Walking the Dog

by Gail Sattler

  “Chalk one up for the gallant knight,” she said with a smirk.

  The coffeemaker gurgled and hissed as they sat at the table.

  “How was practice? I’m looking forward to hearing you play again on Sunday.”

  “Practice was fine.” Practice was lousy, she’d never been so distracted. But rather than dwell on the evening’s practice, Doreen concentrated on the other half of his comment. If he was planning to attend church on Sunday, she hoped from the depths of her soul that his only reason was not to see her, but to worship God and hear His word.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Edwin shuffled his feet under the table, lowered his head, and stared into his empty cup.

  Doreen wasn’t sure what to expect, or that she would want to hear what was coming. “I suppose. Go ahead.” She clenched her teeth in anticipation.

  “What the pastor said on Sunday, about commitment and getting to know God and reading the Bible, do you read the Bible?”

  “Yes, I do. Not as often as I intend, but I do.” She waited for him to continue, not sure what he was getting at. With Edwin, it could be anything.

  “I realized that I don’t know as much about God as I thought I did. How do I get to know Him better?”

  She settled back in her seat as she recalled the apostle Peter’s admonition to be ready to share your faith in or out of season.

  “Well, Edwin, you can read the Bible, think about what you read, talk to other believers, and listen to what God has to say to you. Invite Him into your life. He makes His message clear in many forms. Just be open. Does that help?”

  “Uh, yeah, it does. Do you have a Bible I can borrow?”

  “Borrow? You mean you don’t have one?”

  “No, I don’t. My mother had one, but I couldn’t understand the old-style English, so I never bothered.”

  Wasn’t this a goal of every Christian, to give a Bible to a new believer and help lead him to a closer relationship with the Lord? And Edwin, of all people. Doreen tried to keep her heart from fluttering.

  “No, I don’t have one you can borrow, but I’ve got one you can have.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t do that. I’ll give it back.”

  “No, really, you can have it. I have more than one.”

  “No,” Edwin shook his head as he spoke. “My mother treasures her old family Bible, I don’t want to take something so personal.”

  Her mind raced to think which translation would be best for him. “Well, I see your point. I’ll take it back after you’ve read the whole thing.”

  All he did was blink and stare. “Uh, the whole thing?”

  “Otherwise, I don’t want it back.” Doreen was proud of her on-the-spot plan. Either way she won. Or rather, God won. “You have to promise.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re taking advantage of my integrity.”

  “Me?” Doreen copied his earlier gesture, placing her open hand over her heart. “You wound me, sir.”

  He didn’t give her the dignity of a response. He carried on in spite of himself. “I must admit, I’m curious. Okay, I’ll try to read the whole thing, if you promise to answer any questions for me.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” She couldn’t think of a better way to spend her time with Edwin. For the little, if anything, they had in common, she enjoyed spending time with him, and now, to share God’s word with him would make their friendship so much more special. Even though he got on her nerves at times, Doreen could at least admit she was growing fond of him. She was even starting to get used to his crazy dog.

  “Doreen? Are you tired? You seem to be staring into space. Want me to drive you home?” Doreen blinked. Edwin had poured the fragrant, steaming coffee into the mug in front of her, and now stood beside her holding a carton of milk. She had been so lost in thought she hadn’t even noticed him get up. The open donut box also sat in front of her, waiting for her to take her pick of all the mouthwatering varieties.

  “No, I was just thinking, that’s all.” She picked the closest donut and bit into it, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming, especially about him, when he was right in front of her.

  The conversation changed to less serious matters, and soon Edwin had the two of them laughing and sharing stories as they ate their snack. When she discovered that Edwin had to be up at six in order to be at work by seventhirty, Doreen excused herself and headed home with his house key.

  eight

  Doreen pushed the sun visor down to shield her eyes as she turned into Edwin’s driveway. Today was her first day on the job with Dozer. She considered herself ten times a fool for doing this. Dozer still required far more intensive personal training, yet here she was, ready to fetch him from the house and load him into a new kennel in the back of her van. She wanted him to behave. She wanted to make a good impression. She wanted to kick herself.

