Now that you've survived the holidays, why don't you take some time to sit back and relax for a little while? Put your feet up, and join me in taking a little virtual stroll down Emergency! memory lane with retired LACoFD Captain Hank Stanley. It’s a look back at moments from the show -- some obscure, some funny, some poignant -- moments that remind us why we’re still fans after all these years. I hope you enjoy the sentimental journey.
"SNAPSHOTS"
Well, we’ve closed the door on another year. I look around, and... and wonder where the time has gone. I can hardly believe it’s been thirty years since I first set foot in Station 51. Boy, that’s a long time ago. Every now and then, we’re lucky to be a part of something that stays with us, no matter where we go, or what we do. I was lucky when I drew that assignment. From the minute they lined up for the first roll call under my command, I knew I had inherited a pretty special bunch of men. A little crazy, I came to find out, but I guess I kind of fit right in.
Mike Stoker, Marco Lopez, Chet Kelly, Roy DeSoto, John Gage. As individuals, they were... unique, to say the least. As firefighters, they were better than the best. I was proud to lead them, and I was proud to serve with them. I was proud to call them friends. Somewhere along the line, we became a family. The six years we spent together were some of the best of my career. Hell, they may have been some of the best of my life.
You know, sometimes, I can close my eyes and picture life at Los Angeles County Fire Station 51 as though it was only yesterday....
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
"Well, this man's seriously injured. He belongs in a hospital environment in the hands of doctors, not... lying on the ground with some half-trained firemen fiddling with him."
~ ~ ~ ~
"Don't take it too seriously. He's upset."
"Is there a problem?"
"If there was, you'd of heard about it from me."
~ ~ ~ ~
"Hey, fellas. Would you go back and get my bike?"
"You gotta be kiddin'."
"Listen, I worked all summer for that thing."
"Wanna go back and tell the bull about it?"
~ ~ ~ ~
"Hmmm. 98s? That's a... uh, brush fire station."
"Yeah."
"They don't, uh... they don't have paramedics up there."
"That's right."
"You gonna quit the program?"
"I talked to Joanne about it. Yeah. I think so."
~ ~ ~ ~
“… And he’s thinking of quitting. Doctor, he’s taken care of people in places that would curl your hair. When was the last time you risked your life for a patient? Well, they do it with some regularity. Doctor, you were ten miles out of line.”
Problem 09-16-72.
* * * * * * * *
“Look at him. He’s arguing with a dog. And he’s losin’.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I think… uh… I think Boot deserted us.”
“Well, I guess he figures that… uh… snorkels are more exciting.”
“Yeah, well, I guess maybe he’s got a point. I mean, if I were a dog, I’d certainly think a… snorkel is a heck of a lot more exciting than this. I mean, I remember when I was a kid.... Aah, I sure wanted to be up on that big engine, ridin’ around. You know what I really wanted to be? I mean, what I really wanted to be? I wanted to be a tillerman. A tillerman. You know, up there on that big engine, steering it, and havin’ everybody look at me and everything. Well, I guess if a… a kid… heck, if a kid could want that, so could a dog. I mean, dogs and kids… they’re an awful lot alike. I mean, they… they have a lot of things in common. I mean, picture Boot up there in that cage. There he is with the… the wind blowin’ through his fur and he’s barkin’, and everybody else is hollerin’ at everybody else....
Kids 09-23-72
* * * * * * * *
“The girls. Here we go again. You’re just getting yourself turned on over absolutely nothing.”
“Nothing? You call a bunch of beautiful models nothing? The trouble with you Roy, is… you’ve been married too long.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Wh-What was that all about?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb, Gage. You’ve just been selected male model of the year.”
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Could I see that smile once again, please?”
Show Biz 09-30-72
* * * * * * * *
“I kinda played with that monkey, too.”
“Don’t worry about me, Doctor. I’m a fireman’s wife. Remember?”
“He’s got one foot in the morgue already.”
“Aw, Cap. I’m bushed. Roy’s better with the kids. Let him do it.”
“Hey Johnny! Are you okay?”
“Engine 51. Have the ambulance send up another stretcher. Gage is in trouble.”
“Hey, Roy. Man, I think I… I got....”
“John Gage is on his way with a 104 temperature.”
“Not any more. It’s up a full degree.”
“Tim Duntley just died.”
“Madi? I’m sorry.”
