Best Men - 11. Chapter Eleven

I entered the bakery of Donohue’s, the bell signaling my appearance in the establishment as I approached the front counter. A familiar face smiled at me.

“Good morning… Freddy, right?” Ariel greeted.

I nodded and smiled back. “Good morning to you too, Ariel.”

I reached for my police hat that I usually lifted when greeting people but then realized I was neither in a police uniform nor on-duty. I just smoothed my hair, saving myself from that smidge of embarrassment.

Ariel giggled. “So, what are you looking for to buy this morning?”

“Well, I was hoping you made another secret stash that you’re willing to sell,” I said.

Her face brightening, Ariel retreated from the front counter and returned a moment later with a tray of pastries that still had steam rising from their golden crust. “I was thinking of you and Rick when I was making them a couple of hours ago. They’re mooncakes!”

“Oh, wow. I see these whenever I patrol Chinatown back in the city but never tried them,” I said, leaning my face towards the mooncakes to relish in their aroma.

“Here’s your golden opportunity, then. Go ahead. Try one as a free sample.”

I very gladly accepted Ariel’s offer and took a big bite of a mooncake. I hummed in satisfaction from tasting the crustiness of the outside and chewiness of the filling. I then offered a raised thumb as my score and after swallowing asked how much one mooncake cost.

“Seven-fifty. Sorry if that sounds steep. Took me awhile to make this recipe with my own twist and hide any evidence that I was making anything other than what’s on the menu from my dad.”

“No, that’s not steep at all… How about I just pay you one-hundred bucks for the remaining nine mooncakes?”

Expressing shock with raised eyebrows, Ariel then said, “Oh, no. I can’t take that money.”

“Don’t worry. Consider the rest as a generous tip,” I offered.

Ariel pinched one of her dark curls and then said, “All right. If that’s what you want.”

I pulled out a crisp, one-hundred-dollar bill from my wallet and handed it to Ariel. She graciously accepted the money and efficiently placed the remaining mooncakes in a cardboard box.

“Rick’s going to love these,” I stated.

There was no way I was going to eat all those pastries on my own, and I was sure Rick was going to enjoy eating them just as I did. Wow…who would’ve thought that the guy I saw as the worst person in the world, a man who broke my sister’s heart right before abandoning her to live in the city would be a person I was going to gift food to? Then again, we already did the Devil’s tango yesterday that resulted in an amazing orgasm. So, the next logical step was to offer Rick food, right?

I didn’t know what we were after our little ecstasy-induced ride in my bedroom, but whatever we were Rick didn’t seem to want to break it off. After we watched an awful action movie where the guy walked away from an explosion in slow motion as the ending, I listened to Rick talk about his self-made career of making marionettes dance. It was one of the most interesting conversations I had in a long while. Just his immense passion of the art of marionettes was very intriguing to listen to, and I just loved the way he moved his hands and fingers as he reenacted some of his performances to me.

Now here I was, at the local bakery, buying a special order, so I could surprise him when he finished jogging around the neighborhood. Jeez, we only made out and rubbed our dicks together once, and I was acting like we were in a relationship. I needed to calm down. I mean, I saw this guy as my worst enemy only a few days ago, now I should forget all of that and buy him specially made mooncakes? Also, I didn’t expect Rick to drop all the trouble I gave him, and I didn’t blame him at all.

Still, it was nice getting to know Rick for his incredibly creative mind, and the way he kissed me before I went to bed, both passionate and gentle at the same time was just what I needed to sleep soundly. I was very willing for him to spend the night with me on the same bed, but I decided against the idea as I watched him enter my bedroom to sleep. The last thing I needed was someone barging in the room and see Rick in the same bed as me. I didn’t want my parents knowing what we were, especially since what we currently had could easily fizzle out and disappear. So, why get them all riled up for nothing?

Anyways, Ariel handed the box of mooncakes to me and after thanking me again for the money, I walked out of the bakery and was about to enter my police cruiser. However, another familiar person appeared from his own police car, and that man strutted towards me with a smile and a wave of his hand.

“Hey, Freddy!” the sheriff greeted. “How are you doing this morning, son?”

