CHAPTER 7
Cassie awoke around 7:30AM and took a quick shower before getting dressed. It was Sunday and Stacey’s mom would be picking her up soon for church…she had been attending for a while now. Starsky liked the idea but Sunday was one of the rare mornings when he could actually sleep in so she tried to keep the noise level at a minimum. He wasn’t the type to spend much time in Church although he did believe in God. If he were Catholic he would spend half his time in confession anyway. Cassie had enjoyed the Sunday services but rarely discussed them with him. Probably because she felt it really wouldn’t interest him.
Starsky awoke at around 8:30AM and walked out into the empty apartment…scratching
his head and yawning as he looked around. She was already gone and he noticed
a small white piece of paper resting on the kitchen table as he stepped
towards the fridge. (Dave, I’ll be home around 12:30… Love, Cassie) He
picked it up …read it quickly and set it back down.
She had been extremely considerate lately…telling him when she would
be home and letting him know where she was. He knew he was lucky in the
fact that she wasn’t like some of the teenage girls he and Hutch had encountered
on the streets. She was a good girl even on her worst days. There was something
inside of her that prevented her from crossing certain lines…the fact that
she was still a virgin…the fact that she didn’t hang out with a bad crowd.
Something obviously her father had installed in her very early on.
He thought to himself as he pulled a Danish from the fridge and filled
the coffeepot with water…what did he really have to worry about? Most people
would give their right arms to have such a well-behaved teenager.
She cleaned…she cooked…she even ironed his shirts for him. He had
enjoyed her company…even the arguments where better than staring at four
walls all by himself. He loved her…there was no denying that…and lately
he had struggled with the idea. Sometimes it was a fatherly kind of love…but
then there were times when it was something completely different. She had
all the parts in
the right places…and his thoughts would sometimes lead him in a dangerous
direction when he looked at her. But he had learned to cope with them.
After all he was only human…just a man…how could he not have those kind
of thoughts around her…he wasn’t blind.
He looked up at the clock that hung on the kitchen wall and realized that it was close to 9:00AM. He reached for the phone near the fridge to call Hutch…he would be up by now and he had to catch him before he left the house. It rang only twice before he answered…
“Yeah…”
“Hey…I’m glad I caught ya…we have somewhere to go.” He told him.
“Where?…” Hutch asked curiously.
“We only have one week before Christmas and I gotta pick out Cassie’s present.” Starsky answered him.
“You still haven’t told me what you’re getting her.” Hutch replied.
“Well…I know what…I just don’t know what kind.”
“Where is she?” Hutch asked. “You leaving her at home?”
“She’ll be in Church until noon…we have plenty of time.”
“Ok…I’ll be there in about twenty…” Hutch told him. “Get ready.”
Starsky heard the click on the other end and placed the receiver back on the hook. He would have to convince them to hold his gift for a week…and then he would have to find someway to bring it home without her knowing.
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A knock at the door brought Starsky hopping on one foot to answer it. He had one shoe on and was struggling with the other one. After placing one hand against the wall to steady himself as he forced the shoe onto his foot…he called out…
“Who’s there?…”
“The police…open up will ya!” Hutch yelled in a teasing manner.
Starsky pulled the door opened and Hutch watched as he kept struggling with the same tennis shoe. Finally by putting his foot down and pressing…he managed to get it on.
“Having a little trouble getting dressed?” Hutch asked with a grin.
“I think my feet are growing.” Starsky replied as he reached down to tie his laces.
“You’re feet aren’t growing dummy…Cassie probably washed them again.” Hutch told him. “You know they shrink in the dryer.”
“Oh…” He said as he stood back up. “You ready?”
“Waiting for you.” Hutch answered him as Starsky grabbed his jacket down from the hook by the door and stepped outside. “Where are we going anyway?”
“You’ll see…you’re gonna love it!” He told him.
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When Cassie arrived home she was surprised to see Hutch’s car in the
driveway and the Torino gone…with a quick wave goodbye to Stacey and her
mom she walked up to the door and unlocked it. The first thought on her
mind was to get out of the dress she was wearing and into a more comfortable
outfit so she headed for her room and began to undress. She wondered where
they could have gone and thought that they were probably called in to go
to work…but he would have left her a note. She walked into the living
room in her shorts and carried her shirt in her hand as she looked around
to see if
he had left her something…but there was nothing. She slid her shirt
over her head and tucked it into her shorts as she walked to the fridge
and pulled out a cold bottle of soda.
She just happened to glance towards the front door as she made her way
into the living room when something strange caught her eye. His gun…still
in its holster…hanging on the hook. He obviously wasn’t working… not without
his gun. It seemed a little strange…but it was probably nothing to worry
about…its just that he usually told her where he was going. She decided
to
turn on the T.V. and wait for him…he would show up eventually.
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They had spent the past few hours arguing. When it came to certain things…it was hard for them to agree…and with Cassie’s present…it had become a major battle. Starsky’s taste and Hutch’s were like night and day and their differences would not allow them to find a compromise…until finally…they stumbled across the perfect solution.
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Chapter 8
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