The Graduates

Ray watched as class 2002-2B of the Chicago Police Academy, eighty-seven members strong, prepared to take the stage. 

Ma sat on his left, beaming proudly, and his brother Paul sat on the right.  Maria, Tony, David, Raphy, Donny, and Rosanna were right of Paul.  Marissa sat on her mother’s lap, already calling out for her “Uncle Benny” and her oldest brother. She occasionally stood on Maria’s lap and craned her neck as she searched the crowd of blue uniforms for them.  Tony occasionally shushed the kids as Commissioner Rice, almost an hour into his speech, droned on and on about duty, responsibility, and honor.  The audience shifted restlessly.  People were just eager to see their loved ones graduate, to become one of the elite in blue.  The Fraternal Order of Police.  What a family.  Ray hated to think where he’d be if he’d not become a cop.  Even on bad days, he couldn’t imagine another life for himself.   

Commissioner Rice lectured on while Ray’s mind wandered.  Didn’t seem like that long ago when he himself had sat among the graduating class almost put to sleep by the commissioner’s dry speech.  He and his buddies had stayed out all night the night before and partied, and Ray, a little hung over, had barely kept one eye open during the commencement exercises.  But he managed to strut across the stage, his proud family looking on.  Ma, Maria, his uncles and some cousins had taken up an entire row of the audience. Pop had boycotted to show his disdain for Ray’s career choice. 

And Frannie was at some stupid Donny Osmond concert that she just had to go to, so she’d been absent.  She swore when she was a little kid that she was going to grow up and marry Osmond, and this was her big chance to meet him.  So she had put on her shortest micro miniskirt, stuffed her bra, and snuck out before Ma and Pop got a good look at her. Frannie’s fantasy was that he would see her in the audience, pick her out to come on stage, and they’d dance together.  Then he’d fall madly in love with her.   Ray suppressed a smile as he remembered how Frannie would kiss the TV screen when “The Donny and Marie Show” came on.  She even had a Donny and Marie lunchbox for a little while.

 So long ago.  Christ. How had twenty-two years slipped by?

Now his nephew Paul was due to take the stage soon. Kid hadn’t even been conceived when Ray graduated.  And then there was Ben Fraser.  He was still in high school when Ray took his walk across the stage.  Ray tried to imagine what Benny had been like back then, growing up in the hinterlands of the NWT.  A part of him desperately wished he had known him back then. So many more years they could have had together. 

The commissioner finally wrapped up to thunderous applause.  To Ray, it sounded more like applause of relief than appreciation.  He clapped loudly, and restlessly, nervously squirmed in his seat.  He wasn’t sure what he was feeling nervous about.  He didn’t know if he was more worried for Benny or for Paul. Paul was a smart kid, but the first year or so was hairy for anybody.  There was a big difference between academy training and real life.  One just never know what to expect, despite all the training.  And Benny, well, he was too trusting and naïve, still.  And this go-round, Ray wasn’t around to protect Benny from the bad guys.  What Benny failed to understand was that these scumbags on the street thought no more of killing a cop than they did of stepping on a bug on the sidewalk.  And the streets were only getting uglier, the criminals even more hardened.

Police officials filed onto the stage as others already present stood.  The cadets were directed to stand.  And the names began, in alphabetical order.

Robert Black.  He was a short, swarthy man, a little older with a buzz cut.  Looked like ex-military.  Thomas Daniels.  Younger man, tall.  Then Decker, Delaney, Deleon.  Then another name was called, and then another, and another, until the faces began to blend together.

A couple of rows behind the Vecchios and Morettis were the rest of the extended family and friends.  Ren Turnbull and Ursula Dudek sat directly behind Ray.  He could hear Turnbull sniffling, and Ursula command him to button it up already; nobody wanted to hear him cry.  Ray still didn’t know what those two saw in one another.  He still suspected that Turnbull was too terrified of her to break up with her. 

Mac and Chick were back there somewhere, too, up in the bleachers.  Ray hadn’t realized that Ben still kept up with his old employees from the consulate.  Of course, he would have.  Ben was a loyal friend with a long memory.  Frannie had chosen to sit in the back next to Mac, so they two of them could chat and gossip about all the hot and hopefully available cops.  At least Frannie showed up for Ben and Paul’s graduation. Donny Osmond wasn’t in town.

