Present Day
Bang!
"Stop right there you filthy rat before I bust that skull into a thousand unrecognizable pieces!"
This is how Mara's regular day goes.
She goes around chasing criminals. Citing the Miranda Warning. Putting those bad-guys in jail and all the fun parts of being a female field police officer.
Today, she is after a thief who has victimized a lot of women in a small neighborhood. The women was able to identify the thief because of his eyebrow scar from a sketch they had with them. She almost got him but then her failure of a partner stumbled on his own two feet and dropped his badge giving away their disguise.
"I said stop it, fucker!"
Aaaand, yes. I, Mara, have a very vulgar mouth. Nothing new for a police officer like me.
The mid-thirties suspect did not even look back as he jumped over a 7-foot fence, parkour style.
"Wow! This jerk's got skills." I can't help but admire that stunt! "But unfortunate for you punk, I am wiser than you."
Instead of following his through the fence, she just effortlessly shot the guy's calf.
THUD!
"Aww! Fuck! That hurt!" shouts the big baby thief after her fell on the other side of the fence.
"Oah, got a boo-boo big man? You should have thought about getting hurt before you start having me chase you around the block, jackass!"
Blokes like these really get on my nerves.
"Let me tell you though that your parkour skills are admirable. Sadly,--" Mara paused to do the same trick the guy did but in a more graceful manner. "--I am better than you."
The thief's eyes widened as Mara slowly walked to his side of the fence.
"S-s-so, why did you shoot me when you can just follow me then?" was the thief's shaky question as Mara closed the distance and squat in front of him.
Mara's smile had the man's spine shiver in fear.
"Because.... I.... Can...." was her chilling response.
This woman is crazy. Was all he can think of before losing consciousness.
"MARA!!!"
And running behind me, as always, is my 3-year partner, Phil, who as always is wheezing like a pig trying to catch up.
"I was starting to wonder where you got."
Click! Click! There goes the thief. All cuffed up.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to punch them? All of the suspects we bring to the station are either banged up or unconscious because of your punching them." Phil is technically screaming at me now, if only he can raise his voice with that very sweet tone he uses. He just looks like a small Pomeranian dog trying to scare me.
Phil is actually a very handsome guy. If you call that blond head, dimpled cheeks and round eyes handsome. He just falls under the category cute for me. Again, I just see him as a Pomeranian. A six-footer Pomeranian.
"And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care. It makes transporting them easier." I hate dragging them to the car. "And besides, I am now late for a very special appointment." They had to run after this punk for almost 30 minutes.
"And who do you think does all of your dirty work after this?" asked a very exasperated Phil.
"Isn't it you?"
"Exactly! It's all me! So, please! Try not to kill your bad guys."
"I don't!" They are all definitely alive every time I catch them.
"But they are only about 20 percent alive!" the poor policeman's eyes are about to pop-out.
"Don't care. Let's carry him now to the car. I have to go now." He would be very disappointed at me now. And I definitely don't want to disappoint that guy.
After driving the suspect to the station, doing all the paper work about the case, which by the way was not done by me but by Phil, and receiving a whole 30-minute sermon from the chief about not punching any suspects to oblivion, I was able to get on my way.
"I have a full hour to get there. So that will be 7:00 pm then." Mara can't help but smile thinking about that toothy grin she will get when she gets there. And she know he will like it more if he hears about her one week holiday from work.
"Mara!!!!!"
It's Alisa. A fellow police officer, but she is an off-the-field officer.
"Are you going to see Marco?"
"Yes." Mara can't help but smile thinking about it.
"Great! Give him these very special cookies I baked yesterday. They have extra chocolate chips just for him." And then Alisa thrust a very heavy basket in front of her. "Make sure to tell him it's from me, okay?"
I can't help but laugh at that. "Well, sure! He loves your cookies very much."
Alisa's dreamy eyes says just how much she likes hearing that.
"I have to go now. Bye Alisa."
"Bye!"
Mara reached the parking lot, and went to her motorcycle. A Triumph Daytona. Took her a long while to save for it considering how measly the wage is for people in the force. The motorcycle will be very uncomfortable thinking that Marco will be with her from there.