“Yes, ma’am.... If he’s okay enough to listen.”
“Is… is he… okay? Johnny?”
“My temporary partner.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey, Johnny. H-… How you feelin’?”
“Oh, not bad. Not bad. Course, I… I’m still awfully weak. Boy, it was rough.”
“I tell you what’s really rough. And, that’s having young Romeo here for a roommate. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but he was sure a lot easier to live with when he was still in a coma.”
Virus 10-07-72
* * * * * * * *
“Hey, Gage. Can I ask you a question?”
“Careful.”
“Shoot.”
“Why is it you ever left the reservation?”
“Now, is that a crack, or is that a question?”
“If you ask me, it sounds like bait.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What a way to make a living.”
“You know somethin’, Gage? I think you’re bitter.”
“Aw, you noticed.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Maybe it’s some of that Indian blood in him.”
“Oh, that’s right. On…on....on....on his grandmother’s side.
“Yeah. The princess.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“As of right now, no more Indian jokes.”
“All right-”
“-Now, wait a minute. I object to that. I mean, let’s not get carried away.”
“Well, now wait a minute. What do you mean… you object to it?”
“I like the jokes. I mean, we do need a little bit of humor around here.”
“Well, yeah, fine. But, I mean. Find your own humor at somebody else’s expense.”
“You know what your problem is? You… you’re too sensitive.”
“Sensitive? Me?”
“Well, you know you’re not the most objective guy around here, you know.”
“Now, wait a minute. What makes you an authority on objectivity? I mean, look, I can take a joke just like the next guy.”
“Eh. Only if the next guy happens to be stone deaf.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Well, it was one of those natural instincts the anthros talk about. You see, it’s an awful lot like a blanket, and, ev-v-v-erybody knows us redskins have a big thing for our blankets.... Ten-four?”
Peace Pipe 10-14-72
* * * * * * * *
“You just have to know what I’m reading, dontcha?”
“I do?”
“I can feel you askin’ me. All right. It’s a saddle catalog. Yes… I’m buying a saddle. And a horse.”
Well?”
“Well what?”
“Go ahead. Go ahead.”
“You know, Johnny, you’re too suspicious. I…I… I wouldn’t kid you if you were serious.”
“How does ten thousand dollars grab you?”
“That’s very serious.”
“I figure I could pick up at least that much, every year, on my days off. You know how?”
“No, but you’re gonna tell me, ri-”
“-Rodeos.”
“Rodeos?”
“Rodeos. There’s at least a dozen of them in this area alone. And, with real fat purses, too. Now, calf roping is my specialty, but…uh, I may enter into some of the other events. I am going to be… rolling in bread.”
“Or.... Something… else. Uh, have you ever tried calf roping?”
(an incredulous laugh....)
“Well, have you?”
“You know, it just so happens-”
“-I had to ask-”
“-it just so happens, I was raised on a ranch. I mean, I must’ve roped at…at…at least a thousand calves. And, I was taught by experts. My people. I can handle a rope better than an-”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Yeah, I know what you want to do. But, you see, I have to ride with him. Now, if he does badly with you guys watchin’ him, he’s gonna be miserable.
“Well, we could be wrong. He might do great.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Then, he’ll make me miserable.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I’m not a Catholic.”
“I don’t think God would mind.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I guess it’s not heaven… but you two sure look like angels to me.”
“You’re a little sicker than I thought.”
Saddled 10-21-72
* * * * * * * *
“She did. We did. But it wasn’t quite like I figured it.”
“No? What happened?”
“Well, Johnny here got into a little disagreement with the lady deputy.”
“She worked you over?”
“Oh, come on.”
“The way I read it, she just can’t separate pleasure from duty.”
“Will you let me tell it? Now, the trouble with her is, she can’t separate pleasure from duty.”
“I like my version better.”
Fuzz Lady 11-04-72
* * * * * * * *
“… so anyway, I start grabbing at anything available to stop my slide, which… happened to be an overgrown weed, sticking out the side of a cliff. So… Ed. Roy. … about the time I start repenting for a lifetime of sin, I stop sliding. It was a little too close for me.”
“So. Are you still gonna repent for a lifetime of sin?”
“You think we should go back to the station?”
“Johnny, you didn’t answer my question.”
“See you later, Dix.”
“Johnny...?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I suppose… you think I fouled up, too? Huh?”
