So You're Leaving?

Dally's arrival

Dally walked quickly down the quiet street, the gold and orange leaves falling all around him in the soft breeze. He was still thinking about Joe from the train. When he awoke, Joe had disappeared. Either he'd gone back behind the crates to sleep for the rest of his trip or he'd jumped off the train somewhere along the way. But at this point Dally really didn't care anymore. He was focused on finding Johnny and hopefully getting something to eat somewhere in the process. He was cold, exhausted, and really hungry. He looked towards the end of the street he was on and finally saw his destination. A yellow sign hung from a wrought iron post in front of a quaint looking white house. The sign read "Goshen Street Animal Clinic- Matthew Gates Veterinarian" It was Saturday morning and Johnny had mentioned that Matt now ran the clinic for a few hours on Saturdays now that Johnny was around to help. Dally walked up the stone steps and opened the door. He was somewhat surprised that the door was unlocked this early in the morning. He had a slightly nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach as he entered the main waiting area. The room was light with several windows letting in the morning sun. There was a faint smell of animals, masked by the scent of cleaning products. There was no one there but a large brown dog lying right in the middle of the path to the main desk. The dog eyed Dally curiously, his black eyes peering out at him from his old white face. Dally walked up to him slowly and cautiously patted his head. "You work here?" he asked the dog quietly. "Yes," came a voice that made Dally jump a bit. It actually took him a split second to realize the voice did not belong to the dog. A young man came out from the back room. He was average height, dark hair and brown eyes. Unmistakable eyes. Dally knew it was Johnny's cousin. "Uh, I'm looking for...Johnny..." Matt looked at him for a second. Then his face lit up in sudden recognition. "Are you Dallas?" he asked in utter disbelief. Dally looked at him in surprise. "...Yeah, uh... how did you know that?" Matt came out from behind the counter and grabbed Dally's hand and shook it. "I met you once in Tulsa. You look kind of the same and Johnny just talks about you all the time... I feel like I know you! What are you doing here? Man, you couldn't have come at a better time!" "Wha-" Dally was not sure how to respond. He was still trying to figure out how Matt could possibly have recognized him. "I... "Johnny's at the house. He didn't feel well today. Here's the keys in case he went for a walk or something. He has this crazy habit of locking the door all the time. We've all had to start carrying keys around. Sorry I can't come with you, but I'm going to have people coming by in about a half hour-" "You're giving me the keys to your house? You don't even know me!" Dally stared at him incredulously. Matt waved him off, laughing, and went back behind the counter and started writing down directions to the house. "You're practically family. I figured you'd show up sooner or later. " Dally just kept staring. "I... I don't know what exactly Johnny told you, but-" "Dally, look, I know all I need to know. I trust you. Molly trusts you," he said indicating the old dog on the floor. "She didn't even bark. And besides, it's not my house, it's my parents' house." Matt laughed and didn't even look up from the little map he was drawing. "Your parents house?" He was giving Dallas Winston the keys to someone else's house. "Here," he handed Dally the map. "He'll be thrilled to see you. He's been pretty homesick...that's putting it mildly." "Is he all right?" "He will be. He needs more time to adjust. Seeing you will do him some good." Dally thought about telling Matt that he had suspected that and that was why he was here. He though about telling him that if anything was wrong with Johnny, he would not be going home without him. But somehow, he felt that Matt all ready knew that. "Oh, hey, you wanna take the car? It's not too far of a walk, but you're welcome to drive if you want." Matt offered, now bustling about the small office, getting ready for the morning. "Uh, no, I'll just walk," Dally stammered, completely floored with the treatment he had just received. Still a bit bewildered, Dally left the building and headed off in the direction of the house.