Monday was undoubtedly the worst day of the week. The streets were busier than usual, people were in worse moods, and Flo always had a stack of papers on his desk. All about stupid incidents on the weekend. Yes... On Mondays, he could never live in an idyllic world devoted to coffee and contemplation. There should be a world day dedicated to contemplation! Yes, that would be great for everyone.
"I don't like Monday." Murmured a little girl's voice next to him.
Hopper grinned as he settled a little further into the car seat. At least he had an understanding partner for the morning's exertions, even if she was just on her way to school.
"So..." He spoke, glancing at the seat next to him. "Did you have fun tonight?" A 9-year-old girl nodded with a big smile on her face. "It was a lot of fun. First, we went to the arcade. Can you believe they have a new game out? It's about aliens and it's great. I love aliens!"
"Uh...?" Hopper muttered, glancing at the traffic again. In truth, he was beginning to regret that his daughter's new preferences were getting weirder . When had she stopped being interested in the Western movies they watched together? And for movies about... Aliens? Who would dare to exchange John Wayne for a man in a cheap plastic suit with a giant bobblehead? What happened to the youth of today? Maybe he should never have allowed Jane to become so friendly with these nerds. He sighed.
"And you know what? This week the guys are preparing a new role-playing game. Mike says it's going to be the best!"
Suddenly he was annoyed with everything, the cars that went too slow, the traffic lights that were still red, "Mike, huh ?"
"Oh please, Dad, not again! Mike's cool." Hopper rolled his eyes. No, there was nothing wrong with today's youth, except for one boy in particular: Mike. He was sure the obnoxious boy was a bad influence on Jane, so he decided to change the subject as soon as possible. "And what about Max, huh?" Yes, he hoped her new friend would be a relief to avoid so much nerdiness around his kid.
"Max is cool, too. We baked cookies in the evening," and then Jane looked out the car window. They were just arriving at school. "With her mom. Her... her mom... can cook very well."
Hopper parked the car and exhaled tensely . He knew his daughter too well. Jane was too young when her mother passed away. That was both a blessing and a curse. She couldn't miss someone she could barely remember. But, she regretted not having a mother like the other children.
"Hey..." Hopper murmured, gently squeezing her shoulder. "You know you can always count on me, right?"
She nodded, looking down, but the sad smile on her little lips made his stomach turn.
"Hey…come here" He laid his forehead against hers "You're correct, kid. I've had a lot of work lately, and I've missed a few things, but" He pulled away, so he could look her in the eyes. "You know it',,s..."
"I... I know, it's complicated." She responded dejectedly .
This wasn't the first time they'd discussed it. Hopper swallowed, his heart pounding. Yes, it was a cheap excuse, but it was true nonetheless. It was difficult raising a daughter alone while working full-time and putting in extra hours when you least expected it .
"You know what… I'm sure we can do better. Do you think it's a good plan for today?"
"What?"
"The cookies!"
Jane snorted. "Dad... you don't know how to make cookies," she stated, emphatically underlining the word 'no'.
Hopper smirked, offended. "I know how to eat them, and you have already learned how to cook them... We can make a good team, can't we?"
Despite raising an eyebrow, the girl couldn't help but laugh. "Are you going to be home soon?"
His plan began to unravel at that point. "Shit… today is Monday. Flo will torture me with paperwork..."
"It's ok." She admits, a little devastated but not too surprised. "We can do it tomorrow."
Hopper shrugged. "Nope! To hell with Flo. I'm the chief, right? What do you think about going out at five o'clock today?"
She could outshine a puppy with her eyes. "You…promise?!"
"Sure!"
"Promises cannot be broken ."
"I know!"
She smiled and stepped out of the car. Before lighting a cigarette and restarting the engine, Hopper waited for her to walk into the school . Perhaps this Monday will be different.
Time was moving too slowly , as it did every Monday, with the usual incidents. Nothing too serious: speeding tickets, guys fighting over a girl, drunken brawls.
Hopper lit a new cigarette and cast a glance at the last file. Will he be taken aback? It could be another garden gnome disappearance, or Mrs. Hudson's cats could have eaten the parakeet of the other crazy old woman on General Street. .. again.
"Wow..." When he saw the title of the new report, he snorted ironically . "Was Steve Harrington caught drinking again?" As he desperately rubbed his face, he dropped the folder on the table. Monotony was going to kill him! Too much red tape while still confined to a chair that was slowly breaking his back.
"Damn Harrington," he said as he took another drag on his lungs. "The garden gnome would have been more entertaining."
Hawkins. A very dull place, but also a very calm place. The town will remain that way as long as he's in charge.
He had made a long-ago decision that he did not regret. His coworkers never got it. He could still hear their voices in his head if he closed his eyes.
How could you have resigned as a homicide investigator, Jim? Going to a small town? Where the most unusual thing that happens there is a bike race once a year?!
It hadn't been a difficult decision, especially when you're a widower with a baby to care for. Perhaps a little cowardly , but secure. Yes. The main goal was to keep her daughter safe. He needed to get away from the violence he had left behind in New York.
He looked at his watch, completely absorbed, and saw that it was already quarter past five. How is that even possible?!
"Shit," he cursed, throwing down all of the papers at once. "Shit! Oh, shit!" He repeated, grabbing his hat and sprinting out of his office, almost colliding with Flo. "Where do you think you're going, boy?"
