Copyright: February 2000 By Robin R. Neher
THIS STORY IS WRITTEN FOR PLEASURE AND IS NOT INTENDED TO INFRINGE ON ANY PREEXISTING COPYRIGHTS THAT MAY BE VIOLATED. FEEL FREE TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS, BUT NOT FOR PROFIT.
THIS STORY IS FICTIONAL, A WORK OF THE WRITER'S IMAGINATION. THE CHARACTERS AND INCIDENTS USED IN THIS STORY ARE PURELY FICTIONAL AND ARE NOT BASED ON ANY PERSON AND/OR PERSON'S ACTUAL EXPERIENCES.
Title: Love of Money
Author: Robin R. Neher
E-mail: NRobin1027@aol.com
Rating: PG
Pairing: N/A
Archive: Yes
Summary: Picking up where "Root of all evil" left off, The crew of 51's suffer the effects of Johnny's departure.
Content Warning: Harsh Language. Angst.
Root Of All Evil 2: Love Of Money
by Robin R. Neher
When the crew of 51's arrived for duty the Monday after Johnny Gage's sudden departure, it was with a sense of loss. The guys all knew it was their fault Johnny was gone.
"If only we hadn't been so blind." Mike Stoker whispered. "Gold fever sure ravaged this station."
"No kidding!" Marco Lopez agreed as he and Mike changed into uniform in the station's lockeroom. "You guys were so dazzled by the possibility of money, you all stepped all over Johnny!"
"Now, you wait just a minute!" Mike growled, angrily.
"C'mon , Mike! Johnny's gone cause of your greediness!" Marco insisted. "No wonder poor Johnny left! I wouldn't want to stay here either if I were him!"
Marco finished changing and closed his locker door, then left the lockeroom. Roy came in shortly after. Mike pinched his nose.
"Roy, you smell like you've been rolling in garbage!" Mike exclaimed, nasally.
"No thanks to my loving wife!" Roy DeSoto griped. "Ever since that thing with Johnny, Joanne's been treating me like trash!"
"What do you mean?" Mike asked.
"Mike, My wife kicked me out! I've been sleeping at the garbage dump!" Roy told the Engineer.
"So, that's what that smell is!" Captain Hank Stanley gagged as he entered the lockeroom. "Roy, go get a shower!"
"Yes, Sir." Roy replied, heading toward the latrine.
"Poor Roy." Cap shook his head. "It's hard to make ends meet when you have a family."
____________________________________
A few minutes later, a clean fresh smelling Roy emerged from the latrine. After getting into uniform, Roy was summoned to Cap's office.
"Now, Roy, tell me why you're living in a garbage dump." Hank ordered.
"Joanne kicked me out." Roy replied.
"I heard that part! Why are you sleeping in a dump?!" Cap demanded.
"Cap, it's kind of a personal project." Roy explained. "After Johnny left, I realized he was right! We were all holding our hands out for money that wasn't even ours! I decided to live for a month as a homeless person!"
"I see. Seeing how the other half lives, Huh?" Cap replied.
"Yeah." Roy nodded. "Cardboard box and the whole nine yards!"
"Hmm. You've just given me an idea, Roy." Hank smiled. "Get ready for roll call."
"Okay, Cap." Roy nodded.
__________________________________
Meanwhile, at station eight, Johnny Gage was laughing uproariously as he worked under the hood of squad eight.
"What's so funny, Johnny?" Captain Hubert "Stoney" Stone asked.
"Stoney, I'm laughing all the way to the bank!" Johnny giggled. "Remember that Lottery ticket?"
"Yeah," Stoney replied.
"I went to the lottery commission yesterday. I won $1000." Johnny told his old friend. "That Lottery ticket that I was waving around at 51's was just a blank piece of paper! I had the real ticket in my pocket the whole time!"
"But what about what you gave Captain Stanley?" Stoney asked.
"Cap, do you honestly think that I'd trust anyone with my winning lottery ticket? The one that I gave Stanley was a losing ticket that I played six months ago!" Johnny laughed.
________________
Back at station fifty-one, roll call was in progress. The guys all listened as Cap spoke.
