Rocky

Ryan Yamada sipped slowly from a cup of strong black coffee as he poured over his designated stack of incident reports that would dictate the course of his day. He was just deciding between following up on a vandalism report or a break and enter incident when his eyes were drawn upward by motion passing the top of his cubicle and the familiar waft of Lily of the Valley perfume. His sister Stephanie rounded the corner of the inadequate partition. She was smiling but with a determined look in her deep brown eyes, and to Ryan’s alarm she was holding a large wire mesh cage containing a hamster.

“Good morning!” Stephanie chided.

She had shiny jet black hair like Ryan’s, her own worn long with the front pulled back. Stephanie shared the same slim athletic type build as Ryan and had similarly even skin. The two both took after their mother, Sakura. Their older brother Garrett was built thicker, like their father Hiroshi, and had skin that showed all his life’s marks. Stephanie was wearing a green patterned sundress with a light matching summer cardigan over it and high heeled beige strappy sandals. Her purse matched the shoes and her pedicure matched the dress. To say Stephanie was organized was an understatement.

Ryan eyed the cage warily “Uh hi…why are you carrying that around? Show and tell at Tristan’s day camp?”

Stephanie shook her head and gave her brother a look of disappointment “No and I see you haven’t read my email yet or you’d know why I’m here. This is Rocky. We have him over the summer from the school. He has an anxiety disorder so he gets a little queasy if he’s left alone too long, and he needs to get used to people. I figure you guys should get to know each other since he’s yours on the list of care duties regarding Tristan when I go away.” Her cheery smile returned as she said brightly “He’ll keep you company at work!”

Ryan watched with restrained shock as his sister shoved piles of work aside on his desk and made a featured space for the cage. She started detailing a litany of feeding, water bottle filling and shavings changing that mostly flew by him because of the speed she delivered it at. When she stopped for a breath he asked with a tone of dread “There’s a ….list….. of duties?”

Stephanie sighed and then laughed “Don’t worry. It’s super easy if you and Gare follow it in order. I numbered it actually. Mom’s back at work now that Dad’s doing a bit better so she can’t be expected to do all the child care. Plus she’s doing my job part time too.  I put Tristan in camp again then though so he’s sorted during the day, unless he gets sick….then one of you has to stay with him…but its summer so he probably won’t.” Stephanie shifted her purse higher onto her shoulder and leaned in giving Ryan a peck on the cheek “You guys are awesome though. I haven’t had a vacation in years. This is going to be so amazing. Have you seen Tams by the way? She wasn’t at the front desk.”

Ryan stared at her like a deer in the headlights. He was completely overwhelmed with information and obligation. Finally it registered that he was expected to answer a question so he stammered through.

“Uh yeah…no problem. I think she’s on community service supervision. Check the beach. It’s clean up day. Listen Steph, I really need to get to these.” He gestured at his stack of reports and she took the hint and wrapped up.

“I know. I just wanted to bring this little guy by. I’ll catch you later at the restaurant. Bring Rocky OK?”

Ryan nodded and chuckled to himself “Yeah OK. See ya.”

No sooner had Stephanie left the building and his phone vibrated on silent in his left chest pocket. He took it out and it was Garrett trying to face time him. With a wince Ryan slid his finger across his phone to unlock and then answered.

“You guys know I’m at work right? Steph just left. I do actually have shit to do.”

Garrett looked and sounded like he had just woken up, which he probably had considering he worked nights as a sushi chef in their parent’s restaurant “Nine pages.” He mumbled.

Ryan squinted in confusion at his brother’s face on the screen “What?” Garrett had his phone held at extreme close up so his face filled the entire screen. His head was tilted back so Ryan could see up his nose. The effect was disturbing to anyone new to face time with Garrett as this was his standard operating mode. When he laughed his mouth took over the screen. Ryan often teased him saying he could pick Garrett’s tonsils out of a police line up.

“Nine fuckin pages man. I just put Steph’s duty list into a word document. Does she really think we’re going to starve the kid and let him stay up all night?”

Ryan laughed “Yep. We gotta do the list in order or the kid turns to sugar and melts. But we can’t give him any sugar or it happens faster. But don’t worry Gare, I’m on hamster duty so you dodged one.” He shifted his screen to show Rocky running anxiously on his small plastic wheel.

Garrett laughed heartily, with his mouth opened fully and creepily across the screen, “Suckah! K go arrest someone or something.”

Ryan shook his head “Not likely but thanks. See you tonight man.” He tapped to close his phone app and looked up into the not remotely amused face of Chief Nick Callahan.

“Officer Yamada, that’s one personal visit and one personal call today. Do you have any other social distractions that are going to keep you from getting to your work I should be aware of?”

Ryan gulped  “No Sir.”

Rocky let out a high pitched squeak and Callahan looked down at the cage in disdain “What’s with the rat?”

“It’s a hamster Sir. My nephew’s but my sister needs me to…” He broke off as the police chief’s impatient glare bore through him.

Nick Callahan was simultaneously ancient looking and ageless. His skin had a leathery quality to it. He had steely blue grey eyes and cropped white hair cut that likely never dared to to grow and a small neatly kept white goatee. His sparse but expressive eyebrows were potentially a life form of their own and they furrowed, threatening to jump off his face at Ryan and consume him whole.

“You know what, not important. I’m going to hit the pavement and do these follow up calls.”