Lay it on the Line : Prodigal book one

Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

Six months later

JJ spent more time at work and less time at home. He also practically never went to church anymore. He blamed it on his busy schedule, but his Mother would give him an ear full. God blessed you with this job, your health, safety, apartment, girlfriend, and you can't even give him a couple hours a week? He would get not only a lecture from his mother but his pastor as well. At least his pastor was a bit gentler about it, telling him he was praying for him and how he missed him at church. JJ knew that he should be doing more for God and attending church, but in his mind, he thought he was just too busy for that. Of course, he still loved God, and prayed when he could, but the devotion and strong faith was slowly slipping away. The stuff JJ seen while on duty and his thoughts on humanity was waning. Most time he not only pushed God aside but his non-police friends, Mom, and Becky aside. They just didn't understand. The world and job were changing him. He began to curse and drink more often. JJ was far from the same person. The job and the world had changed him, but he did still hang on to some of the moral compass that his parents instilled into him. At times it was tested, and he failed. He was no saint, but his mother nor his church stopped praying for JJ.

"Ma'am, we are not going to go in there and carrying you out." JJ yells as he stands with his brother on the side the road. In front of them a heavy-set woman is on top of the half-submerged car. The rest of the car under the mud and dirty water of the swamp.

"Please! I can't swim." The hefty woman cried out. JJ looked at Sean and Sean at him.

"There is no way I'm going in there and carrying her out." JJ told his younger brother.

"Ma'am you just going to have to wait till the tow truck comes to pull you out then." Sean yelled back as politely as he could, both the men trying not to laugh. Being the jokesters, they were, this was very difficult.

"EXCUSE ME? Are you saying I'm FAT?!" The woman yelled when she noticed them laughing. "He means you and the car, the water is only four feet deep ma'am, if you don't want to walk out.... then stay where you are, and the tow truck will pull you and the car out." Sean couldn't hold it in anymore and walked behind JJ laughing. JJ couldn't help but smile.

"Sean, stop! Shut up." He looked back at him.

"Me? You're laughing too." Sean put his hand over his mouth.

"Let me call and see how far out he is ma'am" JJ spoke up to the pissed off woman. JJ then turned and walked to his patrol car followed by Sean.

"Why am I always getting dragged into your calls?" JJ asked with a brow lifted.

"Oh, you cannot say this is not funny as hell?" Sean gave his brother a playful grin.

"I swear you act like Barney." JJ sighed.

"The Dinosaur?!" Sean asked with a serious and confused look. JJ meant the cop off the Andy Griffith show.

"Yeah the dinosaur" JJ spoke sarcastically.

The German shepherd inside JJ's car started to bark and paw at the window. "Shut up Sasquatch" JJ hit the back of the patrol car to try and make his k-9 calm down.

"Does she really think we can carry her out of that?" Sean asked scratching his dirty blonde hair looking over at her. JJ glance back at the car and then down at his cell phone.

"I'm not breaking my back. This duty belt weighs a ton as it is, plus her and that swamp mud? Ha. She better think again." JJ said as he looked for the tow truck number.

"I mean really, she has to weigh over five hundred pounds, how the heck did she even got on top the car?" Sean watched the woman and lifted a brow. JJ let out a laugh as he held the phone to his ear.