“It’s steady. Not a lot of actual work right now, but people keep paying their bills.”
“That’s the kind of work I got to get into. Listen, I live just around the corner from here, and thought I’d stop out and share some news before heading home.”
“I don’t like the sound of this,” I said quietly, and Opus whined, telling me he wasn’t thrilled either.
“It’s not good. The punk pled out,” he said.
“We already knew that. Pled guilty, and was locked up.”
“Yeah, but because of good behavior and time served, waiting for the courts, they let him out today. That’s why I’m in this monkey suit and not in uniform. I testified against him. Prison crowding, yadda yadda yadda.”
“Yeah, he was a two-time offender already, I thought it was three strikes?” I asked, noting no wedding band on his hand and the way he was looking between Tina and me.
“They plead his felony down. Anyway, like I said, I live right down the road, and I wanted to let you know, so you didn’t get surprised by the news some other way.”
“He’s not… coming here, is he?” Tina asked.
“I doubt it,” I said, and stood up. “Detective Stephenson is just giving us a heads up. I think he remembers your fuzzy buddy is on guard, too.”
“I do,” he said leaning over the counter and coming eye to eye with Opus, who let out a soft growl. The detective stepped back from the counter half a step.
“Don’t worry, he’s just letting you know that I’m claimed,” Tina said sweetly.
“Claimed? You two? Congratulations! When’s the wedding?”
Suddenly my shoes looked interesting… We’d vaguely and very obliquely talked about things, but I needed to man up and do what old Sarge said.
Before I could answer, Tina spoke, “Nothing is firm yet, but sometime in October. We both have birthdays then, and fall is our favorite time of the year.”
That was news to me, but it sounded perfect. I didn’t really have any family, and the friends I had could be counted on both hands. Tina, on the other hand, had family in Arizona that I’d yet to meet.
I felt weird. I wasn’t scared of commitment, but something old fashioned in me had reared up after I’d written the note to Tina in the hospital. I felt that I needed to talk to her dad before I nailed down a date. I knew that sounds like a cop-out, but something my dad had told me before he’d died about how he’d proposed to my mom, was holding me back. I swallowed and fought back the painful memories.
Stephenson answered, “That’s great!”
“If you want an invite, let us know,” I told him. “I personally don’t have many people to invite, but if Tina goes with a big wedding, I might need to beef up my side of the guest list a bit.”
Tina looked at me in surprise, her mouth slightly dropping down to her ankles, and Opus let out two chuffs back to back - an Opus laugh.
“I might just take you up on that. You having it around here?” Detective Stephenson asked.
I glanced at Tina and gave her a small smile. “We don’t know. We have to talk, but the two places I have in mind are a little ways off. Either down in Arizona where her family is, or up north near Bud and Annette.”
“Old Sarge,” Tina said with a grin. “We need to go see them soon,” she said, and touched my arm.
“I’d go right now, but I’m moving,” I reminded her, and kissed her on the forehead, firmly planting my stake in front of the would-be suitor who grunted with indifference, letting me know message received.
He hurriedly planned his retreat. “So, I’ll check back in a few days, once I know more. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. He didn’t seem to have any animosity toward you… three.” He gave me a hard look, reiterating the fact that I was the one who’d thrown the superman punch, while Opus had made mincemeat of the robber’s arm. He lightly tapped his fist on the counter. “I just wanted to let you know.”
We said our goodbyes and that was it. Six o’clock had finally rolled around, and Tina hurriedly flipped the switch off on the open sign and locked the office door.
“So, you in a rush to get home?” she asked mischievously.
“No, ma’am,” I replied, with a wink.
3
Rick
“Dude, I’m going to miss you, bro,” Al said as he and Sonja helped me load the last of my flat storage totes into the back of the van.
“Same. I know you guys are going out again this weekend, but do you have any plans on Sunday night?” I asked.
“What?” Al answered.
“He’s asking us to dinner you dummy, a barbeque,” Sonja said with a grin.
