Men in Blue Pt. 02

"Go, go, you need to get ready for class, Honey Pie," Georgie said when Rayanne tried to return the favor.

"So, um, what you doing tonight?" Rayanne asked as she kissed Georgie good bye for the tenth time.

"Working the four to midnight shift," Georgie said.

"Oh, what kind of work you do?" Rayanne asked.

"Sweetheart, I'm a cop," Georgie said.

"You're a, you're a cop?" Rayanne asked.

While Georgie was telling her date good bye, Ronnie had pulled Graham Johnson aside in the break room at Young Insurance.

"Every year, you're the top salesman and every year I say 'I'm going to beat him next year,'" Ronnie admitted. "How do you do it?"

"Brother, I got six mouths to feed," Graham smiled. "You really want me to show you so you can take food out of their mouths?"

"No, I just want you to show me how to put some in mine," Ronnie whined.

"Fair enough, my brother, fair enough," Graham smiled.

The man sat down and showed Ronnie how he periodically went through his client files, looked at what policies they had, looked to see if there were any policies they had that would serve them better, whether or not those policies were larger ticket items or not.

"Sometimes, taking a few dollars cut here and there means more dollars later on," Graham advised. "Think of it like this; is a client going to tell his brother that you found him a more expensive policy? He's more likely to tell his brother that you found him a cheaper policy with better coverage. His brother's going to want to talk to you, right?"

Ronnie nodded; there was a lot of wisdom in what the more experienced man was saying.

"You're at a birthday party? Backyard barbeque? Crawfish boil? Ask people who their insurance provider is. If they say anything but Young Insurance, ask them how they like it," Graham went on. "If they like their provider, shut up. They don't need to hear what a piece of shit their provider is. You're not going to make any sales by telling someone how stupid they are. If they don't tell you they like their provider, find out what they don't like about their provider. Can we do better?"

Graham checked his watch and got to his feet.

"Now, a lot of times what people don't like about their insurance just can't be helped. We're selling them security, a safety net. We're not selling them something that's going to fix all their problems but that's what they want," he said and grabbed his alligator skin briefcase.

He showed Ronnie the briefcase.

"Nice huh? Top salesperson five years in a row and they'll give you one of these too," Graham said.

Ronnie went to his desk, pulled out the first folder and looked through it. He tapped rapidly on his keyboard, went through the available policies, and then picked up the telephone.

"Hi, Mrs. Aaronsen? Hi, Ronnie Edwards, Young Insurance, you were in here about four months ago? Listen, I was looking through your policy and I've got a newer one that might save you about five buck a month. Now, five bucks a month doesn't sound like anything, but that works out to about sixty dollars a year..." Ronnie said.

Elizabeth Coutre nodded with her head toward Ronnie and asked Julie Chamblee, another agent, "So, who's the new sales guy?"

Chapter 10

In exchange for his testimony in the 'Men in Blue' case, Radon Jefferson was given immunity and a clean record.

For a young, uneducated boy, he had an excellent memory and very keen observation skills. He did not crack under cross-examination, simply repeated what answers he'd already given.

Georgette Sanders; she'd reverted to her maiden name upon separating from Ronnie Edwards, likewise was a credible witness. Both Jase and Philip stared at the girl they'd thought was nothing more than some strung out meth whore, then at each other. How had they not been able to spot the cop in disguise?

"Young man," Captain Gene Paice approached Radon Jefferson as the African-American youth and Miss Monroe were getting their lunch in the St. Ann Courthouse cafeteria.

"Aw, no, no, man, I'm all fly," the boy protested, wary of the dress uniform the man was wearing.

"Yes you are; what I wanted to talk with you about," Gene smiled, nodding to Kaitlin.

He guided them to an empty table, sat down and outlined his plan to the boy.

"You want me go narc?" the boy asked, incredulous as Gene offered to mentor him, help him along.

"Son, you're smart. I looked at your grades and quite frankly, you're a failure at Elgee but I think it's because no one has ever expected you to do better," Gene said.

"So what are you proposing?" Kaitlin asked, smiling.

Underneath the table, the captain had his hand on her pudgy thigh.

"I'd like to get you in at St. Philip's, in Jack's Creek. You'll probably have to repeat a grade or two, but then we'll see where we go from there," Gene offered.

"Cracker you crazy?" Radon asked. "I ain't walking all that way!"

"We'll get you and your sister into a trailer out there," Kaitlin offered and clamped her thighs together; Gene was getting dangerously close to her crotch.

