Come On, Sweet Catastrophe

I went through the hall closet, the cupboard under the sink and the pantry, shaking every box with a picture of a dog on the front, but all were empty. There wasn't even a tiny biscuit that I could feed Jack, who was sitting eagerly by my feet. He was still just as quiet as the day we had got him, but now he reached my knees in height and had a pudgy belly. He looked happier, though. I mean, it's not as easy to tell, because dogs don't really smile or frown and I'm not entirely sure that they even feel happy or sad, but he just seemed... Content.

When we first got him, he was always scared. He always had his tail between his legs and hid behind all the furniture. He didn't particularly like to be around us, but while I was away, Derek had somehow managed to turn him around. It was kind of amazing to watch them together. When Jack was with Derek, you couldn't tell that he was that same puppy that was abused and scared to make any noise. Derek was different too. Maybe after all this time, it wasn't just Derek that needed taking care of. Maybe he needed to be taking care of something too.

I looked down at him as he sat at my feet, tail wagging eagerly as he waited for his breakfast. I smiled sadly at him, scratching behind his ears. "Sorry, boy. You're going to have to wait. I guess I have to go to the store." I made the mental note to scold Derek later for feeding Jack so frequently. Derek meant well, really. He thought that maybe all these treats would make up for the fact that Jack's life wasn't so good before we got him, but the last thing this dog needed was to become obese.

"Derek!" I called, pulling on my thick, cable knit sweater over my t-shirt. I waited a moment for him to reply, but when he didn't, I groaned, walking to the bottom of the stairs. "Derek! Hey, Derek! I'm going to the store." Again, I didn't hear a reply. I didn't even hear the creaking of floor boards above me that would signal his presence. With a furrowed brow, I jogged up the stairs, checking all the rooms and yelling up to the attic. He wasn't up here and when I looked out the window, I didn't see him in the backyard either. Confused, but not quite worried, I made my way down the stairs again. Jack was standing by the door, staring back at me with his big, amber-coloured eyes. I smiled at him, though I knew he couldn't return the gesture and probably didn't understand what it meant. I guess I'd just go? He'd probably be here when I got back.

But my keys were gone too. They weren't hanging on the hook or in the silver bowl on the island. I was trying to think of all the other places they could be, but none of them felt right. I thought that, maybe, I had brought them up to my room with me. It seemed really unlikely, but worth taking a look.

Before I could climb the stairs, though, I heard knocking on the front door. Well, not knocking, it was more of a loud sort of banging. Four times. I slowly turned around, careful not to lose my footing on the step. I could see the outline of the figure at the door and I didn't know whether I should be scared or not. They didn't look to be especially tall, but that banging was a little unsettling.

With caution, I approached the door, taking a small breath. I looked down at Jack, who looked back up at me and I sighed, reaching for the handle. I want to say that I was surprised to see Derek standing on the other side, but it was only one of the things I felt as I stared back at him. Especially since he was looking at me with those blue eyes and smiling that crooked, lazy smile.

"Took you long enough to open the door." He laughed, pushing past me into his house.

I furrowed my brow, shutting the door behind him. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask. I could almost feel them on my tongue. However, I could only bring myself to ask, quite lamely I might add, "why did you knock like that?"

"I had no hands. I had to kick the door." He explained and I noticed the large bag of dog food under his arm and the paper grocery bags hugged to his chest. He looked at me oddly, smiling an amused sort of smile. He kicked off his shoes and made his way into the kitchen.

I was still confused, so I followed him. "Where did you go?"

"Jack needed food, so I went to the store..." He furrowed his brow, glancing at me. He was acting so casual about this and it was throwing me off. Derek didn't just go to the store. I mean, he probably did while I was gone. For things like toilet paper or shampoo or soap, but for the rest of the time, he lived off of delivery pizza! And he certainly hasn't been going to the store since I've been back.

"Oh." I mumbled, nodding my head.

I could feel Derek's gaze on me. His eyes had a way of burning holes into you. It was almost impossible not to meet his stare. "You okay, Ruth?" He laughed, raising his brows. I simply nodded, watching as he set the grocery bag on the island and started emptying it. He mostly bought junk food, like gummy candies and potato chips. I scoffed at him and he just shrugged, smiling at me. "We only ever have fruits in the house! And you always say that if I want junk, then I have to go buy it myself."

"I didn't think you actually would." I frowned, picking up a pack of snack cakes and reading the label. "I can't believe you're going to be eating this shit. Like, one of them have an entire day's worth of fat!"

"That's why I like them!" He snatched them away from me. He playfully glared at me, nudging my arm. "What's with the sweater? It's warm in here!"

"Well, I thought I had to go to the store." I explained, sitting on one of the stools. "It seems like you went for me, though."

He grinned a wide, toothy sort of smile. He almost looked triumphant. "Yes, I did. You're welcome."

"I didn't thank you." I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him.

His grin didn't falter. It was still wide and playful as he turned to the dog, falling to his knees and speaking to him in an excited voice. I watched as he riled Jack up and I inwardly groaned, knowing I'd have to deal with a hyper puppy for the rest of the day. Jack was quiet and all, but since he's become more comfortable with us, he also took up the habit of chewing on things when he was in this sort of mood. I should probably go hide all of the shoes soon.

"Oh, by the way!" Derek reached into his pocket, pulling out my keys. "I hope you don't mind, but I took your car. I would have had to back it out of the driveway in order to use my car. I figured you wouldn't mind."

I took my keys from him, smiling softly. "Yeah, it's fine."

I know it probably doesn't seem like a big deal to you. Derek just went to the store and he borrowed my car, whatever. No big deal, right? But to me, it was. For so long, I wasn't seeing any changes in him. He was just coasting through life as this sad, dependant person who couldn't do anything by himself. I was seeing the changes now. I could see that he wanted to live a normal life again. Knowing that I played a part in it is... Well, I can't really explain how special that is.