Following Your Dream
The narrator is a true illustration that one can follow his dreams despite the challenges and dissuasion that comes along the way. Since childhood, the narrator has always wanted to be a cop and his motivation is to serve others. When he joins the police department, Jonny and other cops try to discourage him that the job does not well paying. However, the narrator insists that his dream is to be a cop and he will die following his dream. When he refuses to listen to the advice of Jonny and other cops to pursue another career, they laugh at him but he does not mind because he joins them in the laughter. Randy writes, "They all would laugh, and I would laugh, too, because anyone who wanted to be a cop knew it wasn't a practical choice and maybe not even a choice at all but a calling.” As the narrator writes this story, he reflects his three decades as a cop and this is a true demonstration that being a cop is a calling because he decided to follow his dream.
Abusive Relationships
In the part of his text, the narrator remembers how a woman walks into the police desk to bail out his abusive boyfriend. The boyfriend had slapped her on the face and that affected the coloring of her eyes. Jonny is surprised that the lady has the guts to come all along to bail out someone capable of killing her. Johnny says, "You are better than that missy! There’s a nice young man out there who will treat you with the respect you deserve. Do yourself a favor and leave this piece of shit in jail where it belongs.” The lady demonstrates how many women put up with abusive men in relationships in the name of love. The young woman is ready to use her money to bail out someone who is going to cause her more harm.
The challenges of being a cop
Throughout the narration, the reader notices that being a cop is not an easy task. For instance, the first time the narrator joins the department, he is discouraged that it is a sucking job. When the narrator listens to the narrations and tales of Jonny Rogerson, he realizes that being a cop is not easy. The job of police includes shootouts, killings, and witnessing dead bodies. The narrator writes, "Whenever he told me about a particularly tragic call, his eyes would fill with tears and his voice would fade to a whisper. Dead bodies, injured children, fallen officers – I was nearly moved to tears too." The tales of Jonny reveals that being a cop is not easy because one has to be determined to continue working. He continues to write, "He told me about arousing tales of foot chases and shootouts, of rescues from burning buildings, brawls and barricaded hostage incidents.”