“Ed. What I think is… uh… if anything ever happened to me, you’d be the last person in the world I’d want responding.”
“Well, that’s a pretty heavy crack. Considering.”
“Considering what? Considering the fact that you almost killed a patient if Roy hadn’t a stopped you?”
“Oh, come on, Gage, don’t give me that. You guys didn’t have any idea that using that airway was dangerous. So don’t sound off like some Monday morning quarterback.”
“I’m not.... Look, I’m not talkin’ about the airway. The minute you started going into business for yourself, is when you started fouling up, and you know it.”
“Ah, the book again, huh? Can’t you guys ever do anything but think about playing it safe? Listen, I was saving lives in Vietnam when you were still in training- "
“-oh Ed, spare me the speech. I’ve heard it. And I’m not impressed with it, or you. Man, you better talk to this jerk, because I’m ready to give up on him.”
“Well. I guess that puts me right down the old sewer, then. I know I don’t have to ask how you feel....”
“No. You don’t have to ask. But, I’m gonna tell you anyway....”
Trainee 11-11-72
* * * * * * * *
“Give these chicks an inch, and they’ll take over. How’d you like to live with a dinosaur like that? You know what she sounded like? She sounded like some wom-”
“Hey, Gage. You know what you sound like? You sound like every man I’ve ever known. Arrogant, conceited, chauvinistic, misogynistic-”
“-Wait a minute. Come again on that last one?”
“It means woman-hater.”
“Oh, yeah? What a great word. Misogynistic… that’s a great word.”
“You really like being a jerk, don’t you?”
“Well, I like being a man, if that’s what you mean. And, I’m getting an especially big tickle out of watching you -- whatever you are -- try to undo a couple million years’ evolution with a couple smart remarks. Well, anyway, that’s… that’s beside the point. I thought you journalists were supposed to have open minds. All you’ve done since you’ve been here, is poke holes in somethin’ you don’t know anything about. The fire department for one.”
“Well, it’s so full of holes right now, if I poked any more, it would disintegrate.”
“Well, it was doin’ all right this morning.”
“Uh… Look. I… I got an idea. Why don’t we go to the hospital to see how Zalenski’s doin’?”
“Great. I’d like to take some notes.”
“On what? On the theory that a woman driver would have never been in that accident?”
“You have fun while you can, Gage. Because when my article comes out, there isn’t going to be a woman in this country who’s going to have anything to do with you.”
“Yeah, well, if you… write as fast as you’ve matured, I’ve got forever.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Mistakes like that can kill people.”
“Take it easy, Kel.”
“I guess you’re right, Dix. Maybe, I shouldn’t have been so rough on her. After all, she’s not a doctor.”
“I object to that!”
“Nooo… Not again.”
“You keep out of this, Gage. As head of the department, you should be the last person to discriminate.”
“Christie, cool it.”
“No. No, uh.... Please continue.”
“Between the fire department and this hospital, I have seen nothing but male exploitation, discrimination, egos-
“-Ohh, I think I need a tranquilizer.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Ah, where is she?”
“Well, if she was a normal-type girl, she’d be out powdering her nose, but I think I saw her arguing with a brick wall… and, she’s winning.”
“I just talked to Dick Friend, and he wants us to keep her around here at least until supper time.”
“Yeah, I know. For the good of the program. If she hangs around here any more, we’re not gonna have a program.”
“I… I think she’s very talented.”
“You want to fight a fire with her?”
“Roy, Gage is right. She’s about as talented as a tapeworm.”
“She’s just going through a stage. She’s young.”
“Oh, yeah. Young. I know. She’s just a little baby. She’s a baby barracuda.”
“Baby barracuda, huh?”
“Baby barracuda-eavesdropper.”
“Use what weapons we have, Johnny baby.”
Women 11-25-72
* * * * * * * *
“Good mornin’ troops.”
“Mornin’”
“Mornin’.”
“Are you guys mad about somethin’?”
“He is. I’m not.”
“Well, what’s his problem?”
“My wife’s cousin. I fixed him up with her for dinner last night.”
“And, she turned out to be a dog, right? Never fails.”
“As a matter-of-fact, she turned out to be a real doll.”
“Well then, what is he mad about?”
“He struck out. As usual.”
“Well, that’s tough, but, uh.... How come it’s your fault?”
