We started walking again which made Minnie and Arrow happy. We reached a fork in the path and took the leg that would lead us to the dog beach. Minnie and Arrow had been trotting along amiably and having a good time when I heard a commotion coming from my right. I saw two dogs in a grassy area next to the parking lot off leash and going at each other. They had collars, but I couldn’t see their owners. Minnie lurched in their direction and nearly bounded into a guy riding his bike. I pulled on the leash and grabbed at Minnie’s collar. The guy turned the handlebars on his bike to get out of Minnie’s way. He didn’t fall, but it was a close thing.

  I apologized profusely. I’ve trained Minnie well. I always try to keep her close and out of the way, but the guy in a sleek blue helmet and dark racing glasses was pissed.

  He shouted, “You should keep better control of your damn dog!”

  “I said I’m sorry. She wasn’t going after you. She just got a little distracted and excited.” I was embarrassed. Maybe there had been too much stimulation for her today.

  “Can you read your dog’s mind?” he said, stopping his bike and spitting on the ground. The gob landed close to Minnie, who was still barking, but now the bike guy was her target. All she knew was that someone was acting in what she perceived to be a threatening manner towards me.

  “She’ll stop barking if you stop yelling,” said Ciara, pulling Arrow in close and edging nearer to me. I patted Minnie and spoke softly to her. She wasn’t barking as much as she had been a minute ago, but I wanted her to stop completely.

  Angry bike guy looked at Ciara. “What the fuck do you know about it? The city shouldn’t allow dogs out here! Especially ones that aren’t well trained!”

  I started pulling Minnie off the path and onto the grass while Ciara talked to angry bike guy, who yelled about dogs running amok and how they spoiled the beauty of the city’s parks with the shit left behind by irresponsible owners. I didn’t even look in his direction anymore. I was succeeding in getting Minnie to calm down the farther we got from him. I led her to a tree close to the lake, a spot where I could no longer hear angry bike guy. Still patting her, I got her to sit. Seeing that the man was no longer a threat, her attention was now drawn to the seagulls—some floating serenely on the lake, others diving down to snatch some morsel of food from the water. She barked a couple of times at the gulls. I took her collapsible water dish out of my daypack and poured some water in it. She drank some of it before lying down. I sat beside her, stroking her back. I was starting to calm down as well. Ciara came over with Arrow a few moments later.

  “Did you talk him down?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Nah. I think he wanted to throw a tantrum about something. You and Minnie just happened to be today’s trigger.”

  I looked in both directions but didn’t see him or the dogs whose ruckus had started the whole stupid episode. “Minnie really wasn’t going after him. She just wanted to go hang out with those other dogs.”

  “I know. And Minnie wanted him to know that he shouldn’t have shouted at you. I wanted him to know that, too.” Ciara patted Minnie while Arrow finished drinking the water in Minnie’s water dish. “Arrow! Bad boy!”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Thanks for stepping in back there. You were great. You stayed so calm.”

  “It’s my gift, remaining calm while everyone about me is losing their heads or something. That helps when dealing with electricity.”

  Minnie once again started pulling on the leash, and I remembered why we were here. “C’mon. Let’s get these two to the beach.”

  *****

  We had a great time at the dog beach. Minnie loved retrieving the tennis ball and sticks we threw into the shallow water. It seemed that she and Arrow were racing each other to get them. They met new dogs, including a Labrador retriever named Samnang and a husky named Benson.

  After a while, we were hungry. We left the beach and ran across a roving food truck that sold tacos parked near the rental stand we had met at earlier in the afternoon. I told Ciara how much I loved the tacos from this truck and ate them every chance I got. I’d had a lot of good ones from them. I suspected they were so good because they made their hot sauce and corn relish from scratch.

  “Every taco I’ve ever had here has been fantastic,” I said.

  I bought a couple of tacos al pastor. Ciara opted for fish tacos. We each bought a soda—tamarind for me and pineapple for her. We snagged a picnic table that had just been vacated by a family of six. The kids of the family cooed over our dogs before scampering off to their minivan. Minnie and Arrow basked in their attention. We ate and drank while the dogs sat at our feet, waiting for us to drop something tasty.

