Rastus and us at the beach (Chapter 8)

                                          

All the effort that Rastus and I had made to win Penny overshould have done us some good. Everything was fine, when she said she had a day off we would visit or she would come to us; a happy band of three in love. Penny loved Rastus , Rastus loved Penny and me and I loved both Penny and Rastus. Penny seemed uncertain about me though; she appeared to be holding something back. She guessed I had a previous relationship and worried that may repeat itself.

She came down for a sleepover as she called it; not expecting to have much sleep together! What bliss it was to wake in the morning finding the person you loved curled up next to you. I'd kiss her tummy and she'd run her fingers through my hair then hug me tight. We were so bonded in love and inseperable. However it was clear she was not entirely happy; I must have been doing something wrong.

We three went down to the beach early Sunday morning. It was deserted and Penny slipped off her sandles and paddled at the edge of the water. Rastus checked out the scuttling crabs and any washed up fish. Penny walked along paddling in the cool watersinging some happy song but I couldn't make out the words. I was fossicking for perfect shells or smooth pebbles to take home and put on a shelf. 

When I turned round Penny and Rastus had already turne round to sit by the dunes and have a rest. I called Rastus; he looked up but didn't come to me. My mind suddenly clicked. She had given herself to me but I hadn't done the same with her. Clearly she had been hurt and I hadn't realized. I started running up the beachand they looked up seeing me. I said "I'm sorry I've been blind to your pain as you have had a breakup like me."

Penny reached forward, gently touching my face, I said "I was near to losing you wasn't I?"

"I'd not given up" she said, but you came close. Rastus said stick a lttle longer".

 

369 words

Rastus and us at the market (Chapter 7)

 

Strangely Penny was up before me; she was standing by the window. 

"Come back to bed" I said.

"I daren't, I want you so much" she stated simply. "I'll get a cup of tea."

We were up and taking Rastus in his walk through the park quite early and after breakfast went into Stirling township where there was a Sunday market with flags and bunting waving, the call of the vendors selling their wares and of course the inevitable smell of a barbecued meat and onions filling the air. Rastus behaved himself quite well in the crowd probably more concerned that the barbecued sausages would be on the menu. We needed nothing but to be with one another but I dallied at a bookstall and I found a couple of Leigh Childs novels for Penny.

I asked her how she came to read him. Her response was unusual.

“My days are spent in a rigid environment of hospital discipline and with sick and frightened people. I find that I can enter an escapist world in his books that others might with fantasy or gaming.”

I nodded an agreement; holding on to her hand which I felt was now mine.

So I then said, “I can remember a bookshop owner in the city telling me a similar story where a lawyer dealing with the court system, crime and criminals all day long would escape with “Mills and Boon” light romance to get it out of her system.”

We finally found a seat, a few yards from the busy market and I said simply “I am so glad I found you” and leaned over and kissed her tenderly as the world passed us by while Rastus tried to decide whose knees he should put his head on. 

We were a happy band of three tied together by love. Penny loved Rastus. Rastus loved Penny and me. I loved both Penny and Rastus. But the relationship between Penny and me was a little odd. She was funny, warm and so lovable…but I could sense she was holding something back. She had guessed that I was recovering from a  previous engagement from  which I had emerged but with a few thorns for my troubles. 

367 words

Rastus and I stay the night (Chapter 6)

I lied of course when I said we slept well the night we stayed with Penny. Rastus certainly did as he fell asleep and was flicking his paws or growled a woof or two as he guarded us from danger in his dreams or chased rats or cats perhaps.

For us though it was a beautiful time of discovery sharing Penny's bed for the first time. I was not prepared or confident in this. We joked about what nighties of hers I could wear. Then I had a shower and when I returned to the bedroom draped in a towel I saw she had chosen the side nearest the window with her clock radio where she always slept. She had put a chocolate Caramello on my pillow for me; just as though we were in a hotel.

She was looking at me all the time then turned over and put out the light. I reached over and held her hand and she with her other hand and touched my face as I breathed in her scent as she did so. I let go of her hand and lightly touched her naked body with my fingers like an explorer discovering a new tropical island.

"You are so beautiful Penny" I said as my fingers gave her a satisfying feeling with her murmuring approval. She in her turn was not passive as she too checked out this intruder in her bed, running her fingers through my hair and then leaned over placing her head on my chest to listen to my heartbeat.

"Penny, we mustn't make love...I am not prepared" I said. 

"I didn't expect you to be. I would have been a bit peeved if you assumed I was a pushover. The more I know about you, the more I like you."