"I guess I have no choice but to go there by car, then."
The police station parking lot has become her car and motorcycle parking space whenever she is not using one or the other. She really does not need the motorcycle at all, but damn if she won't want to ride it for style.
Humming along with Ez Mil. Damn! Omoshiroi hits hard. Mara slowly walked over to her car. But a sudden moan from her back made her grab her gun and point it at the direction where the sound came from.
From a dark corner, a very surprised Phil and an almost topless woman with her hands raised was what she saw.
See? I told you some people find him handsome. Just not me. He reminds me of a guy who had the same looks who makes me want to shoot somebody whenever I remember him.
"Whoa! Easy there, Mara." Phil's shy smile can now be seen from the small sliver of light.
"Me? Easy?" Mara said while returning the gun to its holster. "Not in my dictionary."
Phil's dimpled smile again.
"Get a room. Or else I might have to really shoot you next time."
His signature dimpled smile was what I saw last before getting in the car.
"Damn handsome blonds and...brutal redheads."
***********************************************
5 Years Ago
"Mara?"
"You mean that very plain criminology student?"
"Can you call her plain? I think she is already ugly."
"Haha!"
"Those punks. They really think they are very handsome?"
Unfortunately, that's all I can do. Complain in my mind. As an aspiring policewoman, whose only good point is athletics, which I even don't want to show many, you will definitely hear a lot of those. It's no longer surprising for me, Mara. I wouldn't even want to argue with them about me being plain and borderline ugly, but it sure would be very comforting to hear that from perfectly handsome guys, and not from those who just barely passed evolution, please excuse how sarcastic I sounded in my own mind. Those overgrown monkeys think they are something.
It's a good thing that they can't see me from the backmost corner of this lecture room. It sure would have been very awkward if they know I am here. I have gotten used to hearing those things so I am now far from being surprised. That's why corners and backmost parts of rooms have been my friends for almost all my school life. Getting in a famous university did not change that at all.
Wonder how I got in? I am good at all sorts of athletics. So, the school thought I was a really good addition. But I am so plain that I am easily forgotten. And I have already perfected my talent of being a wallflower, unseen by people. That is all I want. It doesn't matter to me if they don't see me or if they do, if they think I am plain and ugly. I have a very faithful boyfriend who loves me, so that's all I need.
Speaking of my boyfriend, he sent me a message a while ago. He said to meet him at a cafe after class.
Richard is not as plain looking as I am. In fact, he is very handsome. With blond locks of hair, nicely dimpled cheeks and very dreamy looking eyes. A living fairy tale prince.
Wonder he is with me? I also don't know. Richard has been a close friend of mine since we were young. And before we graduated from high school, he confessed to me. I really didn't like him before but I thought to myself that he is my only chance to a relationship. So, I said "yes" to him that I would definitely fall for him. And for two years, we have been together through ups and downs. And I love him so much!!!!!
Richard is the only light I have in my dull and plain existence.
"Hey! Plain woman!"
Mark. My neighbor since 5th grade. Another handsome fellow. I often call him match head because of that red hair of his. We are not close friends at all. He will fall under my "just acquaintance" category since I don't want anything to do with him. He is not really close to anybody as well but he tends to talk to me. The reason? I don't know. Maybe because I am the only one he knows in each of our school we went to.
Ah, yes. Mark and I are taking the same course in this university. Sadly, my Richard cant get in here since he is not good at both sports nor academics. It made me sad at first but he said he won't be too far from me. Which is true since he is studying in a college that's only about 20 minutes by bus from where I live.
But Mark on the other hand is very intelligent. It often made me wonder though why he took criminology when he can easily be a doctor or a lawyer.
"Yes?" I tried to keep my voice as small as possible as to not attract the gossiping monkey's attention.
"Can you say something about what those lowlifes just said?"
"Eh?" What is he talking about? He sounds a bit pissed. About what? I don't know.
"Those punks who were calling you plain and ugly. Don't you have anything to say to them?" Now the punks heard Mark talking and are now looking i my direction.
Fuck.