The best part of walking your dog in this neighborhood is that you meet other people out doing the same thing. After a couple of good years and a couple of wonderful sexual encounters, a new face arrived on the scene.
***
When Meg and her husband Jonathan moved in up the street two years ago, I thought they were going to be good neighbors. Meg was a short, curvy brunette with a cheerful smile, and Jonathan was an intense but friendly college professor nearby. Sadly, they've had their share of troubles, and Jonathan moved out last spring. The two young kids stayed with Meg, and her parents help take care of them-fortunately, they live close by.
No one, however, was able to help with their dog. Meg was still working part time as a nurse, and because of her erratic schedule, there were days when that poor mutt was home for eight hours all by himself. At a neighborhood function, I found myself volunteering since I get home early after school, and Meg and I exchanged cell phone numbers. After that, I would go over with my own dog and take Jackson out as well. If the kids and grandparents were there, I would say hello and chat. If not, he would greet me eagerly at the door and pull me down their walkway energetically. He listened well, but needed a lot of active time after a day of napping.
Last week, I was coming back up the hill toward Meg's house at 3:00 pm when my phone dinged. The dogs were happy to stop and sniff around, so I dug it out of my pocket and hit the message button.
"Hey!" was the intro from Meg. "I bet you're probably doing it right now-but thanks for taking care of Jackson so much." Angel emoji.
"Glad to help" I thumb-typed back.
"Is there any way you could cover me for the rest of the night? I'm going to be here until late and my parents are taking the kids for a movie and a sleepover later. Jackson's going to be alone for like eight hours!" Worried face emoji.
"Sure. I'll feed him now and walk him later"
"You're the best!" Smiley face. Heart.
A thumbs-up emoji was my reply.
So it went. I fed Jackson, got him settled, and went home. I even brought in the mail and a package from the front porch and set it on the kitchen counter. In a few hours, I cooked dinner and then graded papers while my wife cleaned the kitchen. Typical evening, right? Somewhere in there, I mentioned walking Jackson, and we chatted for a while about how stressed Meg was getting with this crazy schedule.
Around 9:00, my wife gave me a peck on the lips and headed for bed.
"What time are you going to go over there?" she asked.
"Not for another half-hour or so-I'm almost done with this stack of essays."
"Well, don't stay up too late!"
I smiled and reassured her that I wouldn't.
The essays took forever-lots of constructive feedback helps students, after all. It was 10:30 by the time I finished, and 10:45 before I geared up to get Jackson out for his walk. There aren't many streetlights in our area, so I took along a flashlight and we made our way up and down the hill. I was actually in Meg's kitchen when I saw her headlights swing across the wall. Jackson went crazy, barking excitedly, so I held him back until she was parked and then let him out. He barreled along the path and circled the car wildly.
Meg got out of the car and greeted him, rubbing his head all the way back into the house. He trotted along with her and they headed right for the cabinet where the dog treats lived. When she took one out, he started to jump up, but she sat him firmly down and made him wait a minute before she let him have it-good training! He flopped down on the floor to gnaw on it contentedly. Meg crouched by his side and scratched under his collar. Her scrubs pulled taut across her wide hips and full breasts, and I caught myself admiring her body for the first time. I usually go for longer, leaner women, but Meg's curves were getting to me! We chatted about Jackson for a few minutes, and then she stood up, dusted the fur off her hands, and opened the fridge.
"I'm going to have a beer and go to bed," Meg said. "Do you want one?"
"Sure. It was a long night of grading!" I said with a smile.
She opened two bottles and passed me one. Jackson came back and I rubbed his ears while Meg chatted idly about her day and glanced at the mail. When she got to the package, she looked puzzled, but slashed the tape with a pair of scissors. The inner box offered no more information, and our conversation dwindled while she tugged on the folded-in ends and tried to get it open.
"Holy shit-the way they sealed this thing, it better be something priceless!" she joked.
"Want me to try? I've got a pocket knife."
"Thanks," she said, sliding it across the marble countertop.
I didn't mess with the flaps-I just found an opening and slid my knife along the seam. I could hear styrofoam squeaking, so I knew whatever inside was protected. Nothing happened after the first cut, though, so I turned the box and did the same for the other side. This time, when I lifted, the flap ends fell open.
"Ta da!" I said proudly, pushing the box back to her.
"After all that build-up," she said as she tugged on the styrofoam, "it better be good!"
It was. She opened the clamshell of white foam and there, lying in all its glory, was a slender silver vibrator. We both froze, emotions flashing across our respective faces.
"Oh, shit!" she said frantically, trying without success to close the shell and stuff the thing back into its box. "God dammit!"
I couldn't help it. I laughed. When she looked up with an irritated expression, I quickly changed my tune. "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to laugh! It's not funny...it's just that you looked so..."
With a hiccup, Meg laughed as well. "I'm sorry-I'm not mad. I'm just so embarrassed!"
She was still trying to stuff the styrofoam back into the box. I reached across the counter and put my hand on top of hers, stopping her scrabbling motion.
"Meg-seriously. I'm not laughing, and I'm not embarrassed. It's totally your business, and I'm sorry I was here when you opened it. Not a big deal. Really."
She stopped her useless reconstruction and kept laughing.
"This is so...ridiculous!" she managed to say between chuckles.
"Nah...it's just a toy. We all have something!" I was trying to be reassuring again, but her continued giggling was infectious, and I found myself chuckling along with her.
"Yeah...I'm sure you sit down every night and play with your vibrator!" she snorted, grinning.