Am I Famous Now…

Many times, people who don’t know my family are surprized to discover I am a qualified police agent in Belgium. Of course they most of time want to know why I quit and always the answer “It just wasn’t my world” or “Father’s pressure and expectations where too much, too heavy to carry” are sufficient as an answer. But there is more.

Surely I was too young. Barely did I know that relationships needed to be worked, I hopped from one girl friend to the other or rather from one flirt to the other, but was supposed to intervene in household quarrels, many times households who had been together many, many years.
At the age of 18 I was supposed to be an example for the country. Not only for my family. I was the youngest police agent in Belgium.
Of course I could also tell about many things I have seen happen inside the walls of police stations, things I surely didn’t agree with.

But there was more. (Warning : REALLY long post ahead)

One night. A night that changed my life and was going to change my perceptions on my job. I had finished work at 23.00 and was off for the next 2 days.

I walked to my car, ready to start the weekend. We write friday evening, my first weekend off in 6 weeks. And the only one for the next seven weeks. As soon as I stepped in my car and sat down, I unholstered my 9mm and put holster and gun in the handglove compartiment. Loaded but uncharged.
I drove out of town, to the bar where I was going to meet my 2 week old date. Did I write bar? It was more a regular, low profile local pub, with the regular drunks and the older, once awesomelooking, woman behind the bar.
D was 42 and still was greatlooking. Years ago already I had a faible for slim women at the beginning of their fourties. I regularly went to visit D during day when she was bored and was waiting for the first carpenters coming for their daily dose of lager.
D and I were good friends.

D had a son. He was one year younger as me and hated me. He hated me because his girlfriend had dumped him. Dumped for me.
Maybe because I had a (new) car and he only had a moped. Of course, being only 18 I was proud of my brand new Alfa Romeo. A red one. D’s son was banned from the bar because of the problems he always caused. He lived with his father.
But twice a year he was allowed at the bar: when his team played the local table football team. That day was one of those two days. She hadn’t told me because she thought my girlfriend, the perfect Baywatch Erika Eleniak double, and I were going to club.

We had planned to go clubbing, but would meet at the bar. I would shower at D’s before we took of. D was that nice to let me shower there whenever I wanted. A great friend.
When I arrived at the bar the game was already over. It was almost midnight and most guests were already pretty drunk. It was loud, the local team had won. The son was sitting at the corner of the bar and speaking with his mother. He was trying to lift his ban. As soon as I came into the bar, my trained police view had immediately spotted him.
EE (my girlfriend’s name in this entry) was sitting next to him and dressed as a queen. Sensual, showing enough of flesh and her hair done perfectly. Even Liz Hurley would have been jealous.
I kissed her and later kissed D.

I could feel the virtual knife in between my shoulder blades when I greeted D. While D was making me my drink, EE was going to drive (my car) that night, he asked my why I brought clothes into the pub. He was very hostile. Before I could even answer, I wanted to tell him that EE was driving that night but I still needed to change, his mother shouted him to shuttup.
This didn’t improve the hostility. He asked me if I was staying at D’s and pushed me on the breast while doing so. Loud as he was, his team mates had heard him and all came to the bar.
7 drunks between 20 and 45 years old. After I had told him that I was going out and needed to change in the bathroom, he told his mates that I was shagging his mother. The atmosphere was set.

I knew this was going to end badly. I still had my uniform trousers and shirt on. One guy asked me if I were a cop -damn, I need to integrate pullquotes.
Before anyone could say anything, I told him we could go outside and speak about his problem. D was trying to pull him out of the bar.
Of course he agreed, thinking we could settle this. His mates quickly followed him. I was first outside and quickly saw myself surrounded by 8 men. Son and 7 other drunks. All were hostile to me.

Fuck!
8 is too much. Since they were drunk and I wasn’t, I was sure I could handle 3, maybe even 4, but I was in a lost position. My car was only one step away. I unlocked it with the remote, jumped into and grabbed my gun. It was still uncharged when I pulled it. I shouted D, who was standing outside now together with EE, to call the cops. The other guests had obeyed her request to stay inside. I bet they were waiting for hell to break lose, but so far they were still tame.

I showed the 8 my police badge and asked them to quietly leave the location, otherwise I would have to arrest them for public drunkness. They turned quiet and were ready to leave as they had heard that D had called the cops.
All but one were quite.

D’s son. Stupid little annoyance he was, he starting shouting at and insulting me. Just as usual I stayed stoic in this situation, but moods got heatened up again. He claimed I couldn’t arrest him since I was off duty. Poor little bugger, not knowing the police always works and is responsible for the public peace and tranquility anywhere and anytime.

Suddenly he ran towards me, fist ready to punch. I still had my 9mm in hand. Because I had only one hand free I was handicapped. I wasn’t allowed to use my gun and my holster still was in the car. Luckily he was quite drunk and a small side-step allowed me to kick him in the side.
I was fit, very fit at that time. Within seconds I had handcuffed him. I always wore my handcuffs until I arrived home because they didn’t disturb me while driving.
I was afraid, scared that the other guys would jump on me and the bar’s regular would join the party.

