Chapter 12: The Suggestion

The day continued, with an average number of average calls of an average level of interest and excitement. The mood in the station was … average, with the excitement and anticipation of one man canceled out by the trepidation and anxiety of another.

By 5:30, dinner was on the table. The four single men of the shift stared in silence at the paper in the middle of the table, with a name, address, date, time, and telephone number written in Chet's blockish printing.

"So, who else is going?" Chet asked, looking around the table. "Stoker, man, you gotta be in, after the way that one girl was looking at you the other day."

Mike turned pink and shook his head. "I dunno, Kelly. It's been a long time, you know, since—"

"I bet it has," Johnny interrupted, snickering and elbowing Roy in the ribs.

Roy flinched, and moved his chair slightly away from Johnny as he gave him the side-eye.

"DeSoto, how about we go make a grown-ups' table outside," said Cap. "It's nice out, and I think we already have a kids' table going strong in here."

"Good idea," Roy muttered, picking up his plate and glass.

"Hey, now, wait a second!" protested Marco. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, but you're gonna," Chet said, "'Cause nobody's excused till everyone gives an answer," he continued, ignoring Cap and Roy as they headed out the back door with their food.

The back door closed with a click, and there was a brief silence at the table.

"What I was trying to say," Stoker continued, waving his fork at Johnny, "was that it's been a long time since I went to that kind of party, where you don't really know anyone. I'm so much older than the vet students that I'll stick out like a sore thumb. I'll feel like an imposter."

"Yeah," said Marco. "I was kinda thinking the same thing. Plus, neither of the girls from the house was looking at me, unlike how you and Chet seemed to capture their attention. Somehow."

"Well, I'm in," Johnny said. "You don't have to ask me twice."

"He barely had to ask you once," Stoker said.

"Har de har," Johnny said. "But seriously, man, you should go. I always have this feeling like you oughta get out more, and this is a golden opportunity."

"Fine," said Mike, throwing his hands in the air. He knew there was no chance in the world that he'd get out of this situation unscathed. "You win. I'll go."

"Okay, I guess I won't be the odd man out," Marco said. "So that's all of us, then."

"Excellent!" Chet exclaimed. "And," he said, raising his eyebrows at Stoker, "since all of us are here—"

"Wait a second," Mike said, scowling at Chet. "It's not all of us. It's four of us."

"It's all of us who are gonna go to this thing," Johnny said. "So go on, Chet."

"Since all of us are here," Chet repeated, "and by 'all' I mean 'all of us who count at the moment,' I have a proposal that you literally won't be able to refuse." He looked pointedly at Mike.

"Why are you lookin' at him?" Johnny complained. "I'm the only one that actually wants to go with you."

"My proposal is this," Chet continued, ignoring Johnny. "So, you remember that the whole point of that calendar was to raise money for the animal shelter, right?"

"Uh huh," Marco said, nodding. "And?"

"Well, Tracy said that all the female vet students have one, and that they're all a little fireman-crazy right now," Chet said.

"Ugh, uniform chasers," muttered Marco. "I'm not sure I'm gonna like your idea."

"So what I'm thinking is, we take my Polaroid camera with us, and a bunch of film, and we offer to pose with the ladies, for a two-buck donation to the animal shelter per shot."

Silence filled the room like smoke, starting at the ceiling and working its way down, as the three other men contemplated Chet's suggestion. Someone at the table coughed. Johnny's face was frozen mid-chew, his cheek pouched out like a chipmunk hoarding seeds.

The back door opened, and Cap and Roy returned.

"Need some napkins," Cap said, opening a lower cabinet.

"Awfully quiet in here," Roy said, frowning.

Marco broke the silence.

"Chet … had an idea," he said.

"Oh dear," Cap said.

"Don't worry, Cap," Chet said. "You and Roy are exempt. Stoker, why don't you explain to the Captain … so I don't have to say anything."

Mike gulped, and hiccupped, and drank half his glass of water. He cleared his throat.

"Chet had a great idea," he said. He cleared his throat again. "We're gonna do Polaroid self portraits with the ladies at the party, for two bucks a pop, as a donation to the animal shelter that calendar is supporting."

Cap's substantial eyebrows climbed his forehead.

"Wait a second, hold on there. 'We're gonna?'" Johnny said, lasagna still pocketed in his cheek. "Stoker, what the heck? You can't possibly think this is a good idea!"

Roy grabbed a handful of napkins from the cabinet that Cap still held open.

"I'm outta here," Roy said, and went right back out the way he'd come in.

Marco just sat there, with his mouth open. "Uh…"

Chet looked at Mike again.

"Come on, guys," Mike said, a hot blush spreading from his face to his neck. "I mean, it's for a really good cause, and he didn't say we'd have to pose shirtless or anything. Just … ordinary pictures."

"But when you think about it," Chet said, "that might be even—"

"Absolutely not!" Marco said. "Fine. I'll do regular pictures, since for reasons I don't understand, even Stoker seems to think this is a good idea, but no funny stuff."

All eyes were on Johnny, and he knew it. He took his time finishing his bite of dinner, and swallowed heavily.

"Okay, fine. It is a good cause," Johnny said. "Too bad Roy's not in on it, since after all, he's apparently the only one of us who actually looks like a fireman."

Everyone was silent again for a moment. Finally, Cap grabbed a handful of napkins from the still-open cabinet.

"I feel like I shouldn't have to say this," he said slowly, "but since you all appear to have lost your minds, I will remind you that under no circumstances will any part of any uniform, or any piece of equipment from this station, go to that party."

"Nossir," said Johnny.

"Not a chance," said Marco.

"What about costumes?" asked Chet.

"NO!" Marco and Johnny shouted together.

Mike held his head in his hands, wondering what he'd done.

TBC