So Far so Good

Ronnie’s patrol didn’t turn up anything interesting, positive or negative. It ended up being a pleasant stroll around town. A few of the townspeople looked at him curiously when they noticed the star pinned to his chest, but no one approached him to talk. After he walked from one end of the town to the other, he returned to the office and knocked on the door once more.

“It’s unlocked! Come on in!”

The raccoon opened the door and stepped inside. There wasn’t much to say about the office. A small cell was built into one of the walls. A few desks were placed along the other walls along with some cabinets. Texas was sitting at one of the desks near the entrance. She had a small stack of papers in front of her. She gestured for him to take a seat in a chair on the other side of the desk. He followed her instructions and sat across from her.

Texas glanced down at the paper in her hands. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this. So, let’s start with the basics. Why do you tell me a little about yourself?”

The best lies always had some truth to them. So it was time to start with the truth. “Well, let’s start in the beginning. I was raised in an orphanage in the city.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said genuinely.

Ronnie raised a hand to stop her. “I don’t mean to be rude, sheriff, but I’ll have to stop you right there. I may have been raised in an orphanage, but I have no qualms about that. For whatever reason my parents didn’t want anything to do with me, so I decided to not want anything to do with them. Even my name was decided by the staff there.”

“Well, in that case, go on, then.”

“I didn’t have much luck with adoption, so I was raised by the staff there. We had teachers, so I learned my letters and numbers. I stayed there until I was old enough to go out on my own. They offered me a job, but I wanted to see all I could. I had a decent education, so a lot of doors opened for me. I worked for anybody that would have me. I even did work that didn’t need any education. From fisherman to teacher’s assistant, I traveled all across the country, going to wherever I fancied, never staying in one place for too long.”

“That sounds mighty exciting. Why did you choose Gold Springs then? We don’t have much here.”

Ronnie smiled. “That’s exactly why I want to settle down here. All that time spent traveling was fun, but it was a bit lonely. This town seems like a great place to make a home in.”

Texas glanced down at her papers again. “Now, one last question. As a junior deputy, you understand there’s a lot of risk that’s part of the job, right? And I don’t just bean gettin’ beat up or shot. You could be squashed into a tattoo, turned into panties, crushed to goo. I have a whole list on here that I’m supposed to read out to ya, but I think you get the point.”

“I am well aware of the risks.”

“Well, in case, welcome to the ****,” she said as she set the papers down.

“Thank you,” Ronnie said with a smile as he raised a hand to shake hers.

Texas reached out and shook it firmly. Ronnie suppressed a wince from her firm handshake. “You start tomorrow. Come on in first thing in the morning for your first assignment. There’s one other person working here. She’s named April. I’m sure you’ll meet her eventually.”