Page 50 of You & Me: Part One

“Shit, that’s right. Mick being your brother means that Michael Jacobs Sr. is your dad. Could this world get any smaller? Em, I do know your dad. It’s not from Kells though. My first year on the road I pulled him over for a DUII. At the time, I had no idea who he was and then later I found out he was Mick’s dad. After that, Mick has made sure he doesn’t get to keep a rolling tab at Kells anymore. He hasn’t really been seen around much since then. I was pretty new at the time and hadn’t really started hanging out with the guys so I never saw your dad out and about. Only the time I arrested him. Sorry, Em. Not exactly the kind of catching up I had hoped to do with you today.”

“That’s okay, really it is. I feel so detached from him that I really don’t feel much when you tell me he got a DUII. I’m just grateful you were able to get him off the road before he hurt somebody or himself. So, thank you, Jonathan. Sincerely.”

“Still, I’m sorry about things with your dad, Em.”

I must change the subject! This is getting too depressing

“So, do you like being a police officer?”

“I do. It’s not always the most fun, but I love to help people and I feel like I can actually make a difference in people’s lives.”

“I know I grew up around it, and my brother does it too but I just don’t know how you guys do it. You go to work every day knowing that people hate you even though you’re the first person they call when they need help. It just infuriates me.”

“Well, at least I don’t work at the DMV or for the cable company. Talk about people who go to work every day knowing they’re hated,” he says with a wink.

“Seriously, Jonathan . . . do you ever get scared?”

“I think I recall you asking me this question once before and just like then I’ll tell you the truth . . . not really. We’re trained to do our jobs and do them well. I trust the officers I work with to have my back and to make sure that we all go home to our loved ones at night. For me that may not be a wife and kids but I know Frances is home waiting on me. I can’t let her down now, can I?”

I know he’s trying to keep things light hearted but it isn’t funny to me. He can tell so he tries a different approach.

“Em, my safety and the safety of the citizens and my fellow police officers is all that is on my mind out there. I know your brother is the same way. You don’t have to worry about us, but it’s very sweet that you do.”

“Oh my gosh! I didn’t even think about your sleep when I picked 9:30 to meet. Did you work night shift last night and you lost sleep to have coffee with me?”

“I did work last night but it was my Friday so I’ll catch up later. Don’t worry. Sacrificing a few hours of sleep to spend time with you and Frances is worth it.”

“So, are you working four days a week, ten hours a day or are you one of those guys that works three twelves?”

“I’m lucky enough to work three twelves. It’s really twelve and a half hour shifts, and then once a month you work an extra day to make up the difference. It makes for long days but it’s really nice to have four day weekends. So, I’m a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday guy. Doesn’t Mick work Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? We work different precincts so I don’t see him much, but we both lucked out and get part of the weekends off. Anyway, boring stuff, but at least you know when I am around if you want to get coffee again. What about you?”

“Me?”

“Your schedule?”

“Ha, oh that. At the moment I don’t have much of a schedule, but school will be starting next week. I’ll be a Teacher’s Aide in the Special Education class for one of the high schools in the district. That’s only part time though. I’m also going to school to get my Masters in Special Education.”

“Is that why you moved in with Mick?”

“That would be it. Ugh . . . I just couldn’t afford California anymore. If I want to go to school and try to get it done in 20 months, I need to work part time and not to mention I . . . well, anyway. It’s just a lot and Mickey was nice enough to offer his place up. So, I finally sucked up my pride and did it. My mom offered too, but she’s in a two-bedroom apartment and I don’t want to invade her space. Mick’s place is bigger and he’s rarely home. It won’t be forever.”

“Sounds like a good plan. I’m proud of you, Em.” He says with a lingering stare.

To break the stare, I pick up my phone and see the time and realize I have to go.

“Sorry, I have to get going but it was so nice catching up.” As I bend down to give Frances some love I say, “And meeting this pretty little lady.”

“It was really nice, Emily. I’d love to do it again sometime.”

“Well, I’m sure that we’ll bump into each other around town and maybe coffee again will work out sometime. I’ll have to see what my schedule is like once my job and classes get started.”

I turn to leave and take the few steps to the curb where Justine is parked and I turn back to see him watching me go. I step off the curb, and holding open her driver’s side door I yell to Jonathan, “Justine!”

“Who’s Justine, Em?”

That look of confusion on his face is pretty cute, I must say, but not as earth-shattering as the smile I get when I say, “You’re lookin’ at her. You once told me that you always name your cars and your guns. Well, I don’t own a gun, but I do have a car that I have loved for years and since it’s pretty obvious she’s a girl . . . I couldn’t name her Justin, so I went with Justine.”

Now that I’ve backed out of the awkward little parking lot that Elka’s is in and away from the handsome smiling man and his darling dog, I let the smile I’ve been holding back spread across my face. I let out a little shriek of delight at the fact that I had the last word and that it got the reaction that it did. It was like I had given him some sort of gift with just the simple fact I remembered something from the time we were once together. That I had actually listened to him and acted on it. The fact of the matter is the joy on his face was gift enough to last me until Christmas.

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