When I got to the station and parked in the lot, I first noticed that Lieutenant Gate’s Marauder was parked in its special spot near the back door.
The second thing I noticed, as I walked into the facility, was that Pat Bowman wasn’t at her desk. Gates was there when he was scheduled for the four to midnight shift and Pat not there, when she was always there, were not good indicators for the coming meeting, which I deftly avoided, presuming Gates and the Chief were in his office, by heading into the locker-room where there was a phone attached to one wall. The phone never got used and nobody could explain why it was there but it came in handy on this day. I checked the locker room out to make sure nobody was lurking around and then picked up the receiver and dialed my home number, hoping Mary had returned.
Jim,
Another great chapter filled with lots of ‘meat’…and the now expected cliff hanger.
Now we readers seek answers to more questions as we, yet again, feel some of the anguish you are having in trying to figure out what is going on…
A shame you have so many irons in the fire and have to deal with your real responsibilities and tasks of your “here-and-now life”–and cannot write and post a chapter a day. Even if you had four hands instead of two. We have to wait patiently…
May God bless you in all your daily endeavors.
THE WALTER DUKE. Thanks for that bit about the wiring Walter. I am working away. Even putting out one chapter a week
takes a considerable effort with all the rest, which you assume but don’t really know. You guessing is pretty damned accurate
however. My friend,
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
We flew into MSP to drive to visit son #1 and his family in Northern Wisc. and to be there for the high school graduation of grandson #2. Thought about you down there in southern Wisc…banging away to get the net chapter up.
I am here, as usual, working on the next chapter to tie it together as I got out a little out there on the diving board with the last one.
Semper fi,
Jim
“I dreamed you’re smarter than I am,” I blurted out.
Without your wife’s insight I suspect your situation would be much different @ that point in your life. Her take on the brief conversation w/Ricks wife being the latest example. What affect will the most likely passing of him have on this narrative?What was her take on a deuce & 1/2 parked in the RV garage? Certainly she didn’t think you were using it to move your possessions. Have to wait for the next chapter.
I think I just answered this comment but what the hell, bears repeating….
Semper fi,
Jim
LT, you worked for two POS and managed to keep from killing them. My hat is off to you. Both want to take credit for something they didn’t do or earn.
Maybe later something will come from this BS.
Societys frowns on the killing of such POS bosses, as you already know.
If you want to have any kind of life then you have to forego bringing
home actions that would be effective in the short term but ruin everything
in the long term.
Thanks for the thought though.
Semper fi,
Jim
Talk about a cliffhanger…
Bob Elwell, still in the life insurance business he got of mine as part of the ‘deal’ in the chapter,
sent the photo he had of he and Bro back at that time in their Jeep on the beach.
Yes, my life has been a series of Flash Gordon cliffhangers…and it’s certainly not over.
Thanks for the comment and the compliment you meant by it.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
Only 2 things for now – 1st: Rick died? I must admit that I don’t remember Rick right now other than he was on his last shift on the Beach Patrol. I know we’ll find out in the next chapter. But did you ever think that someone you’d sold a policy to would die while you were still there? Had you been prepped on how to handle that? The process? And before the CIA ‘thing’ started up, had you thought you were done with having to deal with the death of someone you knew in more then a passing way? (And no, I don’t remember your relationship either.) Why do I think you’ve just started with something that’s going to become a very large pile of crap.
2nd: “I replied, in total frustration.” “I couldn’t take it anymore.” “You want to stop, damn it, and tell me,” I ordered, my voice hissing in anger. “I asked, trying to settle down. I didn’t want my coffee, all I wanted was to go back to bed.” ““The second?” I finally asked, trying to keep angry insistence out of my tone.”
I can only assume that was the PTSD coming through as you talked with/to your wife, your lover, the mother of your children – Mary. The woman, who as you put it – “Once again I pondered Mary’s ability to understand stuff that I didn’t, even though she generally knew less about whatever it was than I did.” And perhaps most importantly, Mary’s ability to understand you. And I know you know it, but damn, you’re one lucky child of unmarried parents, as she sensed all your “frustrations”, “hissing anger”, your “orders”, “angry insistence/tone”, etc. And then Mary could take all that crap, squeeze it together, toss it aside and deal with the real issues. If it was me, I might have just said “F__k off”. (Just my opinion.) Like I said, a very lucky bastard.
More later.
Regards my friend,
Doug
By God, what a great informative and reactive comment to the chapter, a chapter that was ground out of harsh foundational emotion and ridiculous requests, actions and conclusions.
Thank you so very much for being so accurate and caring in your comments on this site!
My friend…
Semper fi,
Jim
Doug, you are following this saga.
Two items to elaborate.
Richard (Rick) T. Steed was mentioned in several chapters of What is Volume Two, soon to be split into Two Volumes.
He was a real stand-up guy and was honored by the city as an outstanding Officer.
Steed is the only San Clemente police officer ever killed in the line of duty.
San Clemente has properly tried to honor him. The Richard T. Steed Memorial Park in the hills east of downtown is a beautiful 40-acre sports complex today.
Also, regarding the death of a client is an experience NO life insurance agent ever truly wants to face. Still, if it does unfortunately occur early in a career, it profoundly affects the agent.
Thanks, my friend, much appreciate your comment here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Doug, you are really following this saga.
Two items to elaborate.
Richard (Rick) T. Steed was mentioned in several chapters of what is Volume Two, soon to be split into Two Volumes.
He was a real stand-up guy and was honored by the city as an outstanding Officer.
Steed is the only San Clemente police officer ever killed in the line of duty.
San Clemente has properly tried to honor him. The Richard T. Steed Memorial Park in the hills east of downtown is a beautiful 40-acre sports complex today.
