Sneaky Mabel.

“I don’t practice Santeria; I ain’t got no crystal ball. Well I had a million dollars, but I, I’d spend it all,” my alarm on my phone rang. I let the song keep playing as I opened my eyes and stretched across my bed, hitting something with my foot. I sit up to see my dog, Mabel, sitting there and smiling at me. I laughed, and pounced on her playfully, scratching her behind the ears, and cooing at her. I loved Mabel with all of my heart. I’ve had her for about a month, and that girl has become my whole world. Outside of working at Potbelly’s, Mabel was my only friend. I lived in a basement I rented from an old couple upstairs all by myself. I also took a year off of school before deciding what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

“Want to go outside Mabel?” I asked. She started barking like crazy. “I’ll take that as a yes,” I laughed. I opened the door and let her run out in the backyard and let her do her business as I grabbed myself a bowl of Cheerios. When I finished, I washed the dirty dishes by hand since I never learned how to use a dishwasher. Mabel walked in through the open doors and waited by her food bowl.

I poured kibbles in her food bowl and added some water to her water bowl. Once she started occupying herself with food, I went to my bedroom and changed from my pajamas into my floral bathing suit, a white v-neck and some jean shorts. I put on some black ankle socks and light blue vans. I grabbed my sunglasses and Mabel’s purple leash.

“Let’s go on a walk!” I shouted. Mabel came running towards me, and started jumping up at me, biting onto my shirt, trying to get my attention. I laughed at how adorable she was, and bent down to connect the leash to her matching purple collar. I grabbed my house keys, my backpack with Mabel’s things in it, and shut the door.

Mabel and I always have the same walk every single day. We run down our block, turn left, jog over four blocks. Then there’s a little park we enter. It has a big forest with a small path, lots of green grass fields with a few benches here and there next to the sidewalk road that goes all over the place. There’s also a little creek, with a cute little bridge over it you’d expect to find only in movies.

Mabel and I go through the forest first, she uses the bathroom, and I actually pick it up with the plastic baggies in the purse unlike other assholes that leave crap lying around. Seriously, it pisses me off so much when people don’t pick up after their dogs. If you’re not going to do it, don’t buy a damn dog.

After that, we walk around the park, switching up the route every once in a while since the sidewalks are formed in some intricate maze. Today, however, did not go as usual. Some boy was walking his dog, which barked. Mabel hates other girl dogs, but she’s crazy after guy dogs. So, hearing the dog and seeing him, she yanked herself from me.

“Mabel!” I screamed. “Come back.” No such luck, she just keeps on running. “I’m going to kick your butt,” I hissed under my breath, before I started sprinting. Once I reached over to the three of them, Mabel spread herself out. I haven’t neutered her so she was waiting for the dog to take him. Mabel’s a little slut.

The boy laughed. “Wow. I haven’t seen a dog do that ever.”

Oh dear god, how embarrassing. “S-sorry,” I mumbled. I picked up Mabel’s leash, and looked around quickly. No one was around the park yet. “Sorry again,” I said stupidly. What was I even apologizing for? “Um, I gotta go. Bye.” I didn’t even look in his eyes once. I just tugged on Mabel and ran with her to the beach, which was were we usually go after our walk at the park. I cut our walk short because I was definitely not sticking around with Mr. Stranger.
***
I placed a blanket on the warm sand and crawled onto it. Mabel tried to sit in my lap, but I pushed her away. “Listen Mabel, you made me look like an idiot today. You don’t just go around spreading your legs out for every damn dog there is out there. Even if he’s cute, it’s a no-no,” I scolded her, and tapped her on the nose angrily.

She laid down, and put her head in my lap gently and looked at me with her cute little puppy dog eyes begging for forgiveness. “No,” I reply. She keeps on staring. After a while, I crack a smile, and nuzzle up to her and chuckled. “Okay, fine. I forgive you this time.”

I put on my sunglasses and started reading a book I had borrowed from the library with Mabel sleeping next to me. I managed to read through five chapters and I heard a soft plop beside me. I marked my page and looked to the left of me to see a familiar stranger smiling at me.

“I believe this is yours.” He handed me my bracelet from Germany that I didn’t even realize had fell off.

“Thank you so much! Where’d you find it?” I asked.

“It slipped off at the park. I called your name but you didn’t hear. I was about to go to a friend’s house but I saw you from far away, so here’s your bracelet.”

“Cool. Thanks a lot.” I smiled and slipped it back on.

“No problem.” He remained seated with his dog though, and took off his leash. “Go play with Mabel,” he said.

“What’s your pit bull’s name?” I asked.

“Russell.”

After talking a little bit, we played catch with Mabel and Russell till’ sunset. The world had an orange tint to it and Mabel was sitting next to me, obediently. “I guess you deserved a treat today.” I fished out a treat and kneeled down to her eye level. “Sit Mabel.” She sat down and eyed the biscuit hungrily. Russell jumped on top of me with a bark.

“Russell! You fat ass! Sit down! That treat isn’t yours!”

I laughed and brushed off the sand that managed its way into my hair. “It’s fine,” I reply. I look to find Mabel already licking herself. “When did you take the treat?! Sneaky child,” I said, standing up.

“Not as sneaky as me,” Jack smiled, quickly stealing a kiss from me, before I could reply to his statement.