  When I checked my phone for a message from Hannah, I was shocked to see that Ciara and I had spent nearly four hours together. The time had gone by so quickly, and now I had to leave because I still needed to make dessert—brownies with chocolate chips—for dinner at Hannah’s tonight.

  “Um, I have to go,” I said, although I really didn’t want to leave.

  As we walked away from the lakefront I told Ciara that I’d had a really good time. “And it’s safe for me to say that Minnie did, too.”

  “So did I. Arrow seems happy but tired. I think he’ll sleep really well tonight,” she said.

  We walked together for two blocks before we got to the corner where I’d go one way and she’d go another. I didn’t want to say goodbye just yet, so I walked a little farther with her.

  “What about the brownies you’re supposed to make?” she said.

  I said, “I can make brownies in my sleep, and they don’t take that long. I’ve got plenty of time.”

  She smiled, and we kept walking until she stopped in front of a gray stone three-flat. We stood facing each other. This was the part where maybe we’d share a goodbye kiss. Maybe. But then she glanced away, her mouth dropping open.

  “Oh no. I’m gonna—” And she quickly turned away and vomited onto the front walk.

  Minnie barked, and Arrow backed up a bit. Ciara was breathing hard as she swiped her hand across her mouth. I took off my daypack, unzipped one of the pockets and found some tissues. I handed her a couple.

  “I’m so sorry, Jordan. I’m gonna be sick again.” And she was, this time dropping to her knees in a patch of grass next to the front walk. It seemed she couldn’t stop even if she tried. This time, the dogs were curious. They took tentative sniffs at the alarmingly large pile of vomit. I shooed them away.

  Ciara had let go of Arrow’s leash. I picked it up and patted her back gently. A small group of people passed by. One of them said something about Ciara probably being drunk. She had stopped vomiting—for the moment. I had the feeling there’d be more, and it would happen again soon. She was breathing heavily. It had been a while since I’d been sick like that, but I remembered well how exhausting it could be.

  “Ciara. Where are your keys?”

  “My bag,” she said.

  I found her keys and went up the few steps to the front door. After a few tries, I discovered the key that unlocked the door. I went back to Ciara and helped her up. She was doubled over with her arms around her stomach. I guided Ciara and the dogs into the building, kicking the door closed behind us. I let go of Arrow’s leash. He looked confused.

  “Go, Arrow. Show me the way,” I said.

  Ciara was in no shape to do anything, even direct me to her own home. Arrow trotted up the stairs. I let go of Minnie’s leash and let her follow him. I managed to get Ciara up the two flights of stairs to her second floor apartment. Good thing it was on the second floor and not another flight up on the third. I could have managed to get us all up to the third floor if I had to, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.

  Arrow scratched at the door while Minnie padded to the end of the hallway, sniffing at the floor and baseboards. I opened the door, and Arrow went in first, followed by me and Ciara, and then Minnie. The dogs were confused and barking, but I didn’t have time for them. As soon as we were inside, Ciara broke away from me and stumbled to the bathroom. I followed her. She kneeled in front of the toilet, puking away. She’d had to move so fast she hadn’t even been able to turn the light on, so I did. I stood behind her gathering her hair in my hands, keeping it out of the toilet and out of the line of vomit fire. When she stopped, she slumped against the wall smiling weakly.

  “I think it was something I ate.” She forced a laugh.

  I thought back to the tacos. She had the fish. “Did the fish taste strange or anything?”

  She shook her head. “The tacos were delicious. I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing. Okay? Let me help you into bed.” I reached down to take her hand. She reached up, but as I pulled her up as gently as I could, her eyes went wide.

  “Oh. Here it—” she said before kneeling down in front of the toilet and puking once more.

