Read Part 1.1 here
Read Part 1.2 here
Read Part 1.3 here
Chapter 1: The Ride-Along
Part 4: Sophie
Sophie wanted to know what had happened, but kept her silence while Sam talked on the radio. She heard some more random sets of numbers, and it felt just like the cop shows she enjoyed watching on TV. It was a secret language for a secret club, and she got to snoop, just like Harriet the Spy.
She was surprised when Sam turned to her and gave her a quick rundown about a box of batteries and a nervous teenager. She couldn’t help but smile sympathetically – the poor boy must have been terrified. But, as Nanna would say, all’s well that ends well. Hopefully the young man learned his lessons of both taking care and being honest.
Sam started driving around the neighborhood again, including a loop past her apartment building.
“Do you like living there?” he asked.
Shock at the personal question when she had been trying to get her mind back on work left her speechless for a moment.
“I don’t dislike it,” she finally settled on responding.
“Hmm,” was all Sam said. She studied her iPad and picked a question.
“What made you decide to be a police officer?”
He actually looked surprised by the question.
“What? Nobody’s asked you that before?” she prompted.
“I mean, sure, they have. Just not in a while. I’ve been an officer for almost 5 years. Also, what does this have to do with the city’s marketing?”
“Why people do what they do is, to me, an essential component of capturing the heart of whatever it is I’m trying to present.”
“Isn’t marketing all about buffing and polishing something to perfection?” Sam argued.
Sophie couldn’t resist a smile. “Not to me. Marketing is about showing people your best side, which should always be truthful. Since I’m marketing humans, there’s no perfection involved.”
“In that case…” Sam paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. “I became a police officer because my grandfather spoke highly of his years on the force. I liked the idea of hard work for an important, honorable cause. I like serving God and my community in my work.”
Sophie’s head snapped up. “You’re a Christian?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied with quiet sincerity. His warm voice sent little tingles down her spine.
“Me, too,” she offered up.
“Yeah? Where do you go to church?”
“Uh, currently Mt. Calvary, but…” she hesitated.
“But what?” Sam prompted.
“It’s not the right fit for me,” she finally finished.
“Why not?” No judgment, just curiosity. Huh.
“I’m, uh…” She squirmed a little, then forced herself to be still. “I’m not a fan of the worship style. Contemporary music. Changing the liturgy all the time.”
“I understand. I’m the same way. I go to Bethel Lutheran over New Albany. It’s only a 20-minute drive. You’re welcome to come sometime,” Sam offered with a little shrug.
“Thank you. I’ll look it up.” She cleared her throat. “Can I ask more questions now?”
“By all means,” Sam replied with mock graciousness, bringing another smile. He really was a nice guy to be around.
“What do you like least about your job?” Ooh, this was one of her favorite things to ask people. It revealed so much, and she waited with great anticipation to hear his answer.
“Easy. Paperwork.”
She couldn’t contain a little snort at that. How very predictable.
“What’s one step better than paperwork but still unpleasant?”
“Aw, man, that’s not fair. I don’t have an answer ready,” he groused.
“Good. That means you spend more time focused on the good than the bad. But I still want an answer if you have one.”
A comfortable silence descended on the car, interrupted by the sounds of life happening outside the open windows. Sophie cued into birds chirping in one of the huge, old trees in the boulevard, a couple of other cars driving down the street, and the loud laughter of two women on a front porch. It felt cozy and homey, and made Sophie want to climb out of the car and just breath in the air.
“I thought I was going to choose the hard calls, the ones that get under my skin and just make me sick at the evil in the world. But I think it’s actually listening to coworkers complain. I love my job, even on the ugly days, and it makes me sad when my colleagues lose sight of the great privilege we have,” Sam spoke out of the blue.
Sophie hurried to scribble some notes on her iPad as she listened. His words gave voice to the pride and responsibility he felt in his role. Slightly ashamed, Sophie realized that this was really the first time she had thought about police officers as individual humans, not cookie cutter robots filling a mold, devoid of personality. Clearly, Sam was a person, with relatives and opinions and a life outside of his job.
Did he see her as a robot, too? Probably not. He would encounter so many different people in his job that he was likely much more self-aware than she was. She felt every year of that age gap pretty strongly right this moment.
She cleared her throat – again – she really needed to stop doing that – and looked back at her question list.
“And what do you like most about your job?” she asked.
“Mmm… So many things,” Sam mused. “I like being able to help people, making friends in the community, learning new skills. I think every police officer has to like the satisfaction of getting the bad guys off the streets.”
“Of course,” Sophie agreed. What little kid hadn’t played some version of cops & robbers? That thought prompted a sudden stab of longing for her family, which she ruthlessly shoved back in the heart-box labeled “Later”.
Over the course of the next several hours, Sam responded to just one more call, this time a stalled vehicle blocking an intersection. She watched him masterfully direct traffic, then, with the help of a few bystanders, push the car through the intersection to the side of the road. He stayed with the woman driving the car until the tow truck came. All the while, Sophie jotted down her reflections – professionalism, attention to detail, competence, calm, good attitude. Her brain was already whirling with ideas about how she would like to present the police force to the community and to people who might visit or consider moving here.
All in all, today had been very productive on two fronts: she had obtained a treasure trove of data to inform and support her work, and she had found out about a church that just might suit her. She refused to think about the potential for a friendship. She knew she was just here for a job, and Sam would sooner be rid of her than befriend her. Not for the first time in the last 8 months, she wished she was better at making friends. Today, her heart felt lonely.
Keep reading! Part 2.1 can be found here on 2/28/25.