Cinderella by Maura "So we finally decided to go as Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara." "Huh? Oh yeah, that's great." Johnny wasn't really listening. He was staring at his little black book, intently turning the pages and scanning the names and numbers on each. "I can't believe it. I must have gone through half this book and not one of them said yes." Roy rolled his eyes. He could see his partner was on a mission. He had visions of what the day ahead would be like and all of them made him shudder. "Maybe you should just go alone. It doesn't really matter, as long as you're supporting the cause." Johnny looked at Roy as if he had suddenly grown a second head. "Are you kidding me? John Gage, show up at the biggest fundraiser the department has, without a date? I'd never live it down." Roy took a deep breath. He could see it wasn't worth the effort, so he just sat quietly and bit his tongue then decided to follow that with a bite of the glazed donut he had on his plate.  "Don't you worry, " he said as he waved his black book in Roy's direction.  "Somewhere in here is the lucky girl who will get to spend the evening with me." His confident smile was followed by a hint of self-doubt, which he tried to hide. "I just haven't found her yet." "Well, you'd better find one quick, the Costume Ball is Friday night. How is your date going to get a costume that fast? " "Not to worry, Pally. I've got that all figured out. I already reserved two costumes. One for me and one for her," he said with a satisfied smile, grabbing the last remnant of the donut Roy still had on his plate and shoving it in his mouth victoriously.  "Just how do you know what size she's going to be?" Roy thought he was stating the obvious. "Well, I figured if she was anything over a size 12, I wouldn't be asking her out anyway. I usually go for the size eights." "So you ordered a size eight?" "Well, no. They didn't have any eights left. All they had left was a four." "So you have four days to find a girl, who meets your criteria for looks, personality, and sex appeal, is willing to go out with you, and has to fit into a size four?" "Exactly!" John said triumphantly. Finally Roy understood him. Roy shook his head in disbelief. He was about to respond when the Klaxons sounded and they were off. ### After lunch, John was back looking through his black book again. "No luck yet, huh Gage?" Chet was sitting on the couch next to Henry watching with amusement as John flipped from one page to the next, seeming more frantic with every turn. John ignored him. "So, Roy said you already ordered the costumes. Let's see if I can guess what you'd order. If you take a girl with black hair you could go as Sonny and Cher, a brunette, hmmm let's see… I've got it! You could be Edith and Archie Bunker. Now what about a red head? Oh yeah, that's easy, you could go as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz." John sneered from where he sat. Not the least bit amused by Chet's ramblings. "That only leaves one more, a blonde. Oh I know, you could be Cinderella and Prince Charming," he said in a sappy teasing tone. John flashed him a surprised look, but didn't say a word. "Oh my God! I guessed it didn't I? You reserved Cinderella and Prince Charming costumes! God Gage, you are so full of yourself. What chick is gonna believe you're Prince Charming?" He started to laugh and Henry just looked up at him as if the ask him to keep it down so he could get some much needed rest. "Listen Chet, if anyone in this station can pull it of it's me," he said proudly as he rubbed his hand over his chest. "Besides, that's all that was left in my size," he whispered. "Oh this is going to be great, I can't wait to see this. Remind me to bring my camera," Chet was laughing so hard tears began streaming from his eyes. John shot him an angry look and went back to his black book. ### "Any luck yet?" Roy asked hesitantly as they left Rampart to head back to the station. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to bring it up, but he had to admit, curiosity was getting the better of him. Their two days off had come and gone.  Johnny had one more day to find the perfect girl, who fit into a size four. "No not yet," he snapped back. He looked out the window and chewed on his thumb nervously. How could this be happening? The ball was tomorrow night and he had exhausted every possibility he could think of. He couldn't show up alone. "I have an idea," Roy said. "Thanks Roy, but I'm not interested in any friends or distant cousins of Joanne's. I can handle this myself." Roy shrugged and turned his attention back to the road. ### "Hi Anne? It's John Gage….I'm fine, how are you?....So what have you been up to?....Huh?....Really?….Well, that is exciting….Well I wish you a lot of luck….You too…goodbye." He hung up the phone and sighed. Roy had been sitting at the kitchen table quietly sipping his coffee, trying not to appear to be listening "So, who was that?" he asked nonchalantly. "That was Anne Meyers. I dated her last year. I remembered she was really tiny, so I thought she might be my answer." "And?" "And she told me she just got a new job. She's moving to New York… Tomorrow," he answered in a tone that implied she was making the move just to spite him. Roy tried to contain his smile. He didn't want to get Johnny any more riled up, but it was kind of amusing. "So what now?" "I wish I knew." He ran his hand wearily through his hair and went over to the coffee pot just as a call came in. ### When they arrived they found a young woman about twenty-two years old who had fallen and sprained her ankle. She had long blonde hair and her skin was tan as if she spent every day at the beach. Feathery, long lashes framed her large blue eyes. John stood looking at her for a moment as if he had just seen an apparition. Roy gave him a sideways look and proceeded to help the girl. When the ambulance came they lifted her inside. Johnny and Roy stayed behind. As the ambulance pulled away, John looked over to Roy. Roy could see by the look on his face he had something on his mind. "Roy, what size do you think that girl was?" "What?" "What size do you think she was? She was pretty tiny. And she was incredible," he whispered dreamily. "You're not thinking of hitting on a patient?" Roy's raised his voice hoping to snap Johnny out of his dream world. Johnny looked surprised by Roy's tone. "Listen Johnny, even if it was ethical, which it's not," he added with emphasis. "She has a sprained ankle, she can't go out dancing. Johnny pondered what Roy had said as he stared down the