Warm memories
Winter must be cold with no warm memories (An Affair to Remember)
It seemed like the clouds gathered themselves comfortably around me, threatening to pour down on me without any warning, mocking my mood and my dislike of the season. The wind is hollering around me and there is nothing left for me to do but tightening my coat and scarf and continue my bitter way home.
There is loneliness in the journey as everyone else are safely cocooned in their warm homes and the thought of my own house does nothing to warm my chilled body. It is my house, one I invested in and decorated and renovated and yet in the bitter hours of winter I find it difficult to call it home, perhaps because the light from the inside of the house is useless in driving the darkness that often lies inside of me.
I hate the darkness of winter. Hate getting up in the dark and coming home in the dark and dealing with all that is dark in the hours in between. The season hadn’t even begun but I am growing more and more morose as each day pass.
I have finally managed to get to my street and by now I am not even sure why I chose to go home by foot and not taking a taxi. My mind is whispering about preferring the company of strangers in the frozen street over the loneliness of my own large house and I pause slightly before continuing my walk.
Am I lonely?
It’s a somber thought, one might call it a life changing one but surprisingly, the answer to this question is clear as the white snow that gathered at the sides of the road. It’s clear but I don’t feel like I have gone through a life changing event in the middle of the deserted street, it’s odd…like I knew the answer for quite some time but just wasn’t able to do anything about it.
I feel a smirk rising on my features as my mind provides me with an immediate solution for my problem. My mind is offering me to get a dog and I remember Tara’s enthusiastic report of her friend’s dog, a Newfoundland who delivered a litter of 6 black puppies. The friend couldn’t keep all puppies and she kept herself busy with attempting to convince me to get one.
Of course I refused, but now as I approached my house the thought of a black mass of hairs greeting me at the entrance didn’t sound too horrifying. A dog is a responsibility I could handle but we would have to keep to some ground rules (No climbing on the sofas, or the beds, or hanging around the dining table).
I could see my house now, its shadow covering the side of the road and as I grew closer, I saw the car in my driveway and frowned as the door opened and she climbed out, securing her scarf around her neck. “Where have you been? I tried to call you.” Her voice comes out a little weird in the wind and I feel the first drops of rain hitting me as I finally stand in front of her.
“My car broke down on the way and I forgot my cell inside.” I explain. “What are you doing here?”
Suddenly she seemed terrified and she cast a look at the backseat of her car and then back at me. “I’m sorry, Myles, I shouldn’t have come here, it was a mistake.”
“What? Tara, what is it?” The wind is picking up speed and suddenly, the thought of staying alone in my house is making me sick. “Please, let’s just get inside before we’re soaked.”
She follows me after picking up a large box from the back seat of her car, only when we’re inside and the florescent lights chase away the darkness I notice that the package makes strange sounds. I frown at her and she shakes her head at me. “I thought that if you’ll see her, you wouldn’t be able to resist.”
It takes me a moment to understand and then I take the box from her and place it on the floor next to the sofa. I open it carefully to reveal a small mass of black hairs and brown eyes that examined me as carefully as I examined her. The smile is easy on my lips and I hesitantly reaching out into the box. The dog willingly makes herself comfortable in my arms and sniffs at my coat. I hear Tara chuckling behind me and I turn to face her.
“I think you were right.” I confess. “Does she have a name?”
“Her name is Cher.”
“Cher…” The name rolls on my tongue. “I think I like it.”
Tara appears to be overjoyed; I imagine that she would soon jump up and down with excitement. “I think my work here is done.” Her grin is smug.
I place the dog in the box, I will have to make her a corner of her own, but for now, she will be nice and cozy in her padded box. I watch in silence as Tara heads towards the door and suddenly the only thought in my mind is that I have to stop her, I have to make her stay.
“Stay!” I blurt and my voice comes out completely not the way I had intended it to.
“I’m sorry?” She seems confused.
“Maybe you’d like to stay for dinner?” I am rephrasing my request and she smiles.
“I’d love to.” And I find myself amazed that she agreed so easily.
We have a casual dinner, followed by cuddling time with my new dog. We give her milk with some dog food Tara brought and watch her enjoying her food. “I don’t know anything about dogs.” I whisper to the semi dark living room and Tara place her hand on my forearm.
“I could help.”
The prospect of spending more evenings with her seems to brighten the room and I smile, holding on to the moment so that I could remember it in the evenings I might spend without her. “You think Levi would like her?” I ask and she laughs with me as we watch the flames together.
~ Fin ~
Thanks for reading, it's been a while for me...this is to Ami, who wants a dog so much...and to Cher, who is no longer with us...
(990 words without the quote and snippet)
