[Original: Drabble] "Watching the House" [Zeke Jones, G]
Title: Watching the House
Prompt: writerverse challenge #16 july table, prompt #04 ‘special friend’
Word Count: 334
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell are assigned a protection detail.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Watching the House
“I don’t think I feel good about this assignment, sir,” I said.
Howell and I were sitting in an unmarked police car, both wearing civilian clothes, while we took turns watching a house along the street that looked like all the other houses along the street. My partner was wearing a tweed jacket and glasses, and I had two large text books open on the dashboard- hopefully, if any neighbors glanced our way, they’d think we’d left one of these houses for a quiet study session.
“I mean,” I continued, “I’ve got no problem with protection detail. I think it’s terrible that this lady is being threatened, just because she’s a ‘special friend’ to a high-profile politician. On the other hand, she wouldn’t need protection if she wasn’t sleeping with a very married, and therefore blackmailable, man.”
“I’m certain that ‘blackmailable’ isn’t a word, Jones,” said Howell.
“And which of us has an English Lit degree?” I asked, knowing full well it wasn’t a word.
“But, as it happens,” my partner said, ignoring me, “I believe that I agree with you. I try not to judge what people do with their personal lives, but there is something… unsettling, about being ordered to conceal a mistress from a city official’s wife.”
“Yes, exactly, sir,” I said, then reached out to swap one of the textbooks on our dashboard for another. “And how about we stop pretending to study algebra? All these numbers are starting to get to me.”
“Take a minute and call in,” said Howell.
I paused, hand on our radio. “Is it bad that I find this job more palatable because she’s a nice person? Like, if she’d have been rude to us or, I don’t know, really snooty, I might not have wanted to keep her safe so much?”
“I think that makes you human,” said Howell, then paused. “More or less.”
I quirked a smile. “Was that a joke, sir?” I teased.
“No,” he said. “Call us in, Jones.”
“Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
mellow
Prompt: writerverse challenge #16 july table, prompt #04 ‘special friend’
Word Count: 334
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell are assigned a protection detail.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Watching the House
“I don’t think I feel good about this assignment, sir,” I said.
Howell and I were sitting in an unmarked police car, both wearing civilian clothes, while we took turns watching a house along the street that looked like all the other houses along the street. My partner was wearing a tweed jacket and glasses, and I had two large text books open on the dashboard- hopefully, if any neighbors glanced our way, they’d think we’d left one of these houses for a quiet study session.
“I mean,” I continued, “I’ve got no problem with protection detail. I think it’s terrible that this lady is being threatened, just because she’s a ‘special friend’ to a high-profile politician. On the other hand, she wouldn’t need protection if she wasn’t sleeping with a very married, and therefore blackmailable, man.”
“I’m certain that ‘blackmailable’ isn’t a word, Jones,” said Howell.
“And which of us has an English Lit degree?” I asked, knowing full well it wasn’t a word.
“But, as it happens,” my partner said, ignoring me, “I believe that I agree with you. I try not to judge what people do with their personal lives, but there is something… unsettling, about being ordered to conceal a mistress from a city official’s wife.”
“Yes, exactly, sir,” I said, then reached out to swap one of the textbooks on our dashboard for another. “And how about we stop pretending to study algebra? All these numbers are starting to get to me.”
“Take a minute and call in,” said Howell.
I paused, hand on our radio. “Is it bad that I find this job more palatable because she’s a nice person? Like, if she’d have been rude to us or, I don’t know, really snooty, I might not have wanted to keep her safe so much?”
“I think that makes you human,” said Howell, then paused. “More or less.”
I quirked a smile. “Was that a joke, sir?” I teased.
“No,” he said. “Call us in, Jones.”
“Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
mellow