Comfort Food
"Roy?"
"Yeah?"
"What’s your favorite ice cream?"
"Ice cream? How can you think about that at a time like this?"
"I don’t know. Takes my mind off the pain, I guess."
Roy instantly felt guilty for his somewhat snappish comment.
"How are you doing?"
" ‘m okay. Head hurts and my side. But, it’s the heat that’s really gettin’ to
me. You?"
"I’m fine. Wish I could help you more though. It’s just too dark to see or do
anything."
"That’s alright. I’m not that bad." The hitch in his voice belied his bravado.
"Vanilla."
"Huh?"
"Ice cream. My favorite is vanilla."
"Oh. Vanilla! How can you possibly like vanilla? It’s . . . so . . . so plain .
. . and . . ."
"Boring."
"Well . . . yeah. You should like something more exciting, like mint chocolate
chip or chocolate marshmallow. Or, better yet, strawberry. Now there’s an ice
cream for you! Strawberry. That’s my favorite."
"Ah, but think of all the great things you can do with vanilla."
Silence reigned for a moment.
"Roy?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think they’ll be here soon?"
"I don’t know. Depends on how much debris they have to clear."
"I hope it’s soon ‘cause I’m startin’ to not feel so good." A slight groan
followed his words.
Roy reached out in the darkness to lay a hand on his partner’s shoulder.
"I’m sure they’re getting close."
"Hey, do you think . . . do you think, when I get to Rampart, maybe . . . maybe
someone will scrounge up a bowl of strawberry ice cream for me?"
"You can count on it, Junior. You can count on it."
Disgruntled
"So, do I have to stay?"
"Of course, you're staying."
"But, why?"
"Now, Gage, do I really have to answer that?"
"I'm tellin' ya, I feel fine."
"If you feel so fine, prove it."
"Whoa. Okay, so maybe standing up isn't such a good idea."
"See, now lay back down."
"But . . ."
"GAGE!"
"I think you just like torturing me."
"Gage, if you'd just quit being a stubborn mule and admit when you're injured,
you'd be much better off."
"Stubborn mule? Who's . . . Mule? Wait, isn't that a jackass? Did you just call
me a . . ."
"I did not call you a . . ."
"Did you hear that, Roy? Doc Morton just called me a jackass! Roy? Roy!
Hey, where're ya goin'? Sure, desert your partner when he's injured!"
"Gage, if you don't settle down and lay back on that table, I'm going to call
Dixie in here. And if I do that you are not going to be very happy."
"No! No, nevermind. Fine. I'm stayin. Man, I can't believe this."
* * * * * *
The End
A Kiss or Two Over Fondue
"Ah, man, Roy. You should see this girl. She's incredible."
"What girl? I thought you were seeing Francine."
"Francine? Nah, she dumped me about a week ago. No, this is Ginny. She's
fantastic. Pretty, too. And, she's got curves in all the right places."
"And where did you meet this paragon of femininity?"
Johnny's cheeks heated a bit in embarrassment. "Well, well . . . I met . . .
now don't laugh . . . I met her at a fondue party."
“A fondue party? What in the world is that?”
“It’s stuff that you dip . . . other stuff . . . into with these long forks.”
“I know what fondue is. But what the heck is a fondue party?”
“Well, it’s . . . a-a party . . . and single guys and chicks mingle over this .
. . stuff. And if your food drops in the pot, you have to kiss the guy or girl
who’s standing at the table with you at the time.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. I was trying to dunk a piece of bread in this cheese, and it fell off.
So I had to kiss this Ginny who was standing next to me.”
“How in the world did you get invited to a party like that?”
“Well, there was this new nurse, Carole, in Pediatrics, and she kinda invited
me.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Partner. I just don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what? I didn’t do anything . . .”
Dilemmas
"So, what should I
name them?"
"Name them? Well, how about Kel and Dixie?"
"But I don't know if one's a boy and one's a girl." The smile behind the words
was evident in her sultry voice.
"Well, how about Laurel and Hardy?"
"No."
"Abbott and Costello?"
"Oh, c'mon Kel, be serious."
"Dix, I am being serious. They're just goldfish."
"Oh, sure, I invite you over for dinner and to introduce you to my new pets and
you insult them."
"How about Early and Morton?"
"I think I made that martini too strong for you."
"Lucy and Ricky? Fred and Ginger?"
"Oh, stop already. If you're trying to make me laugh, you've succeeded."
"Well, we all deserve a laugh now and then."
"Yes, we do. Can I get you a refill on that drink?"
"Sure."
As Dixie finished filling his glass, she snapped her fingers.
"I've got it! I'm going to name them Johnny and Roy!"
"What! You wouldn't name them after us, but you can name them after those . .
. those hose jockeys! Now there's gratitude for you."
The End
NEW! 03/21/03
Blowing Bubbles
“Hey, Gage, gimme a piece of that bubble gum. I love grape.”
“Why should I?”
“ ‘Cause . . . I’m a fellow firefighter and an all around good guy. Besides,
it’s polite to share.”
“An all around good guy? Keep dreamin’, Chet.”
“Ah, c’mon, Gage. Share already. It’s not like you don’t have enough, and the
kids’ tour is over.”
“Oh, okay. Fine! Here you go.”
“Just one piece? Boy, you sure are stingy.”
“Stingy! I am not! Roy, tell Chet I’m not stingy.”
“Then give me another piece of gum.”
“Chet, you’re a pain. Here, take another piece.”
“I bet I can blow a bigger one than you.”
“What?”
“A bubble, Johnny. I bet I can blow a bigger one than you.”
“Oh, no way! I can beat you any day.”
“So prove it. I’ll bet you a dollar.”
“You’re on. Roy can be the judge.”
Several seconds of silence ensued.
POP!
POP!
“Well, Roy? Who won? Who had the biggest bubble? It was me, wasn’t it? Chet
owes me a dollar, doesn’t he?”
“Uh, beats me, Johnny. I wasn’t paying attention. But, Chet, you might wanna
clean that mess out of your mustache before Cap calls us for roll call.”
***The End***
