A love story – definitely! She just hadn’t known it would be like this. Not that it was bad but it was definitely different than she expected. Her father had warned her if she fed the stray it would stay forever but her father had been warning her mother of that forever and she still did it. And Jack wasn’t exactly a stray and she did want him to stay forever but still he did have his moments.

It had been love at first site, even though she had tried to play it cool. She didn’t want him to think she couldn’t live without him. That would never do, so while she had played hard to get and he had just played hard. With everything.

It seemed he was lacking the knowledge that furniture was made to sit on – from the front. He tended to roll over the back of the couch, flop down and sprawl out. Or just leap up and over; nevermind if someone else was already sitting there.

“This is not Animal House,” she told him as he jumped over the couch, knocking her glass of water everywhere. He had simply nuzzled her neck and nibbled her eyes and she had sighed, falling in love all over again.

Having Jack around gave a whole new meaning to bath time. He was forever leaning over the edge playing in the water. She had warned him about playing in the bubbles, but he did it anyway, sputtering when the soap got in his mouth by accident. She thought that maybe if she switched to the shower it would be better but he still peaked around the curtain, waiting rather impatiently for her to be done. One day she caught him sitting in the tub waiting. Never mind that the tub was already wet, he was perfectly happy to sit there until she filled it again. He acted like he needed to shower with her everyday.

The bathroom was just a whole different zone now. She was used to boys but did they ever learn to aim? Her mother had warned her about that but she had ignored it wallowing in the bliss of Jack. The first wet floor she stepped on, made her rethink the bliss but then he always did something to steal her heart back.

He would, afterall, eat anything. Didn’t matter if it was a disaster or not, he ate it. He was very helpful when it came to doing the dishes also. Making sure they were properly rinsed before the dishwasher door was closed. If nothing else hanging out in the kitchen just keeping her company while she was working. His desire to be close caused her to step on his feet numerous times, but he didn’t seem to understand that perhaps if he didn’t stand in her shadow, his toes would remain intact.

Love certainly was grand even if it was complicated.

Yay, a Duckfan story! Interesting start! Can't wait for more clues to this "Jack"!

What fun... what fun!!! I'm just giggling over the visions swirling in my head! hehe

His breath left something to be desired many times. One day he yawned and she thought she was going to pass out. Of course, she thought, maybe my breath is the same and he is simply to polite to notice.

But his eyes she could get lost in those. She loved watching them close then flutter open then close completely as he drifted off to sleep. She would rub his face and his head which seemed to enhance his sleep.

On occasion he gave great back rubs. Right up there between the shoulder blades or at the base of her neck. If his attention span was just a little longer it would be better, but it seemed there was always something else to catch his eye and off he went.

Jack could never have enough of her rubbing his chest and stomach though. He would stretch out as long as he possibly could over her lap and let her rub away. One day he stretched too far and fell off the couch onto his head. He managed to look only slightly embarrassed while scrambling back up to start over again. She was more than happy to oblige.

Picking up after him was another story. While he might have been somewhat helpful in the kitchen he had the tendency to scatter the newspaper all over the living room. Sometimes before she even got to read the comics. This proved to be a great source of entertainment for him. She would read and he would try to squirm into her lap, usually at one point ripping the paper. That caused him to scatter quickly, before she could protest.

Of course he had managed to delete a couple of files on the computer as well. That hadn’t gone over very well with all involved parties but he was so charming. She had always heard that males were hard to get to the doctor but he went willingly. And when the doctor mentioned that Jack was a definite keeper, she swore his chest had puffed out - like his ego needed any additional help.

Some days he was just wild, so wild she had no idea what to do with him, in fact. “Well it’s just instinct,” her mother explained at her silence her mother continued “you know, how he was bred.” She rolled her eyes at that, wondering if it could be bred out down the line at some point.

The poor dog. Jack needed a collar with a bell so the dog would be alerted when he was coming. He tended to bound into the room, upsetting and awakening everyone, then just as quickly leave. The dog looked at her mournfully as if to say “This was not in my contract.” Sighing, she kissed the dog’s nose and promised that Jack would eventually catch on.