Also, regarding the death of a client is an experience NO life insurance agent ever truly wants to face. Still, if it does unfortunately occur early in a career, it profoundly affects the agent.
Thanks Chuck, for the help here in honoring this great Marine, cop and friend.
That you knew him tis gas import here, even though you do not mention it.
Thanks for the usual support my friend,
Semper fi,
Jim
“I dreamed you’re smarter than I am,” I blurted out.
With out her insight I suspect your situation @ that point in your life would be much different. Her take on your conversation most likely w/Ricks wife being the latest. Did he die & what affect will that have?
What did she think of a deuce & 1/2 in your I your RV garage?
Have to wait for the next chapter to find out.
My wife is Irish, five feet tall and was a ‘roady’ when she was born! Deuce and a half, no problem. She thought it was our moving truck
given me by the guys at the compound. She assumed it was ours and wondered about how it would fit in the garage of the house we had in
New Mexico. Thanks for the comment and your other question will be answered in the next chapter.
Semper fi,
Jim
Doug, you are following this saga.
Two items to elaborate.
Richard (Rick) T. Steed was mentioned in several chapters of What is Volume Two, soon to be split into Two Volumes.
He was a real stand-up guy and was honored by the city as an outstanding Officer.
Steed is the only San Clemente police officer ever killed in the line of duty.
San Clemente has properly tried to honor him. The Richard T. Steed Memorial Park in the hills east of downtown is a beautiful 40-acre sports complex today.
Also, regarding the death of a client is an experience NO life insurance agent ever truly wants to face. Still, if it does unfortunately occur early in a career, it profoundly affects the agent.
So the Chief trying to be the “New Sheriff in town” causes a mans suicide ? I have had bosses and superiors who have pushed me to my limits and sometimes beyond . The end result ? They all lost their jobs . My one buddy used to call me the Master of the L-shaped ambush , little did he know how uncomfortably close to the truth he was . The tragedy is not only does a man take his life but a family loses their husband , father ,son and brother .
Well, not exactly, Charles, as the next chapter will demonstrate but the world is indeed filled
with anthropoid apes acting in heinous ways but climbing to posts of power because such activity
ont heir part can be viewed as a demonstration of strength by others not afflicted by them.
Thanks for the penetration your comment displays.
Semper fi,
Jim
well the mystery continues I guess the best part of this is hearing how you rely on Mary that means a great deal to me because I have one of those at home even today when I’m facing some situation at work and I’m in one of my all or nothing attitudes ready to create scorch reminds me no that’s not what the meetings about it’s about this or that and she is always 100% right it’s uncanny and thank God because many times I’ve done something that would probably have sent me to jail but I listen to her and do what she says and it works out fine
that must’ve been something they taught somehow and IHM
Where do they get that kind of insight into the human psyche it baffles me they make it sound so simple yet I’m confused by these simple things I really begin to believe that it is a male female thing males look meals look at a situation from a certain perspective maybe life or death maybe I have to take control maybe it’s just our nature but women just seem to see what’s really going on it’s very scary I wonder if women ran the world I mean officially the world would be a better place
I have often spoken about women ‘running the world’ as a means of cutting back on the
continuing rolling violence all human cultures are generally going through. Women do not
first turn to violence as any kind of solution. Most women, that is. There would be a ton
more coffee kltachs, book clubs and so on though.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
I agree with your position regarding women. I feel so blessed to have lived 80+ years in Matriarchal homes. The ability most women are innately endowed with allows the species’ males to focus on inane endeavors. ~~smile
Extemely well written here, my friend,
Semper fi,
Jim
Good grief, why can’t just leaving ever be easy ???
OK, move the artifact to it’s new location and start your new career ASAP !! 😉
Good read James, keep ’em coming !!
Semper Fi
Thanks for the complimentary comment SgtBob. Starts my day out right.
Semper fi,
Jim
This is a mystery chapter! Up to now, thru the Valley and the Nixon Whitehouse, while not necessarily in charge, you have been actively aggressively involved in at least shaping your AO! The taped interviews are classic! I wonder why you are allowing yourself to get jerked around especially as the results really only impact those you are leaving…
“Very interesting”
Colonel, Allowing myself to be jerked, that was true, but I was working with a plan and the plan was working to allow me the circumstance, money and time to recover from the Nam, or at least I so believe to this day.
Thanks for the ‘very interesting’ compliment.
Semper fi, my great friend,
Jim
Left hanging!
You surely were a bit Machiavellian there in the Chief’s office, but you got what you wanted, as did the Chief. I think I would have been at a loss: Never been good at “reading the room.”
Jim, you surely have developed yourself as a writer, holding suspense, provoking thought from your reader.
Thank you for opening yourself to we, the readers. I feel it makes us part of the tale, which is often a good thing for the writer to do. Involvement – although I have felt involved from about the first chapter or two of “Thirty Days”. Almost a sort of kinship.
Write faster, Dagnabbit! Chapter a day may satisfy my curiosity – for a while!
Thanks for the lengthy compliment, my friend! Much appreciated on this morning, as I work on the next chapter.
You are sounding or reading stronger than before and that makes me smile too.
Semper fi,
Jim
Outstanding as usual; really enjoy your writing skill and the stories. Please keep them coming!
I am intending to keep up my pace of one chapter a week, as life will allow.
I’ve gotten pretty good at that chain of chapters so I hope to continue.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Semper fi
Jim
The chief what a jerk hope you can get some pay back with the tape
Vengence is a tough game to play when trying to move, start a new career, have a
new baby not to mention the physical and mental leftovers from that war. I was
about advancing at the time an not receding into behavior that might just screw
everything I was trying to do up. Thanks for the thought and the comment here Robert.
Semper fi,
Jim