A Walk in the Park--Larry Stylinson

Spellbound

"Whoa!" Louis was very nearly yanked off his feet, barely catching himself before he went down face first on the pavement. He'd been paying attention, and was normally diligent but the young Great Dane had spotted something that really piqued his interest on the side of the road. Still a pup at eight months of age, but weighing in at over one hundred pounds, he was powerful, his sense of adventure very fresh and motivated. He'd gone up on his hind legs and plunged forward.

Louis regained control by giving the leash a sharp tug, momentarily reminding the huge pup that he was being walked, and wasn't out on an excursion solely for his own amusement. Little Trinket had been left behind for a couple of seconds, and Louis, without meaning to, had jerked her leash. She was an adorable tiny Shih Tzu who wasn't accustomed to this rough treatment.

As soon as Higgins, the Great Dane was obediently back at his side, Louis scooped Trinket up.

"I'm sorry, liitle one. We've gotta watch that big bruiser and his exuberance, yeah?" Trinket, forever forgiving, and never having met a person she didn't like, because after all, everyone loved her, wagged her tail and licked Louis' face. He was one of her favorite people in her entire small world.

Louis sighed, but with palpable contentment, and walked on. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever even pondered being a dog walker. A dog walker, of all things. But that's what he was. Financial analyst making mega bucks, to dog walker, all in the space of a few months.

But he was happy.

Louis was young--only 29, but he'd been exposed to more than your average young man by a mile. He'd been an over-achiever, and had been one of the youngest financial analysts around. Graduating early from high school, and then finishing college in three years, then getting his degree in finance in record time, he'd gotten his four years of work experience in, and by then, had proved himself.

Living here in Hollywood was . . . well, interesting. There were more descriptive words, but, coming from Louis' sometimes unfiltered mouth, they'd also be rather indelicate. Hollyweird, they called it. And for good reason. He'd seen stranger things here than anywhere else he'd ever been, and it was on a consistent, daily basis. People here were never, ever normal, by most other's standards.

People sashayed about in various costumes, looking to make money by having their photograph taken with tourists, others walking along and singing at the top of their lungs for no discernible reason, a young man doing cartwheels, and leaping into the air, doing a full somersault mid-air while crossing an intersection; and here were some of the wildest clothes and hairstyles you'd find anywhere in the country.

Hollywood was his home, and it wasn't half bad. It was always entertaining, if nothing else. A person could simply sit and people-watch all day and never be bored for a second. Of course, there was the occasional movie star you might run into if they weren't in disguise. And if you were so inclined, that was a perk. People who lived in Hollywood just generally had a different mindset. In some ways, it was like living on a different planet.

And dog walkers were paid well. Not as well as a financial analyst, but surprisingly better than many jobs. Hell, Louis got thirty dollars to walk a dog for an hour. He often--in fact, most of the time--took more than one dog. Three to five was pretty average. For five dogs, that meant $150 an hour. How many people made that kind of money at most jobs? The dogs that had to be walked alone because they were intent on attacking other dogs, were charged fifty an hour. Louis tried to avoid them when he could. They were a pain in the ass, and also cost him money he could be making by walking several mellow dogs. So, overall, it was a lot more profitable to walk several at a time. And Louis had it down to a science. All his clients had their particular time of the day that they had booked his services, and lately he was even having to turn people away because he only worked five hours a day, and didn't work weekends.