First Offer

He walked in through the front door with blood shot eyes. Glossy, sleep deprived.  The kids squealed as their feet pounded on the wood floor of the entry way trying to maneuver into CA Cop's arms amidst his lunch box, gun, badge, jacket, court subpoenas, etc. I tell you, having a two year old and a three year old sounds like a full daycare sometimes.  I smile as I glance at the view from the kitchen into my entry way. I love watching him walk through that door. Home.

He placed his items on the kitchen island with the last bit of energy he could muster, then collapsed onto the carpeted family room.  The kids immediately took up residency on the lump of daddy that now adorned their play area.  Shasta sat on his Daddy's back, while Sierra rubbed her feet on his "fuzzy" newly cut hair (its always newly cut because he goes to the Barber EVERY week, any other officer's do the same?)

I finished preparing breakfast.  There were a few things I liked about his grave shift.  We got to have breakfast as a family each work day and we always had dinner together too.  Day shift provides for neither, but it allows him some solid sleep and the kids don't have to tiptoe around the house because he's sleeping. Plus he is far more "present" on his days off.

The kids finished their breakfast and I turned on a cartoon for them.  CA Cop and I sat at the table as he told me about his night in between bites of french toast with hot syrup (seriously, who can stand cold syrup?).

"Oh, yeah! I got my first offer tonight, " he said it with a grin and a glimmer in his eye.

"What do you mean by that?" I braced for the punch line, there's no telling with him.

Apparently CA Cop arrested a female that night. And as they locked the cuffs on her and were heading to the car she turned to them.

"Please, I'll do anything to get out of this."

Emphasis being put on the word anything. CA Cop said that he and his partner just smiled at each other and guided her head down into the patrol car.

And so it is. A typical day can include a v neck shirt that suddenly borderlines indecent exposure once pulled over by the police. Or better yet some sorority sisters skinny dipping in a closed pool after hours. How about that car full of strippers in their 5 inch stilettos that needed to be searched. And of course the "offers" to get out of tickets and arrests.

"Well, was she at least hot?"

"Actually, she wasn't too bad." (I should add that I am definitely not the jealous type.)  

We share a knowing laugh as we lock eyes. "At least the job comes with some perks, right?"

It really can be pretty comical- our new normal.