Race Read Free Page A

got onto the highway.   That that was my chance.   I   drove up straight beside them, swerved left and slammed into them, trying to push them to the side.”   I placed both of my hands on the desk and demonstrated my daring heroics. “I ended up shoving them to the side and arresting both of them.   My car is in the shop getting fixed.”
    “You’re a hero,” she finally said.
    Of course I was. No one appreciated me.
    “They should give you a medal.”
    “They should, but they won’t,” I shook my head as if I was being discriminated against repeatedly.   “Politics, bureaucracy, you know how it is.”
    “So how much did they steal?” Roberta asked.  
    “Who?”
    “The robbers.”
    “Uh, lots.   I don’t know off the top of my head.   Maybe five hundred, maybe more.”
    “So let me get this straight,” she started.   “You damaged your car—”
    “—It was a piece of shit, anyways.”
    “Risked countless lives, just for a couple of hundred dollars—”
    “—It was probably in the thousands.   Definitely in the thousands.”
    I took a big gulp.   She had me.
    “Car towed again?” she said.
    I lowered my head and whispered, “Yes.”
    But she wasn’t done.   “Isn’t it ironic the person who gets other people’s cars towed has his own car towed?   Tragic.”
    “Not for long.” I smiled.   “If the Sergeant listens to me I’ll be out of Parking Enforcement as soon as permitted.”
    “Jonny, you keep bugging him. Sooner or later it will happen.   Now back to work, hero boy.”   She smiled.
    Roberta Collecci was like my guardian.   She had taken the responsibility—a very hefty one, if I may say so, to watch over me.   She kept me out of trouble.
     
    ***
     
    I decided to meet the Staff Sergeant, but first, I needed to get dry.   My light navy blue shirt had dark blue patches all over.   I headed for the men’s washroom and inside allowed the hand dryers to blow over my body.  
    It was surprising for some to enter the washroom and see me dancing sensually in front of the dryers.   I just smiled and they quickly left.
    When I was all dried off I stood in front of the mirrors.    My shirt was back to its original colour .   My pants, which are black, stayed black but were more comfortable now.   I placed my cap on my head and took one last look at myself.   A handsome man looked back and grinned.   I was grinning, too.
    Once ready I went through a set of doors and into a hall with rooms on either side.   Important people had offices here.   Not sure why I didn’t have one yet.   I stopped and tenderly tapped at the glass beside the door.
    “Come in,” said a voice.  
    I entered the office of Staff Sergeant James Motley, who was in charge of the Parking Enforcement Unit.  
    “Jon, come in,” he said. Motley was unlike the sergeants you see on television.   He did not have a belly, did not smoke a cigar, and he hardly ever swore.   There was a book on spirituality sitting to the side, and last week he was reading Native history.
    How he ended up at PEU, I don’t know.
    “Sir, have you ever thought about watching those cop shows?” I said, standing.
    “Jon, what can I do for you?” he said.
    “It’s about any openings…” I let my words trail.
    Motley did not look surprised or interested.   He knew I wanted to move on and gain other experiences.
    “Yes, I know, Jon.   You have asked me six times this week and today is Tuesday.”
    “Tuesday?” I said, looking around.   “Time drags.”
    Don’t get me wrong.   I liked being a PEO but I felt I could better serve society if I were a detective or a lieutenant.   Maybe even a commando, but that would mean joining the army.    Discipline, hard work, and respecting authority were not my strong points.   So the army was out.
    What about the navy? No, water equals sharks.   Sharks equal missing limbs.  
    How about the air force? No, flying equals gravity.   Gravity equals falling thousands