"For a crazy ass cracker, you all right, Miss Monroe," Radon said.

"She's all right? I'm the one..." Gene complained.

"I know what time it is," Radon said. "She telling you do it and you doing it."

Kaitlin laughed and squeezed Gene's hand.

"You heard my boy; he knows what time it is," she laughed and gave him a light kiss on his lips.

While Radon was enjoying the meal downstairs, Georgie Sanders was upstairs in the office of Children's' Protective Services. The heavy-set African-American woman looked at Georgie's uniform, nodded, and found the file the officer was asking for.

"Charisse Orleans Williams, birthday, oh, she's turning two next month," the woman mused aloud.

"And you've applied for guardianship?" the woman peered over her reading glasses at the attractive blonde.

"Co-guardianship with the child's aunt," Georgie smiled, hoping she wasn't blushing.

"...the child's...." the woman processed that information.

A few keystrokes later and the woman provided Georgie with the address and a release form.

"And I can..." Georgie asked, almost singing with happiness.

"I'll call the Freemans and let them know you're coming," the woman smiled.

For once, it was nice to have a person sitting in front of her that was not crying, whining, pleading, lying, or threatening.

Mabel Freeman smiled as she gathered Charisse's Williams' few possessions; a blanket and a tattered cloth doll and a few diapers.

"Hi Sweetheart," Georgie smiled, cradling the tiny girl. "Hi; I'm Miss Georgie, can you say 'Miss Georgie' huh?"

"She doesn't talk and she's still having trouble walking," Mabel said. "From what I understand, she just lay in her crib all the time so she never learned."

"Well, let me tell you something, young lady," Georgie smiled. "I know you're a smart little girl and you'll learn all those things just like that."

Charisse shed no tears over leaving the clean house; she'd shed no tears over leaving her filthy housing unit.

On the outside, Georgie was smiling and chattering happily with the child. On the inside, she was worried. Suppose this child had disabilities? Almost two years old and not talking, or walking was not normal.

She'd not told Rayanne she was getting the child; her beautiful lover had been despondent over the news that her twin was dead. It bothered Georgie that they were unable to find where the girl had been buried. She understood that strung out meth addict prostitutes died on a regular basis, but meth addict, prostitute or not, Deechard Williams was still a human being.

Georgie looked in the rearview mirror and frowned; Charisse was not looking around at the passing scenery. The child was not playing with the shiny bells and balls attached to the child's seat. The child was just staring straight ahead at nothing.

Once home, Georgie quickly assembled the baby bed and set it up in her living room. Rayanne still had her apartment but only stayed there when Georgie had her children, or when Georgie was working the late shift.

RJ and Sandra knew Rayanne, knew that Mommy and Miss Rayanne were best friends, but they did not know that Mommy and Miss Rayanne kissed and hugged a lot.

Then Georgie fixed Charisse a snack of peanut butter and jelly on crackers.

The child suddenly showed signs of life, gleefully sucking the sweet jelly off the crackers, then sucking the peanut butter off, then eating the crackers. A bottle of apple juice was emptied almost before Georgie had time to put the juice container back into the refrigerator.

"Oh!" Georgie laughed happily as the child chattered for more. "Someone has a sweet tooth like her Rayanne does, huh?"

Charisse babbled, the only word that was recognizable in her chatter was 'Hi!'

"Hi!" Georgie laughed, kissing the child's forehead as she wiped the residue of peanut butter and jelly from her face and hands.

"Hi!" Charisse responded.

Georgie put a fresh diaper on the child, lay her down in the bed, then stretched out on the couch.

After a two hour nap, Georgie put a clean diaper on the child, put her on the couch in front of the television and began preparing dinner.

Rayanne scampered up the stairs; she just talked to her Algebra 101's Teacher's Aide and found out she was carrying a solid 'A' in the class. It was a hard class, one that taxed Rayanne's limited knowledge to the limits and she was thrilled. Her hard work was reaping the rewards.

Her lover, her beautiful blonde goddess was home and Rayanne could not wait to share the news with her.

She pulled out her key and let herself in.

Sitting on the couch was a small child, skin the color of light milk caramel, hair curly and black. The child looked at her and broke into a smile.

"Mommy!" the child cried out, pointing at Rayanne.

"That's right!" Georgie said, entering the living room from the kitchen. "That's Mommy! Say 'Hi Mommy!'"

"Who, what?" Rayanne asked.

"This is Charisse Orleans Williams, your little girl," Georgie said, scooping up the child and presenting her to her aunt.

"Mommy!" Charisse babbled happily, reaching for Rayanne.