“I like B.B.Q.,” Al said, spelling it out.
I knew that he did. Sometimes, with a Hispanic and Italian family, his loafer-surfer persona clashed with his mid-Michigan roots. So many clashes, one little flesh stick.
“Well, I was going to try to cook some ribs on my new smoker on Sunday. Kind of a - it isn’t a housewarming party when you move in with your fiancé, is it? Not sure what to call it.”
“How about a relationship party, or something?” Taco Bell girl offered.
I shrugged. “Something like that. Anyways, if you guys want to come, we’re firing up the smoker grill around noon. Food should be ready about six.”
“We’ll be there,” Sonya answered for them both.
I slammed the back doors to make sure they wouldn’t pop open, waved, and got in.
“You know, I always thought you had a limited wardrobe, but you really need to go shopping,” Tina told me with a grin.
“I have my night-time pajamas, my daytime pajamas, and my going-out-in-public clothes. What more do I need? You can see what I wear mostly.”
“Basketball shorts and T-shirts.”
“Exactly,” I said.
Opus chuffed his approval.
“Don’t you go picking sides now,” Tina chided him, and Opus laid down and put one paw over his nose. He was hamming it up.
The dog had slowed down after he’d healed, but that might have been more to do with age than actual pain. I didn’t know why he’d warmed up to me even more since last year, but he had. He’d been showing affection more and more lately, treating me like an equal member of the family group he was in charge of. You don’t own a dog, they own you.
I went back to unpacking my clothes. We’d put my futon into the spare bedroom at Tina’s place, and moved my clothes into a new dresser she’d put in her bedroom just for me. Sure, I’d stayed over there, and she’d stayed at the apartment, and we’d both stayed in the motorhome at the bug out, but this felt different. The only thing I didn’t see was somewhere to store my prepper supplies in the house, which is why I’d rented an actual unit for myself - despite Tina’s objections.
Other than my clothing and futon, the only other really major thing to move was my computer stuff. I’d begun my career with a beat-up Asus that had taken me through college, until I’d dropped it, and then it was an HP that I still used, as well as a MacBook Air that had later been replaced with a Mac Mini and large monitor.
All of this fit into a tote, with the exception of the monitor, and I was putting off setting up my office. I stepped over to the spare bedroom and was stood in the doorway staring at the tote and monitor, when Opus pushed past my legs and jumped up and flopped down on the far end of the futon.
Tina slid up behind and wrapped her arms around me. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“That’s no way to make money,” I told her.
“What, sitting here with you?”
“No, begging a penny every time I think.” I turned and returned her smile.
“So, what’s bugging you?”
“Nothing. I just… I look at this room you set aside for me to work out of. I like it, but it doesn’t feel real yet.”
“No?” She asked, pushing me a little bit so we both could step out of the doorway.
“Well, I’m still here. Hey, this is day one.”
“You want to set it up for you? Make you a man cave?” she asked.
“I don’t have to have all that. It’s just… God… for so long, I was alone. It was a couple of boxes of clothes, my futon, a desk, and a laptop. I could live out of my van, so I went camping a ton. Even though I was alone, I didn’t feel lonely then.”
“And now?” she asked, chewing on her lip.
“Now… I realize how alone I really was after all,” I told her and pulled her close to me, “And, I’m just kind of amazed at all the changes. In a good way.”
I bent to kiss her, but not before Opus jumped off the futon and bounded over, putting his paws on my side and sticking his fuzzy snout between us. The huge dog joined in, swinging his head back and forth, taking swipes at our necks and faces with his big wet tongue. I recoiled, almost falling, while Tina made laughing choking sounds.
She wiped her mouth and tried to spit the taste of dog slobber away.
I laughed. “Nice job buddy.” I grew more serious. “But, do you want this to be like up north, where we close the bedroom door?”
Call me crazy, but the dog understood our words. He cocked his head to the side, and sneezed his disapproval.
