The Opener: Chapter 3
The Opener: Chapter 3
Keeping to myself, I let time fly by. I kept walking my calm pace. I really had nowhere to go nor
did I have anyone to meet. Little did I know how wrong I was indeed.
I jumped out of my skin when a car trailed next to me. I could hear the engine idling in a slow
speed as the vehicle kept pace with myself. Perhaps I’d be insulted with a usual insult; Sure enough, a
colorful insult was waiting from one of the drivers.
“You there! What’s your name transient?” A masculine voice called in disgust to me.
Surprised by the forward rudeness, I looked over at the man. He was wearing a police
uniform, looking rather perturbed at my appearance in this clean neighborhood. His short black hair
moved along an invisible line to his beard which was of the same black color. The beard made his face
look round, almost like a lollipop. I had thought that the cops were required to be in shape but this
proved otherwise. Being in the situation of power I was in, I kept my mouth shut. The last place I wanted
to go back to was jail.
“You shouldn’t be in this neighborhood.” The chubby cops partner called from the drivers side
seat. “Stop walking.” There was no love in her voice. Her scowl seemed to be deeper than her chubby
partners. Her eyebrows were furrowed at an almost perfect diagonal tilt.
She was in far better shape than he and had long blonde hair that was tied back in a bun on the
top of her head. Her features were lean and very attractive. While her voice was of impolite tone, it
complimented her. It was almost as if she was singing as she spoke.
I was transfixed in the sound until I decided to respond. After all, it was rude to simply stare at
others. Even I knew that.
“I’m not causing any trouble.” I dared to say. “If you wish to accompany me on my walk out,
you’re welcome to. Unlike the both of you, I have no home but the streets. I don’t drink, do drugs or
even smoke. I don’t see what’s the problem.” None-the-less I stopped walking, obeying their orders. I
knew they had the upper hand, the gun and the entire police force, and I wasn’t about to challenge that.
The last thing I wanted to be was a dead wanderer, which most called transients.
Officer Winston looked at me surprised. It was obvious she didn’t expect me to respond with
wise crack. She opened her mouth to say something then stopped.
I looked at her, awaiting her reaction. This had better be good. Even though they had
the upper hand at the moment, I wasn’t causing either any trouble and I was obeying their order of
stopping.
I could just see it. A bum making smart remarks in a joking matter, proving with the words that
not all transients are crazy, running from the law, or crippled by a mental handicap. Wouldn’t that be a
sight.
“That’s none of your business. Do you have ID?” Officer Winston asked me.
Officer Winston looked professional and acted it, unlike her partner who seemed to be more of
a brute than a cop.
The manner in which he spoke was disrespectful, thus making my opinion of him unsatisfactory.
Still, I had to give him some credit. He wasn’t doing anything drastic, which gained him a little respect.
He wasn’t one hundred percent brute yet.
I looked at the chubby officers badge; Traveston of the 11th precinct of Chicago, Illinois. So this
was his name; Officer Traveston.
Some light glanced off of Officer Traveston’s badge, making spots of white circles go into my
eyes. Closing my eyes and squinting, I rubbed them. Evidently the badge was a weapon too.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a short time as I stood there and watched the two cops.
In their dark blue uniforms, I could see sweat. The parts were almost all around Officer Traveston’s Belly
and arm pits. There was no reason for Officer Traveston to be sweating so badly besides the result of
his lethargic habits that turned him into Mr. Dough-boy.
It wasn’t even warm outside. I would say the weather was a perfect 80 degrees. Walking to my
unknown destination, I wasn’t really sweating myself. The cool wind never gave me a chance to release
any precious moisture. I was very thankful for this gift.
Now that I considered Officer Winstons physical form of beauty, I saw her as a very attractive
woman who would easily get the part for one of those car models you see in the magazines. There was
one exception; She was even more beautiful than them. Her police uniform complimented her form,
making her the hottest cop I’d ever seen. The badge led right to her perfect face. It was hard to think
otherwise.
I found it odd that I came to this conclusion at such a random time. Although I was wandering
the streets, this was my reminder that I was still a man who loved women. I simply had to be careful
with this one. She could be dangerous.
Officer Traveston cleared his voice. “It’s best we get this situation resolved.” He didn’t like how
I was oogling his partner.
“Yes.” Officer Winston agreed, putting her hand to her chin in thought. “Let’s get this transient
out of the neighbors yards so we can enjoy our lunch. We’re wasting valuable time.”
“Did you say lunch?” Officer Traveston questioned with a joyful gleam in his eye. His voice rose
as an excited child’s would at the sound of ‘cookies’.
A snicker escaped from my lips, but neither of the cops noticed. They were caught in their own
agenda of planning lunch. I looked to and fro, noting that everyone was looking at me in their nice
clothes or their nice cars or their nice house. Everyone had stopped because of me.
