The Love of a Firefighter Part 1 - The New Beginning

 

"This is Dave. We are on the third floor and run out of air supply. Fire has cut off our escape route. We request a ladder to the window on Delta side of the building. Over."

"Command copied Dave, your escape route cut off by fire. I'm sending the Rapid Intervention Crew to Delta side with a ladder. Over."

After the unexpected call, between the heat and smoke from the burning wood, the firefighter spoke to one of his crews. "Hold on! They'll help us in a moment, Lila." He embraced her shoulders, trying to protect her from the scorching fire. Looking at her almost loosing her breaths, he gave her a comforting and assuring gaze. "We're going to make it.  You and I... We'll have beautiful days ahead, more beautiful than we have already had. I promise."

The Rapid Intervention Crew arrived shortly with a ladder on delta side of the building. The firefighter pulled her arms, trying to help her to get to the window as soon as possible. However, his chest felt tight, and he was coughing between his breaths.

Until finally, he  broke down, having lots  of poisonous gas  in his lungs, kneeling down on his knees like the time  he proposed to her -- the only woman he ever  loved. The firefighter woman took off her  oxygen mask and put it  on his nose.  Her tears dripped at the corner of her eyes. It wasn't because of the heat nor the smoke filling her lungs. Stuttered words came out of her lips.....

"Yes, my love.... you and I ...we'll survive and we'll see our children."

Theme Song: "Shark In  The Water" by V V Brown 
 
 

Summer, 2012

Everyone knows that being  firefighters is not an easy job since our lives are at stake. Once we get to the scene, we can only rely on our faith, teamwork, and our engines. Any slices of careless and stupid mistakes, our lives might end in a second. I know that, but still... I decided to be one of them.


My name is Dave. I'm a firefighter, and this is part of the story of my life.

 

I arrived in Twinbrook in summer 2009, alone without a family or friends. A stranger, just like Twinbrook was a strange place for me. It was the chance  to start a new life and to be the real person who I really am. It greeted me with its mist and welcomed me with smiles from the locals there. It's actually a nice place for anyone to settle in, but beware of what unseen behind everything you can see in there. It's the place where disaster can happen in any time soon, waiting for you in front of your doorsteps. Worse, it could happen in your very own house if you're not being careful.

"See you again, Dave!" 
"Thanks, Bro!" 


Even though, I came here alone, it didn't take much time for me to mingle with new buddies. My co-workers were okay.  At least, when I got introduced as the new volunteer, they taught me steps and  the ins and outs to become a good fireman and as time passed by, we became close friends like brothers and sisters.

Everything was going well. I was on my way to reach the top of  my dreams. Still, one problem was overhanging me. The first time I set my foot on Twinbrook, I had no roof, a bed, a stove, or a refrigerator. In fact, I had nothing, but a cell phone. You may wonder how I survived, but I did. The department gave a volunteer like me a room in the firehouse, so I didn't have to worry about where I should sleep.

For me, it was the most comfortable place in the world, at least until I finally got my own space. 

There, we spent our time: developing our skills, maintaining our fire engines, and socializing with other firefighters. Many things happened in there. For me, it was the place where I found myself

,

friendship, trust, and

love.

The woman sitting behind the computer is Lila. Our first meeting wasn't really that awesome, remembering of where it happened, but I could not forget about her since then. Lila and I ran into each other in the water closet. Sounds not appealing, huh?

The Department had not separated lavatory for each gender yet. So yes, there were some little incidents happened back then.
 
I was a new guy in town. Single, 24, ... met a pretty young girl. I thought it was my chance, so I greeted her, and we spoke. I tried to impress her by showing off my biceps muscles and told her that I was a firefighter. Women usually fall for this. Just ask my mother about it. She was married to a firefighter.

The firefighter thing seemed to work. She looked quite impressed. I was so positive at that, but then…

She told me that she was a firefighter too. 


