
Johnny Wise was never known for his good manners. He was a rough and gruff man, who always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Despite his less than charming demeanor, Johnny was a well-respected member of the Mafia...
He had worked his way up the ranks over the years, and was now one of the top enforcers for the New York branch of the organized crime syndicate...402Please respect copyright.PENANAfYjrkd9Kms
However, Johnny had grown tired of the life of a gangster. The violence and deceit had taken a toll on him, and he longed for something more meaningful. So, he made the bold decision to quit the Mafia and become a private detective...402Please respect copyright.PENANA314NZ760o7
Johnny set up shop in the heart of the city and quickly made a name for himself. He was tough and relentless, and he always got the job done. But despite his success, Johnny remained a loner. He lived in a small house and spent most of his free time drinking and playing cards with his buddies at the local bar...402Please respect copyright.PENANAl5EubTglFT
That all changed one summer day when Johnny was grilling in his backyard. He heard the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the neighboring yard...402Please respect copyright.PENANAXLIsuDZYCo
Meanwhile Rocky, his dog had gone over to the pond and seized one of their ducks and brought it back placing it at his feet. Rocky looked at him, wagging his tail expectantly. Johnny shook his head and picked up the duck, hoping it was still alive...402Please respect copyright.PENANANQ2xBpfwgO
Rocky looked at me, I honestly think that he wanted me to cook the duck for him. He got that sweet, crazy, delightful odor of barbecue chicken and now wanted some barbecue duck!402Please respect copyright.PENANAHulOJRALEK
But,402Please respect copyright.PENANAeNnaW5ZkFS
I rescued the duck and started strolling with the intent of returning it to my next door neighbor's pond,402Please respect copyright.PENANA8H1TMORBrt
but, really, Quite honestly I did entertain the thought of some Mallard duck soup...
Heh, heh, heh!402Please respect copyright.PENANAO4phSkG3xy
Anyway, I gave Rocky several hotdogs off the grill, then walked over to the fence that separated my yard from the neighbor's and saw a woman sitting on a lawn chair, reading a book. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim figure. And was wearing a red bikini that left little to the imagination...402Please respect copyright.PENANARNNjks3eWC
I cleared my throat and said, "Excuse me, miss. I think this belongs to you."402Please respect copyright.PENANAueVK39z7GG
The woman looked up and gasped. She saw Johnny holding her duck by its neck, and Rocky sitting behind him, licking his chops...402Please respect copyright.PENANAfJkS1m2KVX
She jumped up from her chair and ran towards him, screaming, "You monster! You killed my duck! How could you do such a thing?"402Please respect copyright.PENANAXMTSBWGIfl
Johnny was taken aback by her reaction. He said, "Hey, calm down. I didn't kill your duck. My dog almost did. And he didn't mean any harm. He's just a playful pup."402Please respect copyright.PENANA3r3vGCQTFj
The woman reached the fence and snatched the duck from Johnny's hands. She cradled it in her arms and checked for signs of life. She said, "You liar! Your dog is a killer! And you're an accomplice! You should be ashamed of yourself!"402Please respect copyright.PENANAjGmkovlpBA
Johnny felt a surge of anger. He said, "Look lady, I don't know who you are or what your problem is, but you need to chill out. It's just a duck. It's not like it's your child or something."402Please respect copyright.PENANAQaOre5a8wu
The woman glared at him and said, "How dare you? This duck is more than just an animal. It's my pet. It's my friend. It has a name. It's Daisy."402Please respect copyright.PENANAzonXcAE7ct
Johnny rolled his eyes and said, "Daisy? Seriously? That's a stupid name for a duck."402Please respect copyright.PENANAf7U5CexN0q
What's your name sweetheart?402Please respect copyright.PENANAVRab5DnRMy
"The name is Eva and I'm definitely not your sweetheart. Idiot! And you havn't any taste either. Daisy is a beautiful name for a beautiful duck!"402Please respect copyright.PENANAGzhmsLNCm7
Johnny snorted and said, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say lady!"402Please respect copyright.PENANAEblDBCtXMM
Eva exclaimed, "You know what? You're not worth my time. You're rude and insensitive and ignorant. You don't deserve to live next to me."402Please respect copyright.PENANA3fNKomxWcs
Johnny said, "Fine by me. I don't want to live next to you either. You're annoying, hysterical and crazy. You didn't deserve to have any ducks."402Please respect copyright.PENANAuZ7C5gIadI
Eva said, "Oh yeah? Well, you don't deserve to have a dog."402Please respect copyright.PENANAjwv4iDowI8
Johnny grinned, saying, "Well, you don't deserve to have a bikini." Eva said, "What does that even mean?"402Please respect copyright.PENANA2SZKriDRSZ
Johnny begin chuckling, "It means you look terrible in it."402Please respect copyright.PENANAFGSKLQ2tOY
She said, "That's it! You've crossed the line! I'm going to report you to the authorities!" Johnny said, "Go ahead! See if I care!" Eva said, "I will! And I hope they lock you up!" Johnny said, "Yeah? Well, I hope they lock you up for being a Loony Toon!" And disturbing the peace.402Please respect copyright.PENANAVACQVDxsbq
Eva cried, "No, I'm not! You're disturbing the peace!"402Please respect copyright.PENANAX3stvtgza9
Johnny said, "No, you are!"402Please respect copyright.PENANAcWJ9J8wAeB
The woman said, "No, you are!"402Please respect copyright.PENANA7iA4tpruOq
They continued to argue like this for several minutes until they were interrupted by another voice.402Please respect copyright.PENANAYK4Yh3aIrt
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What's going on here?"402Please respect copyright.PENANAtQMFNPfQ02
They turned and saw a man standing on the other side of the fence. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and a muscular build. He was wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants, and a badge. He was a cop.402Please respect copyright.PENANAgeFeziY1bL
He said, "I'm Officer Brad. I'm responding to a noise complaint. What's the problem?"402Please respect copyright.PENANAWctaGdMEZ7
Johnny and the woman looked at each other and then at the cop. They both said, "He/she started it!"