“Oh, I’m great. Just got some baked goods here that I’m going to take back home,” I said.

“Oh, that’s nice… Hey, I was actually expecting to bump into you by the bakery, and I was wondering if you’d like to patrol with me in my car.”

“Oh, um…I mean, I should really—”

“It’ll only be a short while. Just enough for us to catch up on what you’ve been doing as a bigtime policeman in the city.”

I really wanted to just return home and see Rick’s face when I offered him the mooncakes. However, I suspected the sheriff wouldn’t let go of the issue until I gave in.

So, suppressing a sigh, I said, “Sure. Why not?”

“Great! Get inside then.”

The sheriff gestured his hand, and I followed him into his car. Placing the box of mooncakes on my lap, I buckled my seatbelt as he started his car. The interior had the basic policing necessities, very unlike the additional high-tech equipment installed in my police cruiser. There were also fast-food wrappers next to my feet as well as a cracked rearview mirror.

“Sorry for the mess,” the sheriff apologized.

“It’s cool,” I said.

The sheriff began driving through main street and since the time was still very early in the morning, no other cars were driving around. So, he drove at a slow and steady pace. We eventually exited main street and began driving through on the residential areas.

The sheriff cleared his throat and said, “Your father told me a lot about your success as a police officer, son.”

“It’s not really a success. I’m just doing my job,” I stated.

“Ah, don’t be modest, kid. Your father even showed me a news article that had a picture of you with the caption being ‘Police Officer Wilfred Meyers who helped bust a major illegal drug ring in the city.’ That’s a success if I ever saw one.”

I just shrugged and grimaced upon hearing my full name.

“Don’t doubt your ability to police, Freddy. It’s a skill that’s very much taken for granted by civilians and sometimes abused by the very people who are supposed to uphold the law.”

“Yeah, city police aren’t known for keeping the peace without using excessive force… I try my best to not be like those guys, though. Not once in my career did I have to pull my gun out. Doing so should always be the last resort,” I affirmed.

“Really? Not even when you were shot?”

I faced the sheriff whose expression was hidden by his aviator sunglasses. “Did my dad tell you about that incident as well?”

“Some of it. However, your father didn’t know the full story… Mind telling me what happened?”

I sighed and gazed through the side window. “To make a long story short, I was responding to a possible case of domestic violence at an apartment complex. A man was threatening his girlfriend and her two children, and while I talked to him and tried to deescalate the situation, a friend of the boyfriend snuck up from behind me and shot me. Got me on the back of the shoulder.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What happened next?”

“I was on the floor and had my hand right on my holstered gun, ready to pull it out and shoot…but after some more talking, I managed to get the person to drop his own weapon and surrender.”

“My God, you’re certainly a better man than I am, son. I don’t think I would’ve handled that situation in the same way… The bullet didn’t do any permanent damage, did it?”

“Nah, I had to take a few weeks off work, but I fully recovered. I only get a slight pain occasionally along with a faint scar.”

“Not that I’m judging your actions which were very commendable by the way, but why didn’t you shoot the man right after you got shot yourself?” the sheriff asked.

Scratching my head, I thought about what he asked for a quick moment before saying, “I saw the two children who huddled with their mother, terrified out of their minds. I then knew that if I just fired my gun at the perpetrator, I would’ve most likely scarred those young kids mentally for the rest of their lives… And maybe another reason I didn’t shoot was because…I just wasn’t afraid to die.”

“Really?” the sheriff said, turning his police car into another neighborhood.

“Yeah, it wasn’t like I had a family to go back to after I came home from work. Kids to run towards me, asking me how my day was as a police officer, and a partner to kiss me, wondering what I wanted to eat for dinner. Yes, I had my parents and my sister, but they were back in Beckett… So, you could say that I was reckless for not carrying about my own preservation.”

“One could say that…but one could also say that you preserved those two kids’ chances of leading a normal life and not be traumatized after witnessing a person being gunned down in front of their eyes.”

I haven’t thought of the situation in that way before.

“Regardless of the reasons why you did what you did, I can really tell you’re a very good police officer. I also can definitely see you taking up the role as the new sheriff of Beckett.”

