The Rhythm of You

An Old Friend

My day started like any other. My blue nosed Pitbull Blu woke me up by crying in my ear.
"Alright buddy. I'm up, I'm up" I mumbled as I sat up. I looked over at my Chihuahua, Moose, who stared at me from the doorway. I knew what they wanted. "Let me get out of bed bud" I said while gently pushing Blu off me.

Blu and Moose followed me out of my room and into the kitchen. I grabbed their food bowls and filled them with the dry food before placing them back down.
"Breakfast is served" I said while watching them chow down. I had to keep an eye on Blu as they ate so he wouldn't try and steal Moose's food. Once they finished, we walked over to the front door. Blu's tail wagged as I put my sweater over my head
"Patience Blu" I said smiling. I grabbed the two leather leashes off their hook and grabbed Moose's blue harness hanging off the hook next to them. "Come here Moose" Moose walked over and let me clip his harness on. After making sure he was comfortable, I clipped the leash to his harness and Blu's red collar.

We headed out on our daily walk. Moose stayed by my side while Blu zig zagged in front of us, taking time to sniff everything.
"Hurry up Blu, I have to get ready for work" I told the sweet pit. Blu's tail just wagged as he kept pulling on his leash. I looked down at Moose and saw he was starting to get tired, so I scooped him up. "Let's go Blu" I turned around and started back towards the house. Blu jogged over to be ahead of me again so he could lead the way.

Once back home I took off the leashes and removed Moose's harness. Blu went to his toy bin to grab a ball while Moose jumped up the coach for a nap. Knowing they were good now, I went upstairs to change clothes for work. I put on a Metallica tee shirt and black jeans. My hair was short enough that I didn't have to do much to it, just a quick brush and a pin to keep it out of my face.

"Alright boys. I've got to go. Be good" I said walking down the stairs. Blu looked up at me with sad eyes as I grabbed my keys. He always made me feel guilty. I blew them both a kiss before heading out the door.

I got into my car and sighed. I wasn't really looking forward to work, but I knew it could be worst. I turned on my radio and smiled. They were playing "Get Up" by Shinedown. I grew up with the lead singer so it was always comforting to hear his voice. I sat there a moment, enjoying the song, before pulling out of my driveway and heading  to the shop.

My work was a small record shop in town. Wasn't many customers lately, but it was nice. Sometimes I had the whole place to myself. I got out of my car and unlocked the front door , turning the sign to open before walking inside. I flicked on the lights and walked over to the counter to get things ready for the day.

The day ended up being slow. The day was halfway over and I only had a handful of customers. I walked up and down the isles, organizing all the cds and records that were browsed. The doorbell chimed but I didn't think much of it. I figured it was just a customer coming in to browse.

As I headed back towards the front of the store, I saw a man standing by the counter.
"Sorry for the wait sir. May I help you?" I asked. The man turned to face me and I paused. I recognized him right away.
"Riley?" He asked, his eyes softened as he stepped closer.
"Brent?" I asked. We both smiled and embraced each other. I was so happy to see my best friend after all these years.

"So what brings you to town" I asked Brent as I walked behind the counter.
"I'm just visiting some family. I was hoping to run into you as well, but I didn't know you worked here" he replied, now leaning against the counter.
"Been working here for two years now. I wish I was playing drums professionally, but for now I'm here" I said with a slight chuckle. Brent stood up straight and widened his eyes.
"You still play?" He asked. I nodded. "You'll have to show me how good you got"
"I'm not that good. Your guy must be so much better" I said, referring to his drummer for Shinedown.
"Sure, Barry is good. But you must be good too with all these years of practice"
I thought about it for a moment.
"Why don't you come by tomorrow and see? We can catch up" I suggested. Brent liked that idea so I gave him my address before he headed out. I couldn't wait to spend time with my old friend.