Stupid me! I should have noticed her uniform. She worked in the fire department for almost three months ahead of me. When she told me how she became a firefighter, her eyes burnt with excitement. I was captivated by it. What can I say? Woman with high spirit is my weakness.  


We stood there talking, for only the janitor knew how long we've been there. The janitor was an old grandma. She kept on distracting us by pushing her mop onto my feet, but my stubbornness wouldn't let Lila  off my sight for a second and then the old grandma kept pushing the mop. Lila laughed when she noticed us. That was when I noticed her beautiful smile. Our grandma finally gave up and left the place to clean another lavatory. Of course, after she warned me first.


Knowing that there was no one else around,  I set my eyes on her. Her cheeks blossomed into red.

"Miss firefighter, I've been wondering... maybe you and I can... put up a  fire someday?" I whispered as I leaned closer and  gave her the best look of mine. Not the best approach, I know,

but she didn't withdraw herself and I felt myself drawn to her in an instant, but quickly I pulled my face after two seconds. It was a quick kiss, I must admit, but I liked how it felt. Even though, my growling stomach almost ruined  the moment. My stomach  never compromised with me, but for once, I hope it did.  


Slowly, I opened my eyes, but I saw the surprise on her face. My face was ready to be slapped. Fortunately, the emergency alarm rang. Yeah! I was saved by the bell. 


I hoped she would not be angry for what I did because I really liked her and I thought she liked me too. "See you again, bunny cake." I scurried off to respond to the emergency alarm, leaving her there dumbfounded.

My team and I hurried off to the scene where the fire took place. It took about thirty minutes to get there. Luckily, we didn't get caught in a traffic jam, but when we got there, the fire had spread to the second floor. Quickly, we did our job putting out the fire.  


That was my first fire, and I was so amazed by the scene.  I was stunned, standing in front of the burning house, until the chief noticed me and then yelled: "What are you doing there? Get in there and fight fire!"


I quickly aware of myself, grabbed the hose and hurtled inside, but another team members warned me: "Get down!" he said, ducking my head under the smoke. I forgot everything I have learned once getting into the scene.



We put out the fire on the first floor and then headed off to the second floor. I was running on the stairs when suddenly my leg got trapped in a hole from damaged wood at one of the rungs. Luckily, someone from behind helped me stand up again.  

"You gotta be careful around here, thief kisses!"

From those words, I already knew who the firefighter girl was. She's a strong woman to be able to pull my heavy weight out of that hole.  

"Lila?" 
"You betcha!"

 

I didn't have a chance to say thanks to her because the fire was waiting for us to be extinguished and she had already left before I could say it.


In firefighting, each firefighter must act fast, careful, and spry. The first objective is to make sure everyone is survived, saving the people who are being trapped inside. Luckily, there was no one in the house when the fire started. The other objectives are to save property and to protect the environment. In the bedroom, I noticed a sofa with leopard print.  Too bad, it  turned into dust in a couple of minutes. 


Another thing that a firefighter should always remember is to bring Self Preservation Tools. We save lives, but we should also keep ourselves secure. We should always carry Personal Alert Safety System to notify other firefighters if a critical situation happens and to prepare ourselves with Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus and a rope. Those tools would help us survive if anything bad happens.


Anything could happen in firefighting: heat stress, roof falls on us, heart attack, and hazardous situation that may lead us to death. Practically, it's not a safe job, but I love to do it. I dreamed of having this career since I was a child, especially, after seeing my dad rescuing some folks in our neighborhood. I was so proud of him. 


But my dad died because of it, and that's the reason my mom disagreed with my decision. Still, this is what I love to do. 


This is me.  This is... my life. 


Dave Johnston, 24, traits: Brave, flirty, savvy sculptor, charismatic, and has a good sense of humor. LTW:  To become a Firefighter Super Hero.