“That’s right. How did it turn out to be my fault that you struck out?”
“I never said it was your fault.”
“W-well, then why are you mad at me?”
“All right. Do you want to know why I’m mad at you? I mean. Do… do you....”
“Well?”
“Don’t rush me. I’m tryin’ to figure it out.”
Dinner Date 12-02-72
* * * * * * * *
“A natural-born talent on that horn. No, I’m serious. You could make a fortune at it. Playing concerts. I can see it now. John Gage, the auto horn-yphist. Tonight only.”
“Chet....”
“Well, for a guy with no musical talent at all, this could be a great career.”
“That was not a good thing to do.”
“Why’s that?”
“I know him. And, I know that look. You just started somethin’ you’re gonna live to regret. As a matter-of-fact, we all will.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Man, I cannot believe the look on that woman’s face. She did not believe that her daughter was on drugs.”
“I don’t think she’ll ever have the courage to admit that to herself. Then she’ll have to admit she might have been at fault, and a lot of parents can’t live with that.”
“My parents weren’t that indifferent.”
“Neither were mine. But, we’re livin’ in another age, Johnny.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You know, sometimes I look at my kids… and I wonder whether I’m doin’ right by them.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Howdy folks, this is Johnny Gage.”
Musical Mania 12-09-72
* * * * * * * *
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Look, if it’s somethin’ you don’t want to talk about, you should talk about it. Makes you feel much better.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Man, you’ve been married long enough to know there are certain things you keep your mouth shut about.”
“What makes you an expert?”
“Well now, Joanne isn’t mad at me, now is she?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Now, if you consider the… the psychology of a woman -- from a Freudian’s point of view anyway -- you’ll probably discover it’s your job that Joanne resents, not the spaghetti thing at all.”
“That’s all I need for him to start to get deep with me.”
“Look, it is possible.”
“Anything’s possible, including the fact it just might all blow over, if I forget about it, if I leave it alone. If you leave me alone.”
“All right. Okay. Fine. I was just tryin’ to help you. If you want to wallow in your own self-misery… where-where-where you goin’?”
“I’m gonna go call Joanne.”
“Ah, to see if the thing’s blown over, right?”
“Right.”
“Wrong. Now, if it were me, I’d let her call.”
“That’s precisely why I’m calling her.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You’re a positive menace.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“If I had to make a choice between your being right, and Joanne being mad at me… I’d rather she was mad at me.”
Helpful 12-16-72
* * * * * * * *
“You know, somehow I feel like I graduated today.”
“Nah, that’ll never happen. There’s something new to learn all the time. Every day’s a school day, right, Johnny?”
“Right… Doctor.”
(Johnny’s driving the squad, btw)
School Days 01-13-73
* * * * * * * *
“Look, before you say anything. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s called evasion.”
“That depends where you stand. I call it privacy.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“She’s hung up on me.”
“Hung up on you?”
“Yeah. Yeah, she thinks I’m nice. Wants me to take her out and all that.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, I’m not kidding. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Well.... It’s just that you’re a married man, that’s all.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that girls still can’t be attracted to me.”
“You’re flipped out. You’re just plain flipped out.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“She was eyeing him like a hungry… lioness. You know why?”
“You’re gonna tell me, right?”
“W-well, because he’s got… uh… uh.... What do you call it?”
“Charisma.”
“Charisma. Yeah. Now, don’t worry. I mean, some guys got it, some guys don’t. You’ve just got to live with it, that’s all. I mean, well, or, in your case, I mean live without it.”
“You’re just not gonna quit, are you?”
“I’m just tryin’ to explain to you why certain things are. You just don’t understand.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Well, what’s with you two?”
“Well, uh, Roy thinks I’m… uh, overbearing and irritating because I said he was a little over the hill.”
“Well, if anybody’d said that to me, I’d have pushed him over the hill.”
“Oh, it’s not that kind of hill.”
“Well, what other kind of hill is there?”
“Well, it’s uh… um....”
“It’s the girl hill.”
“Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m gonna go have a coffee break.”
“Chicken.”
“Yeah, you better believe it.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What’s the matter with you?”
“You know what’s the matter with me.”
“Are you upset because I interrupted progress in there?”
“You know, it wasn’t like you were gonna to get anywhere. I mean you were just being… malicious.”