"Charisse.... You found my niece?" Rayanne asked.

"No, I found your little girl," Georgie corrected. "You and me? We're the only family this child has

Rayanne was frightened to take the child; suppose she dropped her?

"Georgie put one arm around Rayanne's waist and pushed Charisse into Rayanne's arms. But held the child as well.

"There's nothing to it, Mommy. You just hold her and let her know that's she the most precious thing in the world. That's all," Georgie assured the girl.

"Hi!" Charisse said.

"Hi!" both Rayanne and Georgie responded.

"Hi!" Charisse laughed laying her head on Rayanne's shoulder.

"You are," Rayanne whispered into the child's ear. "You are the most precious thing in the world to me."

"Good, hold her and rock her; we're having spaghetti tonight and I got a feeling a certain little girl's never had that before; this should be fun," Georgie laughed.

"I cannot believe; oh my God, I feel like a woman," Rayanne exclaimed.

"What you... Rayanne, you are a woman," Georgie said from the kitchen.

"No, no , I mean, I feel, this is what," Rayanne sputtered.

"I get it; that's how I feel when RJ needs his shoes tied or Sandra needs me to sing to her because she needs to hear me sing to her," Georgie said.

"Hi!" Charisse said.

"Hi!" Rayanne responded.

While Georgie was showing Rayanne how to put a child into a high chair, Ronnie was 'teaching' his daughter how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

"And you just drop the big piece of cheese in there and..." Ronnie said and looked her. "We're finished, right?"

"No, Daddy!" she laughed. "You need bread, silly!"

"Now hang on, it's a grilled cheese and bread?" Ronnie asked.

"Who are you and where's my brother?" Connie asked as she stirred the chicken noodle soup.

"I figured it out," Ronnie said, mashing the bread down with a spatula as the electric skillet sizzled.

"Figured what out?" Connie asked.

"There's only one grown-up living here and that grown-up's me," Ronnie said.

"Wow," Connie said and spooned out the four bowls of soup. "I'm being serious. Wow."

"Wow, I believe you," Ronnie admitted.

"Okay, we need to say 'Grace' and I'll say it tonight," Ronnie said. "Who put the boogers in our nose, and put the jam between our toes, and the soup and the cheese and the bread so that we'll all be fed?"

"Daddy! That's a terrible prayer!" Connie said as RJ and Sandra laughed.

"Amen," Ronnie said and smirked at Connie.

"Thank you, Aunt Connie, for all your help," Ronnie said sincerely.

"Well, you hadn't called me begging for help in almost a month; I had to come make sure you hadn't died," Connie admitted.

"No, Mom's been by a few times; kind of helping out," Ronnie said and helped Sandra with the soup.

While Sandra was getting a bath from Aunt Connie, and RJ was playing with Legos with his dad, Georgie was showing a completely frazzled, terrified Rayanne how to bathe a little girl.

"And you put a hand over her eyes and pour a little water on that little head and..." Georgie smiled as she used a plastic measuring cup to rinse the shampoo out of the child's hair.

"Ah! I got that History test tomorrow; what time you go in?" Rayanne suddenly gasped.

"Eight AM roll call," Georgie said.

"We can't leave her here by herself!" Rayanne cried out.

"And she goes to Happyland Day Care with her sister Sandra," Georgie said. "I'll take her; we really need to get you your own car."

"Hi!" Charisse said, laughing, splashing at the water.

Epilogue:

Jason Cruz and Philip Thompson tried to pin everything on Daniel Ragliani but the evidence was overwhelming and both received life plus fifty years. Jason fainted when a smiling Judge Lisa Singleton told him he was being sent to Mumphrey State. Philip just nodded silently when he heard Angola would be his next residence.

X

Old prostitutes died, new prostitutes took their place, old drug dealers died, or were prosecuted and sent away and new drug dealers came in and took their place.

Ninety nine percent of the people born in the Waters Street government housing project would stay in that area all of their lives.

X

Radon found out he truly was smart, gifted in fact. He had a rough start, but once he figured out that homework assignments were meant to be completed and turned in, classroom assignments were expected to be done and tests were to be taken seriously, his grades leapt dramatically.

He was part of the St. Ann Police Department assignment; it was not unusual to find a police car in front of the trailer he and his sister, juniper Jefferson shared. Inside, one or two police officers would be tutoring the young man in his homework, or just shooting the bull, or taking him outside to play basketball on the court behind the trailer park.