“Don’t you want my Id?” I inquired, holding the ID in my hand. “This should help.”
They had not yet asked for my identification. Was this not what all cops did as reflex? Were they
not taught that at the academy? Or was it that a simple transient like myself wasn’t enough of a threat
for the two cops to care enough to ask?
What a waste of tax payers money! If the authorities had not been called, I would have already
been out of this nice neighborhood traveling along another road. The trash cans would have been
searched for scraps of still edible leftovers from those who didn’t appreciate the meal. My lunch
would have been simple; Eating whatever I could find.
Although some transients found this very stressing, I didn’t. It was hard at times but I considered
myself lucky when I found a meal. Unlike the spoiled others out there who snacked all day, I didn’t have
to eat as much to get full. At most, I ate two times a day, thinking nothing of it.
I particularly liked to search the grocery stores trash cans. So much food was thrown away that
was perfectly good! The store just couldn’t sell it due to federal regulations. So much waste for a society
that felt they were owed something for just breathing or was it being born? I wasn’t quite sure but
either way, it was tragic.
All this drama of the overly scared neighbors and really weird officers made me realize how
thirsty I had become. I could feel the saliva clumping in my mouth, making the inside feel dry and
uncomfortable. I would be getting some water soon.
Perhaps, in a trash can, a perfectly good water bottle that was partially drunk lay
waiting for me. It was time for me to go. As comical as this scene was, I had somewhere to go, even if
that place was a mystery to me.
“ I’d much rather vacate the premesis if you wouldn’t mind.” I boldly walked up to the Officer
Traveston, handing him my ID. “This would make your job easier, wouldn’t it?” I was doing my best to be
polite but it seemed that the officers didn’t take it as such.
Both Officers stopped and looked at me. After they picked up their jaws, the officers exchanged
confused looks. Shortly after, they looked back at me. It seemed they had both silently made a decision.
“Give me that.” Officer Winston prompted her partner.
She had finally returned to her serious cop self who didn’t scowl at the homeless. Her training at
the academy was showing through. This was a relief.
Turning the engine off, Officer Traveston kept an eye on me as he got out. What did he think I
was going to do? They were the two that held my life in their hands.
Officer Winston took the ID, seeming to study it for a while. Did she think that it was a fake? Last
I recall, the ID was government issued or else the prison personel wouldn’t have given it back to me.
“Your name is Richard Tandom?” She asked, looking at me once again.
“I would presume my name is Richard Tandom. That’s what my ID says.” I told her calmly.
“Richard Tandom.” Officer Winston said as she typed my name into her computer.
I stood where I was calm as I watched her work on the computer. I wasn’t scared of what would
show up on the computer at all. It wasn’t going to show me anything new that I already didn’t know.
Officer Traveston stood outside the vehicle with his arms crossed, watching me as his partner
looked up my record.
I already knew what they were going to find; I had served eight years in prison for a crime that I
still don’t quite understand. My family wasn’t even looking for me. If they were, they’d have shown up
the day I’d been released. Years ago, I’d got a few speeding tickets and one DUI that will haunt my
record forever. Besides that, there really wasn’t anything spectacular. Then, I was the law abiding
citizen.
I would like to think that I was still a law abiding citizen but with the exception that I didn’t pay
taxes. It was hard to pay taxes when you didn’t even have a job or a place to stay. This most certainly
didn’t mean that I was up to no good or did illiegal actions. Maybe others did, but I was the exception to
the rule.
As Officer Winston checked my record, she stopped and stared at the screen. For what seemed
like a minute, she didn’t move.
Not hearing his partner say anything, he looked her way. At first, curiosity lit in his eyes.
Apparently sensing this, Officer Winston looked at him and motioned for him to get back in the
vehicle. She pointed to the screen, not saying anything as to why.
Officer Traveston found interest in my record too. In fact, with how close his face was to the
computer screen, his partner had to push him out of the way for her to see her own research.
“I want to see too.” Officer Traveston complained. He looked a bit hurt by her last action.
“When I’m done ready, you can read all you want.” Officer Winston told him as she continued to
concentrate on her work. “Practice having more patience now.”
“Hmph.” Officer Traveston said, folding his arms. “I’m your superior.”
“You may be my superior, but remember this.” Officer Winstons eyes never left the computer.
“When you were training me, I never got in your way of reading. Show some respect.”
“You’re the one that wanted to show me something.” Officer Traveston commented.
“I’m almost done.” Officer Winston offered. “Ah. Here we go.” Moving away from the computer
screen, she let him have a full view of my record.
It was hard not to wonder what was so interesting about my record. Sure, I’d done prison time
and had a few tickets but was there anything that I’d missed? I had not recalled doing anything that I
had not previously thought of earlier.
Once Officer Traveston looked at his partner in surprise, they seemed to stare at one another
without saying a word.
