Happiness [Joshler]

2. Trust

Trust thyself only, and another shall not betray thee - Thomas Fuller

After getting off the phone with Madison, Tyler brought a glass of water to the living room and placed it on the table in front of the man.

Once he did, the man gave a small grin, but saw fear in the eyes of the helpless boy.

He wasn't hard or aggressive in his look, he was kind and understanding. He knew how scared he was.

"Sit down, dear. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Tyler placed the bag on the floor and sat on the sofa next to the man.

He still looked at him; fearful of what he was going to do next.

As the man quickly reached over to get his bag, the boy jumped. The man took notice and smiled.

"A bit jumpy today?" He asked.

"N-No." Tyler replied. "Of course not."

"It's alright. You don't have to be afraid."

Tyler wanted to talk to him, but he didn't know how he'd respond.

The man looked so much like a normal average dog, he didn't know if he was going to bark or speak a simple sentence, and so far, he has.

The boy took a deep breath.

"S-So, uh, Jim-"

"Don't call me that."

"W-Why?"

"That's what Jenna wants everyone to call me."

The man reached his hand into the bag and pulled out a Gatorade bong.

"And that's not my real name."

"Then, what is your real name?"

The man paused and looked at Tyler.

"Joshua. Joshua William Dun."

Tyler looked at him.

"That's your real name?"

"Yes."

"Then, if that's your real name, why are you called Jim?"

"Because when Jenna adopted me, the lady at the animal shelter completely threw out my birth certificate, so she told her to give me whatever name she pleased."

He took out a lighter from his bag.

"And because of that, I've always been Jim."

"So, you want me to call you Joshua?"

"Yes, or Josh, if that fits you."

Tyler sighed.

"Okay, Josh."

The man smiled and put his bag on the table.