Girl Next Door

by Erik Schubach

  I got her attention with a piece of the hotdog and stomped my heel and placed a piece of hotdog by my left foot. She came barreling over and hoovered it up. I praised her and walked inside with her hot on my heels this time. I stopped in the kitchen and stomped my heel again and dropped another piece of hotdog by my left foot and she ran to where I dropped it on my left side and gobbled it up. She looked at me hopefully as I put the rest of the hotdog back in the fridge.

  I scooped her up and raspberried the soft fur of her belly, “You little greedy gut. I gotta get you some proper treats from my gear in the bedroom or you're gonna get fat!” I put her down and got ready for the day. I called mom to let her know I wouldn't be joining her at the hospital today.

  She simply said excitedly, “I know, Less called me already. Have fun with Robin today!” I smiled, she was always enthusiastic about everything and Lessa is always helping me.

  “I will mom. See you Wednesday at the hospital after school then. I have to work at Cornfed the next two nights.”

  I could almost hear her nodding on the other end as she said, “Ok. Love you Bran!”

  I grinned and said, “Love you too mom. Bye.” I paused to look at Robin's artwork on the wall again before I set my phone down and threw on my sweats and took off for my morning run.

  When I returned I headed directly to the shower. The headed into my bedroom to get dressed.

  Hmmm bowling... I opted for a nice set of capris and an old, faded, band t-shirt that mom wore in her first concert that she gave me on my eighteenth birthday. I threw on my teal, yellow and pink spring jacket that mom always says compliments my chestnut hair and some white converse and ankle socks.

  Once I was geared up, I looked at my tiny shadow. I really didn't want to leave her alone, though I knew I'd have to starting tomorrow, when I went to school. But not today I thought. I rummaged through my Callahan Foundation gear and pulled out a, little, bright orange bib that had white letters embroidered on it, “Working dog in training,” and snapped it around her neck.

  I clipped a leash onto her little pink collar, and we stepped out into the brisk morning air again, making our way across the lawn to Robin's. We went up her front steps and I marveled at her huge, beautiful porch again. With all those attractive hanging baskets overflowing with different flowers lining it. I went to knock, but the door swung open to a smiling Robin instead. She said, “I wasn't sure you were really going to come.”

  I grinned back. “Why wouldn't I? You mandated it.” I stopped a giggle. I'd save that for later as a weapon, now that I know she likes it. This thought caused me to giggle a bit. Doh!

  A cuckoo clock started chirping ten o'clock in her living room as she invited me in. “Oooo, and punctual too.”

  She was dressed cutely in some jeans and a simple oversized white t-shirt that she had tied in a knot at her waist, revealing a tantalizing glimpse at her soft abs. She finished the look with some canvas flats. Her long, straight blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and it caught the sunlight pouring into her living room like gleaming gold. I couldn't stop myself from smiling at her as she grinned and started putting on a light jacket hanging on a row of hooks at the door.

  I took a moment to look around the immaculate room. It was adorned with a beautiful Victorian high back couches and chairs that I admired through my window. I glanced out her side window to see my bedroom window and smiled. Instead of photographs on the wall that she wouldn't be able to enjoy, she had multiple tables with small sculptures adorning them. I smiled. Very... tactile. Her ever open heavy burgundy drapes complimented the decor.

  Everything was cast in sharp shadows from the sunlight pouring in. I noticed a lack of task lighting and lamps present in almost every house. There was just a rustic overhead light that was currently off.

  I turned to her as she walked smoothly to an antique secretariat desk with carved reliefs and curved legs. She reached into a series of envelopes as she spoke, pulling out various denominations of bills and folding them in different ways as she loaded her wallet. “Should we call a cab or take your car?”

  I was fascinated with what she was doing and immediately understood the system. A different fold for each denomination. This made me wonder how she handled the change when it was handed back to her.

  I looked at her and said, “We can take my car.” As she bent down and opened her arms toward Daisy, who pulled at the leash.