We both kissed and explored each other and delighted having been so close together.

Strangely she was up next morning looking out the window without a stitch on.

"Come back to bed" I said and she did. 

Word count 341

Rastus settles in (Chapter 5)

 

Staying at Penny’s that weekend was a success. It was certainly that way for Rastus; he settled in as though he was home and had a contented look on his face. I hope I looked like that too, but Penny wasn’t quite so sure.

How did we both get on? Very well indeed. She was soft and beautiful and attentive and receptive to my caressing. Rastus was happy laying at our feet. When I let him out last thing at night for his final walk around the garden I said “Behave, no chasing possums.” He returned a few minutes later reporting no sightings.

Penny and I talked too. Discussing work and family and our childhood and were very comfortable in each other’s company. However at one point at a break in conversation she paused then came right out with it. “You have been hurt haven’t you, did she dump you?” 

"I would say I was jettisoned from a ship.”

“I often wondered what the difference was between flotsam and jetsam. So what is flotsam?” Penny asked.

“Goods lost from a ship accidentally," By this time I had returned to stroking her feet gently and counting her toes.

“Five, on each foot” she stated.

“Just checking.”

At bedtime she suggested I share her bed.

“What is the alternative?”

“Floor with Rastus, couch with a blanket; you can choose.”

“I have no PJ’s, toothbrush or night cream.”

“I bought a spare toothbrush, the rest you can share with me.”

We all slept well that night. It must have been the wine. Goodness knows what Rastus drank. We went for another walk in the park early in the morning. It was so different at that hour. There was a morning mist over the water on the lake and a mob of kangaroos were drinking unconcerned. Luckily I had Rastus on the lead so we steered away from them and took a circular route around the park watching the birdlife in their chosen territory.

When we got back to Penny’s place I said to her “We will give it a try then, if that is OK?”

Penny turned to Rastus saying “What do you reckon?”

Rastus looked at us both grinning at him and barked an affirmative.

Let’s hope he keeps us together.

360 words

Rastus and me go up the hill (Chapter 4)

 

After my old neighbor went to hospital I looked after Rastus . Sadly she did not return home so I transferred his ownership and licence with all his chattels to me and her family agreed. 

Rastus tended to love anyone or perhaps it was the smell of food on them. Already he considered my house his and had happily settled in. 

I phoned Penny who now lived up the hill a few kilometres outside the city and told her of the change. 

“Why don’t you both come up to see me this week end as I’m free?. We can have bone stew” she said laughing.

So on Saturday we drove up the hill through leafy suburbs and winding roads with new smells for Rastus to enjoy. His head was out the window and grinning with his tongue out when we went through the hills villages. 

We found Penny’s place and drove in her driveway. She came out straight away and once inside I offered her a present which was a pink silk scarf that had once been my mother's. Penny was stunned, “It’s so beautiful” she said with moist eyes, “I love pink”. Then put it on and looked in a mirror smiling  

Rastus by this time had got bored so laid down at our feet. Penny said “Up you get Rastus we are going for a walk, there’s a park close by. 

Unlike a city park this one had native gum trees, scrubland and winding trails and a freshwater lake. He chased imaginary animals yet missed a koala looking down at him. After we’d worn him out we made our way home with Penny and me holding hands and her holding his lead.

Back at her place, Rastus drank a whole bowl of water and settled down for a nap.”Would you like a drink? she asked “I have a Pinot Grigio in the fridge.”

“Well not if I’m driving, perhaps one glass.” 

Penny then said “You can always stay the night”, looking in my eyes. 

I smiled, then nodded whilst Rastus snored in his sleep.

 

347 words

Rastus, Penny and me (Chapter 3)

 

Rastus had his big snip some time ago. So he would encourage me to check out likely girls, well that’s what I thought. In all probability he sniffed for treats. Now you might think that all food for a dog was free. You are so wrong there. Dog were fed as wages so meals at home were his due. He was quite adept at fetching things like the local paper thrown over the front fence or chasing rats in the garden. I don’t think there were many rats but he certainly made you think that. He’d stub his nose against the back door to be let out, then run up the garden just missing catching the sneaky rat. I wasn’t fooled. It was part of his act showing how valuable he was and being paid in Schmackos.                                 

I’ll mention liver treats and warn pet owners to avoid these like the plague as they smell awful. However, buying these for your pet will show that you love them.

“Who did Rastus live with now?” you ask. He belonged to the lady next door but there were many times it was necessary to take him in when she was in hospital. So he treated my home his too.

