| Vanessa: Part 2 |
| A few days later, Ken drove to Starsky�s apartment after work. Because both young officers were assigned senior partners, it was hard for the two friends to get together. Still, Ken knew that Starsky was the one person with whom he could be honest, and would be honest with him. After stopping to pick up a pizza and a six pack of beer, Ken knocked on his best friend�s door. Starsky�s eyes lit up as he opened the door. �Oh, boy. A pizza, a cold beer, and a friend to eat them with. That sure beats a TV dinner by myself. Don�t just stand there; come in before the pizza gets cold.� Ken laughed. �Yeah, like you never eat cold pizza.� �Hey, I�ll never turn down pizza, cold or hot. I�m glad to see ya, buddy. I was goin� to call, but I didn�t know if I should. I don�t think I�m one of your wife�s favorite people, I�m sorry to say.� �Yeah, well, that makes two of us.� �Uh oh, that doesn�t sound good. OK, spill it. What happened? You two have a fight?� �You mean, another fight, don�t you? I think it was more than a fight, this time. I think it was a war, and I lost.� �What did you fight about, as if I have to ask?� �The police force, of course. I don�t know why she can�t understand, Starsk. You would think that she�d be happy that I know what I want to do with my life. It�s a whole lot better than being stuck in med school, hating myself. She doesn�t look at it that way, though. She thinks I�m wasting my life, because I�m not interested in money and success.� �Are you sure that�s the reason, Hutch? Maybe she�s scared. The kind of work we�re doin� is dangerous. Being married to a cop can�t be easy. Maybe she�s using this other stuff as a smokescreen to hide her real feelings.� Ken sighed. �I wish I believed that, Starsky. I could deal with her being afraid. I can�t deal with greed, though. I�m busting my butt as it is to give her what she wants. She wanted that apartment, because she said the other one was too small. It takes a big chunk out of my salary to pay the rent, but it makes her happy. I�m the one that�s supporting us. She spends her money on whatever she wants. Then she cuts me down for wanting to stay on the force. I don�t know, Starsk. If money is all she�s interested in, we sure crossed wires somewhere along the line.� Starsky sat quietly, concentrating on his pizza. Then he looked up, and softly asked, �Do you still love her?� �Yes. That hasn�t changed. I don�t understand why I have to choose between my wife and my career, though. I don�t want to lose her, but I don�t want to give up being a cop, either. I believe in what we�re doing, Starsky. Call me selfish, damn it, but I want both my career and my wife.� �Then you have to find a way to keep both. Talk to her, buddy. Let her know that you ain�t pushing her aside. If she thinks the job is more important than she is, that�s only going to make things worse. Make a fuss over her, the same way you did before you got married. Don�t act like you take her for granted. I might not be married, but I know women. They like to feel special. If she sees how much you love her, maybe she�ll come around.� �I hope so, Starsk. At this point, I�m willing to try anything. I�m not ready to give up on my marriage just yet.� Over the next few weeks, Ken did everything he could to repair his relationship with Vanessa. He sent her flowers if he was late coming home. When she bought a new dress, he took her out to dinner so she could show it off. As the tension eased, so did their fights. He saw a glimmer of hope for his failing marriage, but unfortunately, that didn�t last long. |
| As Ken�s career moved forward, so did Vanessa�s. After graduation, Vanessa went to work full-time for Hartford�s. Her trips out of town became more and more frequent as she was given more responsibility in the company. Soon, she was traveling all over the country. Most of the time, Ken didn�t regard this as a problem. He knew the long hours his job required were a strain on his marriage, and was happy that Vanessa had her own career. At first, Vanessa was gone for only a day or two. She still spent the majority of her time at home, and when she did, the arguments were few and far between. Still, it wasn�t long before her trips grew more and more frequent, and for longer periods of time. Once again, the marriage was strained because of a career. This time, however, it wasn�t Ken�s career; it was Vanessa�s. Finally, after two months of swing shifts, Ken was put on the day shift. He was looking forward to spending more time with his wife, but her own schedule made that difficult. When he came home to find her packing once again, he tried valiantly to hide his irritation. �You�re leaving again? You�ve only been home two days, Vanessa. I was hoping we�d have more time together than that.