When I opened the door, Goddess lay at the top of the landing, tail a-wagging, stretching her front legs, eying me with sleepy golden eyes. Calling her by name, I lean over to scratch her. She licks my hand so I lay in the floor with for a minute. She's done the same for me. She follows me as I lug the bags and computers upstairs. I give her a treat.
She's much more laissez faire about my homecomings than she used to be. Normally she runs around acting like a Monkey Humper attacking my leg or slamming her rear end into them so I'll sit and scratch her for as long as I was gone. She's older now and reserves such behavior for squirrels, cats and Golf Carts that happen by when we're on walks.
Sarah pulls in a little later and Goddess jumps in the window, tail a-wagging, and barks homecoming greetings. Sarah's on the phone but the dog doesn't care and leaps down the stairs. She waits by the door until I let her outside then she rushes to Sarah and acts like a Monkey Humper.
Feeling like chopped liver, I look at Goddess and call her a Bitch.
We water flowers, put things away, drag stuff out, then take Goddess for a walk. Making our way to the sad little holy dock, the choirs of mussels are ticking and popping their Hymns from the mud. The setting sun sprinkles diamonds on the Back River and the three of us stand there. Sarah and I arm-in-arm and Goddess slamming her rear end into our legs.
Making our way, she doesn't want to go home yet and drags us around another block.
Once home, she is content ... All is fine again. Lying on her bench, she rests her head on her front legs, sleepily keeping her eyes on anything we do.
What we do it talk.
Reviewing everything it took for us to get to this point in our lives, things we have to do next, and our plans for the future. We bask in the glow of just being together after living so much time alone. We drive to Spankey's for more conversation and food. It's crowded and crazy there but we're in our own universe talking about everything.
Dee shows up once we're back home. We watch a movie, laugh at lot, and talk about changes late into the night.
Everything changes. Whatever you're enjoying now ... well you better enjoy it because it's going to change. Children grow up and leave. Marriages come an end and new ones are born. Jobs come and go. Old struggles are replaced by new ones. Friends move. People die. Money flows or it dries up to the point where you count change to get by. Dark nights are replaced by new days. Cold winds eventually give way to warm sunshine ... or vise versa.
Goddess yawns.
It's way past bed time.
When we head into the bedroom, she sleepily jumps from her bench and follows us into the dark night ... soon to be replaced by the new day.
