The High Way

Kissing her was like a jolt of adrenaline. I don’t know what was more electrifying, her soft lips or the curly mane of blonde hair that spilled all around us. The puppy, on the other hand, was a problem.

He was unhappy in his crate and he couldn’t really be trusted to hang in another room, so he was always with us, sniffing, rutting, poking around. The first time we entered her bedroom he jumped up and looked like he was ready for a fight or a wrestle. I had only been around him a couple of times, so I was unclear on what the next best move was.

She laughed.

We never really had time alone. The pup was always there. I could see how this was going to be a problem. She lit a candle. I streamed a playlist from my laptop.

I like puppies just like everyone else. And with no man in the house, he was up for some play at all times. A male dog and a male. It wasn’t exactly a boy and his dog, though, because I could tell something was making him anxious.

She’d said she hadn’t been in a relationship for several years. She’d been working on herself. The last boyfriend was bad. The marriage had not been very fruitful either, except for the two kids. And along came me, something completely different.

The dog had settled at the foot of the bed and she had taken her clothes off. Somehow, the music kept making me laugh. I couldn’t get the absurd cinematic aspect of the moment out of my head. It was like a Tarantino movie that was using the soundtrack to highlight threatening violence. Even the kissing felt different, flat, tense. And every few minutes the pup would rejoin the fun. She’d gotten the puppy for the kids. There was nothing to do about it now.

Anyway, without the free-flowing intoxicating kisses, I didn’t really want to be there. I could tell the two of them were relieved when I got up and put my pants on. The puppy wanted to go for a w a l k, she needed a break.

Read more Short-Short Stories from John.