But it was my lucky day. They seemed to be very impressed by the speed of my actions and stayed calm. Looking at how their mate was handcuffed on the ground, face down. My boot on his face.

D’s brother had joined us now. She had called him first. The cops were still not there. It was a small village and during the weekends the closest police station was 10 miles away. The brother was very well known and respected in the village. As he told everyone to leave (the 7 are meant) they obeyed and left the scene. He pulled his nephew up while I put my gun back in the car. The still handcuffed son got a monstruous beating, that unfair I had to stop D’s brother.

I now called the cops to explain what happened and they asked me if they still had to come. I said that everything was under control, the 7 had left now, and that their presence wasn’t needed anymore. I guess they preferred to return to their table of cards as they immediately decided not to come.
When I was done calling, I went back inside. D, her son and brother were already inside, EE was in the girl’s bathroom. The son was still handcuffed. I dragged him into the bathroom, in front of the remaining guests. Once arrived there I told him I wasn’t going to file a complaint or sue him, but I also told him not to frequent any place I frequented anymore.

I uncuffed him. He stood in front of me, back to me. As soon as both hands where free he elbowed me in the ribs. I smacked his face on the wall and told him to start running before I got really angry and furious.
He immediately left.

When I returned back in the bar, I got the welcome of a hero. Everyone welcomed me heartly and many drinks were offered to me. They all had lived several years of the son’s terrorship.

I felt fucked.

What was going to happen now? How was I going to explain this at work, and most of all to my father?
I had pulled my gun in (outside of) a bar AFTER work. Because I was going to get beaten up because of a woman.

D had prepared me a triple espresso. I was still a pussy and only drank triple espressis. She gave me the key of her house so I cold shower and told me EE and I could stay over night if we preferred to relax after this.
While showering EE joined me and gave me a much needed back rub. I started to feel better and was looking forward to go clubbing. Soon we left D’s and the bar. Everything had turned back to normal and the guests all had fun again.

Although I could have felt better, the night at the club was great. The DJs were fabulous and everyone was freaking out. EE and I were mainly lounging and cuddling… and being naughty. We left in the early day hours, around the time my parents woke up and bought breakfast rolls for them. I had asked EE if she wanted to join us for breakfast. I was going to tell my father what had happened.

As soon as I had opened the door and walked in our living room I saw my father. He was furious. Before I could even say Hi he jumped up and walked towards me. My father was a bear: 6′2″ and 202lbs. I was only 166lbs. He grabbed me at my shirt, smacked me against the wall and started beating the shit out of me.
In front of EE.

I didn’t react, I had expected this to happen. EE left and ran to my car. Luckily as soon as I started bleeding my father stopped beating me up. The few times he used physical violence on me, he always has stopped as soon as I started bleeding. Today again.
He was shouting at me… stuff about his career being over and so on.

I left our house and joined EE in the car. She was in shock. My upperlip was bleeding. She wanted to take me to her place and stay there, but I told her I had to drive to my squad and do some explaining. Before my father would call them. She agreed on joining me for the trip.

My commanding officer was nicer than my father. He assured me there would be no investigation as long as D’s son didn’t sue me. More even D. had called them and was going to witness (as much as she were allowed to witness as mother) in my favour the next day.

Recomforted I spend the next days with EE and D. We decided I was going to live at D’s.
Monday evening, as normal, I returned to work. I still suffered my wounds. My face had all colours of the rainbow by now. Upon arrival a colleague told me that someone of the national disciplinary commission was there. One of the teachers of the police academy. Immediately I knew whom, I hated that cunt.
Because he hated my father. He was my father’s rival in this thing called my father’s career. The news about my action had spread fast and this vulture, teaching aspiring police agents cultural ethics had seen his chance to get the position both he and my father wanted. He told me he would n’t investigate the case if I would convince my father to drop his application for the job. Otherwise he’ld have to inform the media.

I knew this story was going to go far. I just fucking knew it from the moment I saw D.’s son in the bar.

But I was stubborn and told vulture I’ld rather resign ON THE SPOT than give him and his cowardly offer any chance. That bastard was not going to ruin my father’s career.
My father who had just beaten the shit out of me some days ago.

I called my commanding officer and told him I was resigning IMMEDIATELY, explanation to be followed. I said that as soon as vulture had left, he could come to collect my peppar spray, gun and last but not least my badge.

Now it was my turn to play. I told vulture now that I was no police agent anymore, I had enough to contact the media and screw his career. Unless he dropped his application in favour of my dad.

Guess who won.
My father got his aspired spot a year later. Cheers dude!

There I was. Face beaten to shit and I had just resigned left the world of internal blackmail. Unemployed.
Since the beating I hadn’t seen my parents anymore. Now I had one more thing to explain… and to collect all my stuff to move in at D.’s.

Still somehow I felt liberated. Those 20 minutes at D.’s bar changed my life. And made me write the longest entry of my life (so far). So far part da fourth of my mini-bio.