  To the sound of the toilet flushing, she said, “I think I’ll stay right here for a bit.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” I said. I went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water, which I set down on the floor close to her. She sipped a little, but I doubted she’d be able to keep it down. When I had food poisoning several years ago, I vomited six times in the first hour. I stayed with her. Minnie and Arrow sat attentively just outside the bathroom. Arrow whimpered a little. I patted him and tried to reassure him.

  When it seemed like the puking episodes were fewer and farther between, I texted Hannah, letting her know that I’d be missing dinner tonight. I explained that it appeared Ciara had food poisoning.

  Ciara managed to take a shower while I made a quick trip to the corner convenience store we had passed on our way here. I bought a few bottles of Gatorade and some coconut water. When I got back to her apartment, I found her in bed. Arrow was nestled next to her. Minnie was also on the bed down at Ciara’s feet. It looked like Ciara had just sort of dragged herself into bed with a towel wrapped around her. She looked exhausted.

  “I got you some Gatorade and coconut water. I’ll put them here on your nightstand.” I set the bottles down next to her alarm clock. I nudged Minnie and Arrow so I could get at the comforter and pull it over her.

  “Are you leaving?” She looked kind of pitiful. I felt so sorry for her and so bad that I had recommended those tacos.

  “Not yet. I wanna water down the front walk,” I said.

  “You don’t have to do that.” She stroked Arrow’s head. Minnie had positioned herself so that she was resting across Ciara’s legs.

  “No problem. It won’t take but a minute. You got a bucket?”

  I found the bucket under the kitchen sink, filled it with water and carried it carefully down the stairs. One bucket washed the majority of Ciara’s vomit away. I went back upstairs and filled the bucket again. That got the rest of it. Rain was predicted for tomorrow so that should finish any remnants off that I had missed.

  I made sure she drank some coconut water and plain water and sat with her for a while to make sure she kept that down. I thought it was a good sign when she started drinking a bit without throwing it back up. I fed Arrow, preventing Minnie from stealing his food. Once Ciara was resting comfortably, I left, telling her I’d call her in the morning to check in on her. She protested weakly, saying I didn’t have to do that, but thanked me. I locked up when I left and dropped her keys into her mailbox on my way out as she asked me to.

  By the time Minnie and I got home, the June sun had nearly set. I fed Minnie and then started rooting around in the fridge for something to eat. Hannah’s dinner party sounded like it was going full tilt. There was a knock at the door almost at the exact moment that I took the lid off a plastic container holding a tofu and shrimp stir fry that had seen better days. When I opened the door, Hannah was standing there, holding a plate of food covered with plastic wrap. She handed it to me.

  “I thought you might be hungry.”

  The exhaustion of today was starting to hit me. I would have eaten just about anything, and the plate of grilled beef kebabs with onions and mushrooms, rice, baked beans and Caesar salad looked particularly delicious.

  “Thanks, Hannah. This is so sweet!”

  “You can come over and eat with us if you like. We’ve just started on dessert. Anne Marie brought a coconut cream pie. We still have an open chair for you.”

  The coconut cream pie sounded tantalizing, but I felt worn out. Hannah’s dinner parties always ended with dessert, usually several tasty treats to choose from and usually very good, and several hands of euchre, which didn’t interest me.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m just gonna eat and go to bed.”

  “Okay. Sounds like you’ve had quite an eventful day,” she said.

  She was right about that. I ate some of the dinner and left the rest for tomorrow. By the time I slid into bed, with Minnie nestled contentedly on her dog bed, I was dead on my feet. I turned out the light and was asleep as soon as I laid my head on the pillow.

  Fourth Sunday and it’s a date

  I called and texted Ciara on Monday morning before heading to work. I got a short text reply, “I’m ok. Thanx for yesterday.” I was so glad to hear that, and I told Tyler as much during our Monday morning briefing before he told me about his weekend that somehow involved pink glitter nail polish, a lost swim team coach, an inflatable plastic sofa and creative use of a sock.

  I gave Tyler the rundown on my dog beach date, as he called it, but had to run off to a meeting before I could get into much. During lunch, I showed him Ciara’s text message.