� �I�m sorry, darling. I wasn�t planning to go anywhere until next week, but Corey came down with the flu and there isn�t anyone else available. I�ll only be gone for two days, and then I�ll be home for at least a week. If I have to, I�ll switch with Jimmy and let him go to Dallas. Then we can spend all the time you want together. Please don�t be angry with me.� �I�m not angry, Van; I�m just disappointed. I finally get my schedule straightened out, and now you�re going out of town. We hardly see each other anymore.� �I know, but I�m not doing this intentionally, Ken. It�s part of my job. You wanted me to have my own career, so here I am. I�ve been patient with you when your job keeps us apart; now it�s your turn. I promise you, though; I�ll be back as soon as I can. Maybe we can even go up to the lake for a few days when I get back. We�ll rent a cabin. You�ll have me all to yourself. We can call it a second honeymoon, and you know how wonderful the first one was.� Ken laughed and held her close. �OK, but hurry back. We have a lot of lost time to make up for.� �I promise I won�t be gone a second more than I have to.� Unfortunately, the two-day trip turned into four days, then five. After almost a week of coming home to an empty apartment, Ken�s mood deteriorated greatly. On the sixth day, Ken was angry when Vanessa still did not return. It was after eight o�clock that night before he heard her key in the door. �Well, look who�s finally home. Did you have a nice trip?� Vanessa put her suitcases down and walked toward her husband. She frowned as he stepped away from her. �I told you when I called you last night that I was sorry I couldn�t get away sooner, Ken. Why are you still angry?� �You also told me when you left that you�d only be gone for two days. It�s been almost a week, Vanessa. Don�t you think I have the right to be a little angry?� �I don�t see how you can possibly say that to me. You expect me to wait patiently for you to come home whenever you�re late, but you won�t show me the same courtesy. What�s the difference, Ken? Why are you allowed to follow your career when I�m not?� �My career doesn�t keep me away for a week at a time, Van. There IS a difference between being a few hours late and a few DAYS late.� Vanessa stood her ground. �You seem to forget why I chose this career in the first place. If you had stayed in med school, I would have been content to stay home and be your wife. But you chose to be a cop. I told you in the beginning that I was NOT going to be like Doris Huntley. I will not stay home night after night and wait for you to come home. I will not waste my life like that.� �Oh, and I am wasting my life, isn�t that it? You�ve never let me forget what you think about my decision, Van. You forget one thing, though. I�m not the one who spends a week at a time running all over the country.� �So what are you telling me? Do you expect me to give up my career while you insist on staying on the force? What kind of future is that, Ken? Oh, God, I don�t want to fight about this ANY MORE! Please, Ken, can�t we talk rationally about this instead of screaming our heads off?� Ken took a beer from the refrigerator, and counted to ten slowly. He nodded slightly. �OK, let�s talk. I don�t have a problem with your career, Van. I know you weren�t happy when I decided to be a cop. I meant it when I said that I was happy you found something you liked to do. Don�t you see? It�s starting to interfere with our marriage. I don�t have a problem with you traveling, either, but why do you have to be gone for so long? Can�t you take the shorter trips and let someone else handle the longer ones?� �I can try, but I can�t promise anything. I�m not the only courier that Hartford�s employs. I don�t get to pick and choose my assignments. But I�ll talk to Andrew and see what he can do. Is that good enough?� �I guess it has to be. I love you, Van, and I�m tired of fighting, too. We have to find a way to compromise soon. I don�t know how much more I can take.