This is the twenty-second part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, and Part XXI before continuing.
That evening, I was walking Cordy after supper when we stumbled upon a surprise.
We were approaching the bridge over the river when Cordy started barking and ran onto the bridge.
“Cordy!” I yelled, trying not to panic as I lost sight of her. But she ignored me, forcing me to run after her, something I normally avoided doing, since it’s a race we both know I’ll never win.
But I didn’t have to run far. As soon as I reached the bridge, I saw Michael at the railing. He was squatting down to scratch Cordy behind the ear and she was soaking it up, wiggling her little butt back and forth with joy.
“What are you doing here,” I said, forgetting to yell at Cordy for running off.
Michael stood and indicated the bottle of bourbon standing on the railing of the bridge. “I came to apologize.”
So many thoughts and feelings swirled through me at the same time, fighting for control. I landed on, “How did you know I’d be here?”
“Phil told me you tend to come this way on your walks.”
That sent another flurry of confused thoughts and feelings. “How does he know?” He had never joined me for a dog walk.
“Couldn’t say. Figured I’d take a chance and hope you showed up.”
“You could have called.”
He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, “I wasn’t sure you’d pick up.”
OK, that was fair.
“How long have you been waiting?”
He checked his watch. “About half an hour. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you, so I got here early. It’s been really hard not to break open the bourbon while I was waiting.”
I laughed. “Please, go ahead. But none for me. I overindulged last night, and I’m just starting to feel human again.”
“You drank by yourself?”
“Yeah, I was pretty pissed. Turns out high emotions and alcohol don’t mix. Who knew?”
“Yeah, they should really make some warning labels about that.”
I laughed, then joined him at the railing and looked out over the water.
“I’m really sorry,” Michael said. “For what I said.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, too.”
“I‘ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Why would that surprise you?”
“Dunno. Guess I always assumed you were having adventures in the big city and that you were too busy to think about me.”
I shook my head. “I’m never too busy to think about you. Even at my busiest moments you’d pop into my head. Like that time I went horseback riding with Vincent, and all I could think about was how relaxed you always looked in a saddle. Like you belong there.”
“I take it Vincent wasn’t as comfy?”
“He was holding onto the saddle horn for dear life while letting his legs flop around like a kid on a swing.”
Michael burst out laughing, and pretty soon I was laughing, too.
“I was afraid you’d forgotten about me.”
“Are you kiddin’? I can’t cross this bridge without thinkin’ ‘bout playin’ Pooh Sticks with you.”
“Oh! Let’s play Pooh Sticks!” I was so excited by the idea that I didn’t wait for a response before I started looking for a stick.
To be continued…