  “Does she mean ‘Thanks for not running away screaming when I started hacking my brains out?’” he said as he took a sip of his water and gave the once over to a new nursing student who must have been in on a clinical rotation.

  “Probably. Or it could be sarcastic and she means, ‘Thanks for recommending I buy those crappy tacos that made me sick.’” I still felt guilty about her getting sick. I figured it was because of the fish tacos she ate yesterday. I had recommended them so highly. That was not how I wanted the date to end, and I wasn’t even so sure it was a date.

  Tyler handed my phone back to me. “I doubt that’s right. Look, don’t think about it too much, Jordan. She needed help. You helped her. You did a good thing. I’m sure she appreciates it.”

  “Yeah, I did, didn’t I? I’m very proud of myself.”

  “So smug,” Tyler said, digging into his chicken Cobb salad.

  I grinned. “You know it.”

  I didn’t hear anything from Ciara for the next few days. I didn’t want to bombard her with calls and texts. I figured she was recovering and probably busy. We had been flirting, and we had had a really good time on Sunday until she got sick. I hoped she wouldn’t have some really needy ex whose charms she might still be susceptible to lurking somewhere and that she would contact me soon. Tyler told me not to worry about it. Hannah said that if it was meant to be it would be.

  I kept busy, but I thought about Ciara a lot, especially when I took Minnie out for her walks. She kept pulling me towards the dog park, and I went willingly. I didn’t see Ciara there but thinking about her made me smile. I made a conscious decision not to futurize about the possibility that Ciara either hated me, wasn’t that into me, or would never call me again, because I’m not gifted with second sight nor do I have a crystal ball. When those thoughts snuck up on me occasionally, I tried to distract myself.

  I had Hannah over for dinner one evening. I went over to Tyler’s on Friday night for one of his movie nights that could get quite boisterous. I flirted with his very cute redheaded cousin, name of Rusalka. She told me, in a voice meant to make hearts flip and pussies wet, that Rusalka was the name of a water nymph in Slavic mythology. We made out in Tyler’s bathroom, and I wondered what it would be like to kiss Ciara.

  When I got home, my phone buzzed, it was a text from Ciara. She said she was feeling much better and asked if she could come over on Sunday. I texted my reply right away. “Yes. Please do.”

  *****

  I spent much of Saturday cleaning my apartment. I’m not a messy person, but I do slack off sometimes when it comes to housekeeping, especially when I haven’t had guests over in a while. If I had been cooking or baking or digging around in the window boxes, Minnie would have tried to “help” me, but she wasn’t interested in helping me clean. Smart dog. She dozed in her bed, except when the vacuum cleaner was going. Then Minnie eyed the appliance like an alien invader that was about to explode. After the vacuum was turned off, Minnie went back to sleep. Hannah took me out for ice cream after dinner. I told her Ciara was coming over the next day.

  “I can babysit Minnie for you. She might be a distraction if you start feeling amorous,” Hannah teased.

  “Amorous, Hannah?” I laughed. “That’s cute. No. Minnie will be fine. She knows how to behave in these situations. Besides, Ciara likes Minnie. She’ll be disappointed if Minnie isn’t there. She’ll probably think it’s weird that she’s not there.”

  “Okay. If you change your mind, let me know tomorrow morning.”

  Hannah spent the rest of the evening giving me pointers on seducing women. It became clear that she was the one who needed to get laid.

  *****

  Ciara arrived in the middle of the afternoon, around two o’clock. She was carrying a long, tall brown paper bag that appeared to have a bottle in it, and she looked radiant.

  “Hi! You look great, Ciara. So much better since the last time I saw you.” I said, welcoming her into my home and closing the door behind her.

  “Yes, so much better than when I was projectile vomiting. I feel so much better than the last time you saw me, too. This is for you.” She held out the bag to me. “Hey, Minnie!”

  I took the bag from her, smiling. Minnie got out of her bed and trotted up to Ciara who knelt down to accept Minnie’s enthusiastic kisses.

 

1 2 3 4 5