Elaine and Ike were in attendance, somewhere in the far corner.  It was their first time away from baby Evan and Elaine had told them that she had nearly declined coming this morning because she was so nervous about leaving the baby, even though he was in the perfectly good hands of Ike’s sister.    But, in the end, Elaine had come.  Ben had been there for her, and she for him.

The first row emptied slowly, as each cadet in turn rose to take their trip across the stage.  The second row filed out and up to the stage. 

Rick Diaz.  Patrick Dillon.  Stan Dotson.  Stan Dotson, Ray instantly recalled. So that’s him.  Good.  Dotson was a big man, six-three, maybe six-four. He was going to be one of Ray’s trainees.  He had already been following his courses and monitoring his test scores.  Sharp kid. He had a nice look to him- authoritative but approachable.

Ray found that he really, really liked his new position as Field Training Officer.  It was a little strange at first, being back in a uniform, riding a beat, but hey, it was like riding a bike really.  It all came back to Ray quickly.  He got used to the rhythm pretty fast after completing his own crash training course and then hitting the mean streets.  Yeah, Chicago Southside was pretty tough, but as long as Ray kept his wits about him, he felt pretty safe.  He actually was starting to learn some faces on his beat.  The old ladies and the little kids loved the cops, and always waved, or stopped to say hello.  It was only the dirt bags out there breaking the law who had every reason to fear and despise the sight of a police cruiser. But most of those folks were law-abiding citizens.

And the weirdest thing about this new job is that it was forcing Ray into becoming a model cop.  The new kids listened and watched him carefully and he had to make sure he did everything right.  For the first time in his career, he did everything textbook. He followed police procedure to the letter.  He was courteous and respectful to his peers, civilians and the other rookies.  Good thing he had Benny as a role model; he simply had to copy him. Hell, he’d even thrown around a couple of ‘thank you kindly’s at a couple of folks. 

The stage was a sea of blue, and tartan.  More names. Future cops. Jason Edwards.  Justina Elliot.  Michael Espinoza.

Ben’s row stood.   Ray and Ma craned their necks to spot Ben.  “Do you see him?” Ma whispered.  Ray knew his Benny from any angle. He was the fifth in the row.  “There!” he said. He pointed.

Emily Estes, the first in Ben’s row, slowly paced to the stage, exactly three steps behind John Evans.  Then, Joe Farmer was called. And then William Ferguson.

It had been a whirlwind few months for both Benny and Ray.  Each successive week of Benny’s training got longer and harder, and since going back to work himself, he hadn’t seen Benny that much; Ray was working the swing shift now, which he actually would prefer if he was a single man, because he always was a night owl.  But he hated not seeing Benny.  By the time he got home at midnight, Benny had been asleep for hours, and was long gone by the time Ray awakened around nine the next morning.  In the mornings before work, Ray did the housekeeping, the grocery shopping and other errands for them, or went to therapy or checked in with Dr. Taddeo.

It was only on the weekends that they got to catch up with one another.  Ben told Ray about his classes in CPR, Defensive Tactics, Survival Tactics, HAZMAT, Domestic Violence. Told him about some of his more colorful classmates.  Benny was excited.  He was excited to get back out there, get on a horse again, do some good.  His enthusiasm was contagious. Ray found himself looking forward to his shifts also.  The pace was so different from detective work.  Ray felt less stressed, and actually, it felt pretty damned fulfilling to show these young turks the way.    

There Benny was. His heart hammered in his chest like he had a schoolboy crush.  God, what a good-looking man. He looked stunning in his dress blues, crisp white gloves, and Sillitoe Tartan cap.  Ray was so proud that Benny was his. He was still in love with Benny, even having known him for close to a decade.  Ray thought that was remarkable.

“Benton Fraser,” the sergeant finally called.

A thunderous applause erupted throughout the audience.  Ray jumped to his feet and snapped as many unobstructed pictures as he could.  Maria, Tony, and the kids went wild.  Marissa chanted “Ben-ton Fra-ser! Ben-ton Fra-ser!”  Ma grabbed Ray’s elbow and squeezed.  They looked at each other and beamed.  Some lady in the back screamed, “Benton, marry me!”  which got a few laughs.  Ray could see Benton Fraser blushing from here.  He accepted his diploma, shook the captain’s hand, and smoothly walked off. 

