Flash Fiction Friday -- A Chilly Day at the Dog Park in Flash Friday

Prompts from 11/22/13: boxer, click, mud

A cobalt blue 2003 Mustang careened into the parking lot. The New Jersey license plate read “KEWL DEWD”. The driver parked the car on a diagonal so that the vehicle occupied two spaces. A pounding Metallica song shut off mid-chorus.

From the car emerged the driver, a heavy set middle aged man wearing a New York Giants football jersey under a faded denim jacket, ill fitting blue jeans and black motorcycle boots. A Phillies baseball cap hid most of his sparse, greasy hair.

“Come on, Princess, you stupid mutt,” the man said as he pulled a cigarette from the breast pocket of the jacket. There was a decisive click as the man flicked open a Zippo lighter and lit the cigarette that dangled from his lips. A second click followed as he put the lighter back into his pocket. A golden labrador retriever darted from the back seat of the car and ran in circles in front of the man.

“Come here, dog,” the man growled. The dog crouched down but kept wiggling in anticipation as the man fumbled with the leash and the collar.

“This is fucking retarded,” the man complained. “Why do I have to put this stupid leash on you in the parking lot just to take it off in the dog park? Hold still.”

Princess complied long enough for the man to attach the leash, but pulled hard as she ran in the tight circles the leash allowed. The dog’s twirling path straightened as the man approached the entrance to the dog park. Princess bolted across the large dog field as soon as she was released from the leash.

The man watched the dog run and then turned his gaze to the sky. The clouds were gray, but they were breaking up. The earlier rain left puddles of mud along the pathway where dog parents found benches to sit while they watched their canine charges frolic.

“No, Champ, no,” a woman hollered. “Come here, boy.”

A mottled boxer came lumbering up to the woman.

“Don’t you go digging in those bushes,” the woman scolded as she took the dog’s face between both hands and scratched dog behind both ears. “Be a good boy and play nice. It looks like you have a new playmate now.”

The boxer surveyed the field before running off. The man gave the woman a once over before she sat down. Nice ass. Big hips. Kind of shapeless in the tits. The oversized gray sweatshirt she wore wasn’t doing her shape any good. Boring, flat haircut. She wasn’t exactly a looker, but she might have been cute in a frumpy sort of way if she dropped thirty pounds.

The man sat on the bench next to the woman.

“That’s a good looking dog you have,” the man said. “He seems like he’s quite a handful.”

“Thank you,” replied the woman. “He’s just a pup, but I don’t think he’s going to get much bigger than he is now. Hopefully once he stops growing, he’ll calm down a little. That’s your lab?”

“Yeah,” the man said. “Well, she’s my mother’s dog. Princess is a little more than my mom can handle, so I bring her out.”

“That’s nice that you take the time to help your mother,” the woman smiled. “I wish my sons were so eager to help me.”

“I’m Dale, by the way,” the man said as he extended his hand.

“I’m Christine,” the woman replied as she lightly accepted the handshake.

“How old are your sons?” Dale asked.

“The older one, Bobby, is twenty. He’s going to school to study business,” Christine beamed with pride. “The younger one, Jake, is seventeen. He’s a senior at Holy Spirit. Do you have any kids?”

“Two daughters, but I rarely see them,” Dale replied. “My ex-wife makes visitation difficult. So you can’t get your husband to take the dog out?”

“Oh, we split six years ago,” Christine said. “It’s just me and the boys.”

“Oh,” Dale said. He took a final drag from the cigarette, dropped the butt, and ground it out with his boot. The dog park was on the bay side of the barrier island. A single sailboat made its way through the light chop. “No boyfriend, either?”

“Uh, no,” Christine frowned. “So you live near your mom, then?”

“With her, actually,” Dale said. “My ex got the house and the kids. Mom needed someone around so I moved in rather than getting my own place. Just easier, you know?”

“Yeah, sure,” Christine said. She got to her feet. “Champ, where did you go?”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Dale insisted as he got to his feet. “So you work at the casinos?”

Christine looked startled.

“Your sweatshirt says ‘Tropicana’,” Dale offered.

“Oh, yeah,” Christine said. “I manage accounts payable.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah,” Christine replied. “It’s a good job and I’m good at it. Nothing like raising two teenage boys by yourself to make you good at tracking money. What do you do?”

“I’m a writer,” Dale asserted.

“Really? What, for the paper?” Christine asked.

“No, I’m in new media,” Dale responded.

“What does that mean?” Christine pressed.

“I write a comedy blog,” Dale said. “I mean, comedy’s not really my first choice, but people today don’t know how to handle serious prose. I give them my insights with jokes so my ideas are more easily digestible for the masses.”

“So, what? You write for Comedy Central or something?” Christine asked.

“No, it’s an independent blog,” Dale blurted.

“Like a Wordpress or something?” Christine suggested.

“No, I write on a blog site, but I have a huge following,” Dale stammered.

“Oh,” Christine replied. “Champ! No! Stop it!”

Champ had mounted Princess. Christine ran towards the dogs as she screamed for Champ to stop. Dale followed.

“I’m so sorry,” Christine said when Dale caught up. “He’s been fixed, but I think I waited a little too long to have it done. Champ doesn’t hump with any purpose, but he still gives it a half hearted attempt. I hope he didn’t hurt your dog.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Dale said as he secured a leash onto Princess’s collar. “So, can I get your number? Maybe we’ll go out for coffee sometime?”

“I have, uh,” Christine fiddled with Champ’s leash. “I’m not really looking to date anyone right now. You know, the boys and the dog and...maybe I’ll just see you around the dog park?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dale said. Princess pulled on the leash as Dale watched Christine exit the park.

“Bitch,” Dale muttered as he released Princess from the restraint.

New Prompts: screwdriver, mysterious, catch