A First Phone Call

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I think one of the sweetest things about Starsky is his devotion and love for his mom. So, I decided to write a series of stories exploring the lives of Starsky & Hutch through the phone calls Starsky has with his mom. They won’t follow a specific time line, so enjoy the surprise as they post! For Wanda, my friend and biggest Phone Call fan, I dedicate them all to you.

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Sounds of Home

It was Friday afternoon and the house was quiet…too quiet. Rachel hated the quiet, at times so loud, it would hurt her ears. She missed the sounds of love that made a house a home – the laughter, the talking, doors banging, feet running, brothers fighting.

But, those sounds were gone, in a flash, the sound of a gun destroying the sounds of home.

She remembered the day Henry Reagan knocked on her door. Henry, his wife Betty, and their son Frank were all close friends of the Starsky family. Henry and Michael Starsky had hoped to partner one day when they became detectives. Betty and Rachel were best of friends, along with her David and their Frank.

Rachel could tell by the look on Henry’s face that the news was not good. As Henry told the story of Michael’s murder on the streets of New York, Rachel felt a piece of her heart die, murdered with her husband…blood from her heart mingling with the blood of her dead husband.

By the time David and Nicky had gotten home from school, Rachel had found the strength she needed to tell her sons their father was dead. David ran to Uncle Henry, as he was called, demanding answers to questions a thirteen year old boy should never have to ask. Years later, Rachel would look back on that day, and realize that was when the detective in her David was born.

The next two weeks were a blur. Michael Starsky was a well-respected officer and the outpouring of grief and support was both welcome and overwhelming. There was a wake, a memorial service, a funeral, with Michael’s coffin carried thru the streets of New York. Through it all, Nicky clung to his mother, too young to fully understand while David clung to his anger, old enough to understand, that all their lives were forever changed because of some punk on a street corner. The anger inside him grew.

Six months later, on a cold Friday, Rachel stood at the airport terminal, a piece of her heart breaking even more. David was boarding an airplane to fly to the West Coast. Flying away from her and, hopefully, flying to a new start and a new life.

She remembered him crying the night before, begging and pleading for her to let him stay. David had been getting into more and more trouble, in school and on the streets. Frank Regan had brought him home many times and Rachel tried to talk to her son, but the anger in him grew stronger…and the defiance.

Finally, David had been caught with a tough gang of boys, the kind that would carry him away from her forever. That night, after the arguing had stopped and David was asleep, Rachel walked into his room, looked at his sleeping face, touched his tender dark curls, and knew what needed to be done to protect her son from himself. She had lost her husband to the mean streets of New York, she would not lose her oldest.

Rachel called her sister in California and, with tears streaming down her face, explained the details to Rosa. Immediately, Rosa agreed and plans were made for David to come stay with her.

That was two weeks ago and Rachel still had not spoken to David. Rosa had called, telling her that David has arrived safely and was settling in. But, David refused to speak to Rachel, his anger and hurt still very strong.

Suddenly, Rachel’s thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

“Hello” she said.

“Ma…it’s me David” came the sweetest sound to her ears.

“David, oh David!” Rachel said excitedly, a tear rolling down her cheek. “It’s so good to hear from you my dear. How are you?”

“I’m good Ma, really I am. How are you…how is Nicky?” David asked.

“Oh, son, I am fine and so is your brother. He is next door playing right now.” Rachel answered, soaking in the sound of his voice. “How was your flight David? Was it exciting? Did you have fun?” So many questions to ask, so much to catch up on.

“Ma, this flying thing is a breeze!” David said, his voice rising with excitement. “I got to visit the cock pit and talk with the Captain. They even let me sit right up front. The stewardesses said it was to keep an eye on me! Well, they were pretty enough, so I didn’t mind, ’cause I got to keep an eye on them!” he said with a laugh in his voice.

“David Michael Starsky!” Rachel said with a shocked tone in her voice, trying to hold her laughter in.

“Yes,” she thought to herself, “this young one is his father’s son – a charmer and a rascal all rolled into one curly headed bundle of energy.”

Rachel continued her gentle scolding. “You should be ashamed, speaking of those ladies like that!”

David laughed, Rachel soaking in the music of his laughter. “Aww Ma, they didn’t mind it! They said I was cute and would be a real heart breaker one day…guess that’s a good thing…right?” he asked.

“Yes David, that can be a good or bad but that depends on you.” Rachel thought for a second and continued, “The important thing is to always treat people with love, respect, and compassion. One day, you will be a grown man, with the responsibilities of family and friends. Treat people kindly David, learn to trust and love and care. Do that and you will be blessed with true friends – friends who will always be there for you – no matter what.”

“Yes ma’am, I will Mom. For you, for Nicky, and for dad, I promise to do just that.” David said, all of sudden sounding very grown up.

Rachel heard David shuffling, she smiled, knowing that he was bouncing from one foot to the other. In the knowledge that only a mother can have of her child, Rachel waited patiently for David to say what was truly in his heart.

“Ma,” David said softly, a tear in his voice, “I’m sorry about the way I acted after Pa died and I’m sorry I haven’t called you. I was just so mad, mad that Dad got shot. Mad at the dirt bags who shot him, mad at you for sending me away, I was just mad at everyone!” the pain and anguish in David’s voice breaking Rachel’s heart. “I knew I was gettin’ in too much trouble, hangin’ with the wrong kind of kids. Ma…I’m so sorry…I never, never meant to hurt you. Ma…I love you.”