  After being locked in the house all day five days a week, all the dogs in her care were ecstatic when allowed to roam free for a couple of hours, and Dozer would likely be no different. However, she remained cautious entering a new client’s house the first time to pick up a dog without the owner, and Dozer was no exception. Some dogs could be unpredictable without their owner present.

  So far she had never been bitten, but there was always a first time, especially with the protective breeds. It had taken a long time to earn the Doberman’s trust, and she had experienced a few close calls with her.

  When she had started, the Doberman’s owner had made no assurances that the dog would allow her in the house without him present. In order to protect her safety, she had requested an initial trial visit the weekend beforehand, with the owner standing behind her outside as she opened the door.

  At the time, the owner frightened Doreen more than the dog. A large, husky biker, complete with tattoos up both arms and a pierced earring in his nose, he had confided in her that the only reason he bought the Doberman was that the day he had the money to buy the dog, he couldn’t find a pit bull. In the end, behind the man’s rough exterior hid a gruff but gentle man. After all, he had a soft enough heart to hire out her services to see to the dog’s needs every day when he wasn’t home.

  Doreen killed the engine, pausing to make sure the air- conditioning was running for the dog’s comfort, and opened the door. Key in hand, she straightened and started the long walk up the sidewalk.

  “Are you the dog lady?” a shrill, high-pitched, female voice bellowed from across the street.

  Doreen jumped at the grating voice, then cringed. An elderly lady approached, running across the street, waving her hands. This must be the neighbor Edwin had warned her about.

  “Yes, I operate the dog care service.” Doreen hated being called the dog lady.

  The elderly woman faced her squarely, resting one hand on her hip, wagging one finger in the air. “How much do you know about dogs? That animal is in pain, I tell you. That young man won’t listen to me, but I hear that animal howling every day, day after day. You know, I think it has a toothache, and I know what I’m talking about.”

  “Well, I—”

  “The poor thing howls every day after Eddie leaves, and I know he means well, but I just don’t think that young man realizes how that dog is suffering. I know how the poor thing feels, before I got my dentures I felt like howling too.”

  Doreen tried to back up a step, to get closer to Edwin’s front door. “I’m sure you—”

  The neighbor placed her wrinkled hand firmly on Doreen’s forearm, preventing her from going any further. The jutting stone from a large, ugly ring dangled from a poor fit, and dug into Doreen’s skin. She tried to pull away, but the woman hung on tighter. “And Bulldozer is a good dog, really friendly, and a good watchdog. Why, you should hear how he snarls when the mailman comes every morning. Of course the fact that it’s in pain doesn’t help. Why, the poor thing even howls after the mailman leaves. The mailman tried pushing dog biscuits through the mail slot for a while. But here’s how I know it has a toothache.
Bulldozer howls even longer after the mailman leaves now, and he even stopped leaving the dog a biscuit.”

  Doreen could not keep from smiling. Edwin had told her about the dog’s howling, but she had no idea it was this bad. He probably didn’t, either. It seemed his neighbor, the self-appointed expert, knew all the answers.

  The woman continued. “I wish there was something I could do. After the mailman stopped leaving biscuits, I tried to give him those dog treats they show on TV that clean a dog’s teeth, but it didn’t do any good. The poor thing howls now when I leave after a visit. I talk to him through the slot when I give him those teeth cleaning biscuits. He’s lonely, you know. And poor Eddie is lonely, too. I do my best to visit often to keep him company. He’s not going to find a wife with that howling animal. The last woman he saw was—”

  Doreen didn’t want to hear the sordid details of Edwin’s love life. “I know how you can help,” Doreen interrupted, attempting to stop the nattering. She knew schnauzers as a breed tended to howl. There was nothing wrong with Edwin’s dog that a little training wouldn’t cure. Okay, a lot of training.

