Post by emschld on Jan 23, 2007 21:39:56 GMT -10
I am between jobs again so I am writing due to frustration. Hope you guys enjoy the story as it unfolds over the next few weeks. Let me know what you think.
Chapter 1
I walked down the beach and felt the water splash against my shoeless feet and legs. It felt cool and the night air was warm. I stopped and looked up at the star lit sky and saw that there was a full moon out that night. So beautiful, just like the city. Miami could be very beautiful and it could be very dangerous. But for me it was beautiful. I wanted to walk the streets of city and see the people who lived here. I resumed walking along the beach and enjoyed the feel of breathing the night air.
I had not gone far when I saw a lone figure standing with his hands on his hips looking out to sea. I stopped and waited for him to move on. Then he bent down and put his hands into the surf and appeared to be washing them in the ocean. I waited a while longer and then I heard him give a quiet sob. I walked towards him and as I got closer I could hear him whisper to himself, ‘If only I had got there sooner. I could have stopped what had happened and saved the child from harm.’
As he stood up and turned he saw me and I saw his right hand go to his side and pushing back his jacket and come to rest on the butt of a holstered gun. “That will be close enough miss. How can I help you?” His voice now was low but in full command of his surroundings.
“I was going to ask you the same question.” With the light from the city behind me and the light from the moon and stars above I could see a tight smile cross his face. I could tell that his hair was fair golden red shades could be seen even in the moon light. He then pushed his left side of his jacket back to reveal a badge. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a police officer.”
I had stopped a few feet away from the stranger when I saw the gun. But when I saw the badge flash with the lights from the city behind me and let myself relax again. “Sorry, I didn’t see your badge until now. But, I couldn’t help but overhear you reprimand yourself for a job that didn’t go down as well as you would have liked. I don’t mean to pry, but you sounded as if you could use a friend to talk to. I have been known to be a very good listener and also never to repeat what I have been told in secret.” He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow as if to question my motives. “What I mean is would you like to talk about what happened so that you can stop beating yourself up with that big stick you keep in reserve for when you loose a case?”
He tucked his chin and drew a deep breath. I could tell he was thinking over my offer. I heard his quiet voice say “I didn’t know that I had spoken out loud.” He turned back to the sea and looked eastward. He seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts of what had happened that day. After awhile he turned back to me and I could see that he was torn between the need to get things off his chest and his own form of controlling his emotions to what he had to do to keep the people of Miami safe. He looked at me for what seemed to be a very long time. I could tell he was sizing me up with his instinct of people. His right hand came up to his face and as it slid down across it he made up his mind. “I have been told that I need to talk with the counselor that the department has. But, I don’t want my inter self put in a file. I do find lately that I have a great need to talk with someone, but again I have to be sure that the person I talk with is trust worthy and not going to go running around with my private thoughts. So how do I know that I can trust you to be there for me and not repeat what I say to anyone else? Somehow I sense that you are a person of quality and can be trusted. But so mush of my job is gruesome and the very dark underside of what we call civilization. So I also have to weigh in the factor of how thick is your skin and how good a stomach you have. I have seen and done some pretty ugly stuff. Today was just one more time I couldn’t stop the bad guy from hurting the innocent.” He looked at me with his clear blue eyes and made the decision to trust the woman who stood there before him.
As he smiled down at me and we began to walk back away from the surf to find a comfortable spot to set and talk. We didn’t exchange names as we sat down he began to talk and tell me of his life. An abusive father, a loving mother, a little brother who went to the bad side latter in life, a first marriage ending in divorce, a second one that lasted less than a week when an assassin’s bullet took her life, a job that made him judge, jury and executioner at times. The difficult decisions that he had made in his life that some would have said were wrong. He told of the loss of family and friends because of the job. Al, Speed, Ray, Marisole had all paid the ultimate price to keep the city safe from crime. Finely he got to the little girl who had paid that same price earlier that day. “I just needed to get there a little sooner and I could have saved her.”
As he finished talking the first rays of the sun were coming up over the ocean. We sat a few minutes just watching as the sky began to grow lighter as the sun began to rise. I put my hand on his arm and he turned to look at me. “The child was how old?” “She had just turned 6 last month.” I thought for a minute and weighted what I wanted to say. “Did you know that octopus have a life span of 5 or 6 years? The male will die shortly after mating and the female dies shortly after laying the eggs.” He smiled as he listened to my quote. “This child would have lived her whole life in the sea and would have given birth to hundreds of offspring. Life should not be numbered in years. Did she have a good life? Did she bring happiness to others?” I looked at him for a brief moment before he answered. “I believe that she had a good life that her parents loved her and she did bring great happiness to others.” I smiled and replied. “Then her life was full, no matter that it was very short. As to you not getting there in time to stop her death. . .” I spread my arms outward, “Only God knows why you were not able to prevent her death. He is the one that has set the life span for all that lives on this world. We must learn to accept his plan. Continue to do our best to help others and find happiness in what he gives us each day that we are here.”
The sun was now above the horizon and the sky had become bright with its light. “I need to go and make out my report.” He stood up and put on a pair of sunglasses. “We didn’t introduce ourselves last night. My name is Horatio Caine.” He was smiling as he extended his hand to me as I arose from the ground.
When I stood up I smiled at him and replied. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” I turned to walk away. “I think that I shall leave you with a mystery to solve. Go and do your report. We will meet again and it will be my turn to keep us up all night.” I did not turn to look at him as I walked up the beach, but I knew that he stood there watching me walk back up the beach from the direction I had came.