“I really appreciate the offer, Sheriff. But my life belongs in the city… Besides, I don’t think the town would accept me for being…”

“Gay?”

I instantly turned to the sheriff who was looking at me without his sunglasses, revealing his knowing eyes. “How…?”

“Your father told me,” the sheriff said simply.

I sighed heavily and slouched in my seat. “Of course, he did.”

“Now don’t be ashamed of it.”

“I’m not ashamed. I just don’t want to deal with the crap of people in this town being judgmental and talking behind my back. The city is much more openminded and that’s where I belong,” I asserted.

“…I won’t lie. This town and others like it are often very stuck in their old ways… However, sometimes you have to tell people that you’re just doing your job and not take any of their bullshit.”

“And how do you know what’s it like being gay?”

“I don’t, son. But what I can say is being married to a black woman definitely made my life a struggle sometimes by those judgmental townspeople who only see being white as the correct way to live one’s life. Same thing with being straight. You’re going to have to prove to them that you’re capable of doing your job. Rarely does life hand anyone a fair shot. You have to work for it, and in time people begin to accept and even change over time.”

I didn’t expect to get a motivational speaking from a man I thought was just another townsperson who thought gay people were damned to hell and had other less-than-accepting beliefs. However, knowing he was in an interracial marriage despite what the town must’ve thought of such a union made me start rethink the whole issue about living in this town.

“I need someone who can fulfill the position as the sheriff of this town and do so with a hundred-and-ten-percent efficiency. My fellow police officers just won’t be able to do that role since small-town life has hindered their ability to fully know what to do when an extreme case happens and needs a gentle touch,” the sheriff explained.

“What exactly is happening in this town that requires my touch?” I asked with curiosity.

“Nothing right now, but with that phenomenon appearing out of nowhere, affecting towns and making lunatics out of the residents, I feel the quiet peacefulness of this town will soon be interrupted… Just think about it, all right, son?”

Looking down, I then faced the sheriff and nodded. “Don’t worry. I will.”

The sheriff smiled, and he continued to drive until we soon returned to main street. He then stopped behind my police cruiser and unlocked the car doors.

“Nice talking with you, Freddy. Hope to see you driving this car and taking my role as Beckett’s sheriff.”

I smiled back. “It was great chatting with you too, Sheriff.”

I got out of the police car and walked to my own. The sheriff drove passed me, blaring his siren once before taking off. I chuckled and entered my police cruiser, placing the box of mooncakes that were still felt warm on the passenger’s seat. I buckled my seatbelt before turning on the ignition and began driving back home. Though it was still early, I got a glimpse of one person walking through main street. For a moment, I thought I recognized the person, but they disappeared as I continued driving.

I was soon back home, and when I walked by the living room, I saw Rick watching the television as well as chatting with my dad. I thought that was a strange sight but not unwelcomed.

“Good morning, Freddy,” my dad greeted as he sat on his loveseat.

Rick turned to me, and his face brightened. “Hey, Freddy. Did you go to the bakery this morning?”

“I did. Ariel made some mooncakes, and I bought them all. You want one?” I said, opening the box and revealing the bakery goodness to Rick.

“Are you kidding? Of course!” Rick said, snagging a mooncake and taking a bite. “Ah, man. That tastes amazing. Thanks, Freddy.”

“You’re welcome. You want one, Dad?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks, though,” my dad said and reached for his bowl of salad from the coffee table.

I laid the box of pastries on the coffee table and grabbed one for myself before relaxing on the coach next to Rick. A sense of peace seemed to emanate from the living room, but that feeling might’ve come from the company I was with. My dad and Rick discussed what the right answer was to a question asked to the contestants of a game show, and I just enjoyed the feeling of just eating great food and being with the people I cared about.

And yes, I cared about Rick who often glanced at me with a smile that caused a warm bubbly feeling to form inside my chest. Jeez, I was like a teenager who got giddy whenever his crush looked at him. And the feeling brought back memories of my time during high school when I was with someone who wasn’t just a crush but was a person who I thought I could spend the rest of my life with.

I tampered down those thoughts and returned to watching television with Rick and my dad. I wasn’t going to get moody from thinking about the past as I laughed with Rick who got the right answer, while the game-show contestant didn’t.