  I uttered a soft, “Eent.” Then I tugged gently once on the leash. I squatted down and made Daisy sit. “Good girl,” I said then unclipped her. “Go get her Daisy!” She shot into Robin's arms like a tail wagging rocket. After some cute lovin' she put her back on the ground and I stomped my heel once and dropped a tiny training treat from a pouch on my left hip, which enticed Daisy over. Then I reinforced, “Good girl!” I clipped her back up.

  I noticed her iPad on the coffee table hooked to a charger. I felt stupid for asking, but curiosity was killing me. “What exactly do you do with the iPad? I see you with it every night.” She shared a mischievous look with me and said, “Reading books.” She snatched it deftly from the table and held the home button for a couple seconds, there was a tone and she said, “Resume reading Drakon: Awakening.”

  Then the audio narration of the book started up and then she said, “Pause” and the audio stopped. She wiggled her eyebrows in my general direction and shrugged. “I also use it to surf the web, email, text, make notes and other things with it too. If I need anything else, I have my computer on the desk there with a refreshable braille display.” I looked to see a computer without a monitor and some sort of attachment below the keyboard. How frickin' cool is that?

  Then she placed my housewarming invitation on the corner of the coffee table and held the home button on her iPad. She waited for the ding and said, “OCR." Then she carefully took a picture of the card using her hand stretched from the iPad to the table corner as a guide. A terribly mechanical voice began “You are invited...” She smiled and said “Stop.” The iPad complied as she sat it back down on the coffee table.

  I murmured, “I had no clue they could do all of that.” I walked over to Robin as she threw a large bag over her shoulder and pulled a little white cylinder with a black grip from her purse. She flicked her wrist downwards and a sectional cane extended out from the cylinder. I grabbed her free hand and placed it in the crook of my arm and said. “Shall we be off for some adventure?”

  She nodded with a grin. We exited and she locked her door behind us. I asked, “Lawn or sidewalk?” She rolled her eyes in fun and started dragging me across the lawn, her cane in front of her not quite touching the ground slightly wavering from side to side as we walked. She started pulling me toward my porch and I just pulled her along to the garage instead.

  She had a puzzled look on her face. “You aren’t going to leave her in the car while we are doing things are you?”

  With a slightly amused tone I said, “Nope.”

  She shook her head with a slight squint, she knew I was up to something but wasn't sure. “They won't let her in some public spaces.”

  I said, “Don't be silly of course they will.” I gently grabbed her hand that was on my arm and guided it down to rest on Daisy's back. I tucked the bib in her hand. “She's a working dog in training.”

  This got a big grin from the overly cute blonde. Then I added. “Besides, I'd hate to abandon her at home the second day she has lived with me. I feel bad enough I'll have to leave her alone when I go to school and work.” Maybe I need a second dog, I mused.

  She stood and put her hand back where it felt right, in the crook of my arm, keeping me warm and smiling. I'd known her a day and I was already used to it. She said, “Then don't. If she wouldn't get too bored, I can watch her while I paint whenever you need me.”

  I shook my head. “I can't ask you to do that.”

  She shrugged and squeezed my arm. “And you didn't. I offered. So be a good girl and say, 'why thank you Robin,' why don't ya?”

 
; I hit the button on the garage door fob on my key-chain and then said like a scolded child, “Thank you Robin.”

  She grinned in triumph and said, “Better.”

  I said snarkily, “I'm sticking my tongue out at you.” This cause an explosion of delighted laughter from her as I stuck out my tongue. Then I led her to the side of the car and placed her hand on the top of the door and stepped away as she tapped the base of the car with her cane and ran her hand along the door seam and found the handle and opened the door and got in.

  She was retracting her cane and buckling up as I loaded Daisy in and mounted up. I said, “Eent.” I tugged gently once on the leash when Daisy tried to scrabble over to Robin. I forced her butt down gently then unclipped the leash and said, “Go get her Daisy!” She bounded into Robin's lap and proceeded to try to clean out the nostrils of the giggling blonde with her lolling tongue.

  She gave me the address of the bowling alley which I promptly entered into my gps and drove out of the garage, pressing the button to close it after us. As I pulled us onto the street, I asked comically, “Bowling? Really?”

