Adventures In Petsitting

Author's note:

This is part of the special

750 Word Project 2023

. All entries are limited to exactly 750 words, which is (intentionally) very short. Read them all, and remember that all the authors appreciate your time, your vote, and your comments. Enjoy!

I waved at Carol-Ann and Brian from across the street, happy to see them for the first time in months, but surprised to see them walking a new dog. He was a cute and furry little lap dog, very different from the 140-pound Mastiff they used to have. I realized that Henry must have moved on to that great big kennel in the sky.

Two things about dog owners: They know all the other neighbors with dogs, and they're more likely to remember the name of the dog than that of the owner. Brian and Carol-Ann were exceptions for two reasons, even if I didn't know their last names; We had been neighbors for several years, and I confess, Carol-Ann was not a woman many men would forget.

I walked over and from the looks on their faces, I knew to say, "I'm so sorry about Henry!" We chatted fondly about Henry. They were sad at losing him, but reflective and grateful for the wonderful years they had had with him. The new dog was friendly and came right up to me, tail-wagging. I found his tickle spot and got his right hind leg pedaling madly, but that made my dog jealous. We said our goodbyes, and that we would catch up soon.

The next day, they walked by my house as I was raking some leaves, and we had another chat. This time, I was able to play with the new dog more, and soon we were best of friends. That led Brian to say, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything," I replied. We dog owners look out for one another.

"Oh, thanks. I'll be out of town Tomorrow through Wednesday. Would you be able to help out by walking the dog in the evenings? We've got mornings taken care of already."

"Oh, no problem, glad to!"

"And hang around afterward too. Mrs. Barksdale likes you a lot, so I was hoping you might stay and play with her a bit, help her burn off some energy so she gets a good night's sleep. She has lots of toys."

"Oh, sure, glad to help out."

"Fantastic. Feel free to bring your dog over too and stay as long as you'd like. She'd love the company."

"Excellent. About eight tomorrow?"

"Perfect," they both smiled warmly. "Thanks so much!"

The next night at eight, I walked over to their house. I decided not to bring my dog, just in case Mrs. Barksdale might be territorial around her food bowl. I got the key from under the mat and walked in. I was surprised that Carol-Ann was home, but she greeted me warmly. "Oh, right on time!"

I was a little confused, expecting her to be out of town too. "Do you still need my help?" I asked.

"Oh, definitely, yes," Carol-Ann smiled.

We took Mrs. Barksdale for a long walk. "I was never worried about walking with Henry at night, I knew nobody would bother me," Carol-Ann said. Then jokingly she said to Mrs. Barksdale, "Not that you're not scary too!" We laughed.

Back at the house, Carol-Ann continued. "Thanks so much for coming over! Help yourself to a drink. I'll go get the toys," and Carol-Ann disappeared behind a door.

"You're gonna get some toys to play with, aren't you Mrs. Barksdale?" I said to the dog, who looked back at me excitedly. "Yes, you are!" I continued with the puppy talk. One thing caught me off guard, though. Mrs. Barksdale rolled onto her back for a belly rub. She was a he. I was puzzled.

"Who are you talking to?" I heard from behind the door. I could tell from the footsteps Carol-Ann was walking back to the living room.

"Oh, Mrs. Barksdale is so cute, I can't help but talk to her in a funny voice," I said.

Carol-Ann appeared through the doorway, completely naked except for her high-heeled strappy sandals, holding a double-sided pink vibrator and a tube of lubricant in one hand, a Magic wand, and a lone-ranger mask in the other. She looked majestic from head to toe.

Laughing, she nodded toward the dog and emphasizing the "I'm", said, "I'm Mrs. Barksdale. He's Barney."

After a pause, and still amused at my confusion, she continued. "And you're here to play with me a bit and help me burn off some energy so I get a good night's sleep, remember?" Then holding up her collection of vibrators, she followed with, "And I've got lots of toys!"