Keeping to myself, I let time fly by. I kept walking my calm pace. I really had nowhere to go nor
did I have anyone to meet. Little did I know how wrong I was indeed.
I jumped out of my skin when a car trailed next to me. I could hear the engine idling in a slow
speed as the vehicle kept pace with myself. Perhaps I’d be insulted with a usual insult; Sure enough, a
colorful insult was waiting from one of the drivers.
“You there! What’s your name transient?” A masculine voice called in disgust to me.
Surprised by the forward rudeness, I looked over at the man. He was wearing a police
uniform, looking rather perturbed at my appearance in this clean neighborhood. His short black hair
moved along an invisible line to his beard which was of the same black color. The beard made his face
look round, almost like a lollipop. I had thought that the cops were required to be in shape but this
proved otherwise. Being in the situation of power I was in, I kept my mouth shut. The last place I wanted
to go back to was jail.
“You shouldn’t be in this neighborhood.” The chubby cops partner called from the drivers side
seat. “Stop walking.” There was no love in her voice. Her scowl seemed to be deeper than her chubby
partners. Her eyebrows were furrowed at an almost perfect diagonal tilt.
She was in far better shape than he and had long blonde hair that was tied back in a bun on the
top of her head. Her features were lean and very attractive. While her voice was of impolite tone, it
complimented her. It was almost as if she was singing as she spoke.
I was transfixed in the sound until I decided to respond. After all, it was rude to simply stare at
others. Even I knew that.
“I’m not causing any trouble.” I dared to say. “If you wish to accompany me on my walk out,
you’re welcome to. Unlike the both of you, I have no home but the streets. I don’t drink, do drugs or
even smoke. I don’t see what’s the problem.” None-the-less I stopped walking, obeying their orders. I
knew they had the upper hand, the gun and the entire police force, and I wasn’t about to challenge that.
The last thing I wanted to be was a dead wanderer, which most called transients.
Officer Winston looked at me surprised. It was obvious she didn’t expect me to respond with
wise crack. She opened her mouth to say something then stopped.
I looked at her, awaiting her reaction. This had better be good. Even though they had
the upper hand at the moment, I wasn’t causing either any trouble and I was obeying their order of
stopping.
I could just see it. A bum making smart remarks in a joking matter, proving with the words that
not all transients are crazy, running from the law, or crippled by a mental handicap. Wouldn’t that be a
sight.
“That’s none of your business. Do you have ID?” Officer Winston asked me.
Officer Winston looked professional and acted it, unlike her partner who seemed to be more of
a brute than a cop.
The manner in which he spoke was disrespectful, thus making my opinion of him unsatisfactory.
Still, I had to give him some credit. He wasn’t doing anything drastic, which gained him a little respect.
He wasn’t one hundred percent brute yet.
I looked at the chubby officers badge; Traveston of the 11th precinct of Chicago, Illinois. So this
was his name; Officer Traveston.
Some light glanced off of Officer Traveston’s badge, making spots of white circles go into my
eyes. Closing my eyes and squinting, I rubbed them. Evidently the badge was a weapon too.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a short time as I stood there and watched the two cops.
In their dark blue uniforms, I could see sweat. The parts were almost all around Officer Traveston’s Belly
and arm pits. There was no reason for Officer Traveston to be sweating so badly besides the result of
his lethargic habits that turned him into Mr. Dough-boy.
It wasn’t even warm outside. I would say the weather was a perfect 80 degrees. Walking to my
unknown destination, I wasn’t really sweating myself. The cool wind never gave me a chance to release
any precious moisture. I was very thankful for this gift.
Now that I considered Officer Winstons physical form of beauty, I saw her as a very attractive
woman who would easily get the part for one of those car models you see in the magazines. There was
one exception; She was even more beautiful than them. Her police uniform complimented her form,
making her the hottest cop I’d ever seen. The badge led right to her perfect face. It was hard to think
otherwise.
I found it odd that I came to this conclusion at such a random time. Although I was wandering
the streets, this was my reminder that I was still a man who loved women. I simply had to be careful
with this one. She could be dangerous.
Officer Traveston cleared his voice. “It’s best we get this situation resolved.” He didn’t like how
I was oogling his partner.
“Yes.” Officer Winston agreed, putting her hand to her chin in thought. “Let’s get this transient
out of the neighbors yards so we can enjoy our lunch. We’re wasting valuable time.”
“Did you say lunch?” Officer Traveston questioned with a joyful gleam in his eye. His voice rose
as an excited child’s would at the sound of ‘cookies’.
A snicker escaped from my lips, but neither of the cops noticed. They were caught in their own
agenda of planning lunch. I looked to and fro, noting that everyone was looking at me in their nice
clothes or their nice cars or their nice house. Everyone had stopped because of me.
