Retrieve me, lead me, and I’ll thank you.
Note: This was written last night, so that is why the timing is all off.
[Personal mood at time of entry: grateful]
I’ve just been escorted home by a thin Golden Retriever that is neither my own nor under the care of anyone I know. In fact, I have never seen that dog before in my life.
I left the college library early today to have an opportunity to walk home during the daylight hours for a change, but I ended up stopping in the lobby when I spotted Chris. No, this was not the Cris of nearly three years back that dragged me through the mud while giving some of the best make up sessions ever. No, this was a new Chris that I met in the library while using the computers.
I had plopped myself down and was working on Neopets, or something, and Chris and Dino were having a very loud, very amusing conversation about several topics. When I couldn’t contain or hide my laughter any longer, I got off of my computer and gave it to someone else who had been waiting for a turn.
I went over and joined Chris and Dino to look at whatever they were viewing on Chris’ laptop. It turned out that it was Chris’ massive music file collection. After Dino was done getting a CD, I asked if I could have one, too.
Chris said ‘Okay.’ and I began picking out songs. I thought that we had gotten off to a bad start when he finally moved out his chair, stating that he didn’t want to sit any longer. I thought it might have been me. It probably was, because my breasts kept rubbing against him.
Initially, it was because we were squashed into such a small space in that corner and they simply are big enough to do. Eventually, it was my own doing, because I was, quite frankly, trying to hook the guy. Sue me.
Anyway, that was how we met and how I had grounds to approach