More Than Just a Krelboyne Friend

Chapter 5- A Talk With Dabney

It was a chilly Saturday. Heather got up at around eight-ish, ate a bowl of plain cereal, brushed her straight white teeth, put on a casual, long-sleeved brown dress that cut off at her knees, slipped on some tall black lace-up boots, picked up her grey Dachshund named Benny, put a black harness on him, attached a red leash to that harness, walked out the door of her house, and marched to a nearby park.

Her mind wasn't caught on Malcolm or Dabney as she made her way to the park. Instead, she thought about how Benny was doing. He was ten years old, but yet he was as healthy and energetic as he was when he was ten months old. She smiled at the thought of Benny feeling good. Heather loved Benny- she had been with him since she was four, so she couldn't remember life without him. As for Benny, he never knew a life without Heather.

It was a quick walk to the park, probably because Benny's eagerness to meet some new friends overflowed his little doggy soul, making him speed up his steps. Heather observed her surroundings as she was dragged closer to other dog owners. Although Benny was little, he had lots of muscle and strength. "Heel, boy!" Heather demanded of her dog. She looked around. She had drove past the park with her mom but had never been inside the grounds. It was a simple park. There was a set of wooden swings and a set of rubber swings. Heather admired how old-fashioned it looked.

As her eyes were on the swingsets, she heard a familiar voice joyfully call her name from behind her. Heather spun around to see Dabney, suited up in a not green, but today yellow sweater-vest with a long sleeved yellow button-up underneath and brown jeans. He smiled and waved.

Heather was happy to see he had a dog with him! It was a black and white Boston Terrier. "Hey Dabney! What's this little guy's name?" She exclaimed as she bent over to pet the dog.

"Felix. It's not mine, it's my neighbor's. My mom would never let me have a dog, but my neighbor is old, so I just volunteer to take him out. It's nice to be outside, especially around this time of year." Heather stopped petting Felix and looked up into Dabney's eyes. She smiled.

"Wow, Dabney! How nice of you."

Dabney quickly changed the subject. "So the other day, at the theater, Malcolm told me you were using the bathroom, you know towards the end of the movie. But you never came back. Why not?"

Heather shook her head and frowned. "Yeah, I just don't know why he did that. I heard him. I told him I was leaving. I guess he lied to you. Sorry about that by the way, I didn't want to get home too late."

"Oh no, that's okay! I understand. Well, I guess we both don't know why Malcolm lied... so what's his name?" Dabney pointed at Heather's dog.

"Benny. I think he likes Felix," Heather chuckled as the two dogs ran around each other, happily yapping. "Woah, careful, the leashes are getting tangled. I don't wanna choke one of them." Heather remarked as she and Dabney pulled at the leashes to untangle them. Once they did, Dabney suggested they walk the perimeter of the park.

* * *

They talked about their interests. They found that they both loved chemistry, Vincent Van Gogh, the number 27, and they both mutually hated dead grass. Heather grew fond of how kind Dabney was- and how smart he was too. He wasn't a model either, but he wasn't ugly, at least not to Heather.

As Heather walked home, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she had something for Dabney.