“Morning Walk”

c. 2017 Rod Ice

All rights reserved

(5-17)

It was nearly 3:00 in the morning when I finally surrendered.

Sleep was seemingly not welcome. I could think of little else than my need to get more resumes in the mail. This mood of restlessness had me rolling from one side to the other in my bed. The comforter was already in a heap, with pillows strewn around carelessly. When brief slumber arrived, I dreamed of being at my computer desk. So the decision to ‘go vertical’ was an easy choice.

I made coffee and sat in my living room chair.

Riley, my Black Lab, stretched out on the floor. He was visibly excited that I had prematurely gotten out of bed. The early hour almost guaranteed that he would get an extra walk for the day. He yelped with satisfaction as I found my Giant Eagle jacket.

The outside air was chilly, a mere 33 degrees. Not what one would expect with summer approaching. Frost covered my truck windshield. But the driveway was clear. I let the dog run free for a moment, while rolling our trash barrel to the front lawn. He high-stepped into the neighbor’s yard, then ran across the street. Rowdiness made him wander. In the moonlight, I had difficulty picking him out of the shadows. But at last he appeared by a wooden deck adorned with rope lights. I connected the leash to his collar. And he spoke out loud with obvious discontent:

“Did you have to do that? Really? I was enjoying a good run, searching for stray cats!”

I stood there for a moment. Disbelief made me rub my eyes.

“You talked?” I whispered in the darkness.

My Black Lab nodded his head. “Yeah, I talked. Big deal. Could you unhook that leash and let me run for a couple more minutes?”

I clearly needed to have a cup of coffee.

“The leash!” he exclaimed. “Unhook the leash!”

I took a deep breath. “So… you speak English?”

“You expected Chinese?” he growled, trying to pull away.

My face went red. “This is what I get for waking up so early. Hallucinations!”

The dog shook his head. “Okay, never mind letting me go free, let’s just do the walking thing. Take me down the street and back. Just make sure I get to pee on the bushes next door. They have a little fuzzball of some kind over there. I want to make sure he knows who is boss of the territory.”

I was obviously in a daze.

We trudged down the street with clouded moonlight illuminating our way. It helped me to feel more confident being out before sunrise. I pondered work resumes that were waiting to be finished. Writing samples needed to be printed, addresses needed to be researched… stress began to cloud my thoughts.

“Hey, could you pick up the pace a bit?” Riley pleaded. “You don’t seem to be into this, buddy. Normally we have more fun. You get the cardio workout and I get to hunt for cats!”

I yawned out loud. “This is insane. I just thought you talked again.”

My Black Lab flopped his ears. “Talked schmalked. Of course I did! You heard me, right?”

“Stop it!” I said. “My brain must be fried from getting no sleep overnight.”

“You never heard a dog talk before?” he snorted.

I spun on my heel. “No, of course not. Nobody ever did, unless it was in a cartoon or a Disney movie. Your species isn’t much on real conversation. Okay? Quit making me crazy!”

“Wow, are you stuck up or what?” he yowled. “Not much on conversation. Have you heard the boys in our neighborhood when the kitties are on parade and we all start barking?”

“That’s what you should be doing right now,” I advised. “Barking. Bark bark bark. No more people words. You’re freaking me out, pooch!”

Riley’s black coat glistened in the moonlight. “This is all about you. It’s always all about you. Just once, could a dog’s feelings get to matter?”

I started giggling to myself. “This is nuts. I need coffee.”

“Coffee won’t get me any cats,” he complained. “I need the thrill of the chase!”

My eyes were burning. “Let’s go. Back to the house. Screw the coffee, I am ready for a beer. A cold, refreshing Labatt Blue. Do you hear me?”

“Beer,” he muttered. “Sure, go inside and drink a few of those. Then you’ll lay in bed till noon while I am wanting to go out again. How about taking off the leash and I’ll just wander around for a few hours by myself? You can trust me, I promise.”

I slapped my cheeks. “Wake up, Rod! Wake up! Wake up!”

“You are awake!” Riley huffed.

“No, this is a dream,” I replied. “A messed up dream. It’s time to get out of bed and make the coffee. I give up! I give upppppppppppp!”

“You really do need a beer,” the dog laughed. “I’ll get it for you, myself!”

“Nonsense!” I shouted. “We’ve worked on that trick for years and you have never managed to figure it out. Don’t tell me today will be different!”

“Calm down!” he whispered. “It’s only just after 3:00 in the morning. You’ll be waking up the neighbors.”

“No, you’ll be waking them up!” I exploded. “BECAUSE YOU WON’T STOP TALKING!”

A stray tabby ran across the yard. Riley strained at his leash, pulling me off my feet. I landed in the grass as he ran away. I grumbled out a string of curses.

“Come back here, dog! Come back!!!”

The aroma of fresh-brewed Java woke me from my slumber. I had fallen asleep in the chair. News headlines flickered on the television. Riley lay sleeping on the couch.

The clock said 4:30 a.m. which meant I had zoned out for more than an hour, after ‘going vertical.’

I rubbed my eyes again. “Okay… did we go out for a walk? Or did I just fall asleep again after getting out of bed?”

My Black Lab offered no comment. But he snored loudly with contentment.

I stood at the counter for a moment. “Dream or reality? Dream or reality? Who knows about the talking dog? Is it a true tale or am I in the fog?”

He continued to snore.

“Okay then,” I said. “Coffee or beer? Coffee or beer? Where do we go from here?”

He shuffled his paws, still soundly asleep.

“Beer is the verdict,” I declared, while slamming the counter with my fist.

Riley jumped from the noise. He circled the room. Then went for a drink of water. His eyes looked heavy. He curled up at my feet. Suddenly, the house had gone completely silent. Calm once again ruled the morning.

“Very well,” I said. “No beer or coffee right now. Just a bit more sleep... in this chair.”

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