The Romance

by Jerry Ericsson

"Got a smoke?"

"No smoking in this room, can't you read?"

"Look, no smoke,  not talk, got that?"

The officer got up off his chair across from the suspect walked
around behind him and opened the opaque window about three inches.  The
smells of the city filtered in the exhaust, the decaying garbage below in the
alley, along with bits and pieces of the sounds below, car horns honking, the sound of a jack-hammer breaking up concrete just a block
away and somewhere off in the distance, a mother calling to her child to come in
for supper.

"Ok, light up if you must."

The suspect leaned back in his chair, pulled a filtered cigarette
from the package still in his front shirt pocket.  He tapped it
several times on the table, filter first, until tobacco sank below the face of
the paper, just a few millimeters, enough to tell him that the smoke was packed
just right, then he brought it up to his lips.  The cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, he asked "Got a light?"

"Here!" the officer said, pulling the chrome Zippo lighter from his shirt pocket and flipping it open, then spinning the striker
wheel.  The flame grew nearly an inch high, as the officer presented it to
the suspect across the table.  The suspect drew deeply, the end of the cigarette
glowed with fire, and smoke came from his lips.  The officer
withdrew the shinning lighter and replaced it in his shirt pocket.

"OK, now lets get on with it.  Start at the beginning,
when you first got to the apartment last night."

"Well it was like this; we had a date for last night, I
planned to take her out to dinner and a show.  When I got there, she was
nearly ready, the gown she chose was elegant to say the least. When she walked
away from me, I could see that little enticing wiggle that she did with her
hips, God how I loved that wiggle."

"Ok, enough with the wiggle, let's get on with the
story."

"I am, you see the wiggle has a lot to do with what
happened next.  Like I said, she walked away from me, to the kitchen where
she poured us each a drink.  A double scotch and soda for me, a vodka 
martini for her.  We sat on the couch and drank our drinks, discussing the
show we were about to see.  As we sat there, I could smell her. Oh God how
wonderful she smelled.  It was the smell of cleanliness, mixed with the
musky smell of a perfume, that I just could not place.  Her hair was down,
which surprised me a bit, as most ladies now days would never be caught in a
formal setting with their hair down, but on her it looked wonderful.  Then
she giggled at some comment I made, what a sweet laugh she had, it just made me
love her even more."

"Let's get down to the incident, enough of this rambling on, what do you think this is some kind of stupid soap opera or something?"

"Well then she got up and put the dozen roses that I
brought with me in a vase of water, to keep them fresh.  The wonderful
smell of the roses mixed with her perfume, and it had some sort of aphrodisiacal
effect on me, I could feel my pants swell with the erection, but I had to hide
it, it would be just too embarrassing to let her see."

"Ah, let's not go there OK, now get back to the
incident."

"Well ok, but you have to understand all these things had
some influence on what happened last night."

"Yes, I understand, but how about telling it to me like
your mother was sitting here next to you at this table."

"God no!  I would never have my mother sit in this
awful place!" he screamed, dropping the cigarette on the floor.

"You want to step on that damn stinking thing before it
sets this whole place on fire."

He reached down and picked it up, the fire had fallen from the
end, so he placed the cigarette on the fire and held it there until it had
re-attached itself, then put the cigarette back in his mouth, much to the
dismay of the detective.

"Anyhow, she came back and sat down next to me, and gave me
a long gentle kiss for the roses, I think, but it felt so wonderful, you just
don't know."

"Hey, we are getting down a criminal report here, not a
damn true story for some lonely spinster to read."

"Oh but she felt so wonderful in my arms, so soft, so very
warm, and her lips were on fire, as she kissed me, her hand brushed against my
manhood.  She didn't pull her hand back, but let out a soft moan. I took
this as a good sign."

"What did I just tell you, I don't need to know about
things like that!"

"Oh but you do, as it has everything to do with what
happened next."

"Ok, but let's keep that sex stuff to a minimum, please, my
old heart isn't that strong anymore, you know?"

"Well I gotta tell you, I was feeling a strange sensation,
something I never felt before, I think it was love."

"Ah humm!"

"Well it was about this time that the door bell rang, and interrupted
us."

"Thank God!" the officer sighed.

"What's that?"

"Never mind, go on with your story."

"Well it was Richard Cummings at the door, she tried to get
rid of him, but he insisted that he come in, wanted to discuss something about
the office where they both work.  Well when he got past the door and saw me
sitting there, he came unglued!"

"What the hell are you doing here!" He screamed,
shaking his fist in my direction.

"Now Richard, Bob is just here to escort me to the show,
nothing to concern yourself with!"

"Well now Richard could plainly see my embarrassing
condition, and it only made him angrier, you see, I think Richard had a thing
for Gloria, but I can't be sure, but it sure looked like it.  Anyhow, he
pushed Gloria aside and walked over to me, he grabbed me by the front of my
jacket and pulled me to my feet.  Now what choice did I have, I had to
defend myself, right?"

"Well I suppose, but you know that didn't give you the
right to shoot him, no I think maybe if you had simply slugged him, that would
have been all right, but to shoot him in the head, that was just a bit overboard
don't you think?"

"Well I guess so, and it sure took the wind out of my sails
too, and Gloria, I don't think she will ever forgive me for messing up our
little night out.  She hasn't called for me yet has she?"

The officer got up and left the room, outside the door, he met
his partner who had been observing through the one way mirror. 
"Romance, sure has a way of screwing with a guy's head don't it?"

"Yep, romance."

One item of possible good news, I have even more motivation for getting the script for the new Workbook working as if I needed more. My paying gig that has kept me somewhat focused elsewhere wants exactly the same kind of tree form message board. So, easiest way to keep the costs down for her, is to implement it for free for all of you.

And, yes, I am excited to see all of these old faces making an appearance. Take care everyone.

THAT'S IT!!!

I need to get
back into reading!

I knew there was
something missing in my life, and all the bad that has happened lately, was
getting me down.  Way down.  No matter what I tried to do to cheer
myself up, it was never enough.  I was relying on all of you to keep me
above water, and I thank God you were all there.  But reading, something I
dearly love, something that has been nearly absent in my life since things
started going down hill

As for other comments. Yes, I will have both pictures and video from Fiji that I will post to the internet, along with text and reflections on this locale in the equatorial Pacific with two coups under its belt as natives clash with a sizable and affluent Indian minority. Still, the main thing will be the diving. Take care everyone.

Jack Beslanwitch 8-22-2001 2:55