It was a quiet afternoon at the 31 Flavors ice cream shop. I was working behind the counter, about halfway through my shift, moving from one mundane task to the next on my list of chores. The chore list is what we do when it's cold outside and there are no customers to scoop ice cream for.
I worked about 15 hours a week to help pay my college room and board. It was a lot for a 19-year-old kid to juggle with my full class schedule, and the long walk from campus down to the shop.
My mind had been drifting as I worked and I jumped when I heard the jingle of the bell announcing the door opening. I looked to see the tall frame of a police woman strolling in to the shop, hands on hips as she looked from me to the empty tables.
"Officer Martin," I said, lowering my eyes.
She stood perfectly still for a moment, staring at me. Finally, she spoke.
"It's
Sergeant
Martin," she said icily.
"Yes, ma'am." I said instantly.
After another long pause her hard expression finally broke, ever so slightly. "Ma'am... I like that. Where you from, kid?"
"Michigan," I said after an unintentional swallow.
"Ah, I figured, had to be midwest. They haven't taught you to hate the police yet."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I didn't say anything. It was true, in contrast to my fellow students, many of whom had disdain or outright animosity toward cops, I had been raised to respect law enforcement.
But for me it was a little more that that. She had been in the shop before, and I always noticed her. Tall and commanding, and all-business with her tight blonde ponytail and strong muscular frame, she had immediately captivated me. I had secretly fantasized about her, where maybe she would have to take me in for questioning, and one thing would lead to another...
She continued to regard me with that soul piercing gaze cops do so well. Could she see right through me, all the way to my stupid crush?
"Dave in back?" She asked lightly, breaking the silence.
Dave was my manager, and while he was ever-present, he rarely showed his face in the front of the store.
"Yep," I said, then noting the slight frown that had appeared on her face, added "Offic... er, Serg... uh ma'am." I thought I saw a laugh forming, but she held it in as she strode past me into the short hallway that led to the office.
I watched her go, trying not to stare, but wanting to take as much of her in as possible. She was at least 30 and probably 10 years my senior. Under all that cop gear and body armor she obviously had a stunning body, all muscles and curves.
I heard the muffled voices of Dave and Sergeant Martin talking as I went back to my dull work.
Some time passed, and I started to wonder what my manager and this cop had to talk about for so long. They had never talked this long in her previous visits. Why did a city cop need to come into an ice cream shop so often?
Eventually I heard Dave's office door open, and the two of them walked into front of the shop. They were both looking at me, which felt very odd.
Dave spoke first, saying "I really don't think he has anything to do with it."
That got my attention. Had they been talking about me?
"We'll see," Sergeant Martin said slowly, watching me carefully. "He seems nervous, he might be hiding something."
"I... what?" I stammered.
"Someone has been stealing quarts of ice cream," Dave said dryly. "We think it's one of the employees."
Sergeant Martin kept her eyes on me, watching for a reaction.
"Oh," I said, trying to act innocent. I was innocent! How do you act innocent when you are innocent? "I have no idea," I added.
"No idea about what?" Sergeant Martin asked, as if I had just revealed everything.
"Uh, no idea who stole it," I said, a little defensively.
"We didn't ask you who stole it," she responded quickly.
"Right..." I started, then noticed her hand moving toward her equipment belt.
What the hell is happening?
my inner voice was shouting.
She reached to the back of her belt, quickly extracting her handcuffs. She took a step toward me, holding the handcuffs folded in one hand, outstretched in front of her.
"Put these on and go sit in the back of my car," she said calmly.
I froze and time seemed to slow. Was I being arrested? I had never heard of anyone being arrested like this. I was supposed to put the handcuffs on myself? A little nervous laugh escaped, and I felt stupid.
"You want me to... " I started, then paused. "I'm confused, I didn't do anything," I finished.
Neither Sergeant Martin nor Dave said anything, they just stared at me. Then finally Sergeant Martin spoke again.
"I said, put these on," she emphasized each word, holding her handcuffs right in front of my nose, and continued "and go sit in the back of my car."
We held eye contact for a long moment, and despite the oddity of the situation, I judged her to be completely serious. Slowly, I reached up with my hand and grasped the metal handcuffs, taking them from her gingerly.
Sergeant Martin looked satisfied, but raised her eyebrows when I hesitated, clearly indicating I was expected to put the handcuffs on.