  She chuckled as she nodded then abruptly changed the subject like an excited teenager. “Tell me about yellow!” I smiled warmly at her and started describing yellow like the other senses would associate it.

  After that, we dropped into that free flowing conversation like last night. Learning about each other. Her parents sounded like they loved her to death, though her mother sort of babied her and sheltered her. Robin loved her to death, but she was also excited to be on her own now, to live life and experience things the way everyone else did, without the coddling.

  We pulled into the Ballard Bowl parking lot in the Ballard district. It was almost ten thirty on a Sunday morning, but the lot was over half full.

  Robin grabbed her bag and slipped out of the car and flicked down her cane. I clipped Daisy to her leash and lifted her down. She started tugging on the leash and I stomped my heel and dropped a little training treat. She was instantly at my side gobbling it up. At this rate, I'd have part of her training done in no time.

  Then I said, “Heal” I walked with my hand back behind me on the left, shortening the leash, not allowing her to move ahead of me. We walked around to Robin and she took my arm and we made our way inside. I looked at the lanes of the old alley, they were well used but in good repair. Only half of the lanes were in use on one side. I only got a glance at some rails that were in front of the lanes before I was dragged over to the shoe rental by a deceptively strong blonde artist.

  She turned her head toward the older balding, heavyset man behind the counter and said, “Hi Evander.” He grunted something unintelligible in reply then she turned to me and asked, “What size?”

  I held my hand up. “Whoa, hold up. I'm not bowling, I'm just here to watch.” I had never bowled in my entire life. Victor viewed such things as beneath us. Yeah, he was pretty pompous and arrogant, living off of Mother's fame.

  She giggled. “You have to wear bowling shoes if you are going to be down by the lane's silly. So you don't scuff the floors up.” Oh...

  I sheepishly told the man, “Eight, please.”

  He swiveled in his chair and grabbed some size eight and slapped them down on the counter in front of me. “Five bucks.”

  I was reaching for my purse, but Robin was way ahead of me and slid a five across the counter to Evander. She said plainly to me, “I'm the one dragging you out.”

  Evander grunted to her, “Your team is on lane twelve sugar.” She nodded toward him with a smile of acknowledgment.

  Then she dragged me off toward the lanes. I asked, “Aren't you getting some?”

  She replied, “I have my own. I can't stand wearing shoes that hundreds of others have.”

  I wrinkled my nose and looked at the shoes in my hand. “Ewwww.”

  This prompted a chuckle from her as she hit some chairs above the lanes with her cane then pulled me down in one. She pulled out some nice looking tan shoes and started putting them on in place of her flats. It was quite a contrast to the garish red, green and white ones in my hands with a big “8” emblazoned on the heels. “Stylish,” I mumbled. She grinned and bumped shoulders with me.

  While I slipped my feet into the god awful shoes, she pulled out a bright lime green t-shirt with “Heat Seekers” on it with a flaming bowling ball on the back. She felt for the tag and then donned it over her other shirt and I asked, “Why does the shirt say Sam's Towing?”

  She froze. “No... it doesn’t?!”

  I snickered and said, “No it doesn’t. Payback for making me wear these fashion suicide shoes.”

  She shook her head, fighting off a smile, but I could see the corners of her cupid's bow lips twitching. “You Miss Callahan are a terrible person.” Then she bumped shoulders with me again.

  “I never professed to be a saint.” The whole time, Daisy was trying to get down to the lanes. There was a large golden retriever working dog at the far lane. I'm sure Daisy just knew he would be her very best friend.

  Then we made our way down to the lanes. As she walked in the walkway behind them, she had her cane out and it clacked on the backs of the u-shaped seats at each lane. She was counting. Back from fifteen. She dragged Daisy and me into lane twelve's seating area.

  She was grinning as she said, “Sound off Heat Seekers we have a guest! My neighbor, Brandye.”

  Three people with shirts that matched Robin stood up on the left side of the seating area. A short, plump woman with mousy brown hair and a dimpled smile and put her hand out in our direction. I could just make out her sightless eyes trained straight ahead behind the dark glasses she wore. She blurted in a deep alto voice, “Vera Walker.”