Then what happened to the girl in the park? Some good and some bad. We did meet her again a few times. The interaction was all between Rastus and her with a condescending nod to me now and then. She told Rastus her name which was Penny, then winked at me. She chatted about work, travel or her flat mates. Nothing, I could use to get any closer to her, but it was a friendship without pressure.

The day came when she came up to us and started the conversation. “Sorry.” she said. “I am leaving…transfer up the hill.”

I saw the disappointment of Rastus’s face. Whether it was the loss of the free food or the knees to place his head, I don’t know which. She turned to me, gave me a kiss and her phone number

With that Rastus gives out a moan of canine sorrow.

“It’s OK, Rastus” she said “You’re still my special boy.”

364 words

 

Rastus and me in the park (Chapter 2)

 

After my first encounter with Rastus we got on well. I suppose I had been a bit of  dog  in the past so he befriended me happy to go on walks with me. We are having one now and have stopped for a paws. (I know that’s a bad joke).

I find a bench in the park but it’s occupied by a young woman. So I sit at the end of the seat while Rastus after a shy glance at the girl sits closer to her. He is a real flirt and after checking to see any signs of canine aversion sits even closer to her. She is eating a baguette as it is lunchtime. Clearly he knows I didn’t bring food with us so he might get a treat from her.

His steely eyes focus on the baguette and he edges closer to her. So close in fact his chin is almost resting on her knee. Meanwhile I am watching the pigeons on the grass with one eye and the other on her. Her knees emerge enticingly from her dress. They are pretty knees and Rastus agrees and plonks his chin on them with a look saying “Surely you need some help eating that baguette.”

Compliantly she breaks a tiny piece from the baguette and gives it to him. He wolfs it down without touching the sides and he manages to lick her hand with the quickest of licks.

I cannot ignore their foreplay and decide to do something about it.

“Sorry”, I say, “He’s a bit forward”.

She turns to me; hell’s boots, she is beautiful. I could lick her too. I wonder whether she would mind?

“What’s his name?” She asks hardly looking at me.

“That depends I say. When he’s at home he is Tinkerbell but when he is with me he is Rastus.”

By mentioning his name he turns his attention from the baguette to me, affirming the statement.

Clearly Rastus is a bit annoyed that more baguette is not coming his way, so he decides to lick her toes. She squeals with delight looking at me as though I did it.

I wish I had.

361 words

Rastus at the beach (No 7)

Now you would think that all the effort that Rastus and I had put in winning Penny over would have done us some good. For a few weeks everything was fine. Whenever she had a day or two off we would visit her or she would come down to us.

We were a happy band of three tied together with a curious love. Penny loved Rastus. Rastus loved Penny and me. I loved both Penny and Rastus. But the relationship between Penny and me was a little odd. She was funny, warm, pliant, and so lovable…but I could sense she was holding something back. She had already guessed that I was recovering from a break-up in a previous entanglement from which I had emerged with a few thorns for my troubles. But that is the problem with men we don’t have a mind like a dentist’s drill searching out all the cavities and pain of someone else’s life. We just take things at face value.

Last week she had come down to my place for a sleepover. Well that is what we called it but I hoped I would be suffering from lack of sleep the next day. What bliss there is to wake up next to the person you love in the morning. To reach out and touch and kiss them as they too stir and to breathe in that exquisite musky scent of her body that you couldn’t get enough of the previous night. As I was gently kissing her tummy I felt her fingers run through my hair and then she wrapped both arms around me and hugged me tight. For all the closeness we never discussed future plans. You know the sort of thing moving in together, establishing whose toothbrush went where and just who was boss in the kitchen. Each deferring to the other that would establish us as Kurt Vonnegut had described it as a “karass” of two or more. Two people so bonded together in love that they were like Siamese twins that were an entity to themselves. Us against the world. Sadly we were not like that and I began to suspect that I was the one at fault. In fact I was coming to believe I was a “stuppa” or fog bound child.

The penny finally dropped (and no that is not a joke) when we got up very early in the morning to go for a walk on the beach. It was deserted and Penny had slipped her sandals off and paddled at the edge of the water while we strolled along together but not close each doing their own thing. Rastus checking out the scuttling crabs and stinky dead fish with a satisfied grin on his face; Penny walked along at the waters edge and looking at her I could see she was singing some happy song but I couldn’t make out the words. I on the other hand was searching for the rare finds on the beach; the perfect shell, the smooth pebble with a fascinating colour in it and the worn pieces of broken glass from so many years ago that finally the sea decided did not have a place in its bosom and tossed it back at man for his impudence.