  “Oh? How?” For the first time, the elderly lady remained silent.

  “I’m not a veterinarian, but I do know a lot about dogs and their behavior. If you can tell me all about how he howls, then I can tell what’s wrong with him.” She tried to sound more confident than she felt. The dog howled because it was in his genetic makeup. Labradors like to swim, terriers like to dig, schnauzers like to howl.

  The lady cocked her head, stared Doreen in the face for a few seconds, glanced toward Edwin’s front door, then back to Doreen. Dozer’s echoing barks and thumps drifted through the neighborhood.

  “What do you mean, tell you how he howls?” She crossed her arms on her chest and stared Doreen down.

  Doreen finally answered only to ease the thick silence. “He isn’t howling now, but if you could tell me how he howls, then I might be able to analyze it.”

  The woman’s eyes opened wide. “Really? You can do that?”

  Doreen leaned forward as if expressing a secret that no one else was supposed to hear. “But don’t tell Edwin what we’re doing. You know how he talks to his dog. If he lets the dog catch on, then it won’t work.”

  The neighbor gasped, bringing her gnarled hands to her wrinkled cheeks. “No!” she exclaimed, “You mean you can help them?”

  “Yes, but you have to tell me exactly how the dog howls, so I can check up on it.”

  Looking from side to side to make sure none of the other neighbors were watching, the woman leaned closer, as if caught in an intriguing web.

  Doreen whispered. “Study the dog, listen to him, but don’t let him catch you. I don’t know what it is about dogs, but sometimes if they know they have an audience, they act different.” She paused, and the neighbor nodded, sneaking a glance at Edwin’s door, as if Dozer were listening. “Can you do it?”

  “Yes!” Mrs. Primline exclaimed.

  Both of them straightened.

  “Then if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

  As Doreen started to make her way to Edwin’s door once more, the woman called her again.

  “Wait!” she called. “I don’t know your name.”

  Turning quickly on her toes, Doreen walked back to her van as fast as she could manage without being obvious she was running. She pulled one of her business cards out of the console, and handed it to the lady.

  “My name is Doreen. And please, if you can show me exactly what he sounds like, don’t hesitate to call me anytime. This is important.” Doreen tried to look serious as she studied the intense concentration on Mrs. Primline’s face.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I can,” she rasped as she nodded, then turned to walk back across the street to her own house.

  Doreen tried to stop herself from feeling guilty for leading the woman on, but if the woman was so willing to listen to the dog, then she needed something constructive to keep her busy. Besides, with a bit of luck, when Dozer became accustomed to being picked up and allowed to run free with the other dogs, chances were he would stop howling, anticipating her arrival. Problem solved. She hoped.

  For the third time, she walked to Edwin’s front door. The barking started again, and in addition to the noise, the door vibrated violently as Dozer jumped up on it repeatedly. Slowly, she inserted the key and turned it. Behind the door, the frantic Dozer barked one last time, and stopped. The door no longer shook.

  Using great caution, Doreen pushed the door open a crack. “Dozer, sit,” she commanded.

  He didn’t. Instead, he squeezed through the opening and leapt at Doreen, his paws landing squarely in her midsection. So much for all her training expertise.

  “Dozer, sit,” Doreen commanded, pushing him down. To her shock, this time, he did. His tail wagged so hard and fast the whole dog rocked, but he remained sitting. She snapped the leash in her hand onto Dozer’s collar and patted him lavishly for his good behavior. Anxious to be on her way, Doreen pulled the door shut and locked it. The discussion with Edwin’s neighbor had been a time-consuming distraction, leaving her behind schedule. Fortunately, she made up the time at the rest of her stops.

  When she arrived at her property, she released the dogs one by one once the gate was secure. As usual, she played fetch and threw balls and Frisbees to keep them amused, and let them run free.