“Oh David, I love you too, son.” Rachel said, her mother’s love reaching out across the miles to touch her son, “I never stopped and I never will. You mean so very much to me. I just wanted you to be safe and staying with Aunt Rosa, for now, is the way to do that. No need to apologize my little Davela, you are safe and you are well, that is most important

“You mean it Ma, you are not mad at me! Not mad at how bad I was, how I acted, how I treated you?” David asked in a startled voice.

“David, I will be honest, because you are old enough for that. I was hurt more than mad when you started acting up. But, by then, you had started down the wrong path. That’s when I decided for you to stay with Rosa.” Rachel explained. “But, that is the past, we have our future David, and that is where we shall go from here…all right?”

“Alright Ma, that sounds good to me,” David said, relief in his voice knowing that his mother did still love him. Suddenly, David remembered the phone calls his mother had made these past two weeks where he refused to talk with her. He felt so ashamed of himself for hurting her like that and he vowed never do that again.

“Ma, I promise, I’ll call ya more. I’ll call ya every Friday, Ma, even if it’s for just a few minutes I’ll call ya. To make sure you are okay, Nicky’s okay, and everyone’s okay,” said the strong voice of her sweet son.

Rachel, settling into her chair, listened as David told her all the things he had been doing these past two weeks. Friends he had made, places he had explored. A new friend on the police force named John Blaine, a cool red car owned by Rosa’s neighbors, a guy named Earl (or was it Merle – David could not remember) who owned a body shop behind Uncle Al’s car lot.

Her son was coming back to her. His voice, strong and happy, the sound she had needed and longed to hear. A sound that made her house a home again coming through the phone – her David’s first phone call.

 

Birdie

The phone rang as it did most every Friday at this time.  Rachel smiled, knowing who was on the other end.

Picking up the phone she started to say hello when she heard a strange female voice: “Oh, Starsky!  I love how you’re doing that!  Oh Starsky!  Do that again!” the voice rose in excitement and Rachel wondered if this was a wrong number…until…

“Hey ma!” came the excited voice of her eldest son.  Now Rachel was wondering what was going on.

“David, are you all right?  Who is that woman’s voice I heard?”

A split second of embarrassed silence fell, “Um, you heard that Ma?” Starsky asked sheepishly.

“Yes son, I did, every word.  Do you have a lady friend with you?  If so, do you really think you should be talking to your mother right now?” she said in a stern voice tinged slightly with laughter.

“Oh no, ma, it’s not what you think.  That’s Birdie, you heard Birdie talking.”

“Birdie?  You girlfriend’s name is Birdie?  She, um, sounds, um nice.” Rachel stammered out, still trying to figure out why her son would be calling with a girl in his apartment.

Exasperated, Starsky explained further.  “No Ma, Birdie is a bird, a parrot, a talking parrot.   Ya see a friend of mine is gone for a couple of weeks and she asked me to watch it while she was away.”

Suddenly, Birdie squawked and started up again, parroting Starsky’s voice, “Hutch, you know that @@@@ing Crawford! He made @@@@ing bail again! I can’t …” and a string of epithets came flowing from Birdie’s beak.

“Hutch” Starsky called out to his partner, “take that damn bird into my room.  Ma’s on the phone and she’s hearing everything it says!”

Rachel heard the rattling of the cage and Hutch mumbling something about crazy birds and crazy partners.

“Hutch take that damn bird…” Rachel also heard the bird say as Hutch whisked it away.

“David Michael Starsky, is that bird repeating words that you’ve said?  You should be ashamed young man!  I taught you better, you know not to say those kinds of words!  Why, if you were here, I’d be washing your mouth out with soap right now!”

“I know Ma, I’m sorry.  It’s just that Hutch and I worked hard to get the guy in jail, and he bailed out.  It was just damn…oh…darn irritating!”

“Well, is he still out?” Rachel asked sternly.

“No ma’am, we caught him the next day dealing, which revoked his bail.  He’s back in now and won’t be out for a long time.”

“That’s good to hear, son.  I know the way the system works can be frustrating at times, especially when you’ve worked so hard to arrest someone.  I do understand David, I do.”

She did understand, remembering those nights so long ago when her husband and Henry Reagan would stand in the back yard with a beer fussing and cussing over life and work.  Rachel didn’t like it, but she understood they needed the release so they could face another day.

Quietly Starsky replied, “Thanks Ma, I appreciate that.”

Hutch’s voice in the background signaled the call was about to end.  It was time for her two boys to go to work and make their small part of the world safe.

“Go on David.  Be careful, please, both of you.”

“We will Ma, thanks.” More muffled words from Hutch and Starsky was back.  “Hutch sends his love.”

“My love back to him darling, and to you, too.   Now go, scoot, catch some bad guys.”

“Bye, Ma love you, call you soon.”

And, as Starsky was hanging up the phone Rachel heard, “Ohhh Starsky…ohhhh Starsky…”

“Shut up Birdie!!” was Starsky’s reply.

He never heard the loud and raucous laughter of his mother on the other end.