So as we walked our separate ways we drifted apart and looking back Rastus was equidistant between us so I called him. He cocked his ears searched around saw me then bounded up to tell me what he had been up to. Penny saw this and called him in turn. Immediately he raced back to her in excitement and we kept this up until he could see through our little game and sat back down on the sand immobile except for his tongue lolling out looking quite pleased with the game as when he had got his breathe back he barked a joyful bark. He had however settled in close proximity to Penny. She then came toward him and they sat on the sand together.

It was at that moment I had a sudden revelation. I had missed out. I had missed the message. I was going to lose Penny unless I gave her something. It wasn’t the plastic bag of beach finds; it wasn’t the superficial love and affection that was our lovemaking; or the snuggling up together on the settee watching old movies, it was something far more valuable. She knew I had been let down in a previous relationship by reading the signs. She gave herself utterly to me and I had merely taken what she offered. I had however not given the most important thing back to her. It was an all encompassing trust and understanding that she had given me. Even Rastus had understood that at their very first meeting when he sat with her on that park bench and placed his head on her knees. He had somehow said to her “I understand your pain.”

She had been hurt just like me but I had failed to recognise that. If this relationship with her was to survive. I had to do something…now. I called out “Penny, Penny.” Then started running over to where they were. They both looked up in curiosity.

When I reached them I fell on the sand by their sides. Rastus got up, gave me a lick then sat down again.

“I have been a fool. I love you completely, utterly, without reservation. I have been blind to your pain. You saw that I had been devastated by a previous relationship but didn’t even recognise that you too had been through the same trauma. Isn’t that so?”

Penny reached forward and touched my face; gently tracing her fingers round my chin and over my nose then fingered my ears and came to rest holding the back of my neck. She spoke not a word.

I went on “I was so near to losing you wasn’t I? That would have been some retribution for my thoughtlessness.”

She shook her head sadly. “I hadn’t given up on you yet. But my, you came close. If it wasn’t for Rastus saying to stick with you for a little longer, who knows?”

Rastus had recovered from his exertions, came over and sat down by our sides trying to touch both of us with his body at the same time.

“So what treasures did you find?” she said pointing to the results of my fossicking.

“What are the treasures of the world if you are not part of me?” I reached over to hold on to her ankle hoping we could fuse together in one being.

Rastus at the market (No 6)

I lied of course when I said we had slept well that night we stayed at Penny’s for the first time. That probably gave you the impression that with the walks and the food and the wine we soon zonked out and woke up refreshed in the morning. In Rastus’s case that was true. I think he had a few doggy dreams as his feet twitched away in his sleep chasings cats or rats and occasionally he would utter a stifled woof as he guarded us from danger in his imaginings. For us though there was that beautiful discovery period as we nervously shared Penny’s bed for the first time. I was not confidant as I was unprepared for her offer to stay overnight despite her instruction to share whatever I needed to make myself comfortable. We joked about which of her nighties I might wear and whether I needed rollers for my hair. I grabbed a quick shower and returned to the bedroom draped in towel. She had chosen the side closest to the window with the clock radio on her side so I assumed that was where she always slept. She had placed a chocolate Caramello Frog on my pillow just as though I was a welcome guest in a hotel. I put that aside and pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. She had been looking at me all the time and but then turned over and put the light out on her side of the bed. I reached over and found her hand to hold. She in her turn reached out with her other hand and touched my face and in doing so the scent of her body wafted over me. I let go of her hand and lightly touched her naked body with my fingers as I traced my way up to take my first steps like an early explorer setting foot in finding a exotic tropical island.

“You are so beautiful, Penny.” My fingers continued to explore her and she uttered little murmurs of satisfaction as my lips now sealed my approval on every treasure I found. She was not passive though for with each new territory I charted she in her turn checked out and savoured the intruder in her domain. She traced her fingers over my nose and ears then ran them through my hair and leaned over and placed her head on my chest to listen to my heart beat.

“Penny, we can’t make love, I am not prepared.”

“I didn’t expect you to be. I may have been little peeved if you had, assuming I was a push over. The more I know you the more I find to like about you.”

So we continued our exploration of each other and to relieve the frustration every new found delight I found from her knees to her navel I scored with points out of ten. Most were nine or ten but Penny moderated the score down a little in self criticism. At some stage as I lay between her breasts I fell asleep with her arms wrapped around me.

Strangely soon after dawn she was up before me. She was standing by the window without a stitch on.

“Come back to bed”

“I daren’t, I want you so much” she stated simply. “I’ll get a cup of tea.”