� The next day, Vanessa arrived home before Ken did, excited that she had found a solution to their problem. She ordered dinner from the restaurant down the street, and dressed in her slinkiest gown. Ken walked in to find soft music coming from the stereo, and candles lit on their finest tablecloth. �Well, am I in the right apartment? What�s all this?� �It�s a celebration, darling. Come on, sit down and eat before the veal gets cold. After dinner, I�ll tell you why we�re celebrating.� Ken was mystified as he watched Vanessa across the table. She was captivating as she asked him about his day and talked about hers. The change was so striking that Ken had to wonder about the reason for it. Suddenly, an idea started to grow in the back of his mind, but he kept silent. Vanessa would tell him when she was ready, and this was too important to push. Once they finished eating, Vanessa led him by the hand to the couch. She sat down beside him, and smiled happily. �I have something to tell you, Ken. I�ve been waiting all day for this moment, but I wanted it to be special. I talked to Andrew today and you�ll never guess what he told me.� Ken blinked, confused by what she�d said. This definitely wasn�t what he was expecting. He carefully hid his disappointment as he waited for her to continue. �I went into his office to ask him about changing my schedule, like I promised. I told him that the long trips were becoming a strain on my marriage, and he came up with the most perfect solution. Now, I want you to hear me out before you say anything, Ken. Promise me that you�ll let me finish before you give me your answer.� �Sure, Van, I�ll hear what you have to say. It must be pretty good, since you�re so excited.� �It�s fantastic, darling! OK, here goes. You know how I�ve always been worried about how dangerous your job is? Well, it seems Andrew has been worried about my safety and the safety of the other couriers, for a while now. Carrying large amounts of uncut gems can be hazardous, especially to other countries. Even though security is very tight, problems can still come up. I know how much your career means to you, but you�ve always said you chose police work because you wanted to make a difference. What if I could show you a way you could still make a difference without us being separated?� �You lost me, Vanessa. I don�t see what you�re getting at.� �Andrew is going to start sending security guards with us on our trips. We�ll each be assigned a permanent guard, to make it less confusing. We�ll know who our personal guard is, and no substitutions will be allowed without Andrew�s permission. That way, if someone tries to switch guards to steal the gems, it won�t be possible.� Ken nodded, �Well, that sounds reasonable, but what does it have to do with me?� �Don�t you see? With your experience as a police officer, you�d be the perfect choice for me. Andrew is going to pay these guards very well, and it would be our chance to spend all our time together. We wouldn�t have to be separated any more. Isn�t that what you wanted?� Ken was quiet for a moment, then laughed softly. He got up and walked around the living room. He shook his head, and laughed again. �Now, let me get this straight. You want me to leave the force, and become a security guard for Hartford�s. Then I can follow you all around the world and be your own personal bodyguard. Well, I certainly have to hand it to you, Vanessa. You really surprised me with this one. That�s not what I thought you were going to tell me.� �Please don�t say no, Ken. It would be our chance to see the world. We could travel as often as we wanted. Who knows, maybe someday we could open an exchange of our own. We�d always be together, and never have to worry about money again.� �And good old Andrew would throw in a promotion every now and then, of course. This is a joke, right? How could you possibly think I�d go along with this? You were supposed to talk to Andrew about YOUR job, not mine.� �I did talk to him, Ken. I�m trying to figure out a way to save our marriage. You said the time we were spending apart was a strain, so I tried to change that.� �By putting me on a leash, Van? I�m supposed to give up my career and follow you like a trained watchdog? I�m supposed to be content with that? What do you suggest I do while you�re in meetings, or waiting around for the next assignment? Should I take up knitting?