The Boy: Part 1

The pane of glass was thin and fragile. Off in the distance boys could be heard using vulgar phrases and talking big despite their shortened statures.The stickiness of the summer did nothing to glue their dirty mouths shut. I took my paws and covered my floppy ears.
Sirens erupted all evening which was far more comforting than the relentless lump on the bed. I heard the growling of an empty tummy. He shouldn’t be starving; I wish I could find him some food.
Harris, a child of ten with dirty blonde hair appeared as if 90. A torn white t-shirt hung off him like a tent, he was skin and bones. I adored nuzzling my face against his sweaty blistered feet. My black and white fur felt good when he stroked my back. He had teeth missing and an outbreak of brownish freckles across his nose.

He kissed my black freckled nose and called me ‘girl.’ He was my boy and I was his girl.
The apartment was the size of a shoebox and even cockroaches would demand better living arrangements.
“What the hell! Who ate the last frozen dinner?” The smoke lady had arrived home. She burned through the sticks with fire on the ends. She was crass and had tight blonde curls and wore a blue apron with ruffles. She wore a badge with a name on it, but the boy called her mom. It seemed somewhat arbitrary to do the same.
Boy ran to her, “I ate it, It didn’t fill me up though. I’m still hungry...” He said in a hushed tone.
“I don’t wait tables all day long to come home to nothing to eat. Next time ask.” She hissed. She retreated to her bedroom.
I heard keys jingle in the door and smelled a familiar stench. The mean man staggered in, breath drenched in booze and smokes. He coughed and bumped into the kitchenette wall. He tossed his heavy boots at the wall and swore loudly. The boy and I froze. We both noticed it at the same time. I had to use the bathroom badly and no one let me out today. The lime green linoleum seemed like a safe spot to relieve myself.

There was a mushed brown pile of stink and mean man stepped in it with his bare foot. “Son of a..! That damn dog!” He rolled up a thick newspaper and held up in an exaggerated manner. He was aiming for my boy. I barked and jumped in front of him and felt the swift motion of the paper against my hind legs. “Get that mutt out of here!” The mean man smacked my boy upside the head. Boy clinched his fists and grabbed the scuff of my neck. My ears pinned down, I thought I did a good thing.
“Laverne, did you see what that stupid mutt did? Harris, get that piece of crap out of here...” As boy dragged me outside I could hear a repetitive hacking sound coming from mean man.
“Girl, that was bad, you go outside!” Boy chained me around the tree and went back in. The air was brisk and I was hungry. I saw boy in his window, the shine of his tears pierced my heart. I will do better tomorrow; I won’t make my boy sad. I could hear the muffled sounds of a train passing a few blocks away.

I wish me and boy could hop on a train and never go back. The sweet old lady that lived next door came out. She had a wrinkly face and a lumpy body but a smile that made my tail wag. She had a bowl of water and scraps of food. She pet me and said, “You are such a lovely dog, you take care of that boy, he needs love and care.” I wish I could give boy my turkey scraps and clean water. The lady put a worn blanket over me and my eyes became heavy.
It was hazy and foggy but the boy appeared. He had looked like he ate a good meal and his eyes were bright and full of life. He had a bike with a basket and he told me to hop in. I licked his face all over and was giddy with joy. I sat in the basket as he whizzed around on his bike. His heavy book bag didn’t slow us down. “Girl, lets ride to the train tracks and go away,” he said with no hesitation. I wagged my tail and danced happily. I barked as if to say “Lets!!” He hopped that train and got all the way down to the end of the tracks. We found food and water and stuffed ourselves silly. I smelled that stench again. “Get up bitch.” The beautiful haze was gone and boy evaporated into my night vision. I was outside the apartment and the sun was coming up.
Mean man kicked my side and flicked a fire stick at me. “Next time you shit outside.” The keys jingled and an engine burned as tires squealed out of the lot. Boy appeared sullen and ill. I jumped on him and licked his face. “Girl, my head hurts and I have to go to school. Be good and stay out of trouble!” He kissed the top of my head and pedaled off on his bike to learn some things. Smoke lady had a bus ticket and a bag and headed off to catch a ride to work. I guess I was meant to be outside all day. That was fine, I wanted to see boy when he got home.

To be continued...