Puppy in the rain
I am setting out to cycle back home from work with my little puppy on the lead. He is a greyhound mix, so running next to a bike is good fun for him. I have cycled just three meters, when he suddenly lurches to the right. Something must have smelled good. My bike tips sideways like a book falling over on a shelf and I land on my hip. Arggh. This really really hurts. My dog jumps on my chest and licks my pain-twisted face.
From the corner of my eye I see a punk woman, very drunk, staggering towards me. A whole group of punks is hanging out on a piece of grass by the canal, right next to where I have crashed with my bike. »You’re under shock«, the punk-woman says to me, »come and sit with us«. Indeed I am under shock and follow her. I hobble towards the punks, sit down and stare at the murky water of the canal. The dog is happy. Runs around and cheerfully greets every smelly punk. Bliss.
In front of my hazy eyes a joint appears. A spliff. »Want some?« says a voice. I take a puff. Luckily I do not see who smoked it before me. I am beginning to feel better. I relax. The dog is running back and forth between punks. Finally, I am able to say thank you and start again, trying to get home.
Cycling carefully along the canal, this time without having the dog on the lead, my dog is racing in front of my bike. Suddenly, again without warning, he comes to a full stop. He urgently needs to scratch his ear. I can’t break fast enough and cycle over his leg. He howls. His paw is bleeding a little bit. No, I didn’t do it on purpose. Now we both hobble.
We limp along the canal, and the skies open up. There is a massive downpour. We both get drenched to the bones. We try to hide under the canopy of a building entrance. After a while, we continue our journey and get drenched again. This time, I no longer care. I cycle again with the dog on the lead, feeling the wetness on my back, my neck, my legs.
Arriving home, I am almost laughing. I take off my dripping clothes, put on a bathrobe and dry the dog with a towel. He loves this. He gets very excited and jumps up in the air – and pisses at the same time. Completely astonished by this coincidence, he falls back on the floor. I want to scream and sell the dog immediately. Later, I am lying on the sofa and the dog is resting in front of me. Outside, the rain has stopped. The street is glistening and a bird is singing in the garden.
cats and dogs | floor plan | top