� �And what do you expect ME to do while I�m waiting for you, Ken? Am I supposed to be the good little housewife, puttering around the apartment while you make the streets safer for the community?� �Do you know what I thought you were going to tell me, Van? I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant. Have you thought about that? You�ve never even mentioned having kids the whole time we�ve been married.� �Oh, no, buster, you can forget that one right now. There is no way in Hell that I am going to be tied down with a house full of kids while you play cops and robbers with Starsky!� �Yeah, it would put a real damper on your social life, wouldn�t it, Van? Good babysitter�s are hard to find these days. And it would really be tough making those grand entrances of yours in a maternity dress!� SLAP!!!! Vanessa stood motionless, with her hand still upraised. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. Ken stopped himself before he retaliated. He let his hand fall to his side as he glared at his wife. Then without saying another word, he turned around and walked away. Vanessa ran after him. �Ken, stop, please! I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to do that. Please don�t leave. Can�t we talk about this?� Ken opened the front door and turned to her. �There�s nothing to talk about, Vanessa. You don�t want kids, you don�t want to give up your career, and you don�t want me to keep mine. I think that just about sums it all up.� �Ken, wait! Where are you going?� �OUT!� He slammed the door with such force that the dishes in the kitchen rattled. |
| David Starsky rolled over in his bed, groaning at the insistent ringing in his ear. He reluctantly inched his hand from beneath the covers and groped for the phone. �Yeah, what do you want?� �Starsky, my man, is that you?� �Yeah, who�s this?� �It�s the Bear.� Starsky opened his eyes completely and looked at the clock as he recognized the distinctive voice on the other end. He had met the slim black man soon after he started his beat in the Metro division. Despite his rather fanciful name, Huggy soon proved to be a good friend and a valuable source of information. �Huggy? It�s one o�clock in the morning!� �I know that, but I just wanted to make sure you�re OK.� �Why wouldn�t I be OK, Hug? What�s going on?� �Well, your new best friend is down here looking like he just lost HIS best friend, so I thought maybe you were hurt or something.� Starsky cleared his throat and sat up in bed. He pushed his pillows up behind him and tried to wake up. �OK, start over. Who�s there?� �Mr. America. You know, the blonde dude you introduced me to last month.� �Hutch? What�s he doin� there at this time of night?� �He�s getting smashed is what he�s doing. Why he�s here, drinking up all my beer, instead of at home, sleeping, I have no idea. He came in a couple of hours ago, looking like the sky was gonna fall right on him. I tried to talk to him, but he wasn�t talking back. You two seem to be getting pretty tight, so I thought you might be in trouble.� Starsky sighed. �No, I�m fine, but I think I know what the problem is. Is he causing any trouble?� Huggy laughed, �Not unless the lady that�s hangin� on his arm happens to have a boyfriend.� �Wait a minute. What lady? Describe her.� �Blonde, built, and very willing.� Starsky ran his hand through his dark, curly hair and muttered, �Terrific. Look, Hug, do me a favor and don�t let him go anywhere. I�ll be there in a few minutes.� �I�ll do my best, Kemosabe. Just make it snappy, OK? This is one dude I don�t think I want to see riled up, if you get my drift.� �Yeah, I get you. I�m on my way.� Starsky threw on his jeans and shirt and headed out the door. Twenty minutes later, he walked into Huggy�s Pits. Huggy was standing behind the bar, and when he saw Starsky, he motioned to the other end of it. Starsky followed his hand, and saw Ken sitting on the last bar stool, with a beautiful blonde on his lap. He walked to the end of the bar and smiled at the young woman. Gently, he took her wrist and pulled her away from Ken. �Sorry, honey, nothing personal, but he�s taken. He�s got a wife that�s waitin� at home for him right now.� The girl looked at Ken, then back at Starsky. �He told me he was divorced.� �He lied. Go on, sweetheart; find yourself another lap to warm. Be a good girl.� Ken glared as his friend. �Mind your own business, Starsky.� �Come on, Hutch, you know this isn�t the way. Two wrongs don�t make a right.� Ken stared at the bottom of his glass. �It doesn�t matter, Starsk. It�s too late, anyway.