As a new guy in town, surely I needed a new look. There were plenty of women in Twinbrook who might try to find a guy like me, and Lila probably was one of them. I could still remember what happened on the scene. Part of me was a bit embarrassed by it, but another part deep inside me had great admiration for her. That embarrassment must be paid off with a great look when I have a chance to meet her again.  


Face, hair,  shirt, all looked okay, but one thing was missing: Tattoos!

My co-workers told me that Drea's Saloon And Tattoo in downtown was the only place to get awesome tattoos. So, I went there, but when I arrived, there was no one, except for a woman who wore a hat and a long jacket.  I asked the woman to draw tattoo on my left arm.

 
"Actually I'm not quite fond of doing this right now. " She said. But what do you want?"
"I don't know. You can draw anything that represents fire since I'm a firefighter." 

Whilst she drew tattoo on my body, I fell to sleep because of the  exhaustion after putting out the fire the whole day. When I woke up, the woman had already left, so I checked out my new tattoos and found ...



these!

Okay, first, I needed to be calm. After another glance, the drawing on the chest looked okay, but why did she draw a bird on my stomach and childish drawings on my left arm?
 
Luckily, I did not ask for a permanent one, or I'd rather be off  dead. No drawings could be worse than these.

Anyway, wondering what kind of tattoo did she draw on my back?


This!


I thought I was going to collapse after I noticed it in the mirror. I have to come back there to remove those crazy tattoos.




Back at the fire station, one of my co-workers, Terry A. Keyes was drawing something. Maybe he could draw something on my body to cover up those ridiculous tattoos, but when I tried to open up a conversation with him, he did not look interested at any of it.

 
"Buddy, do you know where's the cool place to hang out on Friday Night?" 
"Huh?" Terry A. Keyes raised his  brows, uninterested. "Do I know you?" 

 
I flinched. "I'm Dave. The new guy.  You were the one who introduced me to the rest of the team and let me borrow your shoes. Remember? Anyway, have any idea where girls  like to hang out? Let's go there and rock the place! We-" I stopped, noticing him yawn, completely expressionless.

"Yo, newbie! Do you think this a simple job so you can go  hang around with girls  with a sign saying  I'm a firefighter on your forehead? Do you forget you almost run into the fire with your  head ready to be burnt inside?! Adapt quickly and ask  again once you have learned the techniques and able to control the situation on the scene!" 

 I realized  he was the one who warned me and ducked my head. But he didn't remember that I was one of his crew!?

"Thanks for the help, Bro!" However,  Terry A. Keyes had already left. Probably it's useless since he might not hear it after all.



Then... Lila came. As much as I was excited to see her, I had a slight of worry about the possibility that she would be feeling angry  for the little incident happened in the lavatory two days before.

"What's wrong with your arm?" She asked, staring at the awful drawings on my left arm. 
"Oh, this? I got it yesterday. Do you want to know  the meaning of this? "
"What?"
I leaned closer so I could smell her shampoo. "This was supposed to be a heart symbol, but if you look closely, it has a line that leads to here." I pointed  my arm, trying to describe the meaning of the tattoo which was  meaningless. 
"Actually, this is a symbol of my heart."
"Your ... heart?" A surprise lurked in her eyes.
"Yeah,   it's yearning for a woman like you, Lila, especially for not seeing you lately."
"Oh, really? And we've just met two days ago and you've already told me that? Should I remind you that you were not being polite, Mr. Johnston?"
"Me... Impolite?"
"Yes.  Do you know I have put you under the Title Seven of the Civil Rights and informed the EEOC about it?".
"You...  didn't?" 
"Why shouldn't I? I have the right to do so." 
Oh, no, if she reported me, I would be fired in any moment. 

"Lila, I didn't mean to make it sounded that way. I really like you. I wanted to ask you out. I  could not forget you, especially after you helped me, and I've just realized how beautiful and brave woman you really are, Lila."
 "Oh, is that so? Do you always compliment women like this, Mr. Johnston?" 
"It depends with whom I am speaking, and please call me Dave."
  I smiled.

