2 Persona non grata

After I sent that email to Jason, I sort of felt a sense of anxiety and relief once I clicked "Send" it was a strange feeling I was not accustomed to and it showed. I hoped that somehow we could get answers about the mess of our lives and I sort of wondered what he had been up to since we hadn't been raised together as twins. It was early 1982 in February when my captain gave me the recommendation to take the Detective's exam and I was nervous all over. I was hopeful that I sure could make a difference, but Captain Nathan Adams always, forever a man who could never be pleased, somehow believed in me? That sounded almost absurd. But what if he was being genuine? I didn't know as he was derisively nicknamed "Captain Asshole" behind his back. And it was a nickname that was well earned because of how much of an ass he was to everyone. He even drove the nicest cop to almost quitting the force.

I then saw an email reply from Jason, but I decided to check it after I took the exam. I was nervous as I sat down and the proctor gave us the instructions clearly 

"When I hand you the test packet, do not open the booklet until I say 'Go' when you are done, please come quietly to the desk, lay your packet and scratch paper down and close the door quietly behind you. No talking. No whispering. You only get three breaks, the first one after thirty minutes, the second one after ninety minutes and the third one after a hundred and twenty minutes. You are allowed a pencil, a scientific calculator, a ruler and three sheets of scratch paper. Good luck. Go."

And just with that, I opened the booklet and started answering questions one by one. Most of them were easy questions like, what would you do during a traffic stop and what would you say and so on, but there were some tougher questions that forced me to recall case law and what did they pertain to and why were they needed. Some of the questions were all about procedure and what to do with evidence and as I finished the exam near the end of the time allotted to all of us, I could feel a heavy sense of anxiety creep into my veins...what if I didn't pass the test? What if I failed so big that I would be kicked out of the NYPD. I was scared and I was a bundle of nerves, but I tried to not let it show as I put the packet on the desk and then closed the door quietly behind me as I thought of what they would think of my answers. It was three days later I did the firearms discharge test and I demonstrated what I knew and I was able to get a perfect score at the target range. I then did the interview and I was able to answer the questions efficiently and quickly and then I checked the emails and was drowned with a deluge of emails with more paperwork and more things to do and it sincerely frustrated me. I worked late until the night, getting the paperwork finished and finishing it all on time and then turning it all in to the Sargent. 

I finally, just finally had time to open the email that my twin had sent me and I took a deep breath, preparing for whatever, preparing for something I wasn't sure I was preparing for.

"Dear Ed Tucker,

I hope this Email finds you well, it is a pleasure and an honor to meet and to get to know you. To find out that I have a twin sibling is mindboggling and shocking to say the least. I was completely floored when my Aunt Cheryl told me that she had been raising me and what was worse was that she had knowledge of your existence. It was shocking and a bit of a betrayal on her end to be hiding such a massive secret from me. It was unfair and horrifying. I can imagine that your reaction was very much the same when your parents told you as well. Nevertheless, I chose to forgive my Aunt, the decision to forgive our parents, however is up to you alone. I want to introduce a bit of my background. I graduated from Miami University with a major in Criminal Justice and then applied to the Seattle Police Department, I now work in the Vice division and it is quite the job you might expect. It is exciting and dangerous but also very fulfilling. Based off of your signature line from your previous Email, I'm going to assume you're still a beat cop and that's okay. Growing takes time and getting promoted takes time, its okay if it takes you longer. So don't worry about what others say. Okay? At any rate, I should be finishing up and getting started on paperwork. Good luck on your Detective's exam, I know you'll do great.

Best of wishes,

Det. 1st grade: Jason Keenan."

I smiled a tiny bit to myself before typing out a reply and then finishing up and then going home. I was hopeful that we would get to know each other a little more and I was hoping he had the same hope as well. It was a week later when the letter came in the mail from the Commissioner and I opened up the envelope and I was so elated when I read the letter, it was a congratulatory letter on me making Detective 3rd grade and I could not have been more happier. I was so excited, I jumped in the air for joy and let out a loud whoop. I giggled and hugged the letter and put it in my diary, I wanted to keep it as a memory forever and to instill joy and hope in me. It was the next day I was assigned to Narcotics and I was so excited to meet my new senior detective. The captain of the precinct was Myles Waterstone and he had a heavy Texas accent and he wore a big, white, ten gallon cowboy hat and he wore a big steel buckled belt round his waist and I heard he had a penchant for eating ten pound steaks. Captain Myles welcomed me around the Bronx 45th precinct and I noticed how despondent and depressed and defeated looking they were. I decided to not let this deter me as I entered his office and he then smiled and began, his Texas accent curling his words

"Well, welcome to the four-five precinct. I am Captain Myles Waterstone. Don't mind my last name, I'm not related to or affiliated with the Watergate hotel." He let out a hearty chuckle with that joke and then began on a more serious tone "So, down to business, we have a desk for you and we also have a partner for you, her name is Naomi Woolworth, she's a Detective First grade, very well experienced and friendly, I can see that you and her personalities will match very well and will be compatible. So, I trust you two will get along just smooth sailing."

At that moment Naomi strode in and I wasn't really impressed by her, she looked tired and down beat like the rest of the precinct, but her brown eyes sparkled with intelligence and I felt my heart flutter a little. She was about three inches taller in me, dressed in worn down, ratty looking clothes that one would find in the back of a building and wearing sneakers, a badge hung round her neck and her hair looked like it was dry, scaly and stringy. Her locks cascaded down her shoulders and looked severely unkempt and unwashed for at least a month and the russet locks were tied in a pony tail at the nape of her neck.  

Her chestnut eyes glance sharply into my own crystal-blue eyes and for a moment, it was as if the world had frozen and we were destined to have met, I was already in love with her. Her skin was sun kissed and tan. Then I realized she probably was either Latina or from Asia or the Middle East, Naomi smiled and added with a accent I could not place 

"C'mon! Lets go see your desk, unless you just wanna start drooling just staring into my eyes."

She then rolled her eyes and I followed, I swear I could hear Captain Waterstone laughing behind us.