Chapter 3: Rookie Days & Tough Breaks
It was a couple weeks later and Sharon and Francesca had organized an outing with the kids to go to the Los Angeles Aquarium.
Unfortunately, a few days before the outing, Francesca came down with a cold.
So, that left Andy and Sharon to take the kids to the aquarium together. They hadn't spent too much time together, especially without Francesca, but Sharon was willing to give it a go if Andy was.
"So, any interesting stories from your rookie days?" Sharon asked, deciding to go with something they both had in common.
"Well…there was this one time my partner and I went to go arrest this guy and he answered the door completely naked," Andy told her.
"Really?" asked Sharon.
"Yeah. We had to take him inside and find him some pants. He was high on something or other, so that explains a lot. What about you?" Andy asked in an attempt to make conversation.
"Well, one time my partner went to pick up a suspect and he threatened us with a toy gun," explained Sharon.
"Jeez! He's lucky one of you didn't blow his head off thinking it was real," replied Andy.
"Yeah. Lucky for him, I noticed it was a plastic toy gun and cuffed him," said Sharon.
"Good call. How long did you work the streets?" Andy asked her.
"About five years. Of course, I was riding a desk for nine months of that when Emily came along. What about you?" Sharon asked him.
"About six years or so. It was definitely an interesting journey. Especially with my partner, Provenza," said Andy.
"Never heard of him. That's probably a good thing though, right?" asked Sharon.
"Probably. He's gotten himself and us in some scrapes, but he's a good partner and a great friend," said Andy.
"Sounds like it," replied Sharon.
"He really helped me out after my wife Sandra died," said Andy.
"Yeah, your mom told me about some of that. I'm so sorry," Sharon told him.
"Thanks. It was tough at first, but we've somehow made it through with the help of my Ma," said Andy.
"You're lucky to have her. Sometimes, I wish I had family out here in LA," said Sharon.
"Yeah I am. Did she tell you about me being a recovering alcoholic?" Andy asked her.
"Yeah. She mentioned that you'd been sober for six years now. That's a great accomplishment," Sharon told him.
"So, you don't have a problem with it?" Andy asked her.
"No. My husband may be a drunk, but you're not anymore. I've seen you with the kids and I have faith in your ability to be responsible when they're in your care. Sure, it was a shock to hear at first, but it's not a problem," explained Sharon.
"Okay. Well, that's nice to hear. Thank you. So, you're husband is an alcoholic?" asked Andy.
"Yeah. Has been for years. He refuses to get help. Hence the separation. I couldn't have my kids exposed to that sort of behavior. He's also taken up gambling. Last I heard, he was in Vegas somewhere," Sharon told him.
"Wow. Tough break. That's gotta be hard," replied Andy.
"It was at first. Now, with him not around, it's not much of an issue. His refusal to get help is a deal breaker for me. That's it," said Sharon.
"Yeah, I think it would eventually have been for my wife too had she not been killed. My drinking was out of control. It was actually her and her death that triggered me to get help," said Andy.
"Well, unfortunately sometimes it takes something drastic to realize there's a problem," said Sharon.
"Yeah. Luckily, the kids were young enough not to remember most of it. I hope it was the same for Ricky and Emily," Andy told Sharon.
"Emily remembers her dad a little bit. Ricky doesn't really remember him. He just misses having a dad like everyone else. Quite frankly, that fact pisses me off too," said Sharon.
"Yeah. So, onto happier things, how have the kids been doing this summer since baseball ended?" asked Andy.
"They've been good. They had a great time at the park with you, Nicole, and Brandon. Other than that, they've mostly been with a sitter while I'm at work," said Sharon.
"We should plan to do more stuff with them when one or both of us have the day off," suggested Andy.
"I think they'd love that," said Sharon excitedly.
"Mama. Look at that shark," interjected Ricky.
"I see. That's so cool," responded Sharon.
"Do you guys know what kind of shark that is?" Andy asked the children.
"It says on the sign that it's a hammerhead shark," said Emily.
"Very good, Emily," complimented Andy.
"Sharks are so cool," said Brandon.
"Yeah, they are, bud,"
"Look at the jellyfish over there," said Nicole.
The group directed their attention to the exhibit across the way.
"They're really pretty, aren't they?" Sharon asked Nicole.
"Yeah. Plus, they're pink and purple," Nicole pointed out.
"Let me guess, those are your favorite colors," said a chuckling Sharon.
"Purple's my favorite, but pink is my second favorite," Nicole told her.
"Purple is my favorite color too," said Sharon.
"Nicole! Look at the starfishes and seahorses," Emily ran straight ahead to the next exhibit.
The group followed Emily, who had her face pressed against the glass of the tank.
"Those are so cool, Emily," Nicole told her.
"Look at their tails!" Ricky told Brandon.
"Look, Ricky! That one's grabbing some seaweed," Brandon showed him.
Meanwhile, behind them, Sharon and Andy smiled at how swimmingly the kids were bonding with each other.
"Reminds me of me and my siblings as kids. Minus less fighting," commented Andy.
"I'm sure the fighting will happen eventually," replied Sharon.
"You're probably right," said Andy.
"My mom always tells me to enjoy the peaceful moments like this," revealed Sharon.
"Smart lady," replied Andy.
Just then, the kids moved away from the exhibit and back towards their respective parent.
"What shall we see next?" asked Sharon.
"How about the sea turtles?" suggested Sharon.
"Awesome!" said Brandon.
"Sea turtles it is," declared Andy as they began making their way towards the sea turtle display.
The rest of the afternoon saw them touring the various exhibits the Los Angeles Aquarium had to offer.
Afterwards, Sharon and Andy decided to take the kids to a local gelato place Andy had recommended.
The kids each got a scoop of vanilla chocolate chip while Sharon got peach and Andy got chocolate hazelnut cream.
"This is really good. I've never had gelato before," Sharon told Andy.
"Ma used to take us sometimes as kids. She called it our special treat if we were being good," revealed Andy.
"How is Francesca? It's a shame she couldn't make it today," said Sharon.
"Oh, she's alright. I took her over some soup yesterday. She's still feeling sick, but I think she's over the worst of it," Andy told her.
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sure you'll be glad to have her back," commented Sharon.
"Yeah. Today wasn't too bad though, was it?" asked Andy.
"No. Surprisingly, we actually managed to get along," said Sharon lightheartedly.
"Yeah, we did. Plus, the kids had a great time at the aquarium," said Andy.
"Which is what's important," replied Sharon.
"Exactly," added Andy.
As the two turned their attention back to the children, Andy couldn't help but think there might just be more to Sharon Raydor than meets the eye. Maybe she wasn't just someone who worked for the rat squad, but also a mother and a seemingly complex woman.
He didn't know much about her at this point, but he was definitely intrigued to find out.