“I-I wasn’t being malicious. Eh… what went on in there just goes to show you that, uh… I’m not dead yet.”
The Professor 02-03-73
* * * * * * * *
“Listen to the man, Chet.”
“Sounds like a case of the frights.”
“Scared to death.”
“Why don’t the both of you go out and play on the freeway?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“All right, what’s wrong with you?”
“My rear. Umm… and my ankle.”
“All right, I’ll see what I can do about your… ankle.”
“No guts, huh?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You know, we’ve been here for a little over an hour, and I still don’t believe it.”
“That’s your problem, Johnny. No contact with reality.”
Syndrome 02-10-73
* * * * * * * *
“You know why people don’t tell the truth?”
“No, why?”
“It’s not because they’re afraid to hurt the other person’s feelings. They’re afraid if they do tell the truth, the other person won’t like them. It’s their own feelings they’re afraid for, not the other person’s. Hi, how are you?”
“No kidding. What do you need?”
“A change of subject. He’s on a honesty kick.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What do you mean, that’s a relief?”
“She means it’s about time.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What good did he do her by being honest? Is she any better off now, because she knows the truth?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. I mean, you think she’s better off with a bunch of platitudes, thinking’ her son’s gonna be all right, and then zap, he dies?”
“If you’re holding up Dr. Morton’s bedside manner as an example of the beauty of truth, then I think you’re both nuts.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What’s with him?”
“Oh, unless he can tell you the absolute truth, he doesn’t open his mouth.”
“What’s so dishonest about saying hi?”
“Well, maybe he doesn’t feel like saying hi.”
“Well, he looks like he feels like saying’ something. Go ahead, say somethin’.”
“I don’t expect you to understand. But, when you condemn honesty, that’s being ignorant.”
“We finally got an honest man.”
“And, when you make fun of honesty, that’s also being ignorant.”
“So, I’m ignorant?”
“Quite frequently.”
“And, you’re honest?”
“I’m tryin’.”
“You couldn’t accept total honesty, John.”
“Anything else is for fools, Chet.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You’re just being stubborn. You’re blind and insensitive. Plus, you’re always disagreeing with me.”
“You forgot to add that I’m usually right, too.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I shouldn’t have left him in there.”
“You brought out Toby. That was your first priority.”
“You can’t rationalize leaving a… a blind old man, trapped in a burning building.”
“You only had two hands.”
“He didn’t tell me he was blind.”
“I guess you’d say… he lied.”
“He did.”
“If you ask me, it was a pretty noble lie.”
Honest 02-17-73
* * * * * * * *
Johnny’s driving the squad again! With Roy in it!
Boot 03-03-73
* * * * * * * *
“Yeah. That ought to do it.”
“Do what?”
“That rattling sound that’s been driving me crazy. The one you can’t seem to hear.”
“Oh, that one.”
“Yeah, that one. It was the muffler. The mechanic couldn’t even find it.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“What was wrong with it? I told you. It was rattling.”
“What did you do to un-rattle it?”
“I fixed it.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You know it seems every time I slave over this stove, it seems like you guys have to go on a run.”
“Maybe there’s a message in that, Chet.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Roy DeSoto. John Gage. Well, before we get started, I have to advise you of your rights. First you have the right to remain silent, then you have the right to have an attorney present before questioning....”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey, guys. It’s six AM.”
“Well, so… go back to sleep. We’re talkin’.”
“That’s why I can’t.”
“Oh, shut-up, Chet.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Then, we’re off the hook?”
“Free and clear.”
“Well, I… I… I’m… gonna… go call my wife.”
“Yeah, well, I wanna talk to her too.”
“Wh-what do you want to talk to my wife for?”
“Well, I wanna share it with somebody, too.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I tell you. You come over tomorrow evening, and we’ll have ourselves one very large celebration.”
“You’re on. And, I’ll bring the beer. Wait a minute. Hold it! Hold it. Well, I guess that wasn’t the muffler.”
“What?”
“That noise. Don’t tell me you can’t hear it?”
“You know, I’m tellin’ you, I can’t hear a thing.”
“Man, you ought to have the doctor take a look at you. I definitely hear a rattling noise. Listen. Listen.”
“Maybe it’s the loose seeds in your gourd.”
“Ssshhh.”
“Squad 51 available.”
“Ssshhh.”
“Squad 51.”
“Ssshhh.”
