There was one young girl wearing clothes you’d picture on a hooker (a hooker in the movies, not on 27th Ave) and way too much eye make-up. She was young, maybe 13. She was not in a holding cell, but she was being held until her parents arrived to pick her up.
This girl talked constantly!! She would NOT shut up!! Nothing I said or did would make her stop TALKING. She was at the age that everything out of her mouth was a whine…and she thought she knew a lot more about life than anyone in the room. It didn’t matter how mean I was, she continued to talk to me. She rattled on about everything…we even discussed a more appropriate style of clothing and make-up application. Not even that shut her up.
Finally, I had enough!! I stopped typing…said a few choice phrases and then told her that we were going to try something new…we were going to play the quiet game. It worked for about a minute…then the talking continued.
By the time she left I was freakin’ annoyed and hadn’t gotten any work completed!! As matt walked her down the hallway to be released to her parents, that talkative little girl stopped, turned to me and said, “Officer Brown…You have LOVELY eyes!!”
From that moment on, I was known as “Officer Lovely Eyes” to Matt and Jonathan. Every time Jonathan and I saw each other, stopped to talk, or laughed about something stupid someone said/did on the street…he called me, “Lovely Eyes”. He would say it quietly to me if I was near or he would shout it out as loud as possible for everyone to hear…and be confused by.
It was our inside joke…it was what started our friendship.
Before that night, he called me “Brown”. He was one of the first people to be-friend me at 700. While I was on 71F he would back me up on calls and I always loved to hear him answer the radio…714J. I loved when he did AWR’s over in the 73 area. And after I went to Italy, he often surprised me with Canoli’s in hopes they would bring back my fond memories of my heaven on earth.
I remember one time I was driving e/b on I-10…too fast for my own good (but the Mini loves it) when I saw two head lights gaining on me. My heart dropped and I slowed down…I just knew it had to be DPS. Damn those radar running freaks!! I hate talking my way (or badging) out of tickets… All of a sudden this blue piece of crap pulls up on my left side, slows WAY down and all I see is this HUGE goofy grin…with a little wave he was off again…I sped up again too!! Hell…the cops would stop that 10-51 (felony warrant) vehicle LONG before my mini!! We both got off at the Queen Creek exit…before he turned right and I turned left, we both sat at the stop light and laughed. Windows up, no need to say anything…we just laughed…we just knew.
When I went to bed on August 10th, 2007…I felt so much peace. Although 7 years prior to that exact date my life had been torn apart beyond anything I thought could be repaired, I was lying in the arms of someone I knew would love me, keep me safe and make me happy. I was so thrilled to have made it through another August 10th…I had never felt such peace about any of it. I finally slept that August 10th.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t find my cell phone. When I finally found it, I had too many missed calls and texts to count...What had I forgotten? The first one I read, which was the last I had received…Chris Stone said that Jon Stuart had passed away. I was SO confused…I didn’t know what was going on…I felt the room spinning out of control. As I read the previous texts, I started to scream…the tears were endless…and Mike was just as confused and also in disbelief. My screams had woken him from a dead sleep.
I still miss my friend. I still can’t believe he’s gone. I can still see his smile and hear his laugh. I still long to see him walk through the parking lot wearing that blue uniform. I still long to hear him talk about his wife, off duty, Buuuuuv, and takin’ radio calls. I wish every day that he could yell to me, “What’s up Lovely Eyes?!” And I hope everyday he still knows how much he’s loved, missed and never forgotten.
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