Old Man Tom and His Pal Buddy
So, today I was walking my dog, Jake. While we were walking, I saw an old man walking a ways away from us when all of a sudden his dog slipped out of his collar and started running around the apartment complex. The man called his dog "Buddy! C'mere boy!" but Buddy just kept running. I eventually reached him, and my Jake started sniffing the man and saying his doggy hellos. I started talking to him, learned his name was Tom, learned that Buddy gets out of his collar every so often and makes it a game of chase with Tom.
Eventually Tom and I walked towards the leasing office where we parted ways. He went inside to notify the office of his dog on the loose, and I was going to take Jake home. A woman and her lab came walking up, so Jake got to meet him. I was talking to the woman about dogs and such, when suddenly she goes, "Oh I wonder who he belongs to." I turned to see who she was talking about, and sure enough, there was Buddy, standing there like, "Hey, dogs I wanna play..."
I threw up my arms and said, "Buddy!" before putting my arms around him so he wouldn't run off while we waited for Tom to come out of the leasing office. He and Jake got on well. It was later when I was telling Mom about the incident that I found out that Jake and Buddy have had a couple of encounters and are more or less friends.
Within a minute, Tom comes out, looks right at us and smiles his toothy old man smile. He clipped the collar on Buddy, called him some affectionate old timer names that you'd probably hear on Sandlot or Little Rascals, then we said our goodbyes.
When I got home, I started thinking. About choices and fate and such as that. I mean, I could have taken Jake for a walk earlier, or waited until my Mom got home and had her take him. I could have taken a different route to walk Jake (even though I take the same one everyday). I really didn't have to talk to Tom when I was walking by.
I didn't have to kiss Hunter that day at lunch. I didn't have to make Rice Crispy treats that day Mom came home in a funk. I didn't have to join ROTC or go with Taryn to the lunch table. I could have said no to Jordan when he was trying to have sex with me. Hell, I could have just said no to Nick entirely. All kinds of things. My mom could have had an abortion. She could have said yes to Charlie all those times he asked her to marry him instead of marrying Dad.
So many thing. But then, I think to myself that it's best to put all that aside. Move forward.
Eventually Tom and I walked towards the leasing office where we parted ways. He went inside to notify the office of his dog on the loose, and I was going to take Jake home. A woman and her lab came walking up, so Jake got to meet him. I was talking to the woman about dogs and such, when suddenly she goes, "Oh I wonder who he belongs to." I turned to see who she was talking about, and sure enough, there was Buddy, standing there like, "Hey, dogs I wanna play..."
I threw up my arms and said, "Buddy!" before putting my arms around him so he wouldn't run off while we waited for Tom to come out of the leasing office. He and Jake got on well. It was later when I was telling Mom about the incident that I found out that Jake and Buddy have had a couple of encounters and are more or less friends.
Within a minute, Tom comes out, looks right at us and smiles his toothy old man smile. He clipped the collar on Buddy, called him some affectionate old timer names that you'd probably hear on Sandlot or Little Rascals, then we said our goodbyes.
When I got home, I started thinking. About choices and fate and such as that. I mean, I could have taken Jake for a walk earlier, or waited until my Mom got home and had her take him. I could have taken a different route to walk Jake (even though I take the same one everyday). I really didn't have to talk to Tom when I was walking by.
I didn't have to kiss Hunter that day at lunch. I didn't have to make Rice Crispy treats that day Mom came home in a funk. I didn't have to join ROTC or go with Taryn to the lunch table. I could have said no to Jordan when he was trying to have sex with me. Hell, I could have just said no to Nick entirely. All kinds of things. My mom could have had an abortion. She could have said yes to Charlie all those times he asked her to marry him instead of marrying Dad.
So many thing. But then, I think to myself that it's best to put all that aside. Move forward.