“G--… I thought I fixed it.”
Rip Off 03-10-73
* * * * * * * *
“Hey, you’re gonna be audited, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It’s just a routine spot check.”
“Well, what are they checking for. More money, right?”
“Exactly.”
“You know, one of the doctors had the same kind of notice. Poor guy.”
“Dix, it took me twenty minutes to get him calmed down.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You’ve got a real cut-and-dried return. Stop worrying.”
“Yeah, well. I’ll still be glad when tomorrow’s over.”
“That makes two of us.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Well, see now. I told you not to worry.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“What do you mean, you weren’t worried? You were paralyzed.”
“Oh, come on, now. I might’ve been a little concerned, but I certainly wasn’t paralyzed. What’s to eat?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Rampart. We’re runnin’ out of time. This man wants me to take off his leg. What am I gonna do?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What were you gonna do back there?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Audit 04-07-73
* * * * * * * *
“Drew.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I couldn’t stop the bleeding, Johnny.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I couldn’t save him, Dix. I’ll talk to her.”
“No. I’ll talk to her. Just give me a minute.”
“Sure, Johnny.”
“What I tell her? That Drew died because the… uh, radio was tied up on another case?”
“Johnny....”
“Forget it.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Remember how you used to… argue about… which one had the most dangerous… job?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You know what I was thinkin’? When I went to meet her to tell her?”
“No. What?”
“I… I wished you had been in my place. Just a weakness of character.”
“No. Just indicates that you’re human, that’s all.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You know, goin’ like that. You sure leave a lot of loose ends.”
“Yeah, I guess you do.”
“You know. Watchin’ Pam. Kinda… kinda makes me glad I’m not married.”
“Well, I wouldn’t quite go that far with it.”
“You have to remember. If you, or me, or Drew… if it happens on the job, it kinda happens kinda quickly. We’re not the ones left behind. That’s the rough part.”
“Joanne and I talked about it some. Mostly, I don’t like to think about it. Mostly because there’s nothin’ you can do about it when it happens.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Remind me to trade in my motorcycle.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“What do you think?”
“About this? I think it’s a great work of art.”
“How do you know it’s a great work of art?”
“I like it.”
“Here, here. Hey, did you see this, Gage?”
“What?”
“I don’t know. I must be getting old. I… I don’t like pop art. Rock music. I don’t smoke pot. Keep my hair cut too short. Take a shower every day....”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Oh, man. You know, Roy, I’ve tried so hard to.. to get… to get his death off my mind, and then she calls, and....”
Frequency 09/22/73
* * * * * * * *
“You know, Roy. I was thinkin’ about that engine over there.”
“Don’t start.”
“Well, it’s just that I got an idea.”
“That’s what worries me.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Did somebody here buy a fire engine?”
“Uh… yeah… well, as ma- as matter-of-fact, uh… uh… Roy did.... And me.”
"Okay. The guy who sold it to whichever one of you bought it just called to say he's gonna be a little late. He can't tow it very fast."
“Tow it?”
“Yeah. It seems that the rear end is making a very bad grinding noise.”
“Grinding noises are very common among eighty-dollar fire engines.”
“Oh, shut-up.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“I hear you two bought yourself an old fire engine.”
“News sure travels fast.”
“What’s… uh… what’s wrong with buyin’ an old engine?”
“Oh, nothing. Perfectly sensible thing to do. If you happen to hear of an old hospital I can pick up cheap....”
~ ~ ~ ~
“You know, Roy, it its day, that was the latest thing. Modern, up-to-date.”
“Yeah. I wonder how many responses it had.”
“I don’t know. Thousands, probably.”
“Yeah, easy.”
“All the men that used to work on her.”
“Hundreds, I’ll bet.”
“Yeah. Probably. Roy....”
“Yeah, I know. You don’t want to junk it. Neither do I. But, it’s the only sensible thing to do.”
“Yeah. But, on the other hand-”
“-we could always get the frame welded. That’d be no big deal.”
“That’s right. See what happens from there.”
“One step at time. I mean, we’re in no hurry.”
“Right. And, if it still gets too much for us, we could scrap it anytime.”
“But… we won’t. You know that.”
“Yeah. I know that.”
The Old Engine 09/29/73
* * * * * * * *
ON TO NEXT PART!
Isn't this cool! I wonder how it ends....