Stepped Off Into It

Yes, it was one of those days. It seems that I am the favorite right now to get stuck wherever they need somebody at the last minute.

I was "on the bench" on friday when I left. It's like being on the second string team. If somebody doesn't show up or gets hurt then you get to play.

I don't mind being in the game, but I didn't care at all for the way it came about.

Not one little bitty bit.

I walk in the door and the Lt on the books holds up five fingers and says "You're going down to the Hive. Think you can handle it?"

Sure, I can handle it. I was down there for freaking ever. I left because I was tired of it. I don't have PTSD or something.

Not that I'm knocking those who do. I'm just saying I don't....

Then he says "Chucky called in and quit."

Ummm.....

What?

He nods and says it again. "Chucky call in today and quit. You're going down there in his spot."

Oh. What the.......

Well..................................................... Frack! (or something like that)

That just ruined my day. Sonuvva..... bleeeeeotch.

Walked under a dark cloud all the way to Central when I overheard Lt Crunch saying "Yeah, we had a 10-49, two 10-5's and they are locking up five or six from 6 house even as we speak! And, oh yeah, the Hive is full so they're doing one for one!"

Oh snap. Why didn't I call in today?

I have to tell you. Walking back into the Hive after all this time is like stepping into a fresh cow pie in your socks. At first it feels warm and soft and kind of good. Then it quickly soaks through and you realize that you just stepped in poop.

They brought in three more lockups as I was coming through the door. I believe at the time I actually got keys and got into the wings we had five scattered on the restraint benches. The office was full of brass. Sgts Strings, Bumblebee and Banty were all in there with the Boss Man, trying to figure out what to do.

The Boss Man looks at me and says "Ah, good! You're here! You figure this out!"

Oh hell.

So the first thing we do is I grab Windows and we do a count of the house. Ignoring the knuckleheads on the benches. It comes out fairly close to what we need it to be, so I know it can't be that far screwed up.

Strings, Banty and the Boss Man beat it out of there. They leave us with one holdover CO from day shift (a transportation officer, of all things) and they send us Sgt Fluffy.

OK, whose brilliant idea was that?

Never mind. Just ignore him and he'll go away eventually.

While we are trying to put the rest of the lockups away, about half a dozen inmates were trying to check in from their cellies. Every time we got one put up, someone else would be taking their place on the bench.

Sgt Bumblebee is pulling out his hair. And to tell you the truth, he's not real big on taking advice or suggestions. I tried a few times and got pretty much ignored. So I just let him run with the ball.

It took us hours and bazillions of room moves to get everybody situated. Not all of them were happy with the accommodations, but hey, we're not really a service oriented folk, anyway. Customer satisfaction is far from our first priority.

If it were, I'd be in another line of work.

To be brutally honest, now that I don't work there anymore, I don't miss that place at all.

I miss working with BG like crazy. He and I worked pretty good together. We always (well, almost always) knew what the other one was doing and where the other one was.

I'd work with BG again in a flat second.

But not down there. Not for quite some time from now, anyway.

Of course, now that Chucky has bailed on us, I'm probably going to get stuck down there alot. I don't much care for that or the reason behind it.

Damn it! I'm going to miss him too.