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Jake Kaminski
Author
Under the Polish Moon
Luke Karpinski is an old man. He has spent his entire career as a Miami cop. He was going to make the world a better place, just like the western heroes of his childhood. As the years pass, he realizes that life is not a movie and “happily ever after” is only for children. He has a front row seat to the unforgiving nature of life on the streets. Luke is exposed to terrible things; poverty, hopelessness, and extreme violence. Professionally, he prospers. He marries, has a family and rises steadily through the ranks. He continues to fight the good fight, doing his best to protect and serve. His efforts don’t go unnoticed. He’s assigned to command an elite undercover team. It’s a tough assignment. The Colombian cartels are flooding Miami with cocaine and killing anyone who gets in the way. Luke and his team do the job; their successes become legendary. But Luke discovers that he has paid a price, a price so dear that he can’t bear it. We watch as the job he loves slowly eats away at his soul. Now retired, widowed, and alone, he spends his days and nights longing for his beloved Kate, wishing he had spent more time with his family and less time in a job that cared nothing about him. Set against this backdrop, we learn that there is much more to Luke. The tough Miami cop was once quiet boy living in a Milwaukee neighborhood known as Polonia. In humorous and often touching vignettes, we watch a young boy come of age in a much simpler time. He is joined by a group of unforgettable companions-Eugene, Stanley, Gus, and a dog named Shadow. The boys move from one adventure to the next, learning about life and friendship. The Milwaukee stories alternate with the cop stories, providing a vivid contrast between the innocence of childhood and the harsh realities of living in the adult world. The stories from both eras lead the reader to a surprising climax. Luke is awakened by a phone call. Startled from his solitary routine, he learns that his partner has killed himself. Replacing the receiver, he wanders through the house like a ghost; more alone than ever. A week later, he finds an old photo album, something he’s never seen before. He falls back into his recliner and starts to leaf through the pages, finally reaching his childhood years. Staring out from the pages are his childhood pals. It’s a moment that will alter his life forever. He knows it’s crazy, but he decides to go home-to Milwaukee. It will be his first time in almost fifty years and it makes no sense. His friends are all long gone. But something is telling him he needs to go. Luke boards a plane in Miami, promising his daughters he will return in a week. It will never happen. Luke is bound on a journey far beyond his wildest dreams. Walking the sidewalks of his beloved Polonia, strange things begin to happen. He hears voices; impossible voices. Stepping out of his car in front of his childhood home, he senses something unusual is happening. He’s hearing and catching glimpses of people who are long gone. Luke’s heart races as he tries to understand what is happening. A young black girl finds him sitting on the ground in her front yard struggling to catch his breath. He tries to re-assure her that everything is okay, but she knows it’s not. Summoning her mother, Rose, they do their best to comfort the strange man who continues to speak with someone who is invisible to them. Rose is a nurse. She’s seen people in their last moments many times. As she holds Luke’s head in her lap, she realizes that he’s staring into a world that only he can see, a world that only he can hear. She believes that a curtain is being pulled back for the old man. Is he glimpsing another place . . . or another time? Whatever it is, it seems to be beckoning to him. She watches as Luke slowly begins to relax. He starts to talk to the empty sidewalk. Unseen by her, an eight-year-old Eugene beckons, “It’s okay, Luke. You can come with me now. The Garfield is showing two movies this afternoon. My ma gave me two quarters.” He reaches closer to grab Luke’s hand, nodding reassuringly. “Really, it’s okay.” Luke looks up at Rose. “My best friend wants me to go . . .,” Luke’s expression now more like a little boy asking for permission. She responds, holding his hand tenderly. “Yes, child, I think you should go.” A faint smile appears on the tired face of the old man as his eyes close. Just behind Rose, on the other side of the curtain, two young boys, eight . . .almost nine, race into wind. This is a story of love, loss and redemption. It’s about a good man doing his best in a violent world. The scenes of Luke’s childhood are warm and welcoming; the stories from Miami realistic and raw. The book is a bit of Miami Vice meets Field of Dreams, offering a fanciful version of what might happen during those last ticks of the clock. Can we gather the most precious friends and moments of our lives and take them with us as we turn out the lights and head for that next place? The author hopes so.
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