The first part of this three part short story was published last Friday. Here's the link to it. Read on for the second part.
Photo of the author David Burrowes
Photo by Joel Harvey
Johnny placed a box of elongated bolts on top of his truck hood, took a bite out of his bologna sandwich and sipped on a soda. He flipped his Yankees cap backwards and slid his sunglasses back on. He was at the hardware store on his break. Just chilling. It was a sunny day, finally, after three straight days of downpour. So good to be outside again talking to friendly people, Johnny thought.
Then
Johnny spotted him. There he was. It was that old man again with his little dog
in his arms. Johnny hadn’t forgotten. How could he? All that man had done was
glare at Johnny that day. No explanation. He hadn’t said anything at all back
then…and he was doing it again. Staring at him. It was kind of
spooky. What was with this guy? Johnny wondered.
That
particular day was a while ago. Last spring some time. At the gas
station, was where they first met. Johnny remembered what started it off. The
old man had been driving like an old lady. He had somewhere to be, Johnny did.
And he was late he remembered. He had passed the incredibly slow car on the
road. That’s what set things in motion.
Johnny
brashly approached the man with his little dog. “Your name--Sheldon? And
that--your dog?” “What’s it to you?” Sheldon snapped back. His
head bobbed a little in recognition, “Oh, so you remember me. I’ve heard your
name is Johnny.” Sheldon placed his dog Maxine on the ground. Maxine loved to
sniff other people, especially new smells, and Johnny was that. Maxine stopped
suddenly at Johnny’s feet and started to growl. ”I know what it is.” Johnny
grinned, “Your dog detects my cat’s odor on my clothes.”
Johnny
awkwardly continued: “You’re not wearing your other coat?”
“This
is my winter coat.” Sheldon bristled then looked up. “Hey, you
don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me.” Sheldon emphasized. “All you
care about is yourself and your crummy little job. Everyone get out of the way.
I’m important. I’ve got important things to do.”
“People are so damned impatient!” Sheldon roared. Then
he focused on the surprise and concern on Johnny’s face, thought better of it
and his demeanor melted quickly into a broad smile. Sheldon was an ornery type
for sure. However, once he got to know you, he warmed up.
Sheldon had his good days. He liked to drive to different places
nearby and park his car. There, he and Maxine would go for walks. It was a
pleasant break and he got to see what people were up to and what they planted in
their gardens. Daffodils in the early springtime and geraniums and snapdragons
were his favorites later in the year. Sheldon really enjoyed gardening and
Maxine loved smelling the fragrances.
Johnny
thought for a moment. He looked back at Sheldon who was still there: “So, what
you are saying is that one day, probably sooner or later, I’m going to be
something like you?” Sheldon began to stride away, then turned to one side and
responded curtly, “That’s about it.”
BIO
David Burrowes has lived on Mayne Island since 2004 enjoying the single
lifestyle and hiding out from those big city ways. Dave was originally brought
up on Vancouver’s North Shore. He moved to Victoria, where he ran a rooming
house for 15 years taking many people off the street. Previous to that, he had
his own small business representing a group of a dozen artists selling various
greeting cards and gift enclosure cards around BC. Dave began writing his first
novel in 2010, fulfilling a lifelong dream of embarking on a writing career.