"Well, you're lucky. I was kidding about the EEOC."  
"You did? Eh.. I mean I know that you didn't."
"But don't get too excited about it. I may change my mind in any moment."  
"I- I hope you won't because I've...I've  been wondering, eh... maybe you and I can go to the..."



The stupid alarm rang before I even finished asking her out.  It saved me once, but  it canceled my date. Perhaps, it was true that when things saved you  from troubles you made, you've got to pay it eventually.


Of course, it didn't take long for me to respond to the alarm. We had to put out the fire as soon as possible before it spread and cause a hazard. Every second is precious, and we have to minimize every lost.


Everything we do around here is teamwork. It's not a self alone job. Everyone has their part, and each of us was responsible for our own life and the lives of others. If we face a critical situation, we have to inform other crews and ask for a help by Mayday Call. Of course, I hoped I would never have to make that call.

The other thing you have to remember is that you have to eat breakfast or thing like this would happen to you. This was me, if you were wondering. It's simple, but it's really important in our everyday life.

The fire happened in the small house near a lake. There was a bit suspicion that the fire was caused by a deliberate action of one of the crazy inventors in Twinbrook. Basically, a fire hazard can be avoidable if you are being careful, but some crazy folks have a crazy habit of detonating stuffs. There's also a possibility that kids accidentally cause fire during playtime.

After weary of putting out the fire all day, my instructors, Manne and Tim, was  spending their time to release their stress and to show their affection to one another. They were engaged, if you're wondering. So,  it wasn't only me who had a crush in the workplace.

However, Lila seemed oblivious to that.. that I really liked her so much.


She asked me where I lived. I told her that my house was still in the construction process. I saved money to hire a cheap constructor to build it, and when I arrived there,

It was half finished. The house was still empty, and I didn't have money to fill it with furnitures,  let alone to buy a lamp. At least there were a refrigerator and a bed.

Shortly to say, most of 24 hours a day in my life were spent at the fire station, instead of my own house. I did not mind because I could see a pretty girl there very often.

  Lila was probably the only girl who could jump on a trampoline with high heels like that.


"Dave, " She cheerfully said. I quickly joined her jumping around on the trampoline. "No need an airplane to know how it feels to fly. I feel like flying now." She spread her arms up in the sky. Closing her eyes,  she seemed to enjoy it so much. "Dave, let's race who can jump the highest!"  

Lila was an energetic woman and was fun to be with. She had really captured my heart with her  spirit and enthusiasm. I wanted to spend more time with her and to get to know her better.

But even how much I loved to hang out with her, the alarm needed maintenance and a fast one! I almost forgot  my real purpose was.  So,  I quickly checked on  the alarm. 

 But that was the time she fell to the ground. I turned around to check on her.

  and  did everything  to make her feel comfort. And then...


"This time, you won't tell the EEOC, right?" 
 She laughed between our kisses. "You are ruining the moment now."



From that day on, we started dating. We fell on a tremendous turbulence of something called love and wasn't afraid to show it in front of everyone, even it the office. Of course, still in a decent manner.



At least, that was what we thought.  

The more I knew her, the more I liked her. Could it be love?


Lila and I loved spending time together, enjoying the afternoon after work  by walking in the park holding hands and even doing stuff like shopping for clothes. 
 
 Of course, she had not known yet about my taste in fashion. Perhaps, we haven't known each other very well, but there was still plenty of time for us to get to know better.




But we did have something in common. 
 
"You don't mind about women working in the fire department?"
"Of course not. Why are you asking this?"
"Some men do mind about it." 
 
Yeah, I admit some of the guys in the station often made critics about women working in the fire department. Some of us still thought that this job was only  for men. 
 
"You're really brave, Lila, and beautiful."
"That's such a compliment. Do you have something in your mind by telling me that?"
"No, but perhaps here." I pointed my cheek and winked. 
 "Well, close your eyes then!" 
 
