The Beginnings of a Long Day

“Sedona dispatch, box five two three, six seventy nine Rosewood Avenue, call for a kitchen electrical fire. Station two, send pumper, over.” It was eleven o’clock in the morning, and the dispatcher smiled oddly at the address she had just read off. Not an hour and a half previous, she had heard the same address, a call for police dispatch over the safety radio. It must be an interesting residence – and not their day. She made her second call, ““Ambulance dispatch, box five two three, six seventy nine Rosewood Avenue, smoke inhalation. Two occupants, husband and wife, over.”

This had not been Katie’s first call of the morning. In fact, this was number five. She could tell by number two, coming in not four minutes after the first, that it was going to be one of those days for Sedona. The district by nature, had a lot of accidents requiring emergency personnel, but it was these house accidents on the weekends which were often the most interesting – and the worst to tell your friends come the week.

“How’s the baby, Karen? Over.” Katie called over the radio when the fire woman had responded and acknowledged the call.

“Great. Just learned how to sit up on her own, over.”

“Stop in later. We’ll talk.” Katie responded. “Over.” Katie leaned back in her chair, trying to imagine just what the couple at six hundred and seventy nine Rosewood Avenue had done to the gods to deserve such an interesting and expensive day. From what it sounded like, they had been otherwise occupied when the fire alarm in their kitchen had gone off. The man had had to yell above the noise of the alarm, even though he was outside of his house, that the coffee maker had been left on and must have caught on fire or shorted or something, and it happened to ignite the cupboards above it, and simultaneously, the wall, and he didn’t have a fire extinguisher on hand, and had hoped they could maybe save his house. In all actuality, the fire would most likely be extinguished of its own accord by the time the fire department got there, but in any case, they would need to file a report and everything.

Five minutes later, Karen’s voice came back over, floating across the radio like music to Katie’s otherwise bored ears. She had already finished the paperwork that she needed to do for the day, and was left reading an Angela Johnson novel and waiting for her shift to end.

“Man and wife are dressed in…interesting attire. Over.” Karen called quietly. Katie immediately perked up and grabbed the handset.

“What sort? Over.” Katie asked. This could be good.

“French maid and teacher, it seems. Guess who’s who. Over.”

“I don’t want to know. Over.” Katie responded, bursting out laughing.

“The man is wearing the skirt, over.” Karen said with a perfectly straight voice. It seemed the day could only get better from there.

“How do you know she’s a teacher? Over.” Katie asked between laughs.

“She has a wooden ruler in her hand. Well, she did. It’s on the ground, now.”

“Are they covered by anything? Over.”

“Yeah, they grabbed a blanket. But, you can still see the costumes through it. Over.”

“Awesome. Is he wearing heels?”

“No – but it looks like he was. I think – I think they were going to put normal clothes on, but the kitchen’s smoke spread to the stairway to their bed. Over.”

“Fire out?”

“Almost. I love my job.” Karen said. “By the way, don’t put names to it when you tell it…but I know the man, and so do you. Over.”

“Who?!” Katie asked over the radio. “Call – confidentiality.”

The phone rang and Katie picked it up almost immediately. Karen’s laughter was her only greeting on the other side of the phone.

“Charlie Johnson.” Karen managed to get out. “Charlie and Angela fucking Johnson.”

“Head of the Department of Unusual Human Conditions Charlie Johnson? Author extraordinaire Angela Johnson?”

“Those would be the two. They don’t seem ashamed, much. It seems like they were just having healthy couple married sex. All things considered, I think I would forget about the coffee if my wife was dressed like that, too.”

“Why…was he the French maid?”

“Maybe they like to keep it interesting. Talk later – paperwork calls me.” Karen clicked off of the phone as Katie stared at the now-silent receiver in disbelief.

“Hey Katie, how’s it hanging?” Jeff walked into the room a few minutes later as Katie had resumed her reading of the novel of Angela Johnson. She had been reading it in a new light, considering Angela’s outing earlier.

“Alright. Same old, same old. How about with you?” Katie asked Jeff, looking up from her reading and smiling.

“Its been alright. Little on the boring side, but you know life – it has its ups, and it has its downs.” Jeff said, taking the seat across from her. “You ready for the end of your shift?”

“Eh, I’ve got another hour and a half by my count.”

“Well…you would. But, I kind of have a favor to ask of you.”

“Really, what?” Katie asked, rolling her eyes. Jeff was one of those people who would ask a favor as if it were nothing, when the favor was blocking a major roadway so he could bounce a ball across it. He was all kinds of special.

“Can I have this last hour and a half? You can get paid for it, whatever. I don’t mind. Go have some great, mind blowing…reading time.” Jeff looked disdainfully at the book.

“There a new girl on the squad?”

“How did you know?” Jeff asked, feigning disbelief.”

“You are unbelievable.” Katie said, laughing. “If you want to do my job for me, go for it. I don’t mind at all. Who is it?”

“You know…” Jeff paused. “I don’t even know her name. But she was pretty.”

“You were on the applicant board?” Katie assumed, rising and gathering her things.

“Hell, yes.”

“Men. You’re always the same.” Katie replied, laughing. “Have a good day, Jeff. Alright?”

“No problem.” He winked. “Don’t forget…I’m always up for another round between us when you are. I would gladly do that over and over again.”

“You’re such an ass.” Kate kissed him on the cheek, and he obligingly, playfully slapped her ass on her way out of the room. “Sexual harassment, Jeff! Behave.”

“Yes ma’am!” Jeff called out the door as she shut it in his face.

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