THE ONE WE WON
BY
Richard Masterson

Word Count 1,171

I’m working the day with Fred, ten years my senior. We both hit off pretty good. Fred a crusty old Marine from the big WWII, like two things, the Marine Corps and The Mets.
Like all of us he looked forward to his pension and living the easy life. He had a little under three years left before he could retire.
Fred started out as always commenting about the Mets, hoping they would have a better season than last year. I responded as always, “Yeah Fred, lotsa luck.”
I liked Mondays, especially the day tour. Everything seem clean and fresh, you could see the kids going to school, the iron grates were of the store windows, people were out and you could stop and inhale the civilized world. Even though we worked in the ghetto, the low life stayed out of the sun, just the vampires.
We were looking for an easy day.

Last tour on the dogwatch we had 35 complaints, plus a vehicle homicide, delivered a baby and had to take an old man to the nut house in a body bag.
Maybe today, things would go a little slower. It was the first day of Spring and it was being ushered in with a warm breeze that made you think of baseball and the smell of cut grass.
Fred spotted a car making a turn into a one way street the wrong way.
We followed the car and observed two teenage males inside. I waved them over to stop. I got out of the and asked the driver or his license and registration. He handed me his license and nervously said, “I left the registration at home.”
“Who owns the car,” I said.
He smiled at me and said. ”You mean this car/”
“That’s right”, I said. “The car your driving.”
After furthering questioning they both admitted to us that they borrowed the car from the High School parking lot.
“Borrowed?” I said, “From whom?”
That’s when they became very nervous and started to studder.” Ahh a ahh, autually we just kind of took it.”
Fred chimed in. “Looks like we have a couple of car thieves.”
I told the boys to get out of the car and said, So your telling me you took the car with out the owners permission, am I right?”
Both of them replied “Yes, but we were going to bring it right back, honest.”
I asked them if they were carrying any weapons.
They said, “No, are you going to arrest us?”
Fred opened their car door and ordered them and into the back of the patrol car, telling them “Your both are going to arrested for possession of a stolen car.”
I could see they were scared stiff sitting in the back of the patrol car.
The pleaded with us, “Officer’s, we never did anything like that before, this is our senior year, were suppose to graduate in June. We wouldn’t want our parents to know, as their eyes began to water up.
Fred picked up the mike to call in the incident.
“Hold on Fred, let me think this one over.” I said.
Fred gave me that look.” Think what over, we have two admitted car thieves right? So what’s there to think over?”
I took Fred aside, “Look Fred”, I said. It looks like they just took the car for a joy ride, right? It probably belongs some teacher who doesn’t even knows it missing until schools over, right? It’s only One o’clock, there’s no damange on the car. They look like good kids. I think they need a break.
So how dose this sound, I’ll take the car back to the school with these two guy’s in the back and you follow me with the Patrol car. I’ll put the car right back in the same (hopefully) that they took it from and nobody will be the wiser, got?”
Fred rolled his in his pissed off manner, said “You gotta be kidding, if this idea of yours goes sour, their goes our pensions. Besides we don’t owe these people nothing. You know them, their hopeless. At their age I was in the Marine Corp. I didn’t hang around the neighborhood stealing cars. I least I did something with my life. Back then when a cop came he administered the Law with the end of a nightstick. That’s we these guys need.”
I pressed upon Fred, “Look partner don’t worry, I think we can pull this off, trust me.”

I pulled the car into the school lot and sure enough the spot was still there, pointed out to me by the boys. I parked the car and took the boy’s aside and spoke to them like a Dutch uncle.
“Now listen up”, I said. Were going to forget this ever happened, I want you guys to do the same, understand?”
I impressed upon them; what they did was stupid and against the law and how a stupid thing like this could possibly ruin their lives.
We left and went back patrolling our district.
About a year pasted. Fred and I were still in the car patrolling the same district. We often thought about those two kids and wonder what they were doing. Every time I mentioned them, Fred would say, “what else; their probably doing time in Trenton.”
“so you think we made a mistake Fred? I asked.
He snapped back at me, “We? Hold on partner, it was your idea to let those two Indians back into society, not me. I’m sorry we let them go. There probably out there right now stealing cars and the nexr thing they’ll be robbing banks.”

Just then the radio kicked in ‘Fifty One car, report to the Precinct.”
I responded back, “Car fifty received.”
Fred still kind of grumpy said, “So what think they want?”
“I don’t know Fred” I said. Maybe they want to give you the Ballentine Award for cop of the year.”
We reported to the desk Lieutenant. He puts his coffee down and said, “There’s a couple of guys in the back room that want to see you two birds.”
We entered the back room and were greeted by two young Marines in their dress uniforms. They both stuck out their hands to shake ours and said, “I don’t know if you remember us, but were the two knuckle heads you let go over the car incident, remember?”
After graduation we decided to join the Marine Corps. We’ll be out in two years with an option to go to college, all paid for.”
I looked at Fred, he looked at me, we both grinned and shook their hands telling them, “Sure, we remember.”
“Well”, they said. We thought you two guys often and we want to thank you for what you did for us.”

Fred and I got back into the patrol car and started our tour. I looked over at Fred and said. “You partner, sometimes ya win one.
Fred said. “Just drive.”
The End