  At the appointed time, she blew the whistle, signaling all the dogs to come. First came the whippet, then the Doberman, and to her shock, next came Dozer with the rest of the smaller dogs trailing far behind.

  With the whippet and Doberman both stopped and already sitting, Doreen watched Dozer approach. The closer he got, the more she could tell that he was definitely a city dog. Running full tilt, sticks and dirt flying around him in all directions, when he approached, he did not slow down. At the last possible second, his feet stopped, but the dog was obviously not used to running on a loosely packed surface. He started to slide, but the attempt to regain his balance only made it worse. Before Doreen could move, Dozer crashed into her, knocking her to the ground with a thud, leaving her sitting in the dirt staring at the dogs from eye level.

  Dozer circled her, then sat beside the other dogs, his tongue lolling out as he panted furiously. The smaller dogs arrived as Doreen scrambled to her feet. Where did Edwin get this clumsy dog?

  She wiped the dust off the seat of her jeans, counted the dogs, and took them home.

  ❧

  Doreen heated a can of soup and prepared a salad for supper, eating as she watched television. Tonight, she planned to spend a solitary evening with no one bothering her, no one to keep her company except for Gretchen.

  Too tired for her usual Friday night activities, she watched television but couldn’t keep her mind on the program. Instead she thought of Edwin, daydreaming about telling him what she thought of his uncontrolled dog. She wondered if he would try to convince her to go out to lunch again before their next scheduled obedience lesson. She knew she would be disappointed if he didn’t.

  The phone rang when she was up to her elbows in suds, washing her supper dishes. She contemplated letting the answering machine catch it, but didn’t want to chance missing a new client.

  “Hi, Doreen. It’s Friday night.”

  Edwin. She should have known.

  “Yes, it’s Friday. So?”

  “So let’s decide what we’re going to do.”

  “We—?”

  “Unless you want to come here.”

  “Well, no, I—”

  “Great. I knew you’d rather I came to visit you, you drive enough in a day. See you in half an hour. Bye.” He hung up the phone quickly, not giving her a chance to reply.

  Doreen covered her face with one hand as she hung up the phone. He’d done it again.

  ❧

  As she finished the dishes and tidied the kitchen, she wondered if he had anything specific in mind.

  Gretchen signaled Edwin’s arrival by bar
king and running to the door exactly half an hour later. Edwin stood in the doorway, tall and handsome, and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  “Hi!” he quipped cheerfully as he stepped inside, playfully scratching Gretchen behind one ear.

  Doreen crooked her head to glare at him as he sauntered inside and plopped himself down on the couch. “You knew I’d be too polite to send you away, didn’t you?”

  He covered his heart with one hand. “You wound me. So, what do you want to do? What do you usually do Friday night?” He patted the couch beside him, then winked.

  Doreen stayed standing. She wondered why he was so quick to hang up the phone and get here if he didn’t have anything specific in mind. “Most Friday nights I go to church to play volleyball.”

  Edwin arched his eyebrows. “Church? Volleyball?”

  “Yes, volleyball. Haven’t you ever played volleyball?”

  “Not since high school.”

  “Well then, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms over his chest. He thought he was making himself appear imposing, but the cartoon character in a ridiculous pose on his T-shirt completely undermined his seriousness. “You’re joshing me.” Knotting his eyebrows, he clamped his lips together, making his lower lip protrude slightly, like a little boy pouting.

  Doreen’s heart nearly stopped, then started up in double time. She clamped her hands in front of her stomach to stifle the urge to ruffle his hair and run her fingers down his cheeks to soothe him. She cleared her throat. “I’m serious. I do this often on Friday nights.”

  He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “You really do, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Why don’t you believe me? What do you do on Friday nights when you have nothing to do? I’ll bet you sit at home all by yourself, don’t you?” She glared back, daring him to disagree.

  He cowed, shuffling one foot on the ground. “Some-times,” he mumbled.

  Doreen crossed her arms and glared back at him to give him a taste of his own medicine. “Sometimes?”