The Day The Bubble Burst-Tales from The Front Desk-Part One

What you are about to read is true, however the names involved of the people here within this story do not exist. They are a composite of some of the men and women I had the pleasure of working with at the fictional police department North Haverbrook Center Police and Fire HQ. However, if you seem to see yourself in any of these people and actually want to admit it, well than go ahead, knock yourself out. This mini novel comes from 20 years of journals that I kept, including memos, letters, good boy and bad boy letters and just in case someone wants to oppose anything I say, just remember, I hide nothing. I was suspended more times than probably anyone else on the force, yet, these boobs kept me there for 20 years. Pretty cool huh?   What you are about to read is a mini novel right here on these pages.And Part I recalls my first day.

Part One---The Boys in the Band

I grew up here in North Haverbrook Center. I loved the town. Everything was there for you. You had the tree lined streets of my youth on Lawson Drive, just a walk away from the center of the town. It was a wonderful youth and I enjoyed every minute of it, that is until I got a job working for the town. Now most residents have no clue to the inner workings of a town, the little bits of stuff that occur that no one, and I mean no one would want to get out. As such, there was a bubble that covered the town. Obviously, it's an imaginary bubble, but a bubble just the same. Nothing bad got in and that included stolen cars, wanted felons and various nuts. It also meant that nothing bad got out and that included bad publicity,  the truth and well. . . various nuts.  The town liked to let other towns around them that this was a "nice New England town"   when in fact, it was not that at all. Heroin use among teens, town leaders stealing funds and all the bad things of any city was there and I saw it all, and not all of it was because of felons or petty criminals.

"Yeh, what can I do for you?"  asked Sgt Ted Nealy. Ted was one of the originals, he was the old guard, back when the town had three cars and really was a small New England town,

"Um, I'm Michael DeSorbo. . I was hired as the new um. .  dispatcher."   I told him.  He heard me, but was also involved in some very important work; it was coupon clipping day and as Ted told me later, "Only rookies and idiots pay full price for anything, you'll learn that soon. I never once paid for coffee in my 28 years here. Do you like coffee?"      I remember nodding, but I'm not sure if I actually said anything.

I was then dragged around the station to meet various people and one of them was the outgoing chief, Arthur Burnham, a real old time chief who didn't even carry a gun, and as I soon learned, had no clue where that gun might have been. But he didn't care, for today was his last day. The poor old wonderful man was dying of cancer and well, it was time to shuffle off. At this point I was lead around by Marty Kleinman. Marty was that one officer that every department has, you know. . gets a hangnail and applies for workman's comp and is gone for 364 days.  Today was his first day back after those 364 days. Tomorrow, he would be gone again for a while, but that's really not part of the story.

"Chief," Said Marty, "This is Mike DeSorbo, our newest dispatcher...he's 2nd cousins with The Deputy, um, well the new chief."    Chief Burnham looked at me and held out his age spotted hand.

"Great to meet you Marty, but I'm going now,"  he said. I tried to tell him I was not Marty, but it was too late.  He was out the back door.  

"Come on, I was told to drive you around town, so you know the patrol sectors." Marty told me. I nodded and was soon in the front seat of a brand new 1989 Chevy Suburban.

"See I've been fighting with this stupid town forever. I just need to get some more days off. I'm in the process of getting divorced and my soon to be ex wife  told me she didn't want to be married to a cop any longer. So who is she seeing now? Donald Moore, the supervisor of traffic in the neighboring town of Hunford.

"Oh. . .I'm sorry. . ."  I said. I mean, what do you say to that, especially after first meeting someone. But he continued on, even at the Donut shop drive through, where he got me a large cup of coffee and a box of donuts to bring home later. Total price? Nothing.

"We pay for nothing. I mean that. You want free bread and rolls, hot out of the oven, right off the truck?  Work midnight shift and head over to the back door of the cafeteria at the high school.  Testa's Bakery delivers four huge bags of all sorts of breads, bagels and all. And they just leave them there on the back step! Just bring a bag, untie the bags and make yourself up a bag of free bread. I haven't paid for bread in 20 years!"   I was shocked and just looked at him.

"What? No one's ever complained. As a matter of fact it was Capt. LaTore who told me about it. And wait until you meet him. Have you met Debbie Wood? She's one of you, a dispatcher."   I told him no, not yet.

"Well, you'll know it when you meet her, let's just say that."   he said and smiled as he drank his free coffee. He pointed to the box of donuts.

"Go ahead, have one. . . it's the town's dime."   Marty said and laughed as he shook his head like a man that knew how to play the system.

The next day, while using a town garden hose to wash his car, he got some water in his eye; he was gone for six months.

End Part One

       i GREW