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Johnny Wise was never known for his good manners. He was a rough and gruff man, who always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Despite his less than charming demeanor, Johnny was a well-respected member of the Mafia...
He had worked his way up the ranks over the years, and was now one of the top enforcers for the New York branch of the organized crime syndicate...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTyvyruwFu
However, Johnny had grown tired of the life of a gangster. The violence and deceit had taken a toll on him, and he longed for something more meaningful. So, he made the bold decision to quit the Mafia and become a private detective...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuTREJiunm
Johnny set up shop in the heart of the city and quickly made a name for himself. He was tough and relentless, and he always got the job done. But despite his success, Johnny remained a loner. He lived in a small house and spent most of his free time drinking and playing cards with his buddies at the local bar...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqE95lfED1
That all changed one summer day when Johnny was grilling in his backyard. He heard the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the neighboring yard...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6LAr2KgOo
Meanwhile Rocky, his dog had gone over to the pond and seized one of their ducks and brought it back placing it at his feet. Rocky looked at him, wagging his tail expectantly. Johnny shook his head and picked up the duck, hoping it was still alive...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t0pGRrlcG
Rocky looked at me, I honestly think that he wanted me to cook the duck for him. He got that sweet, crazy, delightful odor of barbecue chicken and now wanted some barbecue duck!280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxBowBHuXG
But,280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18QCANXGjx
I rescued the duck and started strolling with the intent of returning it to my next door neighbor's pond,280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LX9RKWE3L
but, really, Quite honestly I did entertain the thought of some Mallard duck soup...
Heh, heh, heh!280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDK0jbVknd
Anyway, I gave Rocky several hotdogs off the grill, then walked over to the fence that separated my yard from the neighbor's and saw a woman sitting on a lawn chair, reading a book. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim figure. And was wearing a red bikini that left little to the imagination...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKBbN9EVsU
I cleared my throat and said, "Excuse me, miss. I think this belongs to you."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyHea96wAq
The woman looked up and gasped. She saw Johnny holding her duck by its neck, and Rocky sitting behind him, licking his chops...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuO2FFZ1mx
She jumped up from her chair and ran towards him, screaming, "You monster! You killed my duck! How could you do such a thing?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsRMjuORjr
Johnny was taken aback by her reaction. He said, "Hey, calm down. I didn't kill your duck. My dog almost did. And he didn't mean any harm. He's just a playful pup."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qeGRyqjOj
The woman reached the fence and snatched the duck from Johnny's hands. She cradled it in her arms and checked for signs of life. She said, "You liar! Your dog is a killer! And you're an accomplice! You should be ashamed of yourself!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOF8WPRqxb2
Johnny felt a surge of anger. He said, "Look lady, I don't know who you are or what your problem is, but you need to chill out. It's just a duck. It's not like it's your child or something."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhiNz2I2N8
The woman glared at him and said, "How dare you? This duck is more than just an animal. It's my pet. It's my friend. It has a name. It's Daisy."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13EyP8Ye0c
Johnny rolled his eyes and said, "Daisy? Seriously? That's a stupid name for a duck."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutjmTymaMR
What's your name sweetheart?280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCajk8ozHI
"The name is Eva and I'm definitely not your sweetheart. Idiot! And you havn't any taste either. Daisy is a beautiful name for a beautiful duck!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7co2Ty8qGL
Johnny snorted and said, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say lady!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Div64GOeT
Eva exclaimed, "You know what? You're not worth my time. You're rude and insensitive and ignorant. You don't deserve to live next to me."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ioVYZNW4C
Johnny said, "Fine by me. I don't want to live next to you either. You're annoying, hysterical and crazy. You didn't deserve to have any ducks."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBePLw6p0P
Eva said, "Oh yeah? Well, you don't deserve to have a dog."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1Bxd7Az0W
Johnny grinned, saying, "Well, you don't deserve to have a bikini." Eva said, "What does that even mean?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Pt0ykhr7d
Johnny begin chuckling, "It means you look terrible in it."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgYNUjMNLr
She said, "That's it! You've crossed the line! I'm going to report you to the authorities!" Johnny said, "Go ahead! See if I care!" Eva said, "I will! And I hope they lock you up!" Johnny said, "Yeah? Well, I hope they lock you up for being a Loony Toon!" And disturbing the peace.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOgOxPu53o
Eva cried, "No, I'm not! You're disturbing the peace!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALyrcntqIS
Johnny said, "No, you are!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDG4TLPibPC
The woman said, "No, you are!"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWRIuo6JON
They continued to argue like this for several minutes until they were interrupted by another voice.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL85KW21mF2
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What's going on here?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzKmMTLa50
They turned and saw a man standing on the other side of the fence. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and a muscular build. He was wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants, and a badge. He was a cop.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbgWCSVwNm
He said, "I'm Officer Brad. I'm responding to a noise complaint. What's the problem?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyBGvtbaQ7
Johnny and the woman looked at each other and then at the cop. They both said, "He/she started it!"
