The Present

Starsky woke up early the next morning, took a quick shower, changed and then started the coffee, even pulling down the gourmet coffee that Hutch preferred, something that Starsky usually grumbled was a waste of money. The two had been partners for only a few months, and though they had worked well from the beginning, neither had been very forthcoming about their pasts. Starsky knew his friend was facing a difficult journey ahead and hoped he could keep him talking about his childhood.

Hutch was not in his bedroom and Starsky found him on the deck, staring into the dark.

"Hey, buddy, need some coffee?"

It took a minute for Hutch's blue eyes to focus on his friend. "Sure. Can't sleep anyway."

"Did Carlton win the big game?"

"What? Oh, no they lost, and Carlton was furious. It could have kept the team out of the state finals, and Carlton knew NFL scouts were there. He was furious, and Mickey and I stayed out of his way, going to Woodland Park every day after school. Baseball season was over, and there were a few high school players there. When they saw me pitch, they asked us to join them. I said I would if Mickey got to play, too. That shocked them, and I thought they would say no, but they okay'd it. I didn't know I was a good pitcher, but they were quite admiring of me; and Mickey was happy they were good to me. Coach Stratton came to the park, and started coaching me how to throw a curveball, a fastball, and a knuckleball. He even gave Mickey hitting lessons. She was still trying to hit from the right and the left side of the plate, just like Mickey Mantle. She was good catching the ball and throwing it, as good as anyone her age. Coach used to joke he would get us both on the same team. So, I became the star pitcher of our team later in high school. Mickey and I both were on the track team, too. Both of us had learned to run fast, especially when Carlton was after us."

"Did Carlton keep picking on you?"

"Well, he helped win the state championship that year and the next two. His head was as big as the Hindenburg."

Starsky chuckled. "Did that keep him from bullying you?"

"Some. Mickey finally realized that he couldn't beat on his sister, but if she angered him, he would take it out on me. We only had to wait for him to go to college. So we stayed out of his way, reading, studying, and sports."

"Bet your parents were proud of you."

A look of pain crossed Hutch's face. "Judith was the beautiful, social queen who married well. Jonathon was the star, scholastically, athletically. Do you know he went to the Olympics? Skiing. He crashed in practice, otherwise he would have medaled, I am sure. He came back to become a house representative, governor . . ."

Hutch paused, as if seeing back in the past. "Carlton was the football star, in high school, college, and even the NFL."

"Carlton always said baseball was for sissies who couldn't take hits. Mother and Father despaired of molding Micky like Judith and left her to me. Me – I got lost in the shuffle. They didn't attend my games . . ."

"Sorry, buddy, that's rough."

Hutch attempted a smile, though he had the hurt-little-boy look that always touched Starsky's heart. "They had three other children to boast about, and Hutchinsons competed with one another. Mickey and I both got overlooked a lot. Mickey simply didn't care, as long as she had me. Nothing fazed her. She confided to me once, when I was down on myself, with pimples, awkwardness, and thought I would never date, that all of her friends were only friends with her so they could date me." He smiled sheepishly. "Course they were all too young. But it made me feel better."

"Can't imagine you not getting a date."

"I . . . I stammered a lot when under stress. And I was awkward. And had two big brothers who never had to try. Two stars. I think, kinda like Mickey did, the girls who were friends to me were after Jonathon and Carlton. Not interested in a geeky kid like me."

Hutch was silent a minute, looking back into the past. "I stammered badly when I was three or four – but never when I sang. Carlton loved to tease me about it, and that made it worse. Mother and Father were ashamed of me, a defect in the Hutchinson family. They sent me to a therapist."

"You got better? You rarely stutter now."

"I don't want to talk about it. I'd better get my shower and get dressed." Hutch put his right hand on Starsky's shoulder. "Thanks for being here for me, Starsk. I needed a friend."

David Starsky stared after the blond. Starsky had never take all the psychology courses and social courses that Hutch had, but he knew there was more to the story than Hutch was telling. He thought of his own large group of cousins, all rowdy, tough, teasing and streetwise. He had grown up in a hard neighborhood, but never without the support of his parents. He fought with his two brothers and they were very competitive, they might pick on each other, but the neighborhood knew never to pick on a Starsky boy, as they would then have to take on the other two. His sister had tried to mother him, but as the oldest boy, he wouldn't let her. He had been raised to be tough and know his way around the Bronx, and he never had a lack of self-esteem.

His first impression of the Nordic blond was a spoiled, intellectual rich kid. He was finding out differently.