Home Before Dinner

Chapter 10

11:15 am

Unwrapping the aluminum foil, the man licked his lips when he got a good look at his hoagie. It looked absolutely delicious. And he could not wait to eat it. Holding onto his sandwich with two hands, he opened his mouth wide, ready to take a big bite. But then he heard a whimper. Confused, he looked down.

Sitting on the paved sidewalk in front of the man, Duke's eyes had become as big as saucers. With his tail wagging quietly and his furry head tilted to the side, he was just absolutely adorable. One could not possibly resist such a thing. Well, apparently this man was not fooled by Duke's begging. Without any hesitation, he shoved the whole sandwich into his mouth and sprinted away from the bus stop.

"Oh come on man!" Duke barked, watching the man run away in frustration. The feeling of anger was swiftly replaced with hunger as his stomach growled. The Newfoundland mix whimpered in response. Getting up to his paws, he slowly lumbered away from the bus stop and the people watching.

Padding down the sidewalk, Duke lifted his gaze towards the skyscrapers that towered overhead. He had no idea where he was in the city. If he had to guess, he figured he must be west of Broadway, maybe. The big dog had no idea at this point. All he knew was he hadn't gotten anything to eat yet and it was almost noon.

His stomach growled loudly, causing Duke to wince. Peering over his shoulder, the mutt murmured, "It's okay, I'm okay. I have time, I can still find food before I go home. I... I just need to keep searching. I should find something to eat in no time." He had said this all to himself in an attempt to reassure himself. That failed though as his stomach growled once more.

Sighing heavily, Duke glanced around at his surroundings again. If he was near Broadway like he thought, then perhaps he might have better luck finding food along that stretch of road. Adjusting his course, he set off. As he walked along, he couldn't help but wonder how everyone else was doing.