We were up and taking Rastus for his walk through the park quite early and after breakfast went into Stirling township where there was a Sunday market with flags and bunting waving, the call of the vendors selling their wares and of course the inevitable smell of a barbecued meat and onions filling the air. Rastus behaved himself quite well in the crowd probably more concerned that the barbecued sausages would be on the menu. We needed nothing but to be with one another but I dallied at a bookstall and I found a couple of Leigh Child novels for Penny.

I asked her how she came to read him. Her response was unusual.

“My days are spent in a rigid environment of hospital discipline and with sick and frightened people. I find that I can enter an escapist world in his books that others might with fantasy novels or even gaming.”

I nodded an agreement; holding on to her hand which I felt was now mine. “I can remember a bookshop owner in the city telling me a similar story where a lawyer dealing with the court system, crime and criminals all day long would escape with “Mills and Boon” light romance to get it out of her system.”

We finally found a seat, a few yards from the busy market and I said simply “I am so glad I found you” and leaned over and kissed her tenderly as the world passed us by while Rastus tried to decide whose knees he should put his head on.

Rastus settles in (No 5)

Our unexpected stay over at Penny’s that weekend was a great success. Well it was certainly that way for Rastus. He settled in as though it was his home and had a contented look on his face. Hopefully there was contented look on my face as well, but Penny wasn’t quite so sure.

You are about to ask “How did we get on?” We got on very well, she was soft and beautiful and both attentive and receptive to my caressing and kissing. Rastus seemed satisfied too as he lay at our feet more than contented with his day and the fact we were together. When I let him out last thing at night for his final walk around the garden I said “Behave, no chasing possums.” He returned a few minutes later but reported no sightings.

Penny and I talked too. We talked about work and family and our childhoods and were very comfortable in each other’s company. However at one point at a break in conversation she paused then came right out with it. “You have been hurt haven’t you?”

I nodded.

“She dumped you.”

“Those are kind words. I would say I was jettisoned. Thrown overboard like rubbish from a ship.”

“I often wondered what the difference was between flotsam and jetsam. So what is flotsam?”

“Goods lost from a ship accidentally, I think. But if it washes ashore grab it quick before customs know it's there.” By this time I had returned to stroking her feet gently and counting her toes.

“Five, on each foot” she stated.

“Just checking.”

At bedtime she suggested I share her bed.

“What is the alternative?”

“Floor with Rastus, couch with a blanket, or in the garden with the possums. You choose.”

“I have no PJ’s, toothbrush or night cream.”

“I have a spare toothbrush, the rest you can share with me.”

We all slept well that night. It must have been the wine. Goodness knows what Rastus drank.

We went for another walk in the park early in the morning. It was so different at that hour. There was an early morning mist over the water at the lake and a mob of kangaroos were drinking unconcerned. Luckily I had Rastus on the lead so we steered away from them and took a circular route around the park watching the birdlife assert themselves in their chosen territory.

When we got back to Penny’s place I said to her “We will give it a try then, if that is OK?”

Penny turned to Rastus and said “What do you reckon?”

Rastus looked at us both grinning at him and barked an affirmative.

Let’s hope he keeps us together.

Rastus and me go up the hill (No 4)

It is one thing to dog sit a neighbours dog, quite another to take full responsibility for him. Mind you Rastus was quite indifferent to the changes occurring in his life. After my elderly neighbours last visit to hospital she sadly did not return home again. I took over the ownership of the dog and all his chattels with the express approval of his mistress’s relations who must have forgotten that there was someone else living in her house and the need to cover the evidence before the property could be put on the market. Rastus had accepted the change months ago and I could see his concern as each time my neighbour was permitted to go back home again to look after him. That is not to say he didn’t love her, he did. He tended to love anybody subject to smell. Which if his detection system could sense the faintest trace of food on them, for him it was love at first sniff. So Rastus took up permanent residence with me and his licence was duly cancelled and transferred to my name. By this time the metal dog tag was now a plastic one and instead of a tinkle there was a quieter “thuck, thuck” from the disk so he was duly and officially renamed Rastus.

In a braver moment I actually phoned Penny now living in the hills a few miles outside the city and told her of the change. She sounded quite pleased.

“Why don’t you come up this weekend, I can cook if you like,” she says laughing, “We can have bone stew.”

Curiously her saying that took me back a few years when our family did indeed have bone stew. I think is was a concoction of a really cheap cut of lamb cooked in the oven for hours with potatoes, carrots and other vegetables and the necessity of having a bone bowl on the table to extract the bony and gristly bits when you found them in the meal to plonk them in the dish. I think we spread curry powder on top of ours. It was a very tasty meal and I am sure Rastus would have liked it but perhaps without the curry powder. Mind you Rastus would eat almost anything. I must have been silent a little too long as Penny then said, “It’s OK, I am only kidding.”