Then there was the hair issue. For having such short hair he sure had lots of it and she found it everywhere. Her clothes, the sheets, even the bathtub (which she found kind of gross). She hoped he wasn’t going to lose it completely because she didn’t really think he would look good bald. She would love him regardless but she didn’t think baldness was exactly attractive.

She had tried on many occasions to brush his hair. He really wanted no part of that, although he sure liked to play with hers.

Well this is some story you have going here duckfan! But why do I get the feeling that you're messing with our minds here? Up to that point where you said "The poor dog" I was thinking that this "Jack" sounded almost like a dog himself!

I'm thoroughly enjoying your story, Pam - as I read it I keep getting a clear picture of my Bootsy!!!

Joy

Oh what a treasure to come in from the garden too!!! (and it's finally all planted!!!!) I love it and started out thinking Jack was one thing then switched to another and now I'm back to my first choice. Love it!

kav

Methinks this Jack is a kitty!!!

Keep going! Can't wait to find out!!!

Jill

Me thinks Jack is a playful little puppy. Ahhhhhh. Lovely Duckfan

Jenny

at first i thought jack was a puppy but now i'm going with a cat or kitten

fab story i love it

cath

My vote for this Jack is a cat. I've had cats off and on for most of my life, and it definitely sounds like a cat. And since the woman has a dog, I am assuming it's Sue?

He could be kind of a crybaby too. Who would have ever thought that? Big guy that he was. He always wanted to be included and insisted on being the center of attention lately. Maybe he would get over that as well eventually. Although the attention was nice, every time she came in the house he ran to greet her. He was very affectionate. And treasure him she did, despite the faults because as her mother pointed out we all have faults dear.

And he was an excellent listener. She could tell him anything and count on him to simply listen. He didn’t pass judgment or try to solve all her problems. He simply let her find comfort with him.

Sleeping, however, was another subject altogether. She had no sooner settled in each night when he would crawl in next to her and practically crowd her out of bed. She tried to hold her ground one night but determined that he was in desperate need of a toenail trim. She wondered if he would be willing to let her trim them. Afterall he certainly had a thing for her feet. She kept her feet hidden as much as possible because he was forever wanting to nibble on her toes and sometimes his nibbles were a little too much.

And why in the middle of the summer did he insist on sleeping sprawled over her. Winter she could understand because the extra warmth was always welcome but summer?

The sleepless nights were starting to take their toll. She found herself nodding off at her desk one afternoon. Fortunately no one noticed it. In speaking to her mother the best advice she had was “Maybe you should get him neutered.” That was definitely not a subject she wanted to talk about with her mother or her father either for that matter.

toe nail trim?

maybe it's a puppy since cats tend to scratch their nails short, i think i will just ait for all to be revealed

is the name prophetic in some way??????????????????
cath

I don't know, I think maybe "our Jack" could be living vicariously though an animal in hopes of getting closer to a special someone

AND

Know one likes to think about it but I'm betting the man does occasionally have some bad breath.

Our Jack, for shame Tracy!

Nope -- I'm thinking duckfan's Jack is a tortoise. What? They're big and they have sharp claws!

And I've been assuming the she is Sue...maybe it's Allie! And since she couldn't have the real Jack she got a....bengali tiger?

This is so much fun, Pam.

Kav

This story is so much fun, Pam, as is reading the predictions of the readers! Looking forward to finding out the identity of 'Jack'!

Pam, after that last post you have described my cat, Bootsy, to a T!! 22 pounds of pure love, devotion and playfulness!!!!

Joy

Okay now I'm trying to decide which is more entertaining : your posts or everyone's guesses!!

This is great fun! I'm going to be completely different from everyone and say I think Jack is a monkey.

More soon please!

More clues soon, please!

Yeah..........I guess I was assuming Sue, too......... hmmmmm. Now you've all got me thinking again!

