STOPPED BY THE POLICE

STOPPED BY THE POLICE 

By Duncan 

It was time to head for the house. I was stopped in Tampa. 

As seems to be my fate, people will say, “You're going to stop by and have lunch, right, Mr. Duncan?” 

Tampa is no exception. This story goes all the way back to Indianapolis. There is a little Baptist church called Crooked Creek Baptist Church. The congregation is much smaller today, with a handful of believers who still come each Sunday. My parents called it their church home for 40 or more years. They loved this church. 

George Ronald William Duncan 

My father, George Ronald William Duncan, was a strong believer and a “Go-to-Church-Every-Sunday” kind of guy. One Sunday, a new couple came to church. My dad approached, asked their names, and welcomed them to the church. Over the years, he and the Lopez family became close friends. 

I was at church one Sunday with my dad, and we all went to lunch after church. They had a young son named Erik, who was very shy. So, at lunch, I sat next to Erik and engaged him in conversation. He was very shy and very respectful and called me “Mr. Duncan.” 

I was impressed with Erik, and I was just as impressed with his parents. They were raising a polite young man. 

Duncan, Erik Lopez 

Erik knew I was riding a motorcycle and asked if he could take a ride. His mother, Guemalli (his mother), was not excited about Erik being on the back of a motorcycle. However, one afternoon, Merlin brought Erik over to the house and, more or less, gave his blessing. Erik and I were off to places unknown. 

Erik Lopez, Merlin Lopez. 

I think Merlin was so relieved after our bike ride that his son was safe that he couldn’t help but give him a hug. That afternoon, I became an extended member of their family. 

I was invited to Erik’s wrestling matches and football games. Erik was becoming a focused young man. 

Erik Lopez - Pike High School. 

#11 - Erik Lopez

Merlin, Erik, Guemalli Lopez

#11 - Erik Lopez, Duncan

We all had lunch one Sunday after church, and Erik was sixteen. So I decided to give him a little trouble in front of everybody.  

“So, now that you are sixteen and can drive, how many girlfriends do you have? How many dates will you be on, Erik?”

“I don’t have any girlfriends, Mr. Duncan. I don’t have a driver's license.”   

I looked across the dining table at Guemalli and said, “He doesn’t have a driver’s license; why not?”  

“He doesn’t need one!”

I always knew Guemalli was a strict mother, and she expected Erik to toe the line. But I have to admit I was surprised, shocked, and flabbergasted. 

”Every sixteen-year-old kid looks forward to a driver's license.” 

I looked at Merlin; he just dropped his head slightly. Well, we know what that means, don’t we? The decision maker is Guemalli. I began my flamboyant rant, 

“Guemalli, you have got to be kidding me. You’re not going to allow your ONLY sixteen-year-old son to have what every sixteen-year-old son in America longs for, wants, and needs … a driver's license? What about dates with girls? Are you going to be driving him on his dates? Will you allow the date to sit in the back seat? Oh, I can see that happening. I don’t think so; what’s the problem here?” Guemalli, talk to me. 

“If you think he needs a driver's license, you can teach him to drive; I’m not doing it!” 

I turned to Erik and gave him a “Stage Whisper” so everyone at the table could hear what I was about to say. 

“Erik, you and I will meet tomorrow at that church parking lot close to your home, and I will begin teaching you how to drive a car. You’ll learn on a manual transmission automobile. I’m bringing the Mean Yellow.

“Mr. Duncan, I don’t know how to shift a car.” 

“You will when we get finished tomorrow.” 

I have never heard my Mean Yellow Pontiac Solstice gearbox make so many ugly grinding sounds. And Erik must have restarted my supercharged engine a hundred times. But at the end of the day, as Larry, the cable guy would say, “Get-R-Done.” Erik was asking if he could borrow the car for prom. Now that progress. 

Time flies when you are having fun. Erik graduated from high school and wanted to attend the University of Tampa. I left Indiana in 2014 and decided to Live in North Fort Myers. I took Dad with me, and he enjoyed his last four years in Florida. 

Merlin Lopez, George R. Duncan (98), Guemalli Lopez (December 2017) North Fort Myers. Visiting from Indianapolis. 

Merlin Lopez, Erik Lopez, Guemalli Lopez - Graduation Day, University of Tampa. Tampa, Florida. 

“What do you want to do with your life now, Erik?” 

“I want to be a policeman. I want to go to the Tampa Police Academy.” 

Merlin Lopez, Officer Erik Lopez, Guemalli Lopez. Graduation Day, Tampa Police Academy.

Tampa Police Officer Erik Lopez, Duncan. 

So, Erik is aware I’m in Florida. He said, “You will stop by Tampa and have dinner with me.” I’m not going to disobey a Police Officer. It’s set. I will leave Sebring in the late afternoon, head north for about two hours, and have dinner with Erik. However, Erik works tonight and says he has an hour for supper. So let’s meet in Historic Ybor City. I arrive in Ybor City and find the public parking lot one block off the main drag. 

I parked the Mean Yellow in the public parking lot. Erik says he will meet me here. I wait. 

Tampa Police Officer Erik Lopex reporting as requested. 

A woman who did not make much sense.

As Erik and I stood in the parking lot talking, a woman approached Erik and wanted information about a disturbance. She wanted some kind of help. 

Erik stood his ground, and I moved back a few feet, for I didn’t know what would happen. She began a rant, which I couldn’t understand. I watched Erik. He stood and listened to the woman with a bland, straight face; he asked a few polite questions. The woman looked at me and said, “Good Luck getting any help from him. Are you in trouble?” 

I didn’t answer but bowed my head. I guess she took that as a sign she needed to move on. And she did. 

“Does that happen to you often?”  

“Often enough.”

JAMES JOYCE IRISH PUB

JAMES JOYCE IRISH PUB

A James Joyce Irish Pub was across the street from the parking lot behind us. We decided to have dinner there. I wasn’t sure if Erik was comfortable going to the restaurant in full police mode. I noticed he sat with his back to the wall and was scanning the place the whole time we were there. 

Duncan, Tampa Police Officer Erik Lopez. 

I had to ask if he was doing what he wanted to do. Has your path to a Police career been as you envisioned it? And he lamented. 

“Well, I love the weather in Tampa; I know Tampa. I love my job. Yes, there are times when things don’t go as I would like, but it’s what I do, a career, and I’m very happy here. It’s what I wanted to do, and I’m doing it.”

“Well, Erik, my dear friend, I’ve got to ask the sixty-four dollar question. Have you got a woman in your life?”

With my hours, different shifts, and being on-call, I don’t know any woman who would put up with my work schedule. I bought a big truck, and I love driving it around.”

Erik was always easygoing. In high school, he was strong on the wrestling mates and wanted to win on the football field. At one point, he thought about joining the Marines. 

When he announced, “I want to be a policeman,” his family and I were worried. I became intently scared for his safety. 

As we discussed his day and work, he seems to take everything in stride. He even hinted he wants to move up in the police department—hinted, mind you. 

I’m unsure if he has a clear goal for his next challenge, but I think he has something in the back of his mind. Whatever it is, I think at this point, at least, it will be in public service in and around Tampa. 

We walked out of the Pub and across the street. He looked at my Mean Yellow Pontiac Solstice and said, “You know, it all began in this car.”  I had to laugh. I looked at my hot rod. I turned and looked at his patrol car. I smiled, and he smiled back. 

“You have moved up in the world. Be safe, Erik, and keep in touch.”