"Guys, I must say that the events of the last couple of days has made me ashamed to be your Captain." Hank told his men. "Now, I'll admit, I am as much to blame for Gage's transferring
out. We all shoulder the blame for what happened, now we must all suffer the consequences."
"Cap, who's gonna take Johnny's place?" Chet Kelly asked.
"Nobody. DeSoto, you've been suspended from the paramedic program for a period of six months. I think you need to reminded what being a real fireman is all about. You also need
to think about what a man is. A man doesn't ask someone to support his family. Roy, if you're that hard up, you shouldn't be a husband or father!" Cap said.
Roy hung his head as the guys laughed at him.
"Laugh at him! He deserves it!" Cap chuckled. "Roy is nothing but a big, stupid ass who deserves everything he gets!"
Roy sobbed as the rest laughed.
"Roy is nothing but a coward!" Mike guffawed. "He couldn't handle a hose if his life depended on it!"
"STOP IT!!!!!" Roy screamed.
"He can dish it but he can't take it!" Chet laughed. "It's a wonder Joanne tolerated him all these years! She only married Roy cause he knocked her up!"
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Roy yelled, angrily.
"I heard those kids aren't even his!" Marco put in. "Joanne told me that Roy is impotent! You call yourself a man, DeSoto? You can't even make love!"
Roy turned and stormed outside with Cap at his heals. A crying, hurt Roy glared at his Captain.
"How could you?!" Roy sobbed. "I asked you not to tell!"
"How do you like it, Roy?" Cap softly asked. "How do you like being ridiculed and made fun of? You think Johnny liked it when you did it to him? How do you think he felt when you did that to him?"
Roy sobbed as Hank's words hit home.
"I stood there and watched as you ridiculed everything that John tried to do, whether it was writing the game show or learning a musical instrument. Yet, you tell everyone that Johnny's your best friend!" Cap hissed. "A real friend would be supportive, understanding and most of all sensitive to the other person's feelings! So, for the next six months, you will eat, sleep and live
with Johnny twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at his apartment! Understood?"
"Yes, Sir!" Roy sobbed.
Cap then took Roy's wedding ring off his finger.
"For the next six months, you will be single, just as Johnny is! You are hereby relieved of any responsibility to Joanne and the kids! I hope that by the time this is over, you will appreciate
you wife and children more!" Hank said. "As for the rest of us, we are going to spend the next six months in a homeless shelter!"
As Cap was finishing, Joanne pulled up in her station wagon. Getting out, Joanne approached Roy with a small suitcase.
"Honey!" Roy grinned.
"Roy, we are not married, remember?" Joanne reminded him, setting the suitcase down in front of Roy.
Roy sobbed as he took some money out of his billfold.
"Please, take it for the kids!" Roy pleaded.
"What kids?" Jo replied. "The only kids I have are mine. We have no kids together. You want your freedom, you got it!"
"Joanne! I love you!" Roy cried.
"Roy, I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on earth!" Joanne told him as she turned to leave. "You are too fat and ugly to be acceptable to anyone!"
Roy just sat sobbing as Jo got back in her car and drove away as Johnny pulled up in squad eight.
"Welcome to the world of bachelorhood, Roy." Johnny smiled as joined Roy on the stoop.
________________
"Roy, you're now assigned to engine eight." Johnny told the strawberry blond. "Roy, I know you feel bad now, but think about how much worse Jo and the kids must feel."
"Johnny, I love being a fireman, I always have, but being a husband and father-" Roy stopped short,
"What, Roy?" Johnny asked. "Finish it! What about having a family?"
"Johnny, it stinks!" Roy sobbed. "I never have anything for me! Every penny that I earn always go to those fucking, bratty kids! What about me? Joanne never has any time for me!"
"Roy, what the hell did you think having a family meant?! Did you think it was gonna be the Waltons?!" Johnny demanded. "Roy, it takes two to make a baby!"
"I know!" Roy sobbed. "Those kids aren't mine! Cap was right!"
"You mean?" Johnny gasped.
"Yes, Johnny, I'm sterile!" Roy sobbed. "I can get it up, but I shoot blanks!"