The officer sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, alright. Calm down. Let's start with some introductions.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjUeuSRS4h
"Who are you two?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2FUnWtKWl
Johnny stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Hi there. I'm John, and this is my dog Rocky. We live next door." The woman stepped forward as well, still clutching her dead duck. "My name is Evelina and this," she gestured to the lifeless bird, "Is Daisy. We also live next door." Officer Brad nodded, scribbling notes into his pad. 280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2yrDL08qw
"And what seems to be the issue, folks?" Johnny spoke first. "Well, my dog got loose earlier and ended up in umm...Miss Evelina's backyard where he unfortunately, accidentally killed her duck." The officer raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit of a mouthful Mr. ... uh ... John?" 280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF28optaBiw
"Call me Johnny. Sorry about that."
The officer smiled slightly. "Apology accepted Johnny. Now, let's hear from Miss Evelina." Evelina took a deep breath before speaking. "Mr. Officer, Johnny's dog attacked and killed my beloved pet Daisy without provocation. 280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YcGSntCm5
Not only has he caused immense emotional distress upon me, but now my family won't have fresh eggs or companionship because of HIM!" Both Johnny and Officer Brad stared blankly at Evelina for a few moments before bursting into laughter.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ0WcZO8sd
After gaining composure again, the Officer Brad began writing furiously in his note pad once more. Evelina narrowed her gaze, staring quite menacingly. "I assume you find my situation amusing, sir?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcgWsp40dE
May I remind the both of you, that someone just lost their life today due to his stupid negligence!" Officer Brad held up his hand to placate Evelina.
"Miss Evelina, I apologize if our reactions seemed disrespectful."280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxeDkaWbfo
However, it appears that there may have been some issues regarding the nature of Daisy's death. He winked and turned to face Johnny again. "Is that correct, Johnny? Did you witness exactly how Daisy passed away?"280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlrtPZBVZ4
Johnny scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Uh, no sir. I actually wasn't present when the murder took place."
Sir!
All I can tell you is that when I found them together, Daisy the duck was probably deceased.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtcM3jmHFW
Officer Brad then stated that no real harm had been done and that they needed to work it out.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXxKy07Rbv
And left the scene in his patrol car...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYhBgebu2x
I said to Eva, "Hey I'm sorry about your duck. There's no point in my not being cordial.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8Nu3gVkl0
Sweetheart, won't you please come over and have some marvelous chicken with me. Yeah, maybe I was a little too rash, you're a sweet looking doll!280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBvldF7ik6
(Still frowning, she looked at Johnny and hesitated but decided to join him)
It turned out that Eva was married to her husband named Jim, they had moved from Miami a year ago and had few friends...
Over the next few weeks, they grew quite close, some would say that they became almost inseparable. They spend hours chatting, barbecuing together, and Johnny finally felt like he had found someone who understood him.
But, one day when Eva's husband suddenly disappeared, Johnny knew he had to help her.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4zz91vlF7
He threw himself into the case, determined to uncover the truth. Following up on every lead, and interviewed every witness, putting together every clue. It turn out ironically enough that he was actually a hitman in the mafia but the bosses at the top decided when he got busted by a narc, that he was a liability and had to go!
Eva was absolutely taken aback by this tragic news because she had absolutely no idea of her husband line of work inside the mafia. Johnny and Eva became even closer after that tragic occurence and they soon grew very attached to each other...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjYp9lJB3c
Johnny started to change, he was kinder, gentler and even more patient than before. He finally had the serene, meaningful life he had been searching for, and he owed it all to Eva...280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRuTXJs052
Years later, Johnny and Eva were still together. They got married and had a family of their own. As Johnny sat on their porch, sipping cold lemonade and silently watching their children play, he couldn't help but reflect on how far he had come. From a rude and brutish gangster to a loving husband and father. It was a transformation he never could have imagined before...
But he was grateful for every step of his tough journey, for it had brought him to the place where he truly belonged,280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVteXzw75P
by his wife Eva's loving side.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv95REVJbi0
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© Charles Kemp
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