Jill

maybe the 'she' is she who must not be named and she has named the 'whatever' Jack because she is madly in love (or lust) with him and they are still at school!!!!!!!!!!!!!

maybe i need to hide :hide:

cath

A/N: Kav - I just came home from the zoo where the tortoise were waiting for the zookeeper to refill their pool. Now we have a few minutes before we are off to a baseball game!

“What’s so funny?” Bobby asked.

“Tess had her students write a love story for Valentine’s Day. She forwarded Sophia’s to me,” Riley responded between bouts of laughter, hitting the forward key and sending it to the rest of the Bullpen.

“Ms. Matthews’ loved my story Mom,” Sophia told her when she arrived home, “She said it made her laugh so hard she cried. She even sent it to Riley!”

“What did you write this one about?” Jenna asked.

“Jack,” Sophia answered.

“Jack your cat or Jack our friend?” Jenna asked.

“Jack the cat, of course, it was a love story,” Sophia answered as said cat came into the kitchen to greet its young owner affectionately. “Jack Hudson, mom why would you even think that?” Sophia scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out.

Begin eye rolling now, Jenna thought and shook her head as her daughter continued “He does have nice eyes I suppose, and from that standpoint I should’ve named the cat Riley because Jack has green eyes not brown like Jack.”

“Pretending that I can even follow this conversation, I will just simply remind you that when you got the cat, you knew neither Jack nor Riley,” Jenna surmised.

“That’s true,” Sophia admitted scooping Jack up and kissing his nose. “I wonder if Jack the person has bad breath too?”

DONE

Sorry I have a one track mind as far as stories go so if you don't know who the extra characters are be assured that Jack the person will never live this down!

Loved it! It was terrific. And I don't think any of us guessed that one!

Bravo!

Pam, that was wonderful!! I did guess the cat, but I didn't even think about Sophia!! I love it!! All my favorite characters are there!!!

Thanks for sharing a very enjoyable story!!!

Joy

Excellent story!! Jack will never live this down indeed!

Great story, Pam! I certainly didn't expect that turn of events, but it was nice to read about some familiar characters! Yeah, I'll just bet Jack the person won't live this down!

Bravo, Pam!!! Well played... that was priceless!!!

You have time for another entry, you know...

What a much needed laugh Pam.
thanks so much,
Terie

Well, I figured Jack was a cat since my boyfriend have four of them and I know how they act around things like water and news papers, but I should have guessed who the owner was...does that mean that we're going to have a contnuation with the bullpen's reaction to the short story??
I had a wonderful time reading it!

Very nicely done, keeping us guessing til the end. I love how you connected this to your other stories, Pam! Thanks for sharing!

Pam that was perfect!!! I never even thought of your other characters for one single fleeting minute! What a fun punch of surprise! And speaking of those favoured characters of ours....we still have many unanswered questions and Bobby is still single and you can consider this a nag or a nudge, which ever you prefer!

kav

Pam, that was so much fun! Thanks for sharing it with us. Loved that our favorite characters made an appearance at the end!!!

And is your kitty named Jack?

Jill

Kav, I hadn't either!!!! Pam, I loved it!!!! You know with how quick this was you certainly have time to write another one...with summer and all I'm sure you don't have anything else to do .

Very cute, enjoyable story! Great job! I kind of guessed Jack was a cat since I've had cats for over half my life and the way he acted around newspapers and water is something I've experienced with my cats. Thanks for sharing!

Jack the cat! Toooooo funny duckfan! I really wasn't sure.

DITTO!!!!! That was great duckfan!!!!!

Jen

Bravo! That was so much fun to read. Thank you!

Fun story! Of course, a bit confusing, but it came together in a fun way.

Sweetness! I love it when you can come from an angle so different that no one guesses and the replies are hilarious! Sophia has a cat...named Jack from the pre-Jack era...too cute. *shakes head* Only you could pull this off so smoothly. And of course, loved seeing Jenna again.

so cute
doubt human-jack has bad breath like the kitty otherwise sue wouldn't kiss him.