"Roy, I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't." Johnny said.
"No, you couldn't know!" Roy sobbed. "How can you know what it's like not to be a whole man!"
"Roy, Hold it!" Johnny cut him off. "There is more to being a man then your cock! What makes a man is what's in his heart! Just because you're sterile doesn't mean you aren't a man!"
"I can't even make love to my wife!" Roy cried.
"Roy, there is more to any relationship then just sex!" Cap put in, rejoining them on the stoop. "Marriage is a relationship! It's about give and take! It's about learning to enjoy each other in
other ways too!"
"How?" Roy sniffed.
"Roy, you can enjoy each other's company by just being together watching television or having a romantic meal! You can enjoy each other just cuddling, kissing and holding hands!" Cap replied.
"Roy, over the next few months, I'm gonna teach you how to be romantic, how to make a lady want a second date." Johnny told Roy.
"You mean, I'm gonna date?" Roy gasped.
"Dating is part of single life, Pally." Johnny grinned. "You're gonna take the Johnny Gage school of dating."
"Oh, Brother." Roy mumbled.
"C'mon, Roomie, we need to get back to 8's." Johnny laughed, dragging Roy away toward squad eight.
___________________
The next morning, after getting off duty, Roy and Johnny made their way to Johnny's small apartment. Roy gaped as he looked around the messy space.
"Welcome to your new home, Roy." Johnny grinned, proudly. "Hope you like it."
"Uh, it sure is homey." Roy replied, politely, not wanting to hurt John's feelings. "Looks lived in."
"Perfect isn't it?" Johnny laughed.
For a garbage man! Roy thought.
"Uh, where can I get some sleep?" Roy asked.
"No way, Pally." Johnny smiled. "Our dates are gonna be here in a few minutes."
"Dates?" Roy gulped.
"Yes, Dates." Johnny grinned. "You'd better go get cleaned up. Get all that soot and smoke off."
"Johnny, I didn't mean to start that kitchen fire at the station! It wasn't my fault the grease from that chicken flared up!" Roy protested.
"Roy, you DON'T throw water on a grease fire! You smother the fire with the lid of the pan!" Johnny yelled. "What the hell were you thinking?! Huh?!"
"I'm just a big dummy!" Roy sobbed.
"Roy, don't cry. You're not a dummy." Johnny softened. "You just need to watch what you're doing when you're cooking."
"Now, what are the guys gonna do for meals? I burned down 8's kitchen!" Roy wept. _____________
After getting a shower, Roy went to the living room of Johnny's studio apartment where he'd left his suitcase minutes earlier. Opening it, Roy went through the clothes inside, looking for something appropriate to wear for his blind date. Instead, Roy found the ream of notebook paper Joanne had packed when she'd packed Roy's clothes. Opening the book to the first page, Roy found a handwritten note from Joanne.
Dearest Roy,
I am writing this note to tell you things that I can't in person. Roy. I do love you, I hope you know that, but right now, I don't like you. Roy, when we first married eleven years ago, you used to be so loving, so caring. It seems as our marriage progressed, you grew cold and distant, even selfish. What happened, Roy? What changed you? Was it becoming a fireman? Was it the kids? I wish you'd help me understand.
You won't even so much as be with me alone in the same room, much less be romantic. Roy, what does it take to get your undivided attention? What does it take to turn you on? I wish you could tell me. Roy, Am I not desirable to you anymore? It that it? Roy, does my being a Mom turn you off? I know you didn't want kids, but I thought you'd grow to love the son and daughter we adopted, but you're just as cold and distant to them as you are to me.
It is my sincere hope that during your stay with Johnny, that you can find the Roy of eleven years ago again for Johnny could always reach you in a way that I never could. Roy, I give you your complete freedom to do as you wish. Be with other women sexually if you need to. Do not worry about the kids and I, for I have found temporary work as a maid to support them. Roy, This is not a divorce but a trial separation.
Roy, I think you need to see and feel what other women can offer you as I do other men for six months. You nor I have been with anybody else and I think that's where our problems are stemming from. You never got to sew your wild oats as it were cause we were only just out of high school when we married. I also think that you see Johnny living the life that you never got to. So, I'm giving you this gift of a six month bachelorhood.
