After receiving a nice tie from Mason and Mabel for Christmas, Hank Stanley was amused to find out that the twins had also gotten on his computer while he was at work and his son Ford and his wife Wendy were taking a walk around the island, and set him up an account on a dating site. The picture was one they had someone scanned from his days as a young firefighter and posted it. Not angry, but merely amused, he began to look at the women the twins had 'favorited' for him. He then updated his profile with an updated picture and wrote letters or apology to three of the five women the twins has selected for him, rejecting the other two women who were, according to their profiles, in their 20's.
To: Judith B
From: Chief Hank
Date: January 1, 2017
Dear Judith,
Happy New Year!
Please ignore and forgive any past messages you may have received from this account. My grandchildren, meaning well (I think), began this account without my knowledge or consent. The profile picture that HAD been there was from my probie year and has been changed to a more brutally honest and recent picture. Of all the information the only things the grand kids got right was that I am male and a firefighter.
My grandson is looking over my shoulder, telling me I have to write about my scars, as girls like bravery. How do you make the eye roll thing?
So my actual age is 53 and I am the chief of the Alexandra Fire Department. As you can see by the new profile picture, I am a burn victim, but it has not ended my career. The scars are on my forearms, my chest and my face. I don't know about bravery. It was my job. I did it and accidents on the job happen.
In closing, I ask again please forgive my grandchildren. They are fraternal twins and a bit energetic. But they meant well.
Thank you for your time,
Chief Hank
Judith Baldwin comes home from her New Year’s babysitting extravaganza and family visit just before lunch on January 2nd. She’s rung in and rung out from the excitement. However as a teacher she still has another blessed week off work. She plunks her bags in a corner of her bedroom and changes into clean pajamas in the middle of the day, because she can! She opens her closet and pulls on a robe and her fluffy slippers and shuffled to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.
Her boarder, Sky, seems to be out so the house is perfectly quiet, maybe too quiet. She puts on the TV in the room across on the Food Channel as always. Judith can see it from the kitchen island but it’s nothing earth shattering today. Jamie Oliver reruns….meh. While the coffee perks she fires up her laptop and checks her email. There’s a small desk on the end of her kitchen island and she uses her laptop for recipes to it’s a handy spot. Her inbox is full of useless crap and she sighs at it and starts ticking things off to delete. She keeps getting notices from that Table for Two dating site a friend talked her into signing up for. Maybe she should just delete her profile and stop all the spam.
Someone named Chief Hank has added her as a favorite and sent her two messages. With a groan she goes to check, hoping to god it’s not some creep sending her a photo of his male member again. She reported the last one and she’ll do it again! Judith starts to scan the message, her defenses set high and then can’t help but start to laugh. This is clearly the second message sent from this Chief Hank and the first has an adorable story. Not only that, but this is the most polite and articulate correspondence she’s had since she joined. Well done Chief Hank….and his grandchildren. Judith reads over Chief Hank’s profile thoughtfully. He’s handsome. And he’s the Fire Chief on Alexandra? He probably knows her aunt, Martha Bloom. She won’t mention Martha but she will mention the island. Still chuckling, she types out a kind reply and hits send. She opens his profile again and her cursor hovers over the add friend button and then she clicks it. What the hell? He did say he was looking for friends.
To: Chief Hank
From: Judith B
Date: January 2, 2017
Dear Chief Hank,
Happy New Year to you as well.
To be honest, I don’t check my messages here very often since there ends up being a great deal of spam and unwanted mail. However, in receiving your last message I did take the time to go back through some old ones and see what your grandchildren had written on your behalf. It was very sweet and they clearly adore you with all the nice things they said about you. You are a lucky grandfather indeed.
I also have two wonderful little granddaughters so now I know what to watch out for when they’re old enough to sneak on my computer. Right now it’s still all about Frozen. What was that eyeball roll thing you were talking about? It is a lovely story but after the 15th time around the music does wear on my nerves.
Scars are nothing to be ashamed of and the work you do is very noble and important to everyone else who isn’t able to do what you do. I have great respect for people who work in any emergency service capacity.
I know your island well. I have some family there myself. I do hope you had a lovely holiday season with your grandchildren. I certainly enjoyed mine.
Sincerely,
Judith B.
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