I closed my eyes, ready to feel a soft touch on my cheek, but something solid and cold touched it instead.   When I opened my left eye, I found Lila pressing her glass onto my cheek so that's why it felt so cold. 
 
She laughed, noticing the look on my face. I quickly grabbed her fingers, held them close to my face and said: "You still owe me that one." Her face blushed. 
 
I wasn't lying when I told her that I didn't mind about women working in the fire department. In fact, I was impressed. There were only few women who would choose this career, let alone to let their beautiful skin got scratch or burnt, also to let their lives at risk. Lila was not like any other women and yet she's still looked graceful. I admired her even more.



Finally, I invited her to my house that night, although everything was still in a mess.

 


In fact, it was still plain ugly, and she left the house in a hurry. 

She left, not because of the house, but because she was afraid of the owner. I didn't mean to. I got carried away and thought that the moment was right --and  that it was the right moment for us.  Instead, she pulled herself away from me and ran.


I could not forget about her  and the unpleasant memories we shared the night before. Maintaining the truck seemed to be a very good way to distract my mind and to keep it busy from thinking about those, so I focused on my work instead.


Others in the fire station had a suspicion about us. They were gossiping about  how our relationship had turned sourly. They were right. Lila hadn't called me after that night. When I called her, she didn't answer. When we ran into each other in the station,  she avoided me.  

At least when I worked, I should have stopped thinking about her. 


Then... we responded to the alarm. A fire happened in a house. It was difficult to get in there in a short time because the fog blurred our vision and our debates only made it worse. 
 
"I'm sure that we should take this road." One of our team, Jack, said.
"It's a dead end." said Terry.
"How can you be so sure?" said Jack again.  "I don't see any dead end on the map. And Bro, sorry, but you are often forgetful. You didn't even remember the way to my house."
"I know, but I'm positively 100% sure about this one. One year ago, I met a dead end on this road and got an  accident on my head because of it. I could not forget it. Besides, this map is out of date. It was produced in Nov. 2008, see?" Terry explained. 
 
I checked on it and found out that he was right. Still, the fact about him put  doubts in each of crew's mind. 
 
"I risk my position for this one." said Terry. 
 
 I thought about it for a moment and then we came up with a decision that we suggested later on to the chief.




We finally made it to the scene at the right moment before the fire became worse. A smoke came out of the top of the cabin, and there were lots of trees nearby. We must act fast to stop the fire from spreading.

After we succeed putting out the fire, we had to go back to the fire station. That means we had to get through that fog again. When we were about two kilometers away from the scene, front wheels of our truck got sunk in a quicksand. Luckily, we had stopped before the entire truck got swallowed into the waterlogged soil. It took quite long for us to pull those tires out and all of the crew felt tired because of it.


But at least we finally made it to the main road. 



Back at the fire station, Lila rushed to check on our team. I had a hope that the person she really wanted to see was me, though it wasn't.  She expressed her relief to know that we have pulled out the truck in one piece without any damage and for managed to arrive at the base before the night come.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" 
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Dave. Can we go somewhere else... private?"
 We went outside the fire station. Most of the guys was whistling when we left.  

"Dave, I- I  wanted to talk about what happened the other night. I know you must be feeling confused seeing me like that, but... I hope you'll understand. For me, I will only do that only after I'm married. I want to have my first time at the night of my wedding day with my husband. For me, it's a sacred connection with the person I  love. If our relationship works and you're willing to wait, I will be fully yours."

"Is that all?" I smiled.  "As long as you will not keep me waiting for too long."

 

"I love to hug you like this, Mr. Johnston, but I think you should go to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned first." She smiled after I released her from hugs and kisses.  

That's when I finally realized the bad smell coming out of my body. I wondered how she was able to put up with it.