Love, Joanne
As Roy read the note again, Johnny came back from the store. He gaped at Roy sitting in his underwear.
"You mean, you aren't ready yet?!" Johnny yelled. "Roy our dates are on their way down the hall as we speak!"
"Oh, Shit!" Roy, yelled, grabbing his clothes and running back into the bathroom to dress.
__________________________
Later that night, before going to bed, Roy took out his paper and began writing.
January 1.1980
Dearest Joanne,
Well, here I am staying in this hell hole Johnny calls home. He lives like a bum in a studio apartment. How he finds anything, I'll never know. Anyway, I got your note. Jo, I try my best, but I always fail you. Nothing I do is ever enough. The more I give the more you and the kids want. Well, now it's time for me to look out for me!
You're right, Jo, I have changed. I'm what you made me. I'm the result of your neglect. You expect me to just sit at home and eat frozen dinners while you work all hours at your law firm.
Jo, I was raised to believe that a wife took care of her husband. Cooking for him, doing his laundry, etc. Obviously, you don't care enough about me to do that.
I'm sorry if I seem selfish to you, but I'm the guy who works 24 hours at a time in a stressful job. You aren't the one who has to be in a fire station with five other guys for that period of time.
You aren't the one people count on for their very lives! You aren't the one that gets sent into a burning building to rescue some trapped person.
Jo, If you could spend one day in my shoes, you'd understand just how demanding my job is. Is it so wrong to want my wife to take care of me after I come home from a long shift? Jo, is it so wrong for me to want something for me sometimes? Jo, I need someone who cares about my beliefs and will give to me in return.
Does it bother you that I'm impotent and don't necessarily want kids? Jo, I thank you for this six month respite. I hope that by being with other men, maybe you will come to appreciate what you and I have. Jo, I was never a jerk to you, nor was I neglectful of my family. They always had food, clothes, etc. I was never physically abusive to you. So, help me I understand why you aren't happy. Maybe, during my stay with Johnny junkman. I'll learn what it is a woman wants.
Roy
Closing the notebook, Roy undressed and climbed into his sleeping bag on the floor of Johnny's living room. Johnny came from his bedroom in nothing but his boxers.
"Is everything okay, Roy?" Johnny asked, putting his own sleeping bag down beside Roy's.
"Johnny, I just can't figure it out. Why isn't Joanne happy with me?" Roy asked his friend. "What does it take to make a woman happy besides the obvious?"
_______________
"Roy, only you can answer that." Johnny quietly replied. "I don't live in your house or your life. I think part of your problem is your attitude. You look down on people as if anyone beyond you is a dummy."
"I do not!" Roy snapped.
"Roy, you do!" Johnny insisted. "You don't let me drive the squad or handle complex rescues! Roy, you are no more experienced then I am. You and I both started working as
medics at the same time."
"What does this have to do with my marriage?" Roy asked.
"Everything." John replied. "Roy, you look at your house as yours. The kids are yours. I don't hear any we or ours when you talk about your family. I don't hear you saying we saved a victim, always I."
Roy hung his head as Johnny talked on.
"Roy, firefighting is a team effort just like raising a family is." Johnny continued. "Firefighting should be we saved a victim or we lost a victim."
"Johnny, teach me how to be a team player." Roy sobbed. "Teach me how to be a real man!"
"I'm gonna, Pally." Johnny soothed. "First lesson, being a man is not about your penis or being macho. Being a man is about taking responsibility and doing beyond what is asked. It is about giving, not just on the surface but giving of yourself."
"I don't understand." Roy shook his head.
"Roy, take your kids. When was the last time you did something with them without being prompted by Joanne?" Johnny asked. "When was the last time her mother visited without you whining about it?"
"Johnny, the lady is a bitch!" Roy replied. "She's always criticizes me! She always asks why I didn't become a doctor!"