So I arranged to visit that weekend with Rastus as she wasn’t rostered on at the hospital for change. So we got in our car and drove up the hill into the leafy area that was full of little townships and winding roads and inviting pubs and a myriad of new smells for Rastus to enjoy. I knew there would be problem with him with all the extra sensations and debated whether allow the window to be open for his head to be poking out so he could appreciate each new scent with his nose wet and twitching and his tongue hanging out and of course the self satisfied smirk on his face as well. But in the end I was strict and kept the window on his side shut until we had got off the freeway and had started to negotiate the winding roads through the villages at a more leisurely pace. He was miserable at first especially as my side window was open but he settled down as soon as he could get the breeze on his face and the smell of eucalypts on his nose and half closed his eyes in pleasure with the seductive smells of the country to savour.

We found Penny’s place after passing it once in error and drew up in the driveway. She was very pleased to see us both beaming at her with delight. Looking at how pleased Rastus appeared I hoped I didn’t look the same as him with his tongue hanging out with a stupid grin on his face. So we had to have an inspection of her place. So we traipsed around her little rental cottage and while Rastus does the real inspection of sniffing in corners for rats and cats I observe Penny who is happy and voluble telling us of how she likes it there and how peaceful it is after living in the city. She is so relaxed and I fall in love with her all over again, not that I had fallen out of love, just out of reach.

“I have a present for you’ I say, giving her a little wrapped gift.

“It is not a dog biscuit that I have to share is it?”

I shake my head while she opens the little package. It is silk scarf that belonged to my mother. It is pink with a flowing flowery pattern on.

She is stunned. “It is so beautiful.” She says looking at me with moist sparkling eyes. “I love pink.”

“It was my mothers. It is just one of the things that I just couldn’t throw away…I thought it was beautiful too. But I couldn’t wear it, could I?”

Rastus had got fed up with the tour and decided to plonk himself down at our feet.

“Up you get Rastus” she says, “We are going for a walk.” He jumps up straight away and grins at her and she tells me that there is a park close by.

Unlike the park in the city this one is far more natural with gum trees, scrubland and winding trails and a shallow lake drying out in the summer heat. We are alone and tentatively I let Rastus off the lead. He bolted off and sniffed his way around looking round every now and then to check we were following. He chased imaginary animals and completely missed the koala sitting asleep in the trunk of a tree directly above him.

We sat down on a fallen tree that was hollow and he attempted to discover what was inside and had to give up after several attempts to put more than his nose in.

After we had worn him out we made our way back to the entrance holding hands and put him back on the lead. His misery was obvious at first but he soon realised that all the exercise had made him thirsty and as we passed the lake he urged us in that direction to have a few laps of water and to threaten the ducks and moorhens by his presence.

When we got home Rastus drank a complete bowl of water and the settled down for a nap.

“I’m doing Lasagne tonight, you happy with that?” Penny called out as I was looking at her bookcase of books. She obviously liked Janet Evanovich.

“Yes that fine.” I replied.

“I have a Pinot Grigio in the fridge, you do drink don’t you?”

“Well, not if I am driving... perhaps one glass.”

“You can always stay the night, have you any other plans?”

She had come out of the kitchen and stood looking at me with those beautiful smiling eyes. "Rastus has made himself at home, why don’t you?”

Rastus was snoring happily on the floor while I remained speechless.

“I could tell by the way you looked at me that very first day we met,” she said and was about to say something else when I interrupted.

“We would be both pleased to stay.” Meanwhile Rastus snorted an affirmative in his sleep.

Rastus and me lose Penny (No 3)

One of the problems with having a dog as a friend you tend to start thinking like one. Well no, not to the extent that I could say to Rastus “Hey, look at that bitch do you see the way she walks! Let’s go and smell her.”