Poor girl didn’t know that Benny was already married.  To him, of all people.  To him.  Ray touched his wedding band in wonder. 

He and Benny had gone out to the firing range for the first time together last month and gotten in some shooting practice. Ray had amassed a small collection of guns and had plenty of revolvers for Benny to use.  Benny was a loyal S&W man. He employed Ray’s old .357 Magnum or his .38 Chiefs Special.  He hadn’t fired a gun in almost a decade and was understandably rusty.  And Ray was a little rusty, too, having been out of action for several months.  He couldn’t imagine being in Benny’s boat and being out of practice by ten years. The two of them practiced together for a couple of hours, until Ray started to feel his hand go numb with fatigue from all the kickback.  For some reason, it really turned Ray on, shooting with Benny.  Ray had taken Ben home later and delivered one of the most intense fucks of his life, right there on the living room floor.  Something about the power, he guessed.  He grinned to himself, and quickly wiped the smile away before his Ma or Paul asked him what he was smiling about all of a sudden.

Benny took his seat again, as the names kept coming.  Next, they waited for Paul to be called.  Looked like he was four rows back from Benny, so they had a while to wait.  Gibbs. Goodwin.  Hawkins.  Holmes. Hunt…

The cadets had already received their assignments.  Benny was reporting to the CPD stables at 6 a.m. on Monday morning, as they had all expected.  He was going to be covering Area 5, dubbed ‘Grand Central’ which encompassed the north and west sides of the city.  The Canadian Consulate was within his beat.   Paul got wait-listed for the K-9 division.  He was going to be riding a beat that covered Area 1 ‘Wentworth’, and he’d be in the safe hands of one of Ray’s counterparts. 

The sergeant continued to read off the names as the captain passed out the diplomas and shook hands.  “Knight. Lane, Larson….”

The next row stood as the cadets in the row in front of them began to fill up their seats again.  Manning was the first in the row, then McCray, McDonald, McGuire, then Melendez, Mills. 

Paul climbed the stage as Tony and Maria jumped to their feet and clapped and yelled for their son.  Tony tapped the guy in front of him, and said, “That’s my boy!  That’s my kid up there!” 

Marissa ran to Ray, freed from her mother’s lap.  “Hey, little girl!” Ray said, and scooped the three-year-old up. 

“Paul Moretti!” 

“Paul Moretti!” Marissa screamed.

Ma screeched gleefully.  He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard such a joyous sound come from his mother.  She grabbed Ray’s elbow again.  Ray leaned over and gave her a kiss.

His brother Paul let out a loud whoop for his namesake.

This was something.  This was really a trip. Only yesterday, it seemed, Paul was a babe in arms like Marissa.  Ray remembered taking him to the state fair that fall, and Paul cried because he was scared of the cows. 

Now, the kid was an officer of the law.  Did the CPD really know what they were in for?  This was a kid who used to lick the powder off of powdered donuts and put them back in the box; a kid who once almost jumped off the roof holding a towel over his head, thinking he’d float slowly to the ground as if he were strapped into a parachute. Luckily Ray saw him in time and screamed at him to get the hell off the roof.  What are you, crazy?  This was the kid who gave his little sister Rosanna away to a crazy homeless lady when she was a baby. It was the only time Maria ever spanked any of her kids.  She had been livid and scared out of her mind when Rosanna was missing. 

And now little Paul Moretti was walking tall in his dress blues.  Unbelievable. 

Ray sat back down, placing Marissa on his lap as Paul returned to his seat. He couldn’t stop smiling.

The rest of the day was thoroughly planned.  After the ceremony, the graduates were going back to Octavia Ave and they were having a huge double party, filled with Ben’s friends, associates, and former co-workers, and Paul’s younger set of friends.  There would be tons of Vecchios, Morettis, Russos and Espositos present.  Ray couldn’t help think of absent friends and family.  Valerie should have lived to see this day.  And Darcy was missing a great party.

Ray looked forward to spending time with his brother Paul who had taken up residence in his and Benny’s guest room.  Since next Thursday was Thanksgiving, he was remaining the entire week. 

The party would go on until late into the night and he and Benny would go home, and after Paul settled in for the night, they’d tumble into bed together, and make love to one another in the quiet, restful dark.

And they would spend a quiet weekend close to home, family and friends.  And on Monday morning, they’d get up, these two Chicago flatfoots, and start life anew.