Stew had been a cop at the college for about 15 years. Being a Police Officer at a college presented plenty of challenges, not just the ones his brothers and sisters in the city police faced, but others, not the least of which was the frustration of having to explain his job over and over again and even to the college administration who would interfere with his duties as a law enforcement officer almost on a daily basis. He was there as much for public relations as anything else, he got that, but when it was time to be a cop, he HAD to be a cop, not a security guard, not a good will ambassador, not simply a body to make those in the Justice Department's Clery Act section happy. He HAD to be a cop now and then. It made the job, occasionally frustrating as holy hell. Only those who worked at a college could understand that. He worked the overnight shift and couldn't be happier about it.
Sherry had been with the city police for about 11 years. She had answered a few calls with the college guys and had a decent rapport with them, but didn't really know any of them. She was often assigned to the other end of the city so her interaction with the college cops, or "campus guys" as they were often referred to was scant. However, she understood from most of the guys, they were as decent a bunch as you could meet. She was stuck on the overnight shift after a few years on evenings and desperately wanted days. In spite of her 11 years, she was still, just junior enough to not be able to achieve her goal. She HATED nights.
One late night, around 4 a.m., Stew was on routine patrol. His route took him close to the 'projects' and he simply rode around checking the area, focusing on his OWN property, but being very wary of the other side of the street. Since it was a medium sized city, not a big metropolis, he knew that the 'projects' he bordered were nothing like those in the BIG cities, but they still presented a challenge and crime did happen, occasionally spilling into the campus (something the school administration just didn't seem to understand or want to) and causing problems for everyone. Stew saw something odd next to one of the academic buildings and got out of the car to investigate. As he approached, he immediately recognized it as a human being, slumped against the wall. He got on the radio and called in that he had a man down next to Lorenz Hall and he'd advise if he needed medical help. Within seconds, the other officer on duty, Jim, was on scene. Stew looked at Jim and said simply, "Nope, dead."
It was on the city sidewalk so naturally; the city cops had to be called. "Just as well," said Jim who had almost 10 more years on the job than Stew. They have more resources than we do."
Within seconds, no less than five city cruisers were on scene. The usual routine happened in that the area was taped off, notifications were made, suspects were searched for (even though not a soul came forward to say who MAY have done it) and evidence was looked for. Stew just stood off to the side ready to lend a hand if needed. Jim, having to respond to one of the normal bullshit calls that these cops got, had cleared the area.
Sherry was unrolling crime scene tape and telling the local neighbors, who had been nowhere to be seen until the uproar, to stay back and please just go home. The city detectives came by and interviewed Stew. Then, his own detective had dropped by and interviewed Stew. Stew just wanted to sit down and have a drink. Sadly, coffee was the best he could do at this point.
Sherry walked over after taping off the area and, having seen Stew from time to time and even interacted with him, though superficially, said, "So, how are you doing?"
She was the first to actually ask. No one else wanted to know anything other than the facts. Stew looked up and said, "You know, it's not something that is really bothering me as much as I thought it might. He's not my relative and chances are he's somehow connected to the gang activity in the area, so why should I care? I'm not THAT bothered. Yet..." he stopped. "I am bothered a bit. More than I feel I should be. What the fuck?" He leaned on the unmarked car he had been standing by and just looked at the ground.
Sherry, all of 33 and not nearly as salty as she liked to think, simply said, "There, there. There, there." And patted his arm. She had read "Catch-22" and had seen that line in the book. She felt it was the thing to say under stressful situations. Stew looked up and started to chuckle. "Did you see 'Catch-22?" he asked. She replied, "Yeah, but I read the book first." Both started to laugh, which some of the local inhabitants felt VERY inappropriate.
The next day, after all was said and done, Stew returned to work, ready for whatever came his way. Jim was there and asked, "Don't you want a day off? These people (referring to the college admin) would give you an extra day if your gerbil died. Take advantage of them." Nah, Stew was fine. He just wanted back.
He got into the cruiser and slid out of the parking lot and began his tour of duty like nothing had happened. After an hour, he pulled into a parking lot and began to do his crossword puzzles. Driving in circles for eight full hours was enough to drive anyone crazy so now and then, you gotta park and do SOMETHING else.
Within a few minutes, a city cruiser pulled up alongside. It was Sherry. "Hey, what's up?" she asked. "Remember me from last night?"
"Well, considering you were the ONLY one who seemed to give a crap about how I was handling my first murder and were the ONLY one who was so damned adora..." Stew caught himself. He sat silently for about 4 seconds (which seemed like a MONTH to him) and then said, "I'm not a sexist pig. Please don't make a complaint."
Sherry laughed. "Hell, I'm flattered that with all that was going on, you noticed I'm adorable!"
She had broken any and all tension that may have existed. Both laughed at that and simply began to talk, person to person, not entirely cop to cop.
Sherry found Stew to be easy to talk to. Stew felt the same way. They talked about EVERYTHING in the hour they sat together before Stew got a call to a suspicious person in the freshman dining hall.
