The Escape

We sat in a wooden room with high glass windows that resembled any office from television in which a rogue detective slams his badge and gun on his commanders desk, then storms from the building to find the nearest bar. There were a handful of us in that tiny office on that particular day and we had call signs like Voodoo, Magellan, and Dozer.

They had assembled us to investigate a prolific burglary suspect who seemed to be Houdini reincarnate, but that case was long over and we waiting for an assignment.

Data, our team leader and resident nerd, entered the room and announced that a prison escapee was headed our way. I probably forgot the name of that convict shortly after he was captured, but his escape from prison would change my life for the next 17 years.

We did what all good detectives do when a case lands on their desk, we started beating the bushes. Eventually we’d speak with the escapees parents, good people from meager beginnings that weren’t proud of their sons behavior. They provided us with the name of a woman he’d been seeing and we set off to locate her.

A simple computer search pointed us to a secured building that housed small condominiums, but would prove impossible to surveil due to its underground parking and magnetically sealed doors.

Enigma, a wiry Army vet and graduate of The Citadel, piped up and said that his cousin lived in the building and would certainly allow us inside to setup surveillance of our suspects probable location.

At the mention of Enigma’s cousin the team erupted into a frenzy and all began clamoring for the opportunity join him in meeting with her. Evidently stories of her beauty had spread throughout the police department after she attended a graduation party for Enigma’s Police Academy class.

Being the only one in the room who hadn’t heard of her I didn’t react when he mentioned her name and therefore became his obvious choice for a recon partner.

Looking back I’m sure my appearance had something to due with his choice as well. I was the worst looking of the bunch and I’m sure he thought that introducing me to his cousin would be a forgettable moment for her.

We arrived at the building in question and used the call box to contact Enigma’s cousin. She buzzed us into the building and instructed us to meet her at her unit.

We climbed an old set of marble stairs (that I would later come to know intimately) to the second floor and met her at her door.

Upon seeing her I immediately became the stereotypical kid from a rom-com who couldn’t utter a word because his tongue grew too thick to function.

She was petite and stunningly attractive. Dressed from head to toe in denim she looked more like the hip girl you’d see exiting a record store in Brooklyn than anyone you’d expect to find in a mid-sized Midwestern town.

Her face was sculpted with exquisitely applied make-up and her hair looked as if she’d just stepped out of a salon. She was a “dream girl” by anyone’s standards and my scruffy, skinny, tongue-tied ass was standing at her door.

She gave us a tour of the building and pointed out the apartment where our suspects girlfriend lived and then showed us the girlfriends parking space in the underground garage.

A quick look inside the girlfriend’s car told us everything we needed to know...he’d been here.

The passenger seat of the small car was pushed all the way back and the seat back was fully reclined. The interior was littered with empty snack bags and half full soda bottles. We knew then that she’d picked him up after his escape and made the long drive back here with him.

Enigma and I needed to get out of there quickly before we were spotted and alert the team.

As his cousin escorted us out of the building we ran into her boyfriend in the lobby. He definitely looked like her boyfriend. A fitted leather motorcycle jacket, tight jeans, and swept back, jet black hair. He was tall and handsome and looked like the perfect match for her.

I knew Enigma was sensitive about the guys ogling his cousin, but she was too gorgeous to withhold a comment. I said three words to him and never mentioned her again. “She’s bad ass.”

We would eventually catch that escapee and new cases would come and go. Months went by and the unit changed,  from our focus to our team members everything was a little different.

Enigma left the unit to do other things, but we still stayed in contact. One afternoon I received a call from him and he asked if I remembered his cousin.

I definitely remembered her, there was no way to forget her! But, why was he asking me this? As the phone call continued I’d grow more confused as he explained that she wanted to go on a double date with me and him and his wife.

At the time I was introduced to her we had been working heavy surveillance details for months. I had long, shaggy hair, an unkempt beard, and I wore clothes I didn’t wash. This was all in an effort to blend into my surroundings and certainly not what I would have imagined would gain the attention of one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in real life.

Aside from my purposefully curated, poor appearance, I’m also not an attention grabbing man on my best day. Absolutely average in about every way I simply couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that she wanted to go on a date with me.

What I lack in good looks I make up for in courage, so I agreed and we arranged a double date with Enigma and his wife.

Things were different for me before I met her. I hadn’t yet been introduced to fine dining, wine, or travel, so we went to dinner at O’Charley’s, a very commercial chain restaurant that you’d never catch me in now. It had recently opened in our burgeoning city and it seemed like the best choice at the time.

The double date didn’t go well. It wasn’t awful, but I tend to be rather straight forward and didn’t hide much from anyone unless it was a necessary part of my job.

I blurted out at some point that I had a 5 year old daughter and had been married once before, although for a very short time. This didn’t sit well with her as she had expectations about her future and being a step-mom wasn’t one of them.

Despite the massive hurdle I’d thrown into the evening I must’ve been charming enough to get her attention. We continued to talk after the double date and eventually I invited her on an actual date. Although it wasn’t a normal date.

This girl was so incredible that I couldn’t  do anything ordinary for our first date, so I planned a weekend in Chicago to impress her and whisked her away.

Like most of the well intended things I do, it didn’t go according to plan. I wanted it to be perfect, but it was mostly awkward.

At this point in my life I had very limited experience with women outside of friendships. I was a tiny boy in my youth and didn’t have a growth spurt until after high school. I was used to girls loving me as a friend, but never being interested in me as a boyfriend. So here I was, in Chicago, with the girl of my dreams, and I was trying way too hard.

I knew that she was into wine so we went to a store and purchased what I believed to be an expensive bottle of Merlot. I’m sure it cost less than a hundred dollars, but to me I was really showing off.

We went back to the hotel, opened the wine and prepared to spend the evening drinking and getting to know each other.

Unfortunately, at this time I also had very limited experience with alcohol. And by limited I mean that I had alcohol twice in my life before this moment. I was also wearing a white button down shirt.

We filled our glasses and shared a salute then I took a large and unnecessary drink of this heavy red wine. I’m not sure if I swallowed any of it, but it most definitely came shooting out of my nose...and mouth...and all over the front of my white button down.

I don’t recall entirely, and we’d have to consult her, but I’m pretty sure I ended up on my knees heaving over the toilet. It was a disaster of a date and I’m not sure why she stayed with me for the next 17 years.

We ended up getting married a few years later (she’d say far too many years later) after 4 Fijian warriors carried her upon a thrown down the beach, in Fiji, to meet me at sunset.

As the years passed we traveled the world together, ate at the finest restaurants, sipped on the greatest wines, built enviable homes, and drove luxurious cars. We lived a life that most people only get to dream about.

But there was always something missing. This beautiful, kind, caring woman always wanted a child of her own. It wasn’t something I was ready to do again, but I wanted her to be happy so we sure tried.

After many failed attempts and so many broken hearts the trying became too much. Our lives were filled with sadness and grief and I lost that lovely girl I met in the hallway of a historic building so many years earlier.

Her heart would break once more when I ended our marriage due to all of that sadness and I believe that pain still haunts her to this day. Despite the way it ended, she changed my life for the better and I’m truly thankful that some man took a risk and broke out of a prison.