Discovering Ashes (part 1)

An original story. Copyright Aaron Matney 2010

Some people romanticize winter. Talk about how 'beautiful' or 'majestic' the snow is, maybe even how 'magical' it seems to be. Hell, some people might even go so far as to say that its the most wonderful time of the year! That's all well and good and perfectly alright for them to say so – unless you're a cop. I'll be the first to tell you that a cop's work is dirty work. Probably the dirtiest out there outside of maybe running drugs for some faceless crime boss. And even then, some cops do that too.

Me? I'm the kind of cop you see in the blue uniform on the city streets. Call me a streetcop if you want, I'll take it as a God damn compliment. That guy you see on the movie, with the trenchcoat and gloves? Detectives. They're the guys who make the streetcop in the movie look like some dumb idiot who only writes up tickets and cracks jokes while cramming donuts into his face. No, see cops like me? We do all the dirty work. We get to the shootouts, we bust the druggies, we catch the God damn murderers! That Law and Order bullshit is just that – Bull. Shit. But hey, that's why I love this job. I get to clean up the streets as best as I can! Make it a safer city for my kids! And really, ain't that all any self-respecting person wants to do?

I do a lot of good for this city. Or at least I did, before that two-bit, two-faced sleezebag of a mayor got elected. I still can't believe his first “official business” trip was to the station to let the chief know that they were closing down the precinct. Said that the 5^th and 4^th would “pick up the slack”. Jesus, did this guy know how many good cops, guys I'd actually bled beside, he'd be firing? Of course he did! Politicians always know what the hell they're doing! They just don't give a rat's ass who it hurts as long as it puts Grant and Franklin in their fat fuckin' wallets.