Author's Foreword: This is shorter story about an unusual man finding a new fuck-buddy in an unusual set of circumstances. Skimmers, please go away as there is nothing here that would make one wish to read it in private. Thanks for all the private feedback.
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Tom Sullivan was a State Trooper temporarily assigned to be part of the safety perimeter of an emergency highway construction work zone. Work was ongoing using temporary lighting in the darkness of late afternoon this mid-winter day. The Trooper's extra duty was offered after he had pulled his regular shift as a highway patrolman in the bitter New England winter wind and occasional blowing snow. He was exhausted beyond words. Tom smiled to himself when he saw his replacement vehicle and patrolman friend approaching the construction area. He signaled 'greetings see you later' and drove his tired aching bones toward his home.
His residence was a townhouse community near the center of his patrol assignments and he habitually drove the state owned and vividly marked vehicle home and parked it in the numbered parking space of his Townhouse Parking Lot Complex. He removed weapons from the vehicle and walked into his unit and secured them as prescribed. He then showered and changed into street clothes to enjoy his after-work time off. (Obviously, he reversed the process when going on shift). His privately owned car was a nondescript sedan which he used for transportation when off duty and was assigned the parking spot beside the highly visible state owned vehicle.
Of course he inadvertently 'advertised' what he did for a living and every neighbor knew where he lived. But all of them considered him a nice guy personally and applauded his and the state police's efforts to remove aggressive drivers from the highways. He often could be found at the complex's swimming pool or tennis courts in the warm months and frequented the complex's gym otherwise. And, sometimes he showed up at the bridge club meet to play a few hands if someone needed a partner.
Tom was just over 6 feet, early 40s and had been divorced 15 years. His son was grown now and brought his two grandchildren by to see him regularly in the summer to swim in the complex's pool. He lived alone and considered himself in a 'fishbowl' as far as his private life went so that when at home he was a model of the perfect citizen and gentleman. A handsome man, he turned down many come ons from ladies who lived in the complex. He had a sex life and was enjoying a two year running but uncommitted relationship with a divorcee who lived 15 minutes away. When visiting her he drove his sedan.
The trooper could barely remember what his ex-wife looked like now. But he did remember with frustration that a womanizer neighbor had seduced his wife. This was when Tom, then even more so than now, worked erratic hours and often double shifts. She had asked him for a divorce wanting only child-support from Tom. She then moved in with the neighborhood Randy and the whole affair caused little net financial cost to Tom and there was scarcely any talk of the incident around the complex. The young child actually lived in both units while growing up for three years after their separation. But then the ex-wife's paramour relocated and refused to take Tom's ex-wife with him, so the son moved back in with his Dad to finish school and his mother moved in with two of her co-workers to share an apartment. The son commuted to high school and later trade school. His son never talks about his mother anymore, except to say, "She still lives with two roommates not far from here."
The action starts on this cold New England winter's evening. The parking lots and highways had been plowed and sanded from previous snowfalls and the temperature had been forecasted to fall to 15 degrees in that clear night. Tom Sullivan sat in his warm apartment very much engrossed in a detective story movie on screen. Suddenly there was a panicky pounding on his door and Tom went to see who it was. Through the port he saw his Latino neighbor señora Sanchez. He didn't know which unit she lived in but remembered seeing and chatting with her and her husband many times. He had learned that they were immigrants from Costa Rica or Panama or some place like that and had been American citizens for many years. Not dressed to be outside, the woman was shivering, so Tom hurriedly opened the door and invited her in. She said with a barely noticeable Spanish accent, "My husband is going to kill me. Please protect me!"
Tom's first response was breathing, "Oh no. Just what I need - a crazy neighbor." He said to her, "Celina, why do you think Juan is going to kill you?"
He listened to her frightened but incoherent chatter and finally said, "Would you like for me to walk to with you to your unit as your neighbor and let's both talk to Juan?"
"Please do, Mister policeman," obviously unable to remember Tom's name although, he remembered hers.
Tom guessed that she was in her early 40s and actually very pretty and he knew she visited the gym regularly. The few conversations they did have was about food - she was something of a self styled gourmet cook of Central American Foods. Tom remembered that in a pool side pot luck, she had brought a very, very tasty covered dish that was instantly gone because everybody thought it was wonderful.
When Celina lead Tom into their unit, her husband, Juan Sanchez, lay on the floor in the fetal position groaning. There was a small sign that a struggle had taken place in the room. The Trooper said to Celina, "Please calm down." Tom removed his coat and bent down, as he was trained to do, to see what, if any, injuries Juan Sanchez had sustained. There were none. Tom asked, "Juan, what is wrong. Where do you hurt?" Again he lay in the fetal position groaning, and not saying anything or even opening his eyes to even acknowledge Tom Sullivan's presence.
Celina, was still crying and spoke up, "Mister policeman, Juan caught his brother and me in our bed just now because my jealous husband came home early and unexpected. Juan screamed and fell down grabbing his brother's leg. When he saw us naked in each other's arms, Sergio attempted to run away. Then the two wrestled out to here. My husband told his brother, 'I am going to kill you and my whore wife.' Then Juan just collapsed into this position while my brother-in-law put on his clothes and coat and ran out the door."
The thought going on in Tom's mind was, "Damn! Damn! Damn! Why is this shit happening to me after after 14 hours patrolling and then on a construction project? Oh shit it's Juan's very large male ego collapse. After he finally pulls himself together, he probably will, in deed, murder both of them, if Juan is the textbook husband. Dear Lord! Why me?"
Tom reached for his cell phone and called a local police dispatcher and gave an identity number and a situation code number, along with the address. He concluded by saying, "I will remain here with the threatened victim until the black-and-white arrives."
After what seemed like hours but probably was more like 10 minutes there was a siren and a flashing light in the parking lot and two uniforms were at the door. Tom opened it and gave a five minute summary of what happened and introduced the two to Mrs. Sanchez. Before saying a word to her, the older of the two policemen grabbed a communicator off his side and gave a 'Need backup and a code." In about 10 more minutes a local detective that Tom had previously met came into the room. After a couple of minutes of chatting, Tom said, "I will say good night and continue to enjoy my time off. Thanks to all three of you for your quick response. In your write up please note that I am Joe Citizen and not a trooper."
It was three weeks later and Tom had been visiting his fuck-buddy, and he and his girlfriend had enjoyed a very good fish dinner prior to getting it on. Their usual procedure was to enjoy an expensive meal then return to her apartment afterwards and make whoopee. Driving home later, he felt pretty good since his tubes were cleared. He pulled into his numbered parking place for his sedan. As usual, he examined the 'company' car to be sure no vandals had defaced it and saw that someone had placed an advertising circular under his windshield wiper. It was a real estate firm's circular wanting to buy condos, so he took it with him intending to trash it inside his unit. Once inside he started to put down the items he was holding in his hand when the circular floated to the floor, upside down. On the back was penciled in bold letters, "Celina ..." The phone number was very close to his own cell phone number so that it was impossible to forget. He trashed the circular and went about his business of getting ready for bed. In bed, he thought about Celina for the first time since the incident. He mused, "She is beautiful and fit and educated and I can certainly understand that her brother in law had the 'hots' for her body - her big boobs and tiny waist are a magnet - even to me. She probably just wants to thank me, and that is not necessary and I would rather she didn't." He went to sleep.
