Fire Fighters cling on

cling-on; friendly yet annoying
A term used for a social and academic loser who, in a desperate attempt to re-gain popularity, befriends an individual to the near point of stalking them.

There is a moment of pride and shear excitement when someone becomes a Fire Fighter. They stand in front of their new crew as the applauds erupt and they are handed their certificate of achievement. For the moment they hold it all in and act all cool, saving the unleashed enthusiasm for when they walk in the door and are greeted by their own personal entourage of family members. Then they proudly show off their new piece of paper and of course the beloved "pager". Little do they know that this wonderful, exciting "pager" is really a cling-on in disguise. For a brief moment their pagers are placed on a pedestal. They are fully charged, turned on and stared at like they were a prized possession. They are quickly attached to the hip in anticipation for the moment when a fire will beckon.

At first the pager is pure entertainment it's loud beeping causes everyone to stop dead in their tracks, only to sigh as they hear "Devon Fire, this is district ones pager test, 54321, 12345" and trust me when I say that thing can be loud. Dinner after dinner, everything and everyone comes to a complete halt, only to realize it is just a test. Finally when the real call comes everyone cheers with excitement as the Fire Fighter grabs everything he needs and runs out the door with his new friend at his side. Those who are left behind are left with the same adrenaline rush but with no more beeps or loud voices to let them know what is going on. Of course even the pager is allowed to break the rules. It doesn't matter what you are doing or what you have planned it knows just the right time to go off. It can interrupt church, prayer, birthdays, and even weddings. Turning your Dad, your husband, your son etc into a full fledged hero.

Soon the pager becomes a part of the family and you get used to it ... That is of course until the first time it goes off in the wee hours of slumber. Just when you are dead asleep dreaming some insane dream that loud beep beckons and by the time your heart slides down your throat back into position, your Fire Fighter is out the door and you are left wide awake wondering what the heck just happened. A couple of hours later you usually feel your spouse return and think "well that wasn't bad." Shhh don't think so loud. Before you know it, off it goes again taking your spouse away along with your sleep.

I confess, I saw this cling-on as something else. I was drawn into the trap of excitement when it went off and was glued to it's side as by mere fluke it was once left behind. Now though I see it for what it really is. A beckoning pain in the butt. :) It still jolts my heart when it's high pitched beep breaks the silence but I know that eventually my Fire Fighter will return and that I can always shut it off when he is not on call. :)