lies, lies, lies

[dracostella.livejournal.com]

You go home maybe once, twice a year. You feel guilty about it because you know your mother wants to see you home more often.

You're only three blocks away from your mother's house now, and you think about turning back. As always, they are staring at you like you are some scum they scraped off the bottom of their shoe. You look at them out of the corner of your eye in case any of them is packing.

A kid comes over to you and asks, "What are you looking for?"

The kid is probably younger than twelve, and you wonder if he's selling drugs already.

Another man comes and pulls the kid away from you, and you recognize him. You went to elementary school with him. You think his name is Terrell.

He looks at you with some recognition in his face, but he does not greet you, and you're pretty sure he knows what you do for a living.

"Pig!" Someone spits out at you and you force yourself not to turn. You think you may know who it is. You're pretty sure he has an outstanding warrant for his arrest. You're going home today, and you don't want to have to arrest anyone.

When you finally reach your mother's apartment, your childhood home, you don't pause outside to reminisce. You assault the buzzer, and it only takes a few seconds before your sister's voice comes through the intercom telling you to quit your racket as the front gate opens.

You notice that the inside of the building smells faintly of marijuana and vinegar and sugar. You do not linger long enough to figure out why. You go as fast as you can to Apartment 3, and open the door without knocking. Your mother refuses to lock her door no matter how many times you tell her to. But you think maybe you're wrong because she has never been robbed.

You can smell your mother's cooking as soon as you walk in the apartment. You're slightly surprised how much it smells like your own cooking. You think perhaps necessity has forced you to cook more like your mother.

You think back to the time that you had invited Elaine to dinner and she had refused. You wonder if you ever mentioned to Elaine which neighborhood you came from.

"How much did that outfit cost you? A thousand?" Your sister is sitting by the table next to the window. She looks at you from top to bottom several times. "Why you dress like that here?"

You don't answer. You had this discussion before. You refuse to dress like you belong to this neighborhood.

"Did you hear? Marteen's boy Paul died. You remember him, don't you? He was only a baby when you left. Well, some cop stuck a pen up Paul's ass to get at a bag of cocaine and broke the bag. Paul ODed." Your sister tells you.

"No, I didn't hear about it."

Your mother had called you the day Sullivan killed Paul. IA put Sullivan on a week of suspension while they investigated the case, and then put Sullivan back on the force.

You got really drunk that night for the first time in years, and your partner had to drive you home.

"Marteen won't talk to Mom anymore," you sister says quietly.

You keep your mouth shut.

"Where's Thomas?" your mother walks out of the kitchen with the same apron she's worn since when you were growing up.

"We came in separate cars," you say. You wonder if he will actually show. You wouldn't have invited him, but he had picked up the phone when your mother called. And he had said yes when your mother asked him to come.

"You sure it's a good idea for a white boy to wander around in this area?" your sister asks.

"He can take care of himself," you say. You wanted to give him a way out. You didn't want to force him to come.

Louey had never wanted to come.

The front gate buzzes again, and your sister goes over to the intercom and asks who it is.

"Hi, I'm Huey's partner..."

Your sister opens the gates before Dewey finishes talking and a minute later, Dewey is at your door wearing a loud Hawaiian T-shirt.

You sister turns to you and rolls her eyes.

Dewey is holding a bouquet of some yellow flowers and a cardboard box that smells like cake.

You sister takes the flowers and the cake, and your mother goes over and gives him a hug.

"Oh you didn't have to bring anything!" your mother says.

"My pleasure, Mrs. Huey," Dewey says in his politest voice. "You have a lovely home."

"Well, ain't he the sweetest," your mother turns to you and smile. "I'm always telling Jack to bring his partners home so I can met them, but you're the first one he's brought here."

You don't say anything. And Dewey is smiling like a loon.

"I hope you brought your appetite," your mother says and starts to usher Dewey to the dining room.

You sister is rolling her eyes at you again. And you ignore her.

The night after you got drunk, you figured out where Sullivan lived and went after him. When you saw him, Sullivan was already beaten to a bloody pulp. You went back to the 2-7 the next day and saw that Dewey had a black eye, a bruised lip, and a swollen fist.

Dewey is smiling at you now. Your mother made him sit next to her.

You think you smile back, but you're not really sure. You can still faintly see the black eye, but only when you look for it.

You go over to your mother's table and sit down next to your partner.



word count= 969

Comments

[mei-x.livejournal.com]

This is just wonderful. The story really shows how tough it can be to be a cop, and how it's a job that can separate one from the people one grew up with. I also love how the Huey/Dewey partnership is shown.

Well done.

[corbeaun.livejournal.com]

This is a very nice character study of a man who wants to be more than just where he came from and yet struggles to not betray that very same thing. Nicely done.

[maubast.livejournal.com]

I love this.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow.

Where can I get me more Huey? :)

[sihayab.livejournal.com]

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What a story to wake up to!

Powerful, reverent, amazing.

But *please* don't make me go to the Bad Huey/Dewey Place! ;>

wow.

[thermidor.livejournal.com]

That was a marvelous study (yeah, I know, everyone is saying that). I love to see stories with secondary characters and there aren't enough good ones. I really enjoyed this!

[akite.livejournal.com]

Uhhh...Wow! Excellent story, that's all I can think of to say.

[daughtershade.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Huey. While he kids around with the guys, he's always seemed to me like a sensative guy, and you pick that up in this. You can even tell why. I like that a lot.

[chesamus.livejournal.com]

nice - huey's a favorite of mine. he changed a lot from season 1, didn't he?

[doll-revolution.livejournal.com]

punkin!

extra-amazing! (but what else would i expect from you?) you have these voices down pat, and it was just perfect. :::bighug:::

you do spend a lot of time around cops, don't you? :::giggle:::

[dracostella.livejournal.com]

I spend an amazing amount of time being yelled at and ignored by cops. If you see an headline titled "crazed gremlin attacks police" that will be me.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Jeez, that was . . . wonderful. Illuminating. Luminous. And I even hate second person.*g*

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

Wonderful and revealing and very, very fine work. And in second person, yet. Wow.

[ozsaur.livejournal.com]

:::breaks out the thesaurus for this one::: Amazing, Touching. Marvelous. Moving. An impressive character study.

A bouquet of marigolds and a cake

[(Anonymous)]

OK is it boring to say: wow. wow. wow. wow. wow.
This story is so many special things.
The second person thing.
Giving Huey a family.
Giving Huey a very poor family who live in a crummy neighborhood.
Huey's ambivalence about where he comes from and where/ how he lives now.
Huey and *Dewey.*
Thanks bunches,

Julia

[askye.livejournal.com]

Lovely character study of Huey. Second person can be awkward but I felt right there with him. This is a really great look at their friendship.

[dsudis.livejournal.com]

Not only late but inarticulate: wow. This one grabbed me at the first line and didn't let go. Wonderfully done.

[fantasy25.livejournal.com]

Well done! I'm so accustomed to Fraser & Ray (Vecchio and/or Kowalski)-based stories that, for a moment, I couldn't place the character. For a story of less than a thousand words, you packed in a wealth of detail. Strong and sensitive Huey and stand up partner Dewey, what a great pair. Thanks so much!!