Dog
From the time he was a small boy Isaac Reed always wanted a dog. He knew exactly what he wanted in a dog down to its size, shape and smell. As a child Isaac could and would often describe this dog to anyone who might listen. His stories of this dog became legendary throughout his family. Some might say it was a little peculiar for a little boy to fantasize about a four-legged best friend, but his parents knew that someday Isaac would find that dog to call his own. And he did.
The dog had a name long before it was ever his to call.
Billy Budd came to live with Isaac when he was exactly twelve weeks old. He was the smallest of a litter of Golden Retrievers. Billy was the least shiny, smooth or strong of the bunch but Isaac knew he was the dog for him from that very first moment he laid eyes on the tiny shaking mess of hair. And the funny thing at the time was that Billy Budd seemed to know that he was home when Isaac picked him up by the scruff of his neck and smiled.
Man’s best friend. Billy Budd certainly was that and more. A man couldn’t ask for a better companion until he meets his old lady. In this particular case, Isaac Reed met a pretty girl made her his wife and before too much time had passed she asked him to kindly get out of his house. But not without telling him that he was leaving the dog.
The house that he didn’t mind so much when she wanted that, but when the lawyers lined up and gave him the papers that his was hers and hers wasn’t his something in his heart truly broke. That pretty little lady took his dog, and he wasn’t so much hers.
“Billy Budd!” She yells.
“Come on Billy! Let’s go home now.” His voice imitates concern with a feeling of irritation.
Home. That’s an irrelevant term. Because Billy is a dog without a master. And a dog without a master has no home. Only a master can take his dog home and that man isn’t his master. Isaac promised himself he wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t torment himself further by watching them take Billy for walks. But he did. At least once a week he would watch as they took Billy Budd for a walk.
The moments spent with his old lady and Billy Budd were the happiest time in his life. And aside from her becoming a heartless woman, Britney Isabella Teresa Christina Harris wasn’t a bad companion when they first met. Often when he would watch his old lady with her new fellow and think of how much it looked like his life before. A life that included his best friend Billy flashed before him and all he could do was watch. And it was no longer enough.
That day Isaac swore like he had never before. As he had never swore or cursed anything in his life. Isaac Reed wasn’t the type of man for vengeance. There were very few things he wanted differently and blamed no one for the things that happened. Until the moment when his old lady took away his dog and let another man take his place as master.
To understand a little about Isaac Reed you have to imagine a man with every good intention. He never swayed from the path because the path never failed him. Many men might risk a little danger and walk in the mud. Not Isaac. He knew exactly where his foot belonged and kept one after another. But sometimes good intentions can only get you so far in this life.
Isaac Reed stood up a little straighter that day. He lifted his chin and swore that come hell or high water he would do what was necessary to get Billy Budd back. He knew he wanted the happiness back and there was only one to get it.
At a quarter past twelve the strike of the clock sounds the beginning of the bells as Isaac creeps stealthily through the familiar downstairs hall of his former home. Darkness spreads through every ounce of the hall as the out of sync toll rings throughout the house. The old wooden beast could never keep time and Isaac thinks that it was best that he left it. It was his Grandmother's clock and a very terrible wedding present. The final bell tolls as Isaac makes his way up the staircase.
The familiar smell of the crush velvet drapes blankets the top the first landing. By the second floor his own breathing seems to escape louder than necessary and Isaac wonders what ever could be keeping Billy Budd so terribly quiet. Out of the three years he had Billy, the dog never left any sound unnoticed in the dark of night. Carefully as he allows his mind to wonder needlessly he finds his feet leading him toward the far bedroom in the upstairs hall. Creeping through the dark hall there is still no sound of Billy’s bark. Its when he reaches the end of the hall that he comes to rest directly outside the door. At the moment when his hand is about to engage the door something unexpected happens.
The handle moves and the door opens slowly. Isaac shrinks off to the left of the door and holds his breath. Without a look he can tell by the smell that his old lady has just breezed out of the room and across the hall toward the bathroom. Seeing his moment for golden opportunity, Isaac quickly darts into the room and whispers to his unseen companion. “Billy.”
Billy Budd lays spread across the foot of the bed waiting to greet Isaac. Instead of a bark, howl or growl the large golden dog lets out a whimper before rolling onto his backside.
Thinking aloud Isaac tells him, “There’s no time for that now.”
With a slight stir Britney’s new man rolls over and calls out “babe,” only to discover that she’s is not there. With a turn he’s almost in direct eye line. Before he can be made Isaac ducks and rolls down by the end of the bed.
On the floor and out the door, it’s the simplest of actions that have him moving through the bedroom door on all fours. With a stern whisper he calls to Billy Budd, “Come.” Immediately the dog follows and slinks out the door. Behind them the new man's calls for Billy go unanswered. And Isaac finds himself moving quicker to find his way through the darkness to the escape.
The footsteps are quick behind them as the sound of the upstairs plumbing echoes through the still dark house. The new man’s bare feet stomp down the upper stairwell as Isaac and Billy quickly step down the lower. Between them and the doorway lies the length of hall. There would be no mistaking an intruding figure down the length of it. And Isaac quickly takes refuge in the nearest closet.
The stomping comes to rest at the base of the stairs.
“Billy. There you are.” Says the stomping replacement. He asks the dog if everything’s alright with a tone that expects an answer. And before a noise can come from the canine, that familiar shrill of his old lady yells indistinctly downstairs. To which the loud man yells, “It’s nothing. I’m getting some water and letting the damn dog outside. GO BACK TO BED.”
Her indistinct voice makes another cry and goes unanswered. Isaac can hear the sound of the back door crack open as the man asks the dog, “You wanna go out?” Without much resistance he can hear the pat-pat-pat-pat of Billy Budd’s feet as they step across the tile and exit the back door. The man fills a glass of water and pauses in the kitchen before walking out and stomping loudly up the stairs.
Isaac lets out a breath before exiting the closet and moving himself out the back door. It isn’t quite the reunion that Isaac had hoped for but it was certainly a welcomed one. Billy Budd’s already digging up a bone in the old lady’s prize winning Gardenias when he escapes into the night. Behind him the sounds of the quarreling couple reach out into the night as the upstairs lights turn on. He can hear them continue when he stops to ask his best friend, “Billy, are you ready to go home now.” With a bark and his bone, Billy seems to agree.
For the first time in a long while Isaac Reed happily made his way home with his best friend.
Dog. Some of you love cats. Some of you love dogs. Some of you might even love little old ladies that swallow flies. That’s your thing. People should leave it alone. No judgments. Anyhow, make up your minds. enjoy. kisses. m.
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