Badge Bunny
Stranded alone, submerged within concrete
walls, amidst crackling voices, it
finally strikes me that an ulterior
motive is at play. Instantly, a room
choked with bodies is nearly
empty-it’s just me and her.
The gold strapped around my finger
constricts and becomes heavier, as her
puppy-dog eyes continuously bat
and she flutters closer. Lust in her eyes
smacks me in the face. I retreat,
she advances. I’d been warned before,
but my age and inexperience
drowned such cautionary, unbelievable tales.
She’s up against me now, gyrating,
moaning, and whispering unmentionable things.
My face flushes. Slowly her hand travels
from my shoulder toward my
gun-belt. I take off like a rocket,
up through flights of stairs,
and find and blow through the door.
Clean, pure, fresh air pierces my skin.
A gaggle of co-workers roar and
point while I flee to my patrol car.
Drenched in sweat, I reach for the
Air conditioning button, then notice
a senior deputy shaking his head
unapprovingly. I’ve failed the initiation.
I’m not one of them. A career
shrouded in speculation, based on
a single moment, is my punishment.
-C.L.Swinney © 2015
