Finding Mrs.Joe Hill

Contemplation

Saturday April 23rd 2022

Joe was done work, headed to the lockers with a co worker Brian to get changed and go home.

"Gotta date?"

"Why you say that?"

"I can smell your cologne from here, someone plans on getting lucky tonight." Brian joked.

"Nah it's not like that yet."

"Hold up hold up. Your dating a girl you haven't even slept with yet?!" Brian laughed.

"Huh, yes. I am." He told him trying to rename calm and not hit him.

"That's crazy, yo Trent! Come here listen to this!" Brian hollered over across the precinct to another co worker.

"Dude shut up, this isn't funny." Joe tried to tell him. Brian didn't care, he waited for Trent to get over to them so he could tell.

"Trent, you'll never get this shit-" before Brian could finish that sentence Joe tackled him.

"Hey!"

"Woah woah woah!"

"Knock it off!"

"Stop!"

Other officers and detectives yelled at them, Joe didn't let up, kept beating on him. Until they heard the bosses voice and got pulled apart.

"Both of you, MY OFFICE!" He yelled. Brian had a bloody nose, Joe had some bruises too. They walked into their lieutenants office and shut the door.

"I don't know what the hells got you two rolling a round on the floor like that and frankly I don't give a flying shit. Your both suspended for 3 days. Dismissed." He said.

"Wait boss-" Brian wanted to talk

"DISMISSED." He said again and they left.
———

Joe didn't even plan on seeing Kelsey tonight, he was picking up the roast for Sunday and taking it over to Franks awhile.

"Knock knock." Joe said walking into the big house, Frank was at the table drinking some whiskey.

"Hey!" He said and then saw his face.

"Guess you'll be staying for a minute..." Frank said and got up to get him a glass wanting to hear about what the heck happened.

"Huh. It was stupid." Joe put the roast in the fridge. Frank poured him a glass of whiskey and sat it at the seat across from him.

"Stupid or not let's hear it. You get a rip?"

"3 day suspension." Joe took a seat and sipped the whiskey.

"You start it?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Have my reasons. What was it about?" Frank tapped his fingers on the table.

"Huh, just an asshole co worker cracking jokes like we're in fricken high school."

"This have to do with a girl by chance?" Joe sipped his whiskey and smiled through it.

"How. How do you know so much." Joe set his glass down and smiled in disbelief.

"Because your the spitting image of your father. The amount of fights he'd get into, starting in elementary school, always had to do with a girl." Frank told him.

"Unbelievable." Joe chuckled and shook his head.

"Sounds like she's important to you, we'd love to meet her." Frank suggested.

"I know. I don't think we're quite their yet, I haven't even taken her to meet my mom yet." Joe told him.

"Well I know it's probably a lot to meet all of us. So whenever she's ready or your ready, we're ready." He smiled telling him.

"Noted." He told him and got up.

"Thanks for the roast, see you Sunday." Frank said.

"Yup, see ya grandpa." He patted his shoulder and left.
——
When he got home he called Kelsey over FaceTime like they did not every night but often.

"Hey ba... what happened!?" Kelsey said seeing his beat up face over the phone.

"Just your typical battle wounds after a fight."

"Who? Was it a perp?" Joe was taken back at her knowledge of police jargon.

"Look at you!" He smiled, she laughed.

"I've been watching a lot of cop shows." She told him.

"Ah huh... well no this wasn't a perp it was a fellow officer." He told her.

"Why? What happened?" She asked.

"Just stupid banter. Busting my chops, it's fine, I got a 3 day suspension, which might be good for us, we can spend some more time together." He told her.

"Maybe Monday? I work late Tuesday."

"Sure. Let me know what you wanna do and we'll do it." He said.

"I'll think of something. I'm gonna go to bed." She yawned.

"Alright, me too, talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye." She smiled and hung up.

——

The next day at Franks.

Joe was with Jamie in the kitchen after dinner cleaning up.

"Question." Joe said.

"Shoot." Jamie told him drying dishes.

"Did Eddie come to dinner when you guys were just starting out?"

"No. But we didn't really date remember? Her first family dinner was the same day I proposed. The week before that we were just partners."

"Right." Joe was thinking.

"You and this girl serious?"

"Not yet. I wanna be. Thought introducing family to her would move things along maybe." He said.

"Well we're a pretty big bunch, that might be a lot for her. Ask Eddie...it's intimidating. Granted you did the same thing but guys and girls are different." He said.

"Yeah. Maybe I should take her to meet my mom a couple times first." He suggested.

"Ask her what she thinks." Jamie said looking at his wife enter the kitchen.

"What I think? About what?" She wondered.

"You think I should hold off on bringing Kelsey to family dinner?"

"Uh ha. Have you told her you loved her?" She asked, catching Jamie and Joe off guard.

"No...it's been like a week!"

"Don't bring her to family dinner until you love her." Eddie told him patting his back and then leaving the kitchen.

"There ya have it." Jamie said.

"Guess that's that." Joe laughed and they finished up.
———

What do you guys think about Kelsey coming to dinner already? I think Jamie and Eddie both made good points.