20. Joshua

Joshua

A fter hearing Mabel’s story I could have very happily punched her ex-husband in the face. What an asshole. I was glad that his stunt with Esmerelda was egregious enough that she dumped his sorry ass, but the other stuff was just as bad. Making her feel inferior. Implying that she was fat or ugly or weird. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like it at all.

It explained why Mabel seemed a little oversensitive about being criticized. I supposed after being criticized for everything for years, she was particularly attuned to it now.

“I’ve got to get to the clinic soon,” I told her regretfully.

Mabel started bundling Esmerelda into her carrier bag. “I should probably get some work done too.”

I walked them back to my apartment then gave Mabel a kiss goodbye and headed towards the clinic. The lobby was bustling with patients and their owners.

“What’s going on?” I asked Elaine.

“We got three emergency consults for dogs coughing and wheezing,” Elaine said. “None of them have Bordetella or Canine Influenza vaccines on file. They all spent time at the doggy daycare over in Johnson Creek recently, so I’m guessing they’re having an outbreak of something respiratory over there. Everyone else is here for a scheduled appointment, but Dr. Jacobs is running behind because he had to take a surgery case so you might have to pick up the overflow.”

I blew out a breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t come in earlier,” I said. “You should have called me.”

“I heard you were having breakfast at the Little Red Hen,” she said. “I figured you could take another thirty minutes to grab a bite with your lady love, especially when it looks like you’ve got a long day ahead of you.”

I opened my mouth to respond but she shooed me away.

“Go on now, put on some scrubs and get these poor coughing canines some relief.”

We had a steady stream of animals come in as the day progressed. In addition to what I determined was a canine influenza outbreak I saw two separate dogs who’d gotten injured in scrapes with other dogs, a complicated pregnancy, and a dog the size of a pony who’d gotten hit by a car and needed stitches.

By the time I got back to my apartment it was after nine p.m. and I was too exhausted to think.

“You’re home.”

Mabel jumped off the couch, coming to help me take off my jacket. I toed off my shoes, kicking them towards the closet.

“You poor thing, you look dead on your feet.” She pulled me into a hug. “Why don’t you clean up and I’ll feed you before you go to bed.”

“Sorry I didn’t call, it was insane at the clinic,” I said, realizing that I wasn’t used to having someone waiting for me to get home. “I think it was the worst day we’ve had in years.”

“It’s okay, Elaine called me and let me know what was happening.” She walked me towards the bathroom. “I’ll heat up your food while you change.”

Esmerelda jumped up on my legs, begging for attention. I squatted down to stroke her head, and her tail swished back and forth happily. She and I had gotten to be good friends since they’d come to stay with me.

The pup followed me as I headed into the bathroom, watching as I washed up at the sink, then pulled on some sleep pants and a sweatshirt. When we walked back out to the dining room, Mabel had a plate ready for me, covered with foil.

“Sit,” she ordered. “Eat.”

She pushed a bottle of water towards me. “And drink some water, you’re probably dehydrated.”

“Thank you.”

I kind of liked her bossy. It was hot.

I pulled the foil off the plate, examining the steaming contents. Some kind of beef in sauce was on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, cooked green beans on one side, corn kernels on the other. It smelled delicious.

“Oh wait, I have rolls too.”

Mabel popped into the kitchen, returning with two warm rolls on a plate and some butter.

“Wow, this is… amazing.”

I was at a loss for words. I was used to coming home and taking care of myself after a long day at work. Usually after a day like today I would have popped a burrito in the microwave or made some toast with peanut butter. Coming home to a warm home cooked meal made me want to drop to my knees and profess my love for Mabel.

I was tired, not an idiot, so instead I said, “I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” she said softly. “Do you want to talk about your day?”

While I ate I told her about the canine influenza outbreak and some of my other cases and by the time I was done, I was starting to nod off.

“I’m getting too old to work like that,” I complained.

“You just need some sleep,” she said soothingly. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Normally I’d want to ravish you,” I said ruefully. “But I’m afraid there won’t be any ravishing tonight. I can’t stay awake that long.”

“We can just snuggle,” she said.

And we did.

The next morning I woke up alone. When I went to the kitchen there was a pot of coffee made and a note on the counter.

Good morning. The pest control guy texted me. He’s got someone who can seal up my soffits, so Esmerelda and I went to meet them. Be back later. Mabel

I had the day off, so I decided to do some cleaning while I waited for Mabel and Esmerelda to get back. As I worked I kept flashing back to how nice it was to come home to Mabel every night. I knew our days were numbered. The contractor would seal up her home and once they caught all the rats, there would be no reason for her to stay with me.

It had only been a couple of days since we’d discovered the rat infestation, but I’d already grown used to Esmerelda greeting me at the door, sharing meals with Mabel, and falling asleep with her by my side. I’d never minded living alone before, but I had a feeling that I was going to be lonely when they left.

That night when we went to bed, I decided to man up and talk about what happened next. If we were going to have a relationship – and I hoped that we would – we needed a strong base of communication.

“Can we talk about something?” I asked.

I rolled over to face Mabel, propping my head up on my hand, and Mabel mimicked me, moving to the same position.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You have a very serious face right now.”

I met her gaze, unsure how to start.

“You’re making me nervous,” she said with an awkward little laugh.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with relationships,” I finally started. “And I know you said you don’t want anything serious right now. I respect that, I really do. But the thing is, well I’m hoping that we can continue to see each other after your place is safe again.”

“Are you proposing a friends with benefits kind of thing?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I’m proposing a boyfriend with benefits kind of thing.”

“I think the benefits are implied when you say boyfriend,” she said. “Although I guess there could be platonic boyfriends, but that seems to defeat the purpose. I mean, unless you’re six. Or ninety-five. Then it’s kind of sweet. But otherwise a boyfriend definitely implies benefits.”

I surged forward and pressed my lips against hers, hard and fast, to stop her nervous chattering.

“You don’t have to agree to anything right now,” I whispered against her lips. “I just wanted to put it out there. Let you know where I stand.”

“Is it okay if I think about it?” she asked. “I want to make sure I’m not making a decision because of a sex haze.”

“We haven’t had sex today,” I reminded her.

“Yeah, about that… last night you said something about ravishing me. I think we should do that. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”