“That’s what I thought,” I answered him.
Opus didn’t trust Al.
Several times during dinner when Al got up to get a beer, or went inside to use the bathroom, he’d find his route back to Sonja blocked by Opus, who would give a low growl, standing in front of the woman.
This sent Tina into the giggles every time, and after a while, I realized Opus was just messing with him. The next time Al walked away, he shot Opus a baleful glare and instead came to stand near to me, where I was leaning by the back deck, watching the whole thing play out.
My fuzzy son stayed put.
“He doesn’t like me,” Al muttered.
“He does, actually,” I told him, taking a pull from my beer. “That’s why he’s messing with you.”
“Really? That’s not cool, man. What does he think he’s doing?” Al’s easy-going persona disappeared, apparently really rattled by Opus’s pretend aggression.
I shrugged. “I think he’s trying to see if you’re worthy of Taco Bell Girl.”
“Dude, she’s got a name,” he told me, exasperated.
“I know. I do that to piss you off.” I grinned. “She and I set this up when you were working late on Wednesday.”
“I know you do, and it works. So, stop. Wait, you said he’s trying to see if I’m… worthy? How smart do you think that dog is?”
I snorted. “If your college stories are true, he’s probably at least three times as smart as you.”
Al jerked his head up. “Hey!” he said, pretending to be hurt.
“Naw, he’s smart. Seriously, dude. I’m just saying. I don’t know if he understands every single word I say, but he understands most. How about you try talking to him and telling him why you deserve to be near Sonja.”
Al squinted his eyes at Opus. He turned and snatched my beer out of my hand and began drinking it, his eyes daring me to stop him. I grinned, and when he looked back to the dog, pulled another beer from the cooler I had stashed behind me.
Fresh beer in hand, I followed Al as he stomped back, stopping two feet away from Opus. He got down on one knee, and I cringed. I knew Opus was smart, but sometimes getting eye to eye with a predator could be construed as a challenge.
The dog tensed.
“Opus, my man,” Al said, back in character, “I got to see my lady, and you’re cramping my style, dude.”
Opus continued to growl softly, but the tension had left his back legs.
“Listen, Bud. That there is my girlfriend. Someday, maybe it’ll be more, like what Rick and your mom have. I don’t want to screw things up, but I won’t get a chance to find out if you keep me away from her.”
Opus stopped growling and waved his tail a tiny bit. Then, he sat down on his back legs and looked up at Al.
Al smiled and turned to look at me, shooting me a thumbs up. When he turned back to the dog and Sonya, I gave Opus the thumbs up.
Tina and Sonja quieted, keeping their eyes on Al and Opus. Al swaggered as he strolled on by fur face, when suddenly Opus turned and let out a quick growl, and nipped at Al’s butt.
Al screamed and fell over his lawn chair, the rest of the beer he’d stolen from me spilling. Tina and Sonja burst into giggles, and I walked over to Al. I held out a hand and pulled him back to his feet and fixed the chair.
“Sorry about that, brutha,” I told him, “Told you he was messing with you.”
Al wiped beer off his face. “Look at him. He’s laughing at me, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Tina said, and I turned to see Opus once again sitting in front of Sonya, tail wagging and mouth open, tongue out the side in the biggest doggy smile ever.
“He’s laughing his tail off,” I told Al. “Come on, your beer seems to have disappeared.”
“It’s practically alcohol abuse,” Al complained. “You got a shirt I can borrow, bro?”
“Yeah, come on,” I said, motioning to the house.
Before closing the sliding door off the deck, I looked back at Opus, happily sitting on-guard in front of Taco Bell Girl. The girls waved and grinned. I waved back and headed inside.
4
Rick
The radio played softly in the car, as Opus sat between us, headed north on US23/I75. We both were looking forward to a long weekend. It hadn’t been a year yet since we’d officially got together, and I thought about her visit on the fourth of July last year.
