Thursday, August 11, 2016

An Officer and a Gentleman

It was not really late ; just after 9:15 or so last night . My friend was dropping me off after dinner at my guest house . In a very, quiet and elegant neighbourhood in Seattle, just across the road from the Woodland Park Zoo, where I go for my morning walks when I stay here . 

A routine occurrence actually because I am with some friend or family for dinner each night and get dropped off and let myself in like i do always. 

Last night , my friend and I tarried a bit , finishing off our conversation and we noticed a couple of guys kind of loitering around . Very unusual . There's never anyone around at this time except maybe some one walking their dog ; these guys were different. They looked different. Young , casually dressed, a bit unkempt , one with a beard and back pack. The other with a can of some drink in his hand. A young lady walked past us to her parked car , got in and drove off. Another man walked past us briskly. 
All quite normal but something about the two men was a bit off. 

We subconsciously locked the car doors and decided we'd wait till they moved on before I would get out. They weren't making any moves towards the car but we were not taking any chances. We continued to chat , keeping our eyes peeled open. Just a tad nervous . 

Suddenly we were enveloped in bright lights and a Police Car pulled alongside our  vehicle. Car windows were rolled down and my friend , quite sure they must be wondering what we were doing in a stationary car parked for too long on the kerbside, quickly said she was here to drop her friend visiting from India but was waiting till she felt it was safe to get out for we'd spotted this person you know...

The Policeman, a young Asian , quickly parked his vehicle , came around to my window and reassured us that the guys were gone and he was here expressly because of them . The back packer especially had been noticed hereabouts earlier , questioned and sent on his way and the Police car had continued on its beat in the vicinity just to make sure . "Harmless, he is, Ma'am and seems a bit sickly ", he said but understood our reaction. "Let me escort you to the front door." 

And that's exactly what he did , that big young man in uniform, so reassuring and so gentle and kind, waiting till I punched the numbers on the lock of the front door, and opened the door to my suite . He then walked down the few steps to ensure my friend was on her way home too. 

Thank you Officer , I called , all the time thinking of my young nephew , a Police Officer with the Chicago Police Dept and how he too must have at some time eased many a tense moment for someone with his reassuring presence. 

And seen others too, through so many more alarming and dangerous situations . Bless these young men who put the safety of the public they serve above everything else. Thank you Officers . You are the real gentlemen. 



3 comments:

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

What a nice warm feeling after reading this interesting episode. And narrated so well.
Yes
God bless all our young officers

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

What a nice warm feeling after reading this interesting episode. And narrated so well.
Yes
God bless all our young officers

Umesh K. Dubey said...

Nice and warm tale..