She wants me to make the biggest decision of my life like this? They say that text messaging has taken over the world to the point where lovers even ask each other to marry one another over it. This is the first time that I've ever heard of anyone asking if their boyfriend of several years will consider having a baby with them. The emoticons alone take away from the seriousness of the proposal. I swing my feet over the side of the couch and throw my boots one over the other. My naked skin is touched by a light wind from the nearby open window that looks over the street to the police station where the sender is texting from. Rubbing the stubble on my jaw with one hand, I thumb in my reply: You are asking me by text?!? The reply comes shortly with a little bell-like bing from my phone. Work is busy. It's always busy, I write back. The captain has us working late tonight , Jenny continues without replying to my text message – probably ignoring it because of the angry face next to busy . “ Then fucking tell him you want to have a serious conversation with your boyfriend and get your ass over here,” I voice. Instead I write: So you are seriously asking me this over text? It's the best I can do. Sliding up the cushion, I stare at my school books. My girlfriend is a cop. She's been a cop for 5 years and is getting to that age that women do when they want to babies. I'm still in university studying for my PhD in Physics (I'm a math geek). The answer is simple. I can't have a baby with a cop just now. What if you get hurt or killed? If we are going to get to it on text message then we might as well REALLY get to it. There's radio silence. I wait and stare at the door before reaching down, picking up my coffee in the chipped mug I like and take a sip before settling back to switch to the game app I was playing. The lady of the house is pissed and, fortunately, due to her work, won't be coming over to take it out on me. I pity the criminals that get in her way today. I wouldn't want to be them.
2
HANDCUFFED TO THE BED
In the evening around 8pm...
“ Charley Marone, you will not deny me.” Silly me: I mistook pissed for planning. Jenny has her night stick out and I'm cuffed to the bed after a short scuffle in the lounge that didn't go my way. As I was naked except for my boots at the time, I'm still naked right now. “ I'm not saying I won't,” I try. The sexy blond, who has had my heart from the moment she arrested me for drunk and disorderly several years back, shifts one leg out and puts on a wide stance with her arms crossed and the night stick hanging from her fingers. I note that she has put on black heels with high pins. If one of those pin heels where to connect with my nuts then I'd be having the kind of visit to the hospital that is hard to explain with “I fell down the stairs and impaled my balls.” We stare at each other. Her blues eyes are like fire and tell me about as much as I want to know about the quality of her anger. My brown eyes are more calm than I feel. The truth of the situation is that my older girlfriend has a mean temper that is razor sharp when she's mad. Right now Jenny is about as pissed as the buxom blond can get. It's all part of the dynamic of our relationship, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about the future of my nuts. “ You said that you wouldn't in your message.” The woman's voice is like lava. I'm definitely at risk of sleeping on the couch for a few nights here – if not something more. “ What I said is the truth. We aren't ready yet. You'd have to give up the job.” She raises an eyebrow and taps the nightstick against her curvy hip. “ You know I won't.” Then it's time to tell the truth. “ If you don't then I won't give you a baby. I can't be a single dad and your job is too risky.” Again we stare at each other. “ You are serious?” “