� �It can�t be that bad. Why don�t you tell me what happened?� Ken laughed derisively, �She found a new career for me, buddy. You want to guess what it was?� �Tell me.� �I was supposed to quit my job and be Vanessa�s personal bodyguard. I was supposed to follow her around like a faithful German Sheppard, and keep all the bad guys away. I was SUPPOSED to be grateful for any bones that she threw me and be happy that she saved me from this pitiful existence!� �I�m sorry, Hutch. I know how that must have hurt, but this isn�t the way. You can�t throw your marriage away like this. If you go home with that blonde you were flirtin� with, there�s no goin� back.� Ken silently sipped his beer. When he looked over at Starsky, his eyes were swimming with tears. �I thought she was pregnant, Starsky. I thought that�s what she was going to tell me. Instead, she came up with this bullshit. Do you know what she said when I asked her about having kids?� �What did she say, buddy?� �She said no. She said she wasn�t going to be tied down with a house full of kids. It�s over, Starsky. I�ve lost her. She�s going to leave me, and I don�t know how to stop her.� �Look, it�s late. Why don�t you let me take you home? In the morning, we�ll talk about this. Maybe we can come up with some ideas.� �Sure, why not? Who knows? Miracles do happen.� Starsky dropped Ken off at his apartment and waited to make sure he got inside without passing out. Ken noticed that Vanessa wasn�t home, either. Exhausted, he fell into bed and was soon fast asleep. When he got up the next morning, and saw Vanessa�s side of the bed was empty, Ken simply assumed she had already left for work. Since he was off duty that day, he decided to go over to Starsky�s apartment, and try to come up with a plan to save his marriage. Starsky had breakfast waiting, along with strong black coffee and aspirin, as remedies for Ken�s hangover. �I don�t know what to do, Starsk. I don�t want my marriage to end, but I can�t do what she wants me to do, either. How am I supposed to look at myself in the mirror if I quit my job and traipse around the country with her? That�s not what I wanted to do with my life. I�d rather go back to Duluth and work on the farm. At least I�d have some dignity left.� �You don�t want to do that, Hutch. Remember? You wanted to stand on your own two feet. If you go back now, you�ll be tellin� your dad that he was right. You�ll have him running your life, and Vanessa. That�s just going to make you more miserable than you are now. No, what you have to do is make Vanessa understand, once and for all. You�ve fought this long to be a cop, don�t give up now.� �I�ve tried, Starsky. No matter what I say, it doesn�t work. She just doesn�t get it. I don�t know what to do anymore.� �Then you have nothin� left to lose by talking to her again. Sit her down and make her listen. Keep from losing your temper, and reason with her. If she sees that your marriage depends on this, maybe she�ll change her mind. I don�t think she�s any happier than you are. If she loves you, she�ll find a way to work things out.� �I hope so, Starsky. I�m just about talked out. I don�t know what else to say.� That afternoon, Ken went home with an armful of the purest white roses he could find, and a determination to save his marriage. He slipped inside quietly, hoping to surprise his wife. Vanessa was coming out of their bedroom with the last suitcase when Ken walked through the door. She didn�t notice him until he spoke. �What are the suitcases for, Vanessa? Where are you going?� She spun around, surprised. �Ken! Wouldn�t you know it? The one time I counted on you to be late, you�re early. I wanted to be gone before you came home.� �You didn�t answer my question. Where are you going?� She faced him and visibly braced herself. �I�m leaving you, Ken. I can�t take this anymore.� �So it�s over, just like that?� �No, not �just like that�! I�ve tried, Ken. I�ve really tried to work this out. I wanted to help you, to help us, but you wouldn�t let me!� �You tried to help by pushing me into a life I didn�t want! You wanted me to be a lawyer, and then a judge. When I told you I didn�t want to do that, you expected me to quit my job and become your watchdog. How was that helping me, Van?� �I was trying to help US, Ken. I was trying to make a future for us. There�s no future in being married to a COP! We could have so much more, if you�d only see that.