Lassie bounded ahead of Derek and Adette as they stepped onto the long, lush grass of the dog park.
“Look at her, she’s so excited!” Adette giggled. Derek watched as she just about hung herself from pulling so hard on the lead, tongue lolling out and panting heavily.
“Sure is,” he grumbled.
Adette untied the rope from Lassie’s collar, setting her free to run around.
“Aren’t you worried she’ll run away or something?” he asked as he watched her race away, barking loudly.
“No, I trust her… besides, impossible with that collar. It has a homing device function.”
“Wow, you really trust her, don’t you,” he teased sarcastically.
Adette watched Lassie bouncing around and seemed to be unable to resist the urge to join her any longer. She pulled off her shoes and ran after her, laughing and dancing around barefoot like a child.
Derek watched, smiling to himself. She looked so beautiful and carefree as she twirled around, the emerald dress she was wearing fluttering around her knees and her pale skin glowing in the sunlight. As she flopped to the ground in a fit of giggles, Lassie covering her face in licks, her fiery red hair splayed out against the green of the grass.
He crossed over to where she lay and sat next to her. Lassie saw him and made a little snorting noise of disdain before racing away again.
“She really doesn’t like you,” Adette giggled.
“Thanks for the info,” he replied, but he was smiling.
He stared down at her and she looked up at him. In some unspoken arrangement, he leaned down and kissed her. She coiled her arms around him and kissed back.
He heard Lassie before he saw her; and then he felt her, jumping on his back and nipping at his ears. He let out a yelp of surprise and fell over. Adette burst into laughter.
“She must have thought you were attacking me!” Adette giggled. Lassie clambered off him but stayed nearby, shooting him dark looks.
“Me attacking you? That dog was attacking me,” he complained. A loud bark from close by caught their attention.
Lassie was playfully leaping in circles around a larger dog, which watched her warily. He was clearly an old dog; his muzzle was speckled with grey and his eyes spoke of his many years of age. As he lumbered around, his movements were very stiff.
“Looks like Lassie made a new friend,” Adette commented.
“It looks more like she’s annoying the hell out of him to me.”
Adette laughed. “You’re so mean!”
The old dog slumped on the grass and panted, watching disinterestedly as Lassie continued her attempts to play with him. Eventually, Lassie seemed to get tired and collapsed next to the old dog, the two lying companionably side by side.
“I wonder where that dog’s owner is,” Adette mused. As if on cue, a frantic looking lady appeared, her hair in a mess and her eyes wild. “Oh, there you are, Benson! I thought I lost you!” she squeaked, falling to her knees and throwing her arms around the old dog’s neck. He let out a grunt of acknowledgement. “And you’ve made a friend!”
Adette got up and walked over. “Hey, so he’s your dog?” she asked with a friendly smile. The woman looked up and gave her a flustered smile in return. “Oh, yes, he is.”
Adette looked down at the old dog and then at the woman. “How’d you manage to lose him? Doesn’t look like he’d be getting anywhere in a hurry.”
The woman scratched her head and looked embarrassed. “I um, I guess I got a little distracted.”
During their conversation, Derek had got to his feet and slowly edged closer, but made no attempt to join in.
“He drives me mad, but I love him,” the woman was saying, “I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him this evening. I’m going to Australia for a week on a business trip and I have nowhere to send him. I’d put him in a kennel, except I can hardly bear the thought.”
Adette and Derek exchanged glances, both thinking completely different things. While Derek was silently pleading her not to do what he was certain she would probably do next, her glance was confirming his suspicions.
“We can look after him, if you like.”
The woman look flustered. “Oh, no, no, that’d be far too much trouble!”
Adette smiled kindly. “It’d be no trouble at all. We already have Lassie, and it seems that she’s taken quite a liking to him.”
“Well,” the woman said reluctantly, looking down at Lassie and Benson, “If you’re sure.”
“Of course. I’d be more than happy to.”
“I should pay you. How much do you want?”
“No, no, not necessary.”
The woman sighed her defeat. “Thank you so much, honestly. You’re very kind.”
Adette gave the woman a wise smile. “There is a lot more to true goodness of heart than external acts of kindness. Many fail to realize this.” Derek tried to look innocent as he listened to the familiar quote, but the glitter in his eyes gave him away.
And so, it was arranged. After thanking Adette profusely many more times, Benson’s lead was handed over to Adette along with her phone number and instructions. With that, the four set off for home, although rather slowly.
