Shift

         Bitter black coffee washed down the last bite of his toast. Outside of his window a girl walked across the parking lot toward the diner. Her blonde hair danced in a light breeze. She wore a softball uniform, bold blue letters on the chest of her shirt spelled, Jaguars. Streaks of dirt ran up the legs of her pants and shirt. The corner of his lips rose into a slight smile. The last time he'd seen her was in another time. A divorce and battle for sobriety had washed away the life he had then.

         She walked in and passed him on her way to the restroom. They exchanged glances. She flashed a brief smile before brushing by.





         Years earlier a phone call woke him in the middle of the night. A man’s body lay cold and stiff on a dirty tile floor. An overturned coffee table rested on its side by the body. A pile of beer bottles used needles and cigarette butts had spilled onto the floor and offered a view to how the dead man lived his life.

         Another officer found a girl in the corner of an empty closet. Her little body was barely more than a skeleton wrapped in bruised skin. She stared back, wild eyed and curled up. Terror stricken. A pair of soiled boy’s underwear was all the child had to cover herself.

         The man searched the apartment for something to comfort her. All he could find was a blanket stale from cigarette smoke and body odor. Somewhere behind him a voice whispered, “poor thing, she'll never even have a chance.”

         He returned to the closet and the girl leaped to the blanket. He held her, stroking her matted blonde hair until CPS arrived. She fought against them to stay in the blanket, wanting to go back into the closet.





         The bathroom door creaked behind him, and she walked by again, joining a group of girls wearing similar uniforms. The man handed the waitress a hundred-dollar bill. “For my tab, and the local heroes over there." He nodded to the table where the girls quietly chatted and giggled among themselves. He left the table and silently exited the building. Still smiling.



Approx 365 words.