“Don’t you want my Id?” I inquired, holding the ID in my hand. “This should help.”
They had not yet asked for my identification. Was this not what all cops did as reflex? Were they
not taught that at the academy? Or was it that a simple transient like myself wasn’t enough of a threat
for the two cops to care enough to ask?
What a waste of tax payers money! If the authorities had not been called, I would have already
been out of this nice neighborhood traveling along another road. The trash cans would have been
searched for scraps of still edible leftovers from those who didn’t appreciate the meal. My lunch
would have been simple; Eating whatever I could find.
Although some transients found this very stressing, I didn’t. It was hard at times but I considered
myself lucky when I found a meal. Unlike the spoiled others out there who snacked all day, I didn’t have
to eat as much to get full. At most, I ate two times a day, thinking nothing of it.
I particularly liked to search the grocery stores trash cans. So much food was thrown away that
was perfectly good! The store just couldn’t sell it due to federal regulations. So much waste for a society
that felt they were owed something for just breathing or was it being born? I wasn’t quite sure but
either way, it was tragic.
All this drama of the overly scared neighbors and really weird officers made me realize how
thirsty I had become. I could feel the saliva clumping in my mouth, making the inside feel dry and
uncomfortable. I would be getting some water soon.
Perhaps, in a trash can, a perfectly good water bottle that was partially drunk lay
waiting for me. It was time for me to go. As comical as this scene was, I had somewhere to go, even if
that place was a mystery to me.
“ I’d much rather vacate the premesis if you wouldn’t mind.” I boldly walked up to the Officer
Traveston, handing him my ID. “This would make your job easier, wouldn’t it?” I was doing my best to be
polite but it seemed that the officers didn’t take it as such.
Both Officers stopped and looked at me. After they picked up their jaws, the officers exchanged
confused looks. Shortly after, they looked back at me. It seemed they had both silently made a decision.
“Give me that.” Officer Winston prompted her partner.
She had finally returned to her serious cop self who didn’t scowl at the homeless. Her training at
the academy was showing through. This was a relief.
Turning the engine off, Officer Traveston kept an eye on me as he got out. What did he think I
was going to do? They were the two that held my life in their hands.
Officer Winston took the ID, seeming to study it for a while. Did she think that it was a fake? Last
I recall, the ID was government issued or else the prison personel wouldn’t have given it back to me.
“Your name is Richard Tandom?” She asked, looking at me once again.
“I would presume my name is Richard Tandom. That’s what my ID says.” I told her calmly.
“Richard Tandom.” Officer Winston said as she typed my name into her computer.
I stood where I was calm as I watched her work on the computer. I wasn’t scared of what would
show up on the computer at all. It wasn’t going to show me anything new that I already didn’t know.
Officer Traveston stood outside the vehicle with his arms crossed, watching me as his partner
looked up my record.
I already knew what they were going to find; I had served eight years in prison for a crime that I
still don’t quite understand. My family wasn’t even looking for me. If they were, they’d have shown up
the day I’d been released. Years ago, I’d got a few speeding tickets and one DUI that will haunt my
record forever. Besides that, there really wasn’t anything spectacular. Then, I was the law abiding
citizen.
I would like to think that I was still a law abiding citizen but with the exception that I didn’t pay
taxes. It was hard to pay taxes when you didn’t even have a job or a place to stay. This most certainly
didn’t mean that I was up to no good or did illiegal actions. Maybe others did, but I was the exception to
the rule.
As Officer Winston checked my record, she stopped and stared at the screen. For what seemed
like a minute, she didn’t move.
Not hearing his partner say anything, he looked her way. At first, curiosity lit in his eyes.
Apparently sensing this, Officer Winston looked at him and motioned for him to get back in the
vehicle. She pointed to the screen, not saying anything as to why.
Officer Traveston found interest in my record too. In fact, with how close his face was to the
computer screen, his partner had to push him out of the way for her to see her own research.
“I want to see too.” Officer Traveston complained. He looked a bit hurt by her last action.
“When I’m done ready, you can read all you want.” Officer Winston told him as she continued to
concentrate on her work. “Practice having more patience now.”
“Hmph.” Officer Traveston said, folding his arms. “I’m your superior.”
“You may be my superior, but remember this.” Officer Winstons eyes never left the computer.
“When you were training me, I never got in your way of reading. Show some respect.”
“You’re the one that wanted to show me something.” Officer Traveston commented.
“I’m almost done.” Officer Winston offered. “Ah. Here we go.” Moving away from the computer
screen, she let him have a full view of my record.
It was hard not to wonder what was so interesting about my record. Sure, I’d done prison time
and had a few tickets but was there anything that I’d missed? I had not recalled doing anything that I
had not previously thought of earlier.
Once Officer Traveston looked at his partner in surprise, they seemed to stare at one another
without saying a word.