When he got there, he and Jim checked the area and found the suspicious person, a homeless man who had found an unlocked door from the outside and figured he'd just grab a bite to eat. They chastised him, cursed him out, threatened him with arrest, made him a sandwich and sent him on his way. After he was gone, Stew stopped and said, "Jim, I was talking to Sherry earlier. She's awesome."
Jim looked puzzled and asked, "Ok, who the hell is Sherry?"
Stew explained everything and at the end added, "A guy could fall madly in love with her. I just might."
Jim, a guy who had been married for fourteen years simply groaned and cleared the call.
The next night was Stew's night off. He sat in his apartment, watched TV, had a few beers, called a few friends and did nothing but think of Sherry. He eventually began to fantasize about her which led to one of the most intense jack off sessions he had ever experienced. As he recovered, trying like hell to catch his breath, he stammered to no one but himself, "Nah, it'll never happen. Out of my league..." He fell asleep.
When his days off were over, Stew was back on patrol handling the usual bullshit. A lock out here, a drunken student there, an alarm and a contract security guard who was unhappy with his supervisor and believed the police should intervene. Stew would handle the call and then just start thinking about Sherry.
He parked the car in one of the lots near Folger Avenue, one of the main east/west streets in the city and began to do his crosswords. It was coming close to 3 a.m. and he just couldn't drive around anymore. After about 20 minutes of sitting there, he began to get very heavy eyelids, which was very common for anyone working the overnight shift. He started to drift off when headlights shone on him causing him to bolt upright. It was a cruiser, a city cruiser. Sherry pulled up alongside.
"Oh, wow, did I wake you?" Sherry asked. "I'm so sorry. I can leave."
Stew almost yelled, "NO! NO! It's fine. Please, stay. I'm not dozing, I'm just......."
Sherry laughed like hell at that one. "Mankind is NOT nocturnal. If you dozed off, it's because you're human. If you woke up, it's because I interrupted you."
Stew shook his head. "Sherry, you can interrupt me anytime, anywhere." He felt confident saying this. He felt a bond developing.
They began to chat, again, like the time before, about almost everything. Sherry admitted to never wanting to be a cop, but just sort of falling into it and never regretting it. Stew admitting to always wanting to be a cop and somewhat ALWAYS regretting it. They laughed at that and at the war stories each had. Sherry for the first time saw just how much their jobs were similar. It being a quiet night, they got to sit side by side, cruisers facing opposite directions for almost 2 hours, chatting away like there was nothing else in the world but them.
Then Sherry got a call of a drunken street bum screaming at the top of his lungs in an alley and off she went.
Two nights later, it must have been Sherry's nights off because Stew didn't see her at all. He felt a bit of disappointment. He began to wish he had simply checked with her as to her schedule so he could plan ahead, for what he wasn't sure. The nights went well, Jim was on nights off and Stew worked with Eddie, one of the department's true veterans. He had been there almost thirty years and had an "I don't give a crap" attitude, and yet, when the bell rang, he was often one of the first to show up and do what he had to do. Stew talked about Sherry, but with Eddie, he kept his feelings somewhat hid. He had no idea how Eddie would react. Kid him, be sympathetic, tell him to knock it off and just have fun playing the field? Who knew, but Eddie was a decent guy and sensed where Stew was going with this. "I've been married to the same woman for almost 30 years. Sometimes I cannot stand that bitch, and other times, she the greatest treasure in my world. If it's right, you'll know. It's a real old belief, but it's true," he advised.
When Sherry did come back, she found Stew parked just off of Beach Street. As she pulled up she noticed Stew just sitting staring blankly ahead. "What's up, Dude?" she asked.
Stew looked over with this huge shit eating grin on his face but this time it wasn't because of Sherry. "I just got such a rush. I'm still flabbergasted," he blurted out, almost sounding like a kid in the midst of puberty. "I found a car parked way in a corner near the gym. I pulled up to check on it and found a couple, buck naked, going at it like there was no tomorrow."
"Wow, was the guy cute? I mean, I HAVE to know," asked Sherry, her interest piqued.
"That's the best part," continued Stew, "It was two WOMEN! One of them used to work here. She was a secretary for one of the professors. Nice looking little number. I never knew her body was THAT nice."
Sherry was impressed. "Two women, eh? That's kind of cool. Were they BOTH good looking?"
"The other one wasn't BAD, but not stunning. Both in their forties. What's," he paused then continued, "Oh, and nothing was COOL about it, it was freakin' HOT! Anyway, in being a gentleman, I lowered my flashlight so as to not shine it in their eyes and maybe embarrass them, but being a man, and a bit of a perv, I did have it in just such a way that I could still clearly see them. As I talked to them, they both kept playing with each other. I was in SHOCK!" Stew was still giddy. "I have the impression my catching them was a turn on for them as much as me."
"So what did you do?" inquired Sherry. "Did you threaten to lock them up?"