"I have to...erh," Hopper said, his lips pursed. "Urgent business!"
Flo pushed her glasses all the way down to the tip of her nose. "Are you going to sneak out?"
"Never!" As he began to put on his coat, he sneered.
She waved an envelope in his direction. "Hey, I think you should check this out."
"Flo… Put it on the table. I'll look into it first thing tomorrow."
The woman raised her arms in the air. "And your first hour is...?"
Hopper exasperatedly rolled his eyes. " Seriously ?" Despite being the chief, his secretary was worse than a toothache.
"But Hop, it appears to be significant. It's a government document."
"Yes, yes... They will undoubtedly reduce our budget. Again." He responded by downplaying the letter and exiting the office.
"Hop! The seal is from New York!" Flo exclaimed, but the cop had already vanished. She sighed angrily and slammed the envelope down on his desk.
It wasn't an option to be late. At least not again. Hopper couldn't be late for the third time in a row. Or perhaps it was the fourth? Her daughter's disappointment had been a curse all day. He pressed the gas pedal, but frustration struck him in the form of a goddamn traffic jam. Shit. What if he used the car siren to flee? Was he going to be as bad a cop as he was as a father?
The car swerved onto a nearby street to avoid traffic, and his head jerked up. Great. A few more miles, but he might get lucky. There was still time to get there soon!
His hand was about to turn on the radio when he noticed Bob Newby's house out of the corner of his eye. Mondays irritated him to no end! Benny had told him several times that he needed to apologize to Bob.
"Apologize," he hissed. "As if it's my fault he's such a bad poker player."
Wait. The genius wasn't going to return until tomorrow, was he? Better. If only he could delay that absurd apology until the following year... or the one after that. That's even better.
However , as he drove by, several lights in the house turned on. Fuck. Karma was clearly against him. Hopper didn't believe much of that nonsense, but since he had decided to start making amends in his life, perhaps he had to begin there .
As the car door closed, he checked the time once more. He'd still be on time with a quick, awkward, and unnecessary five-minute apology.
His hand was about to knock, but the door was already open, and he couldn't help but go inside. The house was a complete mess. Furniture had been moved around, and drawers had been left open.
"What...?" Hopper muttered quietly to himself. Either Bob 'the super neat' had a sudden fit of rage, or the scene was a classic robbery. Worse, noises were coming from the adjacent room.
He instinctively drew his revolver while searching his belt for a flashlight. How long has it been since there hasn't been a robbery in Hawkins? It wasn't going to happen now. Not on his watch.
That damn town couldn't stop being safe as long as his daughter lived there! No! Whatever was going on was going to come to an end right there. Hopper moved steadily toward the source of the sounds and noticed a silhouette in the gloom. His eyes are still adjusting to the darkness, so he can't tell who it was, but it wasn't Bob. The silhouette was significantly thinner and smaller.
"It's Hawkins' police chief! Come out and raise your hands." The figure became terrified, but instead of obeying him, it attempted to flee in the opposite direction .
"Son of a bitch," he cursed as he chased the shadow. Years ago, he would have caught the assailant in a blink, thanks to his constant training and the length of his legs. But spending so much time in that town, where the most he had run was for some brats on Halloween night, was causing him to lose the race .
Despite the fact that the shadow was faster, he had the upper hand. He was familiar with the house. The shadow couldn't get out because the only way out was through the door he had entered. He murmured, "Got you," as the shadow made the error of walking into the basement door. The darkness was complete, and the wooden steps creaked excessively .
His flashlight was unable to locate the shadow. "Don't be shy, come on. I'm in a rush."
One of the wooden planks behind him squeaked. Hopper turned, but his body wasn't quick enough. One kick landed on his stomach, bending him. He had just straightened up when another kick landed on his wrist.
The revolver flew off the wall and clattered across the pavement. Disappearing into the darkness. The shadow was about to kick Hopper again, but he reacted by grabbing his assailant's ankle. His body felt heavily .
The attacker crawled, but the officer charged at him, attempting to immobilize him.
"Where do you intend to go?" Hopper exclaimed, gripping a thief's wrist and pinning it against the pavement. Despite this, the other man continued to flee, his other hand reaching for anything on the ground.
The cop pushed his body against the attacker, trapping him between his weight and the cold ground. "Don't be fucking stubborn," Hopper snarled as they panted from the exertion.
Something hard and cold landed beneath Hopper's jaw. When he recognized the object, his entire body froze. It was his own revolver's barrel.
"Let me go," commanded a female voice. It took him a few seconds to recover from the shock, but he gradually let go of the woman.
"Ok, ok. Don't do anything stupid." Hopper inquired, his voice hoarse.
"You don't do anything stupid!" She retorted angrily .
The light in the room came on after what seemed like an eternity. They didn't dare to move. Hopper, for obvious reasons, and the woman so that she could watch him. Their gazes were locked , trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
He was the first to notice her. That woman wasn't just any ordinary woman. She was the woman he'd met at the diner the night before, the one with the pretty smile.
She was as perplexed as he was, not expecting to see the man with blue eyes again. "What?"
She cast a glance behind him. Of course. Hopper realized he had overlooked the main question. Who had turned on the light? She wasn't alone. He should have known better!
"Shit." He mumbled before being knocked unconscious by a powerful blow.