Tina had drank only three beers at the campfire, and I’d had to carry her inside. She still remained a lightweight and hadn’t tried a repeat performance. One was her limit, and even then, it was usually a half before she discreetly poured it out, or passed it to me.
I glanced down at Opus. “I bet you that General Zha and his squirrel minions will be ready to wage war with you, fur-face. Think you can actually catch one for once?”
Opus chuffed back at me in response, and Tina scratched behind his ears. He rewarded her with a pleading whine, so she did a more thorough job of it.
“What’s the plan this summer?” she asked.
“Well, I figure after Dr. Brett fixed up old Sarge, we’d talk to him and see if he’s ready for us to get hitched. Maybe he and Annette have an opinion on where to go. Since I’m happy wherever you are, my vote doesn’t count, but I’d like to see what they say.”
“Your opinion does too count,” Tina insisted. I could tell my frankness had surprised her.
“Well… I…” I hesitated. “My dad was a little bit old-school, from what I can remember. So, I kind of feel like I need to talk to Sarge, and then maybe get in touch with your father—”
“I knew you were holding back because of some macho bull like that!” Tina said, half amused, half annoyed, judging by her tone.
The tips of my ears burned. “I know. And we might not get as much time up north this year with all we have to accomplish in a short period of time, but—”
“—My Daddy is excited to meet you,” Tina interrupted. “And Mom has seen pictures, and knows all about you too.”
“Okay, how about after this long weekend, we get our go-bags ready and take a long vacation? Do a road trip and end up in Arizona?”
Tina chewed on her lip, and stared out the side window. “I don’t know, it’s about to be the busy season.”
“Who do you have to watch the desk when you're sick?”
“My mom’s girlfriend from college,” she said. “She helped my mom run it when I was younger.”
“Would she be willing to cover for you?”
“It’s… eh… I don’t know if the business can afford to hire somebody on for an extended period right now. Not unless we get a few more renters.”
“I’ll cover it,” I offered. A low grumble of approval came from Opus.
Tina hesitated. “It’s—”
“It’s not that much,
” I interrupted. “And if you want to get married in the fall - like I do - why wait? You can only get married to me once, you know.”
“Like, I’d marry you more than once,” she joked, lightening the mood.
“No, most people don’t repeat stupid acts,” I joked back.
“You’re… grrrr…” she answered, actually growling.
I grinned and turned down the road that led to Sarge’s. In a few more minutes, we’d be there.
“So, who’s this Zha guy? From one of your books?”
“Naw, kind of a take-off of on an old Superman villain named Zod or something. Opus seems to think that squirrels are the devil, so I gave his chief instigator a name last year. He hasn’t been able to catch him yet, but I can just imagine a new brood of mutant ninja squirrels, ready to steal all the nuts, and pull on the dog’s tail.”
Opus let out an audible grumble from his chest, and I grinned, finally turning on the drive to Sarge’s. I wondered if we should have called first, but decided not to as a surprise.
I was surprised all right.
We pulled to a stop on the drive that led back to my place, but in front of his house. Sarge and Annette were both standing at the railing of their back deck, waving. Sarge was standing there, his oxygen on, but he’d lost a ton of weight. He was big before, but he was pretty limited in his mobility and…
“Oh, wow,” Tina said softly.
“You two want to go say hi first?” I asked as we waved back.
Opus chuffed, and Tina was already opening the van door. I followed close behind. Opus legged for a moment, finding a bush, then went ran, barking happily toward the older couple. He beat us there by several seconds, and Annette was laughing softly at the dog's antics. Opus stood on his hind legs, his front paws pulled to his chest, seemingly dancing in joy. Sarge was struggling to hold onto the deck with one hand, trying to pet the fuzzy moocher with the other while keeping his balance against the beast.
“Hi, you guys!” Tina called.
“Hi, yourself, get your skinny behind up here ‘fore I sick my dog on ya.”
Opus Odyssey: A Survival and Preparedness Story (One Man's Opus Book 2) Page 2