The officer sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, alright. Calm down. Let's start with some introductions.402Please respect copyright.PENANAGxOBF9L5CM
"Who are you two?"402Please respect copyright.PENANATnk2xzTbb6
Johnny stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Hi there. I'm John, and this is my dog Rocky. We live next door." The woman stepped forward as well, still clutching her dead duck. "My name is Evelina and this," she gestured to the lifeless bird, "Is Daisy. We also live next door." Officer Brad nodded, scribbling notes into his pad. 402Please respect copyright.PENANA3AZUkGLnlO
"And what seems to be the issue, folks?" Johnny spoke first. "Well, my dog got loose earlier and ended up in umm...Miss Evelina's backyard where he unfortunately, accidentally killed her duck." The officer raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit of a mouthful Mr. ... uh ... John?" 402Please respect copyright.PENANAoPvJZTb0h5
"Call me Johnny. Sorry about that."
The officer smiled slightly. "Apology accepted Johnny. Now, let's hear from Miss Evelina." Evelina took a deep breath before speaking. "Mr. Officer, Johnny's dog attacked and killed my beloved pet Daisy without provocation. 402Please respect copyright.PENANA2NDABHGBTU
Not only has he caused immense emotional distress upon me, but now my family won't have fresh eggs or companionship because of HIM!" Both Johnny and Officer Brad stared blankly at Evelina for a few moments before bursting into laughter.402Please respect copyright.PENANAw3X1OKA7IV
After gaining composure again, the Officer Brad began writing furiously in his note pad once more. Evelina narrowed her gaze, staring quite menacingly. "I assume you find my situation amusing, sir?"402Please respect copyright.PENANAHqpw1T09vx
May I remind the both of you, that someone just lost their life today due to his stupid negligence!" Officer Brad held up his hand to placate Evelina.
"Miss Evelina, I apologize if our reactions seemed disrespectful."402Please respect copyright.PENANAF8dsBieKo3
However, it appears that there may have been some issues regarding the nature of Daisy's death. He winked and turned to face Johnny again. "Is that correct, Johnny? Did you witness exactly how Daisy passed away?"402Please respect copyright.PENANAqrhpWlAODX
Johnny scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Uh, no sir. I actually wasn't present when the murder took place."
Sir!
All I can tell you is that when I found them together, Daisy the duck was probably deceased.402Please respect copyright.PENANAUBwfUrYLZy
Officer Brad then stated that no real harm had been done and that they needed to work it out.402Please respect copyright.PENANApvRjHsk1rG
And left the scene in his patrol car...402Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8PayYWPNZ
I said to Eva, "Hey I'm sorry about your duck. There's no point in my not being cordial.402Please respect copyright.PENANAKbHXjvs1up
Sweetheart, won't you please come over and have some marvelous chicken with me. Yeah, maybe I was a little too rash, you're a sweet looking doll!402Please respect copyright.PENANAcGlZF7gGU8
(Still frowning, she looked at Johnny and hesitated but decided to join him)
It turned out that Eva was married to her husband named Jim, they had moved from Miami a year ago and had few friends...
Over the next few weeks, they grew quite close, some would say that they became almost inseparable. They spend hours chatting, barbecuing together, and Johnny finally felt like he had found someone who understood him.
But, one day when Eva's husband suddenly disappeared, Johnny knew he had to help her.402Please respect copyright.PENANAT7K1ZlKLg2
He threw himself into the case, determined to uncover the truth. Following up on every lead, and interviewed every witness, putting together every clue. It turn out ironically enough that he was actually a hitman in the mafia but the bosses at the top decided when he got busted by a narc, that he was a liability and had to go!
Eva was absolutely taken aback by this tragic news because she had absolutely no idea of her husband line of work inside the mafia. Johnny and Eva became even closer after that tragic occurence and they soon grew very attached to each other...402Please respect copyright.PENANAjwIriFlZWa
Johnny started to change, he was kinder, gentler and even more patient than before. He finally had the serene, meaningful life he had been searching for, and he owed it all to Eva...402Please respect copyright.PENANAF6Ge37Om7Z
Years later, Johnny and Eva were still together. They got married and had a family of their own. As Johnny sat on their porch, sipping cold lemonade and silently watching their children play, he couldn't help but reflect on how far he had come. From a rude and brutish gangster to a loving husband and father. It was a transformation he never could have imagined before...
But he was grateful for every step of his tough journey, for it had brought him to the place where he truly belonged,402Please respect copyright.PENANAad1EfOkdJq
by his wife Eva's loving side.402Please respect copyright.PENANA1IfQFoMx1t
402Please respect copyright.PENANAh8WGMi7q0j
© Charles Kemp
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