The Burrito
By Tooki
Edited by Tonya
2023
Hutch pulled the report he was working on from the typewriter, put it in a manila folder and placed it on a pile to the left of the typewriter. Then he tipped his desk chair back on its back two legs and stretched.
“Done?” Starsky asked eagerly, it was near lunchtime and his stomach was growling.
Hutch let the chair fall back to all four legs. He could faintly hear his mother in the back of his head telling him the chair would tip over and he would get hurt. Hutch sighed as he patted the shrinking pile of files to the right of the typewriter. “Still have a few more.”
Starsky’s sigh was even louder even than his partner’s. “If you would let me help you, we would be at lunch right now.”
“And when we got back I would be redoing your reports because they wouldn’t be complete and Dobey hates incomplete reports.”
“Oh come on I’m not that bad.” Hutch rolled another form into the typewriter and looked at Starsky. “Okay, okay, I suck at paperwork. We should be catching bad guys, not sitting on our butts typing.”
“Sorry pal, it has to be done and you know it.”
Starsky tipped his chair back on two legs as his partner had done. He lost his balance and would have hit the floor if his Captain, Harold Dobey, hadn’t caught the back of the chair and pushed his detective back into a sitting position. “Stop screwing around Starsky! Why are you letting Hutchinson do all the work?” Dobey bellowed.
“Aww Cap, I offered.” Starsky said sullenly .
“He did,” Hutch said, coming to the rescue. “Only a few more.” Dobey just shook his head and disappeared into his office.
“Hey!” Starsky brightened, “Why don’t I go pick up lunch?”
Hutch made a face as he poked out the letters on the keys. “I’ll be done soon.”
“Come on Hutch!” Starsky urged. “I’ll bring back something good.”
“You and I have vastly different ideas about what is good.” Hutch turned his attention back to the report. Hutch didn’t mine an occasional burger or pizza, but greasy doughnuts and burritos were not his thing. He knew that his partner’s favorite lunch was the taco truck.
“I’ll bring you back something you’ll like!”
“Starsk, I’m never going to get done if you keep pestering me.”
“Starsky stood up grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair. “I’ll be back.”
“Starsky!” Hutch called after his partner but he didn’t stop.
Hutch pulled the last form from the typewriter, slapped it on the top of the finished pile of reports, then looked at the clock on the wall. His partner had been gone for nearly an hour and his stomach was beginning to grumble.
“Sorry it took so long,” Starsky said as he rushed into the squad room carrying a familiar bag along with two paper cups. Hutch knew where it came from. His face fell in disappointment, it wasn’t missed by his partner. “Don’t look like that.”
At this point Hutch didn’t care, he was starving, “Bring it on.”
Starsky sat down at his desk across from Hutch. He made a big production of taking out napkins, handing several to his friend. Then the drink, finally Starsky took out a foil wrapped object that could only be one of the biggest burritos Hutch had ever seen. Starsky handed it over.
Hutch took it gently and laid it on his desk, almost afraid to open it. He took a sip of his drink trying to delay what he knew was inside the foil. Hutch was delighted to find the drink was tea and not a soda.
“Open it up, it won’t bite I promise. I had Carlos make it special for you.” Starsky urged as he pulled his lunch from the bag.
Hutch gingerly began unwrapping the foil. The aroma coming from the tortilla was delicious. Cautiously he peered at the contents, it was filled with vegetables and brown rice. He looked across the desk at Starsky who was diving into his own lunch. “How?”
“I told you, I had Carlos make it special.”
“But where did he get brown rice?”
“Are you going to eat or ask questions?”
Hutch sniffed the burrito one last time then took a tentative bite. He nodded in approval, “This is good.”
Starsky beamed at his partner, “Sauce?” He held out a small plastic container. Hutch took it.
“Taco? I got an extra just in case.”
“Don’t push your luck.” Hutch grunted as he took another bite.
The end