road. "I guess your right. I wouldn't want to show up with somebody on crutches. It would really make me look pathetic. "I told you I have an idea," Roy said, both relieved and irritated by what Johnny had said. "Roy, don't take this the wrong way. We've been partners for along time. We're friends. Nothing good ever comes from a blind date. If you fix me up with somebody Joanne knows and I don't like her, it would be a mess. Joanne would get mad at me. Then she'd get mad at you. I'm just trying to save you from having to sleep on the couch. " Roy squinted as he looked at Johnny, as if it would help him make sense of what he heard. But it had never worked before, why would it now? He sighed heavily, "Let's go." ### The following morning they were in the locker room changing to go home. The ball was that night and Johnny was still anxiously searching for a date. He had spent most of the shift on the phone trying to track down girls he hadn't seen in years. He even called an old friend from high school to see if he had the phone number of a girl he dated in his junior year. "You do!.. That's great Jeff…Yeah I have a pen….Okay…4355…Great! I got it…Thanks again Jeff." He didn't waste any time dialing the number as if she might suddenly evaporate before the phone would ring. ### "Hi Katie?...This is John Gage…yeah, you remember!...So how have you been?....Yeah, it's good to hear your voice too….huh?....Oh I work in the fire department…Oh, it's not all that dangerous…What about you?...A teacher?...That's great…Listen Katie I know it's short notice, but are you free tomorrow night?...You are!.. That's great….I have a couple tickets to the Fire Department's Hero Scholarship Costume Ball…I was wondering….What?....Oh,no I wasn't…Huh?... Oh sure I understand…yeah, it was good talking to you too, and good luck, bye." Roy was sitting at the kitchen table looking at him expectantly. "She thought I was trying to sell her tickets. She said she and her husband couldn't contribute right now, they were expecting their second baby." He found the closest chair and flopped down and let his head fall in his hands. "So are you still going tonight?" Roy asked as he buttoned his shirt. "I don't know. There's not much time. I think maybe I'll just sit this one out. What's really important is that the money for the tickets goes to a good cause. Whether or not I go, that doesn't change." Roy felt a pang of sympathy as he looked at his partner sulking on the bench as he tied his shoes. "I have to stop by the costume store to pick up our outfits, why don't you follow me? Then you can come back to my house. Joanne can make us some breakfast." Johnny's stomach got the better of him. Even though he was disappointed in not being able to get a date, it was no reason to turn down a home cooked breakfast. "Okay, partner. You've got a deal," he smiled a crooked smile for the first time all morning. "Roy?' He stopped, not sure he wanted to ask the question he had on his mind. "What?" "Well, you kept saying you had an idea." "Yeah?" Roy could see Johnny didn't want to ask. "Let's talk about it over breakfast," he grinned. ### A record crowd showed up for the costume ball that night. The department had booked a large room in a hotel in downtown LA.  The lights were low and a mirrored ball hung from the ceiling and reflected spotlights, making it look like stars were floating through the air. There were several round tables covered with white table clothes and each had an arrangement of red roses in the center. There was a band playing soft music as couples danced on the hardwood floor. The costumes worn by the partygoers added to the festive mood of the evening. The room was filled with movie characters, cartoon characters and storybook characters. Roy and Joanne had been there for a while. They danced slowly in each other's arms, enjoying the time alone. When they left the dance floor, Roy offered to get her something to drink. When he returned, he found himself looking anxiously toward the door. Joanne's eyes drifted to the same spot. Johnny hadn't arrived yet. He was surprised at how nervous he was. Joanne saw the look on his face and leaned into him and kissed his cheek. He smiled down at her, still spellbound by how beautiful she looked tonight. She was wearing a beautiful white lace dress with a large hoop. A green satin sash went around her waist and tied in the back with a bow. Her hair hung down in long curls and she had the sides pulled back in a green ribbon. Her skin glowed in the soft light. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time. He bent to kiss her back and as their lips parted he saw movement in the doorway. Johnny had arrived. He smiled as he watched him with his date. He looked down at Joanne who had seen them too. "I think they make a wonderful couple," she whispered. ### He kissed her head and put his arm round her as other guests in the room became aware of the couple standing in the doorway. A hush went thought the room like a gentle wave. Women and men smiled warmly as they looked at the two. Johnny looked down at her and held out his arm. She looped her arm around his and smiled up at him. His heart melted as he looked at her. She was beautiful, a true princess. He was suddenly grateful he hadn't been able to find a date on his own. Joanne had done well. This was so much better than he could have ever imagined. He caught Roy's eye from across the room. Roy winked and gave a thumbs up. Joanne gave a gentle wave looking proudly at her handiwork. It had been a busy day putting everything together at the last minute, but now it seemed well worth the effort. Everyone stood silently waiting for Prince Charming and Cinderella to make their entrance. The band began to play a waltz and the moment seemed dreamlike. She looked in amazement at the display. She had never seen anything like it. Her heart beat faster as she took it all in. It was almost too good to be true. The music, the lights, the people, it was magical. "Are you ready Jennifer? " he said with a smile as he patted her tiny hand, covered with a small white glove. She looked like a precious little doll, as she stood next to him in her blue gown, her hair pulled up into a bun with a tiny silver crown sitting on top of her head.  She beamed up at him with innocence and wonder. Knowing that no matter what, she would always remember this night. The night she got to really be Cinderella and go to the ball with a handsome prince. She would love him forever, even when she was all grown up. "Yes, Uncle Johnny, I'm ready." feedback for Maura return to main menu