita started to head for the door when she noticed a package on the corner
of her desk. Funny that she hadn't noticed it before. She was trained to notice things, but her
senses had been dulled temporarily by this case. She picked up the package.
A birthday present for her? She opened it quickly and turning it over discovered to her pleasant
surprise that it was a book entitled, "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes." Quickly, she
opened to the first page where she read the inscription, "To our L.T.-Happy Birthday-Lennie and
Rey."
Anita grinned widely. She remembered the stakeout where she had learned that Lennie liked
Langston Hughes as she did. She had been surprised to say the least. It was something that she
had never considered Lennie would like let alone know by heart. He had quoted the lines, "I play
it cool/And dig all jive/That's the reason/I stay alive." And she had finished the poem, "My
motto/As I live and learn/Is/Dig And Be Dug/In Return."
Even after knowing Lennie for three years, he still had a way of surprising her. For as gruff and
cynical as he was most of the time, there was a certain sweetness about him which lay dormant.
His cynicism was not surprising. Their occupation did not allow them to see the good in the
world very often.
And who couldn't help smiling at Rey's affection use of her title "L.T.?" Rey had been so green
when he had come to their precinct, but under Lennie's and her guidance he was on his way to
becoming a great homicide detective.
Anita put the book under her arm and left her office smiling. And it was then that she decided it
had been a good birthday after all.
By: Olivia
"A kind heart he hath. A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart."-
William Shakespeare-"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
"If the while I think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end."-William
Shakespeare-"Sonnet 30"
Lt. Anita Van Buren walked into her office. She moved slowly to her chair and fell into it. She
was exhausted. What a way to celebrate her birthday.
She and her detectives had been working on trying to find the murderer of one of the daughters
of Councilman Talbot. It had been a hard case made even harder by the political pressure put on
them. They had finally gotten a break in the case and had nabbed the perp. He pleaded his
innocence but she, Lennie, and Rey all knew he was the one. The evidence confirmed it. It was
up to Jack and Jamie to put him away.
Anita glanced at her watch. It was late-really late. After the perp had been sent to arraignment,
Anita had told Lennie and Rey to go home and get some rest. She would finish up the remaining
paperwork. They had done good work on this case, but then they always gave her their best. She
was proud of them and proud to know them.
Anita looked out her office window onto the precinct floor. It was still buzzing with life, even at
this late hour. It never ceased to amaze her how this place was never silent. But then crime
didn't sleep and therefore neither could justice.
She glanced at her watch again. A few more hours and her birthday would be over. Horrible day
for a birthday, she thought again. She regretted that she had been forced to cancel dinner plans
with her husband and sons. Tomorrow they would celebrate. Besides, she had almost decided to
stop celebrating birthdays.
Gathering her coat, Anita started to head for the door when she noticed a package on the corner
of her desk. Funny that she hadn't noticed it before. She was trained to notice things, but her
senses had been dulled temporarily by this case. She picked up the package.
A birthday present for her? She opened it quickly and turning it over discovered to her pleasant
surprise that it was a book entitled, "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes." Quickly, she
opened to the first page where she read the inscription, "To our L.T.-Happy Birthday-Lennie and
Rey."
Anita grinned widely. She remembered the stakeout where she had learned that Lennie liked
Langston Hughes as she did. She had been surprised to say the least. It was something that she
had never considered Lennie would like let alone know by heart. He had quoted the lines, "I play
it cool/And dig all jive/That's the reason/I stay alive." And she had finished the poem, "My
motto/As I live and learn/Is/Dig And Be Dug/In Return."
Even after knowing Lennie for three years, he still had a way of surprising her. For as gruff and
cynical as he was most of the time, there was a certain sweetness about him which lay dormant.
His cynicism was not surprising. Their occupation did not allow them to see the good in the
world very often.
And who couldn't help smiling at Rey's affection use of her title "L.T.?" Rey had been so green
when he had come to their precinct, but under Lennie's and her guidance he was on his way to
becoming a great homicide detective.
Anita put the book under her arm and left her office smiling. And it was then that she decided it
had been a good birthday after all.