This was mainly because he tended not to look at bitches that way any more since the big snip. However in my mind he would reverse the conversation and encourage me with looks or a change of direction to check out any likely birds for me to inspect. Well that is what I thought. He was in all probability getting his nose to home in on the possibility of free food. Now you might think that all food for a dog was free. You are so wrong there. Being owned entitled a dog to be fed something akin to wages so the regular meals at home were his due. You wanted me so there is wage to be paid. Rastus was very keen on overtime and being paid accordingly. He was quite adept at doing this, cocking his head to one side with a quizzical look, fetching things like the local paper that was thrown over the front fence and by chasing rats in the back garden. I don’t think there were any rats but he certainly made it look as there were. He would stub his nose against the back door, utter an excited whine to be let out and then go flying up the garden on patrol duty seemingly just missing out on catching the sneaky rat. I was not fooled. It was all part of his wage negotiations showing how valuable he was and therefore should be paid more in the way of Schmackos or liver treats. I swear he would try to look thin on a walk to attract sympathy from other humans in the park that might want to fatten him up with a biscuit or half a sandwich. Though I must admit he tended to spit out cucumber. I felt him say to me once, “Cucumber is 99% water, if I want a drink I’ll drink out of a puddle.”

Here I must mention liver treats and to warn other pet owners (meaning dog owners) to avoid these like the plague as they smell awful. However, buying these for your pet will show that you really care about them a lot, to give him something really smelly to eat. I put it down to dogs’ development through the ages. We humans thousands of years ago discovered that meat that fell in the fire by accident tasted a lot better than meat that didn’t. Dogs in the same way not being able to strike a match for a fire found that meat that had been dead a few days was easier to eat and had more flavour than food that was fresh. I personally am amazed that supermarkets praise themselves for how fresh their food is, when it would be easier to eat when after it has started breaking down. Cooking just accelerates the decomposition process. However I am digressing.

Now you will be saying, “Well who did Rastus live with? Me or my elderly neighbour?” This was a grey area. Rastus was her dog but there were many times when it was necessary for me to take him in when she was away. At first there were her trips to her children interstate which clearly didn’t do her much good as she was so relieved to be home afterwards Then there were the not infrequent trips to hospital to sort out one thing or another. So Rastus came to regard my home as part of his territory more and more.This was the impetus to fence the veggie patch to ensure all my lettuces and beans were not dug up by my house guest.

As I worked from home this was no problem and even if I had to spend some time out he was quite happy to have a walk first around the neighbourhood to read the dog news at every pole and fire hydrant before I left and there were the frequent trips to the park and the beach as well so he was not deprived.

You are probably about to ask what happened to girl in the park; well some good and some bad. We did meet her again a few times. The interaction was all between Rastus and her with a condescending nod to me now and then. She did however tell Rastus her name which was Penny. Rastus looked at me with that warning look meaning “Skip the joke about a penny for your thoughts” so I just kept dumb.

She did talk to me a little too after that. It was mainly about work or travel or her flat mates. Nothing I could use to get any closer to her, but it was an acquaintance with the tiny solace of her company whilst Rastus got all the petting.

The day came when she came up to us and started the conversation.

“Sorry.” She said. “I am leaving…a transfer.”

I could see the disappointment of Rastus’s face. Whether it was the loss of the free food supply or the knees to place his head on I don’t know which. However she turned to me and gave me a peck on the cheek.

With that Rastus gave out a moan of canine sorrow.

“It’s OK, Rastus” she says as she bends down to pat him showing him her cleavage. “You are still my special boy,” in vindication of his faithfulness.

And then she was gone, but I did get her phone number. She had written it on a small card with "Just in case he needs me" with tiniest of kisses at the end.

Rastus and me in the Park (No 2)

After my first encounter with Rastus (aka Tinkerbell) we got on famously. We were birds of a feather you could say if you liked mixed metaphors, him being a dog and me not! I suppose I had been a bit of a dog in my past and that is what he liked about me. You may have noted that I didn’t say I was human. I did so deliberately as at times I despair of the human race. So with Rastus I was happy to run along with the pack as it were, an overstatement seeing there were only the two of us.

We are having a walk now, and have stopped for a paws. I know it is a bad joke but it is the sort of humour that Rastus likes. You note I haven’t told you my age, well I am older than Rastus and because of that he defers to me and for what he can get out of me. So I look for a bench in the park we are in. I find one but it is occupied by a human of the female persuasion. So I sit right on the end of the seat and Rastus after a sly glance at the girl, sits on the ground between me and her.

Rastus is a real flirt and after checking her out for sign of canine aversion decides there is none and edges a bit closer to her. She is eating a baguette, it being lunchtime, so there is a good reason for him preferring her at that moment as I had brought no consumables with me.

It’s at times like this I wish I was a dog. His steely eyes focused on the baguette as he forgets himself and edges so close to her that his chin is all but resting on her knee. She knows he is there but tolerates him as he is somehow emanating his lovable dog aura. Meanwhile I am watching the pigeons on the grass with just half an eye on my pretty neighbour. I too have noticed her knees emerging enticingly from her dress. They are very pretty knees and Rastus at this time agrees and plonks his chin on them and gives her the “Surely you need some help in eating that baguette” stare, that he is so good at.