  I shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you Vera.” Her smile got bigger and she sat.

  Then an extremely tall gangly man with a black mop of hair with arms as long as my torso and glasses thicker than the bottom of a beer bottle put out his hand as he tilted his head in close, one eye was completely white with cataracts the other was a little milky but it was obvious he was trying to focus on me. “Randy. Randy Schmalls.”

  I took his hand and said in my clumsy manner, “But, you're not blind.” Oh god, that sounded terrible.

  He stood tall and grinned. “Not yet, but getting there.”

  I tilted my head in question. “Sorry, that sounded terrible of me. I just meant... I thought this was a blind bowling league.”

  Robin stepped in to save me from myself. “Randy is legally blind. And the league accepts anyone who is visually challenged. He's our 'spotter,' he calls out the pins left standing after one of us bowls. That way we don't need to drag along a spotter on tournament days like today.”

  She placed a hand over mine through the fabric of my pocket and I realized I was playing with my silver dollar. I took a breath and relaxed at her smile. Her effect on me still amazed me since only Less could keep the panic away.

  The last guy, a younger guy, who seemed angry at everything just said, “Bellamy Stone” He sat down. I tilted my head at him, wondering why he seemed so angry. Then I said, “It is very nice meeting you Randy and Bellamy.”

  Robin added, “And that little whimpering lady by her side is a service dog in training, Daisy.”

  This piqued Vera's curiosity. “Guide dog?”

  I shook my head. “No. Therapy dog for hospitals.”

  Then she asked, “Is she cute?”

  I stomped my heel, dropped a treat which she bolted to and devoured. I made Daisy sit, then unclipped her from her leash but held her put. She needed to know when to be professional and when to be herself. For Sandra’s particular training method, it was, “Go get her Daisy.” And I released her. She ran up to Vera, with her tail going a million miles per second and tried to jump in her lap. Vera leaned down and scooped her up.

  Vera had a big smile on her face. “She's so soft. What kind of dog is she?”

  I replied, “King Charles Cavalier.”

  She giggl
ed and rubbed her ears. “I love the floppy ears. It is nice to meet you Daisy.”

  Then I stomped my heel and dropped a treat. Daisy launched herself out of Vera's lap to retrieve the treat. I said, “Time to get back to work girl.” I clipped her leash to her collar again.

  Robin was smiling in our general direction the whole time. Then she turned to the right and said, “And this lot over here are our competition for the day, the Gutter Snipes.”

  There were muttered greetings. But they had their game faces on. They had four people in purple and black shirts with their team name printed on them. There were also two women and a child sitting with them without team shirts who were obviously sighted people. Probably their spotter or girlfriends or spouses and child?

  We sat and chatted with Robin's teammates for a few minutes. Then a tone sounded. Robin and Vera stood. She said to me, “Ten minutes before the match starts.” They made their way behind the seating area and started checking out the bowling balls in the racks there. They came back a moment later and put their balls in the trough of the ball return where there were already two balls. One that was a fluorescent yellow and a standard black one. Randy and Bellamy's I assumed.

  I said, “That is one bright ball.”

  Randy leaned in toward me tilting his head a little to focus on me and said, “That's the idea, the contrast helps me see it a little better.”

  I nodded. “I can understand that. But isn't that cheating if the rest of the players can't see?”

  This caused Bellamy to snort. “He's the worst bowler we have. He's just here so we have a full team and to do our spotting.”

  Randy had a comical look on his face as he nodded and smiled apologetically. I may have giggled, but I'm not sure. Robin leaned in with a super smile that made me blush.. “There it is again.” Ok, so maybe I did giggle.

  My blonde neighbor looked in my general direction and said, “I'm going to warm up a bit.” I took a seat and placed Daisy in my lap. Robin located her ball and then stepped up in front of the ball return with her left hand out until she found the rail that went from the ball return to the line up at the lane, I don't know the terminology. Both ends of the rail were open loops that had two bowling balls weighing it down. That was pretty cool, so they could be moved or removed and stored easily I presumed.