Cagney and Lacey - Marriage?

Chapter 1

The ladies' room was always dirty. Mary Beth, my brown-haired and brown-eyed police-partner, and I were so used to it that we no longer noticed.

I looked in the mirror and touched up my lipstick. My dark blue eyes looked determined back to me.

"I'm not gonna marry Dory", I said slowly.

Mary Beth looked at me, shocked, open-mouthed. "What?"

"And I'll tell him tonight."

She stepped toward me and grabbed my arm. "Why, what did he do to you?"

Mary Beth was always concerned and caring about me, I knew she would immediately jump in the police car and arrest him if he had touched me with one finger against my will.

"Nothing!" I replied.

She still looked concerned, but also stern. "Come on Christine, talk to me."

Mary Beth hated my habit of keeping all my problems to myself, she wanted to help me, she didn't want me to fight alone.

"I'll make up a reason if that makes you feel better", I answered.

"I'm trying to make you feel better!" Mary Beth still stood close to me, looking concerned.

I had thought about it carefully. "It's just not what I want. It's not who I am, it's not what I want." 

"Dory is a very demanding man", Mary Beth tried to understand, but she was so wrong.

"It's not Dory, it's me! I feel like I'm suffocating!"

Mary Beth patted my shoulder. "I understand."

"You understand", I repeated, knowing for sure she didn't.

Mary Beth sat down on the wooden bench. "You have different expectations of life. He's not the right man."

"What is the right man?" I asked, "Mary Beth, you're not getting it. I'm 38 years old. It is no accident that I never married. Maybe every man is the wrong man for me."

Mary Beth stood up and put her arm around my shoulders. "Let's go to Maldoons, huh? Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

I went with her with mixed feelings. Would she try to talk me into getting married? She couldn't, anyway.

What do you say? You don't like Dory MacKenna? You don't know nothing. Let me help you out. You read another story, baby. Okay, okay, I didn't mean that. I just can't take criticism of my choices. Anyway, I don't care about Dory anymore. Read on and you will find out...

Maldoons was our favorite bar. This late afternoon, someone was playing the piano, soft, nice music. I sat next to my partner at the bar, both with a cup of coffee, and Mary Beth had also asked for a glass of water.

"So, what are you going to do now, you're gonna see him every weekend?" Mary Beth asked.

I had thought about that, of course. "I don't think he'll understand."

"And if he doesn't understand, what happens then?"

"I don't know, Mary Beth, I don't predict the future", I said a little sarcastically.

Mary Beth remained calm. "What if you never see him again?"

"Then I don't see him."

Mary Beth looked at me, her expressive beautiful eyes compassionate. "I hate to see you lonely", she said softly.

I felt my irritation melt away whenI looked into her eyes. "I won't be lonely", I said even softer. I knew myself, I would have very short relationships and one-night stands again, but above all, there was the woman sitting next to me, my partner, my only friend. The one I could always count on.