By Mae Ondracek ©2002
“Two cops paired as partners by their cap’t, learn about each other’s troubled past.”
Captain Mitchell thought for a moment, then stated, “I’m sorry Jerry, but I think Mack acts that way because he is unsure of himself. You two are about the same age so I want you to take him under your wing and educate him as to how we do things in our town.”
“Where’s he from, Captain?” Jerry asked.
“Mack is from near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. I thought maybe he was from New York where they think they know everything.” Jerry said.
The Captain laughed and said, “Please try to help him as much as you can and ….”
The Captain paused when there was a knock on his office door. He said, “Come in.”
Mack entered, nodded to Jerry and said, “You wanted to see me Captain?”
“Yes Mack. I am pairing you and Jerry Higgins for awhile, as things have really slowed down here and there is no sense in using all the cars. Two in every vehicle until further notice.”
Mack looked at Jerry and said, “Never thought this would happen but I’m glad things have quieted down.”
He stuck out his hand and Jerry shook hands with him as Captain Mitchell said, “Here’s your schedule men and good luck.”
“We’ll do just fine, Captain,” Mack said as he clapped Jerry on the back. Jerry rolled his eyes and slightly shook his head.
As the two headed for the patrol car, Mack said, “You drive first, O.K. Jerry?”
Surprised, Jerry said, “Well, sure.”
Nothing was said for the first half hour and finally Jerry asked, “Where you from, Mack?”
“If you are familiar with Wisconsin, there’s a small town near Stevens Point called Plover.”
Jerry was surprised as he answered, “Yes, I know where it is. That’s near Bancroft, right?”
“It sure is,” Mack said. “You are familiar with that area, then?”
“Yes,” Jerry said, “I grew up in Bancroft.”
“Small world, isn’t it?” Mack said, “That’s where I grew up until 1942 when I was six. Then we moved to Plover. The folks didn’t want me walking to school.”
“Lucky you, not having to walk through all that snow, but my foster parents didn’t care. I was glad when they got school bus service in 1944, then it wasn’t so bad.”
“Did you ever find your real parents?” Mack asked.
“No,” Jerry answered.
“You mean you never tried to find out? Didn’t you want to know where your real roots were?”
“Nope. I figured if they gave me up, there must have been a good reason why they didn’t keep me.” Jerry felt bad again, like he did every time he thought about being adopted out. He said, “My foster mom, Marie, couldn’t tell me much, except there were four kids in the family and my parents couldn’t afford to raise us all. So three of us were adopted out before they moved away. I was four at the time and really missed my parents.”
“Too bad, man. That must have been a terrible feeling, being rejected like that,” Mack said as he fell silent.
Nothing more was said as each man silently thought about what had been talked about. Then Jerry said, “Well, another quiet evening, thank God. Let’s turn in our reports and call it a night, O.K.?”
“Good Idea,” Mack agreed.
Mack filled out his report and quickly left the office. The Captain asked, “Well, Jerry, you tired of listening to Mack brag?”
“Matter of fact, no. I found out we lived in the same town in Wisconsin before he and his parents moved further north.”
“What a coincidence. Good night Jerry.”
“Good night, Captain.”
A few evenings later, Jerry and Mack set out on patrol again, when Mack asked, “Did you ever find your siblings, Jer? It really is sad not to know your family.”
“No, none of them and when I was adopted, I was given my foster parents last name and was never told my real name. I suppose it was the same with the others.”
“Don’t you know how easy it would be to learn the truth?” Mack asked.
“It didn’t matter because I got into trouble and ended up in the Mather House for a year.”
“Your kidding, Jerry! What year was that?”
“In 1955, right after graduation. Why?”
“Oh, man, this is freaky. That’s the same year I was at the Mather House for shoplifting. What did you do wrong?” Mack asked.
Jerry laughed and said, “Some of the older guys dared me to steal two packs of cigarettes while they kept the cashier busy. I was caught but they got away and I wouldn’t snitch on them. What did you shoplift?”
“You won’t believe this, Jerry but I tried to steal cigarettes while the cashier went back to help someone else. He caught me by the shirt collar just as I was going out the door.”
Neither man could speak for awhile until Jerry said, “It really is weird. We came from the same town, both got sent to Mather House for the same kind of crime and both ended up as cops. You know, this almost seems impossible.”
“I know,” Mack said as they entered the office to fill out their reports for the night.
Monday was their day off and Mack called Jerry on the phone, “Hi, Jerry, what do you say we head for the court house in Stevens Point and see what info we can come up with about your real family?”
“Naw, I don’t think so. My real parents had plenty of time to try to find me but they didn’t. Why should I care now?”
“Come on, Jerry, humor me,” Mack said excitedly. “I’ll even drive. O.K.?”
“Oh, alright, but I don’t think we’ll find out anything.”
The clerk was reluctant to answer their questions and referred them to the newspaper archives. Hoping that could help them, Mack quickly searched back to 1940 and slowly they looked through each month to find some clue, but nothing turned up.
Suddenly Jerry asked, “How about asking the judge if we can see my adoption papers?”
“I don’t know if they can tell us, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Mack answered as he nervously rubbed his hands together.
They went upstairs and Jerry asked the clerk if they could see Judge Lance. She said he was out of town for three days and the men should set up an appointment with his secretary. That done, Jerry and Mack both said they were hungry and they stopped at the White Goose Restaurant. They each had a sandwich and coffee and talked about their time in Mather House.
“What section were you in, Mack? I was in section two.”
“I wonder why we never got together. I was in section two, also. Did you go with the gang to clean up that vacant yard on Pine Tree Lane?” Mack asked.
“No,” Jerry answered, “I was sick and couldn’t go out.”
“Lucky you,” Mack said. “That was a foul yard. It’s a wonder we all didn’t get sick after cleaning up that mess.”
“Well, I suppose we better leave before they kick us out. No uniforms on today,” Jerry said and both men laughed.
The days seemed to drag until Friday and their appointment with Judge Lance. Jerry introduced himself and Mack and Mack seemed just as nervous as Jerry was when the Judge asked how he could help them. Jerry explained about his adoption and how he was hoping to find out who his real parents were. “Could you please help me, Judge Lance?”
The Judge replied, “Why now after all this time?”
“Well, you see, sir, I spent a year in Mather House, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in places like that, so I figured I better straighten out my life. I studied hard and finally became a cop. I met Mack and we have a lot in common, so he suggested I try to find out about my parents and siblings.” Jerry explained.
“Please, your Honor, help us. I have a feeling about this.” Mack said.
“Where did the adoption take place?” Judge Lance asked.
“Right here in this court house,” Jerry answered.
“And you’re sure you want to know the truth?” the Judge asked as both men
vigorously shook their heads, yes.
The Judge called the clerk and asked her to bring up the Higgins adoption file from 1940. While scanning the file, flipping through page after page, the Judge suddenly asked Mack, “What did you say your last mane was?”
“Jamson,” Mack answered in a shaky voice. “It is true, isn’t it, your Honor?”
“I think so, Mack. Jerry, your parents were having a very hard time making ends meet, so Mr. & Mrs. Higgins adopted you. The Smiths adopted Mary. And the Browns adopted Tom. That left your parents with one son to raise and they chose the eldest because he wouldn’t need as much care and both parents could work.”
Jerry looked in astonishment as Mack leaped to his feet and grasped Jerry’s shoulders. Mack’s voice was shaking as he said, “Jerry, I told my parents about you and your siblings. Mom broke down, cried, and told me the whole story. Jerry, you are my brother. Now lets try to find our other brother and sister.”