"Roy, mother in laws are part of marriage territory. Hell, I've met some of my date's mothers that didn't approve of me. I didn't like them either sometimes, but I was still polite and respectful around them, no matter what my personal feelings." Johnny replied. "Roy, these are your kid's grandparents! You owe it to those kids to make peace with Jo's parents."
"I can't just tell her to fuck off!" Roy argued.
"No, but you can request that she not put you down in front of the kids." Johnny suggested. "You can tell her politely that being a fireman is what you do and what you love. You can even invite her to the station so she can see what is your job is about."
"She always says I'm out of shape!" Roy complained.
"Roy, you have gained some weight. Roy, I've seen you put away two and three plates of food at work." Johnny revealed. "Roy, I know you're a big guy, but it's no excuse to pig out! Roy, when I'm off duty, I eat right and I exercise. Roy, do you ever think that Joanne may be turned off by your weight gain?"
"I never thought of that." Roy admitted. ""I guess when you're fat and ugly, no woman wants to be with you. A man these days has to be Sylvester Stallone to be attractive to women.
"Roy, that's not true. Look at me, I have no trouble getting dates." Johnny reminded him. "Roy, you should make more of an effort to stay in shape. Get some exercise. I run five days a week at the high school track. Roy, try weightlifting or even biking, just do something to get active. Try to cut out some of the junk food."
"Will diet help?" Roy asked.
"It can't hurt." Johnny replied. "Roy over at 8's, I've taken over the cooking on our shift. I've cut our fat intake down significantly. I've also started an exercise program."
"Okay, I'll give it a try." Roy agreed, having the feeling that he was getting into something he was going to regret.
____________________
Roy was proven right the next morning before the sun was even up.
"C'mon, DeSoto! Move it!" Johnny called as he ran ahead of Roy.
"I'm coming!" Roy huffed, sweat pouring down his face as he tried to keep up with Johnny. "How can you do this every morning?"
Every muscle in Roy's body ached as he ran in full turnout gear with an air tank on his back.
"Tell me why I'm doing this again." Roy heaved.
"To get in shape." Johnny reminded Roy. "Roy, think about how delighted Joanne will be when she sees a new trimmer Roy."
"But why the full turnout gear?" Roy huffed as he pushed himself to keep running.
"The turnout gear provides resistance. In order for an exercise program to work, there has to be something to push against. I also wanted it as a reminder of what you'll have to endure on an engine and in a fire. Roy, the doc said this is what you need. He said your heart and lungs are normal, so there's no reason you can't exercise."
A few minutes later, both men completed one run around the track.
"Roy, that's enough for today. You feel tired?" Johnny asked.
"Exhausted." Roy huffed, taking off the turnout gear. "Not to mention sore."
"Good." Johnny grinned. "Your body will tolerate this more as your stamina increases. Whe'd better shower and get the day started."
____________________
Back at Johnny's after a hot shower and dressing, Roy sat at the kitchen table while Johnny fixed their breakfast. Roy was writing a letter to his Jo.
June 2, 1980-AM
Dearest Jo,
Today, I jogged with Johnny and he's getting our breakfast now. I was so sore. I've never hurt so much in my life. Johnny and I were talking last night and he made me realize how I only did things to make you happy. I never did anything cause I wanted to. I've decided that I'm gonna get into shape, not for you or your parents, but for me. I know now that any change I make has to be about me and my way of thinking.
Jo, I had my first date after shift yesterday. The lady said I was a bore. I've never thought of myself as boring before. I'm just now beginning to realize how inflexible I can be. I guess I've
always found it hard to try new things, even in our relationship.
No wonder you never wanted to make love. It wasn't any fun with me. I never was creative in bed or in any other aspect of our lives. for me it was always about hurrying through so I could go on and do other things. I wonder if my impotency has psychological origins? Jo, I talked to Johnny's date after they had sex and asked her what she enjoyed about it.
She told me that Johnny took his time and made sure that the sex just wasn't about his pleasure, but hers as well. She said that Johnny made it last. I never did that with you. As I watched John and his date yesterday, I began to wake up to the mistakes I was making with you.
Jo, Johnny says breakfast is ready, so I'll let you go now and write more later.
Love always,
Roy
END PART 7: Love of Money