In Progress

Story about a police officer and the difficulties he has been facing.

Officer Tinsley pulled his cruiser beneath the shade of the oak trees, rolling its driver's side window down an inch, allowing the warm, lazy breeze to waft throughout the vehicle.

The week had been long and difficult.  He just couldn't seem to get the incident off his mind.  Although he had not been reprimanded by the department, the policeman chastised himself for letting the suspect slip away.

The foot chase had been a harrowing experience.  Tromping down alleyways, behind cars and homes winded him.  Sweat trickled down his brow and into his eyes.  He had huffed and puffed worse than The Big Bad Wolf in the storybook he read to his daughter Kate at bedtime.

When the perpetrator scaled the chain-length fence with ease, Mitchell Ray Tinsley hesitated, halted and placed his beefy hands on his knees.  He bent at the waist unable to catch his breath; unable to continue.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his dishwater blonde head against the vehicle's seat.  "No more donuts; time for that diet," he said aloud.

The big green and white blur speeding by on the access road made the officer's head spin.  He flipped on red and blue flashing lights, turned on the siren and pulled away from his much needed respite.

The large van pulled to the curb as Tinsley flashed his headlights.

"I'm sorry officer," the young driver apologized.  "I'm late for work.  I know that's no excuse but ..."

Looking down at the woman's license, he asked her about her employment.

"I work at the bakery over on Delta Street."  She turned and pointed toward the side of the van, a large white donut dripping with cream embedded into the shop's logo.  "I could get you a good deal on some sweets if you'd forgive this little speeding thing."

Officer Tinsley looked at the woman's dazzling smile and back to the logo.  His stomach growled.

As the pair walked into the bakery, the policeman's deep blue eyes grew wide.  Chocolate, glazed, sprinkles, powdered.  Each and every type of donut he had ever imagined lay behind smudged showcase glass.  His mouth watered.

Leading the man to a back storage room, the employee handed him a stack of napkins and a flimsy white box.  "Select what you'd like," she said.

Sitting on the hard concrete floor, Officer Mitch Tinsley crammed yummy goodness into his face as fast as he could.

The crackling sound made him jump.  His radio.  Huh?  Whah?  Rubbing his eyes, he realized he had been dreaming.

Pulling from beneath the oak trees, the officer turned on his siren.  Delta Donuts had just been robbed.

Author's Note

Please review this light-hearted short story. **My sister is a Sheriff's Deputy so this is not meant to offend any law enforcement. I have the utmost respect for them all. Thank you!

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is a hilarious light read with no bumps along the way. Great story-telling & fun premise, with the cop deciding to start a diet, then being tempted to blow off a ticket for free donuts. This is all great imagination & told with nice sensory details. For such a short story, I thought we were done, but then you throw in that last twist: HE'S NAPPING/DREAMING!!!! That was a great last hurrah for this story. Frankly, I'm not sure how to interpret the Delta Donut robbery . . . too much slapstick action, maybe? But still, a good ending.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, barleygirl. One of my sisters is a Sheriff's Deputy and she was talking about chasing a suspect one day and this just came to me. It is meant to be lighthearted and funny .. glad you saw that. I appreciate you reading and commenting.

[annalysiar]

Really enjoyable. Great imagry

[TL Boehm]

Ok, I found it funny! Nice dialogue - good pacing and a great giggle at the end.

[MelissaAndres]

Thanks once again, TL. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[Rose Jaeger Kaneki]

amazing story here. i like it

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Shadowfax! I appreciate it!

[Rose Jaeger Kaneki]

welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wonderbeard]

Great use of descriptive phrases...I so love those! Surprise endings always intrigue me as well....completely loved it! Wonderbeard

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you so much, Wonderbeard! I am glad you enjoyed this. Thank you for reading and commenting! :)

[ANTO]

He had such a connection with Delta Donuts that his psyche felt their troubles and sent him an S.O.S. lol.
My own mouth was watering reading this one Melissa.
Nice story almost edible.

[MelissaAndres]

Heehee....nicest compliment I think I have received yet, Anto! Thank you so much!

[A. Amos]

Great story I like the way you introduce the officer...like first with the last name and then in center of story his full name...color of this hairs. The ending with a twist was awesome...smart story telling. Good job!

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you for the compliment, A. Amos! I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed it.

[A. Amos]

You're most welcome my dear

[wordman]

will power i find is very hard to come by,took me 25 years to stop smoking,and 4 packs a day
now if i could only give up those late night snacks !

[MelissaAndres]

Wordman, my father was a smoker for years and years and years and he finally quit. He regrets smoking all those years now but always said he had to wait until he was ready. I don't do late night snacks but just eat all during the day. Haha!

[wordman]

i was delivered from cigarettes in 1988,i could not have quit on my own

[Samuel Dickens]

Some folks just can't resist their cravings, but maybe Officer Tinsley will muster the willpower. This reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a man's obsession with gambling is manipulated by a talking one-armed bandit. "Franklin!" it would whisper. Hopefully, Delta doughnuts can't speak.

[MelissaAndres]

Haha! Some of those Twilight Zone episodes were pretty crazy, weren't they? My sister is a Sheriff's Deputy and let's just say she is kind of a hefty girl -- believe me I don't know how she can chase after people but she does. She's a lot tougher than I am, that's for sure!