I went to find Terry after a shower and changed my clothes. I wanted to say thanks for his help that day.  

"Thanks. We would  not make if it weren't for your help."
"It's not a big deal." Terry answered me briefly.


There was nothing left to discuss, and it seemed he needed a time to be alone, so I decided to leave him. I was on my way to reach the door when suddenly he called me from behind.


"Dave, I noticed your fast improvement  and congratulations for your promotion. I could see that you've really learned hard here. Sorry, I wasn't being polite the first time." 

"No, you didn't, Bro. The first time we met, you were really nice. You introduced me to the other crew and even let me borrow your shoes. You even helped me ..." I stopped when I noticed his stare. Perhaps he forgot about it? 

"Anyway, thanks, Bro. I would not get this promotion if it weren't because of you guys who have taught me all the things I should know around here." 

"Whatever it was, you deserve it, Bro!" 

Bro? That was the first time I heard it from him. 

"Yo, Terry! I'm going to celebrate my promotion and our success for today with the rest of the crew and the chief. Would you like to go with us for a coffee? It's my treat."
"Where are we going?"
"To the nearest coffee shop."
"Don't go there. I know the place you can find cheaper and  tasteful coffee."


 I thought about his offer, wondering if he really remembered the place, but.. 
"I guess you're the expert on this, Bro. Show us the place!"

The next day and for  a few weeks, I went back and forth to Drea's Saloon And Tattoos  to get rid of those stupid tattoos on my back. I didn't have any luck. If it wasn't because of the shop was closed, their tools broke down. I even had to repair the chair to persuade the Tattoo Artist to remove my tattoos. He said that it wasn't his fault.

"I would never make a tattoo like that. It's awful."
"Yeah, I know that, but one of your employees did. The one with weird hat and wore a long jacket."
"What employee? I run this place on my own. You've got it all wrong, dude. Wait a minute!"
"What?"His face turned yellow. I'm starting to worry.
"I remember it now. The one with weird hat and jacket was a private investigator. She asked my permission to do undercover here for a couple of weeks. I did not tell her to give tattoos  though, but I heard that she hated firefighter so much because one of her ex was a firefighter...  Oh, man, you had a bad luck that day!"
I knew that there was something wrong. I should have wondered why Tattoo artist wore a hat and jacket like that, but artists often wear something unpredictable, right?
"Well, whatever it was or whoever she was. Please remove these tattoos. I cannot stand it. I don't have enough money, but I will fix every equipment and chair you got here." 

The Tattoo Artist agreed on the deal, but...
"It would take  a long time to remove them, especially for the back." He said after I opened my shirt.
"How long?"
"Maybe two months. Good thing, it is not a permanent one."
"Two months? What- What if my girlfriend sees me like this?"
"Well, she won't need a comedy for some laughs then, dude." He laughed.
 I was glad that nothing happened between me and Lila the other night or Lila would crawl on the floor seeing me covered in drawing like these.

After those unsuccessful removals, I met a beautiful woman. She reminded me of an actress in a movie.

We talked a bit and then I found out that she was married. Her name is Eva ... Eva, eh Grudge, Drudge? Anyway, she's a nice woman.
"What tattoos you've got there?"
"This? Oh, it's an accident. Let's not talk about it!"
"Too bad. I think it's cool." 


After that brief talk, I went home. 

My place was still in a mess. I didn't have partitions and rooms because running out of money, and even the place was a bit dark. I had to save money to pay the bills. 

Even so I still managed to buy a washing machine and a dryer. Guys have to do the laundry too sometimes.

In my own home, I felt so alone, but as long I got this old music box, it didn't feel bad.  And only by thinking about Lila and then seeing her text messages on the phone, I didn't feel alone anymore.

To be Continued to: The Love of a Firefighter Part 2

For this story I did not use any replacement skin or mod. Dave was in the sim bin made by EA. I only changed his traits. Actually I did not intend to make this as a story.