Page 13 of Lordes

The T.V. had a breaking story about a teen being shot by a stray bullet. Gram seemed to be engrossed in the story for a few seconds before she glanced my way.

“And for god’s sake I can’t seem to put my finger on why these little Black boys are killing each other. Someone shot a little fifteen year old boy twenty-four times outside of a gas station yesterday. The kid was so cute. He looked like a twelve year old. Who would do such a thing?”

Again I could think of a few people but I would never say those things in polite company. “That’s really terrible.” That news story I had heard only because of the overkill. It was the leading story on the cover of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. I still read the printed version of the newspaper. It was a habit.

I spent an hour shooting the shit with my favorite girl. I left right after we watched The Wheel of Fortune together. I give her a kiss and she sent me on my way with an apple for later. I only made it a few miles before I was pulled over by the Chicago Police Department. This was one of the rare times I wasn’t speeding. I pulled over under the Lake Street L.

The squad car took its time running my plates. My platinum silver Porsche 911 was a carjackers dream but Chicago’s finest loved pegging me for a drug dealer. One day I was going to buy a pickup truck because getting pulled over while White was becoming a huge inconvenience. I didn’t fear for my life but I hadn’t had the car for six months and this was getting redundant. I think the police just wanted to get a look inside my quarter million dollar vehicle. The dark tint obstructed their view. I didn’t mind getting a ticket for it. I could afford it.

I rolled down the window and waited for whatever random personality type was coming my way. It could be a jealous cop, a I hate this job cop, a jovial just doing my job cop, or I was bullied in middle school cop, or an I’m bored so I issue tickets but I’m harmless cop. Or the nepotism cop, I’m only a cop because me father and his father were cops.

After a few minutes the driver’s door of the cop car opened. They were running my license plates and realizing I’m a White man with no criminal record. I could see the cop in my rearview mirror approaching my driver’s side door.

I turned my face to the window.

“Hey, license and registration.” I heard a little Spanish accent.

I recognized her immediately, Lauren Maldonado. She was someone I never would forget.

“Lordes, I’m just playing with you.” She cracked a smile with teeth I paid for. It was nice knowing a cop but she served her purpose when I fucked her three months ago. She wasn’t as attractive as the girls I normally fucked but she was pretty in a rough tough way. Cop life had her working long hours. She didn’t get the rest she deserved and it showed in her face.

“Lauren.” I tried to smile under the gaze of the inconvenience.

“Long time no see.”

“Yes, it has been awhile.”

“Are you hiding from me?” She joked.

“Of course not. I’ve been working same as you.”

“Yeah, I’ve been hitting it hard.” She rested her hands on my car door.

“Crime is up and all these looters are keeping you busy I would say.”

“That’s true. I would love to hear from you sometime.”

Not what I expected from her. “How’s your family?” My question caught her off guard. Lauren had a husband and two kids. Was I being an asshole for asking about them? Probably but I fucked her and gave her money. There’s nothing for us to talk about.

“Everything’s good.” She finally responded.

“Nice to hear.” I looked behind her at the two young men standing on the sidewalk. They were either admiring my car or waiting to record if something exciting happened.

Absolutely nothing exciting would happen. Lauren was just some cop I slept with a few times, months ago.

“Don’t go so long without giving me a call.”

I would never call her again. “I won’t.” But lying to her seemed appropriate in this situation.

“Okay, I’m going hold you to it. I don’t want to have to handcuff you your bed and ride your dick.”

She’d already done that. I had zero intentions of revisiting the past. Lauren was one of the ones whose name I remembered and I attribute that to her occupation. I had a bevy of women I’d been through but she was my first and only police officer. That alone made me remember her entire name.

“It was good seeing you. This time I’m going to let you go without a warning.”

“Thank you detective Maldonado.” I went along with whatever little innuendo she was spewing.

“See you soon.”

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