Chapter 1
I walked down the beach and felt the water splash against my shoeless feet and legs. It felt cool and the night air was warm. I stopped and looked up at the star lit sky and saw that there was a full moon out that night. So beautiful, just like the city. Miami could be very beautiful and it could be very dangerous. But for me it was beautiful. I wanted to walk the streets of city and see the people who lived here. I resumed walking along the beach and enjoyed the feel of breathing the night air.
I had not gone far when I saw a lone figure standing with his hands on his hips looking out to sea. I stopped and waited for him to move on. Then he bent down and put his hands into the surf and appeared to be washing them in the ocean. I waited a while longer and then I heard him give a quiet sob. I walked towards him and as I got closer I could hear him whisper to himself, ‘If only I had got there sooner. I could have stopped what had happened and saved the child from harm.’
As he stood up and turned he saw me and I saw his right hand go to his side and pushing back his jacket and come to rest on the butt of a holstered gun. “That will be close enough miss. How can I help you?” His voice now was low but in full command of his surroundings.
“I was going to ask you the same question.” With the light from the city behind me and the light from the moon and stars above I could see a tight smile cross his face. I could tell that his hair was fair golden red shades could be seen even in the moon light. He then pushed his left side of his jacket back to reveal a badge. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a police officer.”
I had stopped a few feet away from the stranger when I saw the gun. But when I saw the badge flash with the lights from the city behind me and let myself relax again. “Sorry, I didn’t see your badge until now. But, I couldn’t help but overhear you reprimand yourself for a job that didn’t go down as well as you would have liked. I don’t mean to pry, but you sounded as if you could use a friend to talk to. I have been known to be a very good listener and also never to repeat what I have been told in secret.” He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow as if to question my motives. “What I mean is would you like to talk about what happened so that you can stop beating yourself up with that big stick you keep in reserve for when you loose a case?”
He tucked his chin and drew a deep breath. I could tell he was thinking over my offer. I heard his quiet voice say “I didn’t know that I had spoken out loud.” He turned back to the sea and looked eastward. He seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts of what had happened that day. After awhile he turned back to me and I could see that he was torn between the need to get things off his chest and his own form of controlling his emotions to what he had to do to keep the people of Miami safe. He looked at me for what seemed to be a very long time. I could tell he was sizing me up with his instinct of people. His right hand came up to his face and as it slid down across it he made up his mind. “I have been told that I need to talk with the counselor that the department has. But, I don’t want my inter self put in a file. I do find lately that I have a great need to talk with someone, but again I have to be sure that the person I talk with is trust worthy and not going to go running around with my private thoughts. So how do I know that I can trust you to be there for me and not repeat what I say to anyone else? Somehow I sense that you are a person of quality and can be trusted. But so mush of my job is gruesome and the very dark underside of what we call civilization. So I also have to weigh in the factor of how thick is your skin and how good a stomach you have. I have seen and done some pretty ugly stuff. Today was just one more time I couldn’t stop the bad guy from hurting the innocent.” He looked at me with his clear blue eyes and made the decision to trust the woman who stood there before him.
As he smiled down at me and we began to walk back away from the surf to find a comfortable spot to set and talk. We didn’t exchange names as we sat down he began to talk and tell me of his life. An abusive father, a loving mother, a little brother who went to the bad side latter in life, a first marriage ending in divorce, a second one that lasted less than a week when an assassin’s bullet took her life, a job that made him judge, jury and executioner at times. The difficult decisions that he had made in his life that some would have said were wrong. He told of the loss of family and friends because of the job. Al, Speed, Ray, Marisole had all paid the ultimate price to keep the city safe from crime. Finely he got to the little girl who had paid that same price earlier that day. “I just needed to get there a little sooner and I could have saved her.”
As he finished talking the first rays of the sun were coming up over the ocean. We sat a few minutes just watching as the sky began to grow lighter as the sun began to rise. I put my hand on his arm and he turned to look at me. “The child was how old?” “She had just turned 6 last month.” I thought for a minute and weighted what I wanted to say. “Did you know that octopus have a life span of 5 or 6 years? The male will die shortly after mating and the female dies shortly after laying the eggs.” He smiled as he listened to my quote. “This child would have lived her whole life in the sea and would have given birth to hundreds of offspring. Life should not be numbered in years. Did she have a good life? Did she bring happiness to others?” I looked at him for a brief moment before he answered. “I believe that she had a good life that her parents loved her and she did bring great happiness to others.” I smiled and replied. “Then her life was full, no matter that it was very short. As to you not getting there in time to stop her death. . .” I spread my arms outward, “Only God knows why you were not able to prevent her death. He is the one that has set the life span for all that lives on this world. We must learn to accept his plan. Continue to do our best to help others and find happiness in what he gives us each day that we are here.”
The sun was now above the horizon and the sky had become bright with its light. “I need to go and make out my report.” He stood up and put on a pair of sunglasses. “We didn’t introduce ourselves last night. My name is Horatio Caine.” He was smiling as he extended his hand to me as I arose from the ground.
When I stood up I smiled at him and replied. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” I turned to walk away. “I think that I shall leave you with a mystery to solve. Go and do your report. We will meet again and it will be my turn to keep us up all night.” I did not turn to look at him as I walked up the beach, but I knew that he stood there watching me walk back up the beach from the direction I had came.