Sarah’s watch alarm beeped by the time
she jogged around the corner of the boxy, limestone gray building
where she worked. She half-smiled, half-cringed as she thought about
her co-worker, Helen, the matchmaker. Will she ever stop? A man in
my life is the last thing on earth I need. Sarah slowed to a walk
and entered the building through the double doors. She stretched her
calves while her eyes adjust to the light, then skimmed the sign on
the wall of the lobby:
Central Communications:
Emergency Management
Headquarters
EMT training, Fire
Academy, Police Academy, firing range, County Forensic Lab, County
Dispatchers.
Sarah felt the familiar heady sensation
as she read that last name. "That’s me," she thought as she glided
down the hallway, her head held high. Some days she dreaded her
job as a police dispatcher, but on the whole, she loved the high-speed
twists and unpredictable days. She sauntered through her office
doorway, grabbed the loafers sitting under her desk and took off her
sneakers.
Helen pulled the phone piece away from
her mouth. “Have a good break?”
“Yup.” Sarah picked up her headset and
nodded. “But, I missed not having Jillian with me.”
“Hmm!” Helen’s lips puckered like she
had just eaten a sour lemon. “I don’t know how you can insist running
gives you energy.”
“It does.”
Helen’s forehead wrinkled as her
eyebrow rose to her hair line. “Whatever.”
Sarah laughed as she unscrewed her
water bottle. She tilted her head and considered the
nondescript white walls, multiple computer consoles, headsets, phones,
and the door leading into the supervisor’s room. “Helen, doesn’t it
feel good to work? It just gives you, I don’t know, a sense of
independence.”
Sarah’s radio sounded off, stopping any
further conversation.
“Central.” The radio cracked
momentarily before the gruff voice continued, “This is Patten. Calling
to punch out.”
“Ten-four,” Sarah picked up his time
card and pushed it into the slot to be stamped. “It’s taken care of,
Officer Patten. I hope you have a great day off tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sarah! That’s my plan. Did I
tell you it’s my son’s birthday?”
“I think you did mention it to me last
week.”
Sarah could almost hear the grin in his
voice as he added, “Yeah, well, we’re going fishing.”
“Sounds great! Tell Ben I said happy
birthday.”
“I’ll do that. Talk to you later.”
Sarah swiveled her chair so she could
face Helen. “Now, what were we saying?”
Helen grunted and pushed her thick
glasses up further on the bridge of her nose. “Independence,” She
remarked dryly. “Have you ever stopped to consider, being able to
depend on someone other than yourself might not be such a bad thing?”
Here we go again,
Sarah gritted her teeth to keep from
saying something she would regret later. She picked a piece of lint
off her pants. “You’re right.”
“I know I’m right.” Helen’s eyes
widened as if Sarah had a temporary loss of her senses. “But in the
five years we’ve worked together you’ve never agreed with me before.”
“That’s because you’ve never quite said
it that way. But where man will fail, God will not. He is the only one
I ever want to depend on.” Sarah put her headset on and watched
the monitor’s black blinking curser.
With a groan, Helen put her head into
her hands and murmured, “Back to square one!”
Sarah lowered her eye lashes, “Helen,
honestly, I like my life just as it is.” Sarah knew the concern she
saw in Helen’s eyes was for her. However, she also knew men were on a
whole were a problem, not a solution.
“Fine. But, I don’t understand why you
won’t even entertain the thought of dating someone.”
Sarah swatted at the finger Helen had
pointed at her nose. A spurt of anger drew her chin up a notch as she
wondered why, of all times, did the radios need to be quiet now? “I’m
happy. Why spoil it?”
Frank, the Dispatching Supervisor,
popped his head around the door and Sarah let out the breath she had
been holding as he walked over.
“I’m glad you’re still here.” Frank
pointed his thumb to the ceiling. “The rookies are practicing some
calls. Is there any chance, Sarah, you could give them half an hour or
so of your expertise?”
“My expertise, huh?” She hazarded a
glance at Helen, “I think what it really boils down to is, you don’t
think it’s probable Helen would agree to go.”
“Probable?” They both turned towards
Helen.
Helen batted her eye lashes.
Frank shrugged. “Guess you got me
there.”
Sarah laughed. “Okay, as long as I
don’t have to get in the squad car with any of them. The last time I
did, well let’s just say it cured me for life!”
Frank chuckled and agreed, “I remember
that story. Don't worry though, they just need some help in the
Academy’s training room today.” He raised his hand. “So, I’ll take
that as a yes?”
Sarah nodded in consent.
“The police force wouldn’t be the same
without you.”
Sarah waved him off. Instead of
leaving, he cocked his head to one side. “So, what do you say I take
you out to dinner to thank you?” Sarah sucked in a raspy breath. Frank
grinned, “Well, it never hurts to try. One of these days you might
take me up on the offer.”
She ignored his comment and checked her
watch. “I saved my break until so late in the day because I told Bill
I’d cover for him. I’m expecting at least another two hours here, then
I’ll go up. ”
“That’s alright, you can go now. Bill
called me a few minutes ago. His visit was shorter than he thought it
would be. He was just leaving the dentist when I talked to him.” Frank
sat down to take over Bill’s channels. “I’ll hold the fort down so you
can go on up.”
Sarah picked up her hooded sweater and
said to Helen, “Well, that’s that.”
Helen just had time to lift her hand in
farewell as a call came through. Sarah slipped quietly out the door
with a wave goodbye to Frank .