The first time Greg Penner came out to the trailer, he looked at the smiling face of Juniper Jefferson and felt a lurch in the pit of his stomach.

"Hi, you ever eat at Sweet Pea's out in DeGarde?" he asked.

"De what? I ain't never been out there," Juniper admitted.

"Tomorrow night's stuffed pork chops; you like stuffed pork chops?" Greg asked, blushing and swallowing nervously.

"Uh yeah, yeah, I like them," she said.

"Want to go?" Greg asked, wishing Radon would quit smirking at him from behind his sister.

X

Shaley quit working out and returned to her Vegan diet and let her boyfriend get her pregnant.

Shaley's boyfriend had not wanted to be a father, had not wanted to be saddled with a girl that flitted from trend to trend, leapt into a course of action, only to be blown off course by the next fad or trend.

Shaley expected him to marry her; instead he joined the United States Marine Corps.

X

Elizabeth hosted the Young Insurance Holiday Party at Side By Side Steak House. (Elizabeth Coutre rankled mightily under corporate decision to no longer call it the Young Insurance Christmas Party) She did defy Corporate by personally wishing each of her employees a 'Merry Christmas' as she circulated among the guests.

No one was surprised when Grant Johnson won, again, the Salesperson of the Year. And no one was surprised when he thanked his beautiful wife and their five, soon to be six children for giving him the strength and courage to get up every morning and the guidance to do his very best for them.

Everyone was surprised when Grant presented the next, new award for 'Biggest Improvement' and that award went to Ronald Edwards.

"It's not really a Young Insurance award," Elizabeth explained as Ronnie made his way up to the podium. "But we did want to recognize Mr. Edwards' efforts.

"I uh, I well, wow," Ronnie said, holding onto the laminated plaque.

He shrugged and smiled.

"Grant, this means a lot, it really means a lot that you took the time to help me," Ronnie said. "Mrs. Coutre, it also means a lot that you took the time to help me. But Grant, next year? Whether you got nineteen kids or not..."

"Don't give him any ideas!" Kaylee Johnson yelled out. "It's only five and a half!"

"...next year, I'm winning 'Salesperson of the Year,' you hear?" Ronnie concluded.

Ronnie accepted the back slaps and congratulations as he made his way to his seat. For a moment, he felt sad that Georgie wasn't there to tell him she was proud of him. He felt a loneliness began to creep up on him but shrugged it off.

"Next year will be better," Ronnie promised himself.

"Next year I'LL be better," he declared.

X

Mr. Gordon and Miss Kelly were thrilled that Rayanne was on the Dean's List and could not praise her 4.0 GPA enough.

Rayanne almost fainted when Mr. Gordon asked her to help with the Nicole King Scholarship Foundation, but threw herself into her 'job' just as hard as she threw herself into her school work.

"What's this?" Rayanne asked when Sheila Jakes placed an envelope on her small desk.

"Paycheck," Sheila said. "We get paid every First and Fifteenth."

It was actually just a pay stub; her paycheck had been deposited into the account Kelly King had helped Rayanne set up.

"But I don't work here; I'm just a volunteer," Rayanne protested.

"Tell that to Mr. King," Sheila said and continued distributing the paychecks.

"Rayanne, how's my favorite employee doing?" Gordon smiled when a nervous Rayanne entered his office.

"Mr. King, I can't take this," she said, holding out her check.

"What? Don't you have a little girl to take care of?" he asked.

"Well, yes sir, but..." Rayanne protested.

"Then take the money you've earned and take care of your baby," he said, the conversation over as far as he was concerned.

Kelly King didn't know why she was getting a 'Thank You' text message from Rayanne but shrugged and replied with a 'You're Welcome.'

X

Ritchie Himmer, Georgette Sanders, and Leeanne Pyle went in for tests; Ritchie for his Lieutenant Status and Georgette and Leanne for their Sergeant status.

No one was surprised when Ritchie passed, no one was surprised when Georgie passed, and all were shocked when Leeanne passed.

"Honestly?" Ritchie confided to Georgie over red beans and rice at the Dead End, "She's improved a lot."

Georgie smiled as Leeanne made her way to their table from the little girl's room. Most of the dancers knew that the red head was easily embarrassed to be in the bar and delighted in friendly taunts and teases. Leeanne's face was as red as her hair.

"Student's only as good as the teacher, Lieutenant Himmer; you're a great teacher," Georgie praised.

"Oh, please, his hat barely fits his head as it is," Leeanne managed to find her voice.

X

Kaitlin Monroe looked up and smiled happily as her favorite policeman rapped on her office door.