Accidental Love.
I had just gotten home from work when the phone rang.
Dale, my next door neighbor was calling me. He told me
that he had a secret that he wanted to share with me.
Normally, I would have been happy to go over and see
what he had to show me. But I had just gotten off a
long shift and I really didn't want to do much except
get some sleep.
When I told him how I felt, he begged me to come. He
sounded so desperate, that I relented and got dressed
and went over.
I came through the back door. Dale was a bit of a pack
rat and you could never know what he would be doing
next with the odd stuff he bought and brought home.
Mounds of computer paper decorated the livingroom today,
last month, he had seemingly bought out the entire stock
of an Oregon Thunder Egg dealer out in Madras, Oregon. He
had stacked them so hapazardly, that the floor had given
way in one spot and hundreds of pounds of the rocks had
dropped into the basement.
Now, the computer paper wouldn't do the same, but some
of the stacks were so high as to present a hazzard of
tipping over and burying a person alive in them. As I
stood there, I heard his voice call out to me from the
basement.
Heading downstairs, I had to make room for Shark, Dales
Huge Great Dane. A year after Dale had moved in, he had
gone to the local animal shelter and found this dog and
brought him home. I had sort of envied him, I had done
the same some years ago and had cared for, and loved two
male Labs.
Sadly, they had both died just two years ago and I still
had not gone to the dog shelter to try to find another
to love. I just didn't want to again face the terrible
feelings that had come to me after I had buried them.
As he passed me, I got whapped on the side by the tail
that I had told Dale he should have docked. Dale would
laugh and then change the subject. Now, I could see row
upon row of blinking lights. and Dale standing in the
corner fiddling with a bunch of wires.
As he worked, I stood there and watched him. Dale had
admitted to me that he was gay. I told him that I was
a zoo. Dales face fell a bit when I told him that.
Later, when we got drunk one night, he admitted that he
was sort of fond of me and would I fufill his fantasy?
I told him that I wasn't into that sort of realtionship,
He nodded and then continued to drink until he passed out.
Lugging him to the taxi and then carting him home was
easy. The real problem was when I got him in his house.
He came around and then begged me to stay the night. I
carefully told him that I just couldn't. That was the
hardest point, because he started to cry. I sat with him
for a couple more hours, then he fell asleep on the floor
while still begging me to stay.
I left the house and went to my own. My heart hurt for him,
he was a nice guy and friendly. But I had drawn the line
earlier in my life and that was the way it would stay.
The next day, he apologized for what he said and did. I
told him I understood. He dropped the subject from then on.
Now, he finished and lifted the panel back into place.
Flipping some switches, he stood there as a low whine
started to come from the other side of the machine. Coming
nearer to me his face was wreathed in a smile.
" What do you think?" He said.
" Nice" I replied. " But I thought that Christmas lights are
supposed to be put outside."
" Very funny." He snorted. " I think I have finally developed
a way to cause a rip in time."
I looked over the equipment. Mostly it was bargain basement
stuff that most manufactures had thrown away or just dumped
at a local auction.
" But do you have the ability to sew it shut too?" I asked.
Giving me a dirty look, he flipped a couple more switches
and then stepped back to a ring-like device that had hundreds
of wires wrapped or fastened to it. Carefully using a stick,
he tossed it through the ring.
The stick went through the ring and fell to the floor. Dale
picked it up and tossed it through again. Nothing happened.
Casting a worried look at the machine, he walked
over and flipped a couple more switches. Throwing
the stick again, it landed next to Shark who picked
it up and brought it to him.
With a growl, he took it and snapped it in half.
Stomping over to a box on odds and ends. He picked
up a small cube of metal. He then tossed this through
the ring.
Nothing happened. By this time, the whining from the
machine started to hurt my ears. Shark was laying down
now and had his paws covering his. Flipping a final
switch, Dale stood near me and then wound up like a
major league pitcher and threw the cube at the ring.
I came to a couple of minutes later, smoke and flames
were pouring from the machines and I couldn't find the
fire extinguisher that he had. Grabbing Dale and Shark,
I staggered up the stairs and out of the house.
I heard shouting as I came out and laid them both on
the lawn. The rescue squad arrived first and started
trying to revive Dale. After thirty minutes, they gave
up and covered his body. Shark had finally come to and
was staggering all over the place.
I grabbed him and took him to my place and then went back
outside to tell the police what happened. By the time the
fire department arrived, the house was totally involved and
they didn't bother trying to fight the fire.
About six hours later, they hauled off the equipment and
Dales body also. Saddened by the loss of a good friend, I
wearily walked back to my house. Sitting there, I had tears
rolling from my eyes as I remembered him. I now sort of
wished I had given into him that one night.
Shaking my head, I knew that that sort of wish would no
longer be possible. I heard a snort and looked up into
the eyes of Shark as he stood there. Patting my lap, he
came to me and licked my face.
" Easy fellow, I'm sorry but I guess you're going to have
to live with me now. Your owner has gone from here." I said.
Shark cocked his head and looked at me. " I guess that I
sort of screwed up the experiment, didn't I?" He said.
I sat there, my eyes nearly popping out of my head.
His lips parted in a sort of doggy smile. " As to that time
I wanted you to stay the night, care to take me up on it now?"
He said.
I leaned back and started laughing. He climbed halfway into
my lap and I hugged his massive body. " I think I will." I
said and then got up and followed him into the bedroom.
That night, both of us found what we needed and wanted most of
all.