� �A future? You didn�t want a future with me, Vanessa. You wanted your own future, with me tagging along. I wanted a home, with a wife and maybe kids someday.� Vanessa smiled sadly. �If all you wanted, Ken, was a wife and a mother for your kids, then you�ve got the wrong girl.� She picked up her suitcases and opened the door. She looked back one last time. �I love you, but I can�t be what you want me to be. Good-bye, Ken.� Ken watched his wife walk away as the door slowly closed behind her. The roses lay on the floor beside his feet, forgotten. He stood in the empty apartment and listened as his heartbeat echoed in the silence. It was dark before he found the strength to call Starsky. He was still sitting on the couch when the curly haired man walked in. Starsky sat down quietly beside his friend and put his arm around Ken�s shoulders. Ken took a deep, shuddering breath. �She�s gone, Starsky. She left me.� Wordlessly, Starsky squeezed his shoulder. They sat quietly for a moment. Ken looked down at the roses on the floor. �I knew she was going to leave me. I just didn�t know how much it would hurt.� Starsky held his best friend and let him cry. Four weeks later, Hutch stood in front of the canal-side cottage and watched the ducks swimming peacefully in the water. He looked over at Starsky as he came up to stand beside him. �I�m really on my own, now, Starsk. For the first time in my life, I�m all alone.� Starsky smiled slightly. �Scary, isn�t it?� Hutch smiled back. �Yeah, a little. I�ve always had someone else to depend on. My parents were always looking over my shoulder, and then there was Vanessa. Who can I depend on now? Who�s going to pick me up when I fall flat on my face?� Two pairs of blue eyes met. Starsky smiled. �I�ll pick you up, buddy. You can depend on me. Always.� Hutch smiled, �I know.� �Come on, partner, let�s get this stuff inside before it gets dark.� |
| ********************************************************************************* Detective Sergeant Ken Hutchinson finished his beer, got up and put the picture of Vanessa back in his dresser drawer. He got undressed and crawled into bed. As he turned out the light, he smiled to himself. His decision was made. After spending a harrowing hour in Dobey�s office, the two detectives collapsed at their desks. Hutch cleared his throat. �Well, I don�t think that was too bad.� Starsky snorted. �Yeah? Why don�t you go down to the basement and ask Bigelow what he thought? I�m sure he heard everything Dobey said.� Hutch shrugged philosophically. �Live and learn, as I always say. One thing�s for sure. The next time Bruce calls with a hot tip, I�m hanging up just as fast as I can.� �There�s hope for you yet, partner,� Starsky grinned. Hutch started on the paperwork that Dobey had assigned them. He felt Starsky�s eyes on him, and smiled to himself. Innocently, he looked up. He waited for him to speak first. �Well?� Starsky finally asked. �Well.....what?� �Hutch, you know what. Did you decide what you were going to do with the money Vanessa left you?� �As a matter of fact, I did. I decided to take your advice and keep it. I sold the shares of stock before I came in this morning, and deposited the check in my account with the rest of the money. Now, I�m just going to let it sit. It�s not hurting anything, and you never know, we might need it someday.� Starsky nodded, �You never can tell.� He stopped for a moment, then looked his partner in the eyes. �We?� Hutch pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Starsky. �Here. You need to sign the card and take it back to the bank, and put the letter in a safe place.� Starsky glanced at the card and put it aside. It was a standard signature card from Hutch�s bank. He read the letter to himself. It stated that a savings account had been opened in the name of David Michael Starsky for the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, plus interest, compounded annually. Speechless, Starsky looked at his best friend. All he could manage was, �Hutch?� For once, the words came easily. �You were always there for me, Starsky. My parents turned their backs on me, and Vanessa dumped me, but I could always depend on you. Every time I�ve fallen flat on my face, you�ve been there to pick me up.� Hutch raised his coffee cup in a toast. �Me and thee, partner. Forever.� |
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