Tuesday, March 22, 2005

daddy's little girl: perspective #2

Megan was preparing dinner when she heard the knock at the door. Her husband and son were out buying ice-cream for dessert, and Maria was in the living room watching the baby. This was going to be a nice, quiet night with the family; she had been looking forward to it all day.

She wasn't expecting company, but surprise visitors were always welcome. She had already darted halfway out of the kitchen when she remembered that the stew was about to come to a boil. "Oh, damn!" she exclaimed as she stood there, trying to decide on a course of action. She finally ran back to the stove, lowered the temperature slightly, and hurried over to the front door.

"Hi, Mike!" It had been a long time since she'd seen her childhood friend, but she really enjoyed their occasional conversations. "How are you..." she wondered who the other man was as she uttered these words, but it then struck her that this may not have been a social visit. The look on Mike's face confirmed her suspicions. "What's going on?"

She really had no idea why they were there, and her 'friend' was just standing there awkwardly, leaving her to fend for herself. While the other man handed her a warrant and told her that her home was about to be invaded, Mike did nothing to defend her. She expected him to stick up for her, or to at least tell the other police officer that she wasn't a criminal, but he didn't lift a finger. She looked at him, pleading for his help, and said, "Why?!"

Mike didn't answer right away. He stood there judging her with his eyes. He clearly thought her some sort of lowlife scoundrel, and had come to her door, just before dinner, for the sole purpose of accusing her. She was betrayed. She still hoped that he'd rip the warrant out of her hands and defend her innocence, but he instead said, "I'm sorry, Meg. Just let us in, and it'll be over soon."

Tears of anger welled up. He was using their friendship against her. He was taking advantage of her vulnerability to further his career. All those years that she bragged about his work as a police officer, and this was how he repaid her. He had never been a friend, and now his true nature was exposed. When the other man violently pushed her out of the way to gain entry, Mike did nothing but carelessly walk right in after him.