Compliantly, she breaks a tiny piece of from the baguette and gives it to him. It gets wolfed down without touching the sides and Rastus managed to kiss her hand all in the same go with the quickest of licks.

I cannot but not notice their foreplay and decide that it is time for me to do something about it.

“Sorry about him, he’s a bit forward.” I say.

She turns to me. Hell’s boots, she is beautiful. I could lick her too. I wonder whether she would mind?

“What’s his name?” She asks hardly looking at me.

“That depends. When he is at home he is Tinkerbell, but when he is with me he is Rastus.”

At me mentioning his name Rastus turns his attention from eyeing the baguette to me for half a second affirming that statement.

“Oh, so he is not yours?” She says.

Clearly Rastus is a bit annoyed that more baguette is not coming his way, decides on another tactic and decides to lick her bare toes. She squeals with delight and looks directly at me with a smile on her face as though as I had done it.

I wish I had.

“No, I walk him for a neighbour. She can’t manage to control him any more when he’s out so he gets his exercise with me.”

She didn’t reply as she was finishing the baguette but swept the crumbs off her lap which were quickly vacuumed up by Rastus.

She then produced a carton of juice, drank that down in silence as Rastus leaned against her passively. She then turned to me and announced “Well back to work” nodding at the small private hospital across the park.

I took the carton from her and put it in the bin on my side of the seat.

“Thanks,” she said getting up. “Probably see you around.”

I nodded. “We often come through the park.”

“I know, I have noticed, but you spend most of your time talking to Rastus though.”

“That could change,” I finally muster a reply.

She shook her head. “No, I will have to have a longer conversation with Rastus first to check you out.”

With that she got up, patted Rastus on the head and with the most engaging twinkle in her eyes glanced my way. She then turned and walked across to the grass to the hospital.

Rastus looked up at me and seemed to say “Well that went well” as I hitched him back on the lead and we too left the park but in the opposite direction.

Rastus and me

I have always loved dogs and they have tolerated me as perhaps a poor substitute for them but happy for me to go along for the ride.

So it was with Rastus. That wasn’t his real name, and he wasn’t my dog but I will tell you how I met him. It was a year or two back and Rastus was owned by an elderly neighbour of mine. Rastus didn’t know this, he thought he owned her. She had got him from the pound, she wanted a companion in her widowhood and had gone along to choose a dog and found Rastus waiting for anyone to spring him from jail, so was on his best behaviour when he was introduced. He was probably a bit quiet too as he had been deprived of some of his essential parts. My neighbour was probably given the usual sob story of a placid dog wanting a loving home to be a companion and all that trash, while he bored, ignored the implied instructions of how he was to behave. So he went home with her with his dog tag jingling on his collar. They don’t jingle these days as they are made plastic but she in her wisdom was entranced by this tinkling sound and called him Tinkerbell!

It wasn’t long before he had settled in and had made carnage of the back garden but she didn’t seem to mind as she couldn’t spend as much time tending the plants there as she would a have liked. This is where I came in and before long I was spending few hours a week tidying the place up and acquainting myself with Tinkerbell. Clearly he was out of control so I suggested I take him for a short walk after my gardening stint and have a cup of tea with her later when I brought him home. It took some time for him to understand that I was taking him for a walk and not vice-versa and it needed a few jerks on the lead for him to catch on but by the time I returned to her house he was happily walking by my side with an occasional glance up at me to acknowledge my status of nearly equal to his.

We got back to the house and were duly given a drink, me tea and Tinkerbell water and it was as I was sitting down in the Lounge Room chatting with my neighbour that I started noticing a few marks on the furniture and the cushions. I pointed out these puncture holes from the dog’s teeth to her but she had not noticed them. Clearly her eyesight was fading.

“Oh, Tinkerbell, you naughty dog,” she said.

He ignored her completely. So I suggested he be given just one room in the house to stay in, preferably the kitchen or laundry when she was out and she reluctantly agreed. He took no part in the conversation and decided he wanted to go into the garden so I got up and let him out and he straight away deposited a load in among the rose bushes, reversed and then covered it with dirt.

“Oh you are a rat’s arse.” I say. He wagged his tail, came up to me and jumped up to put his paws on me as if to say "Well that is a better name."

”I can’t call you Rats Arse,” I whispered. “I will call you Rastus instead, is that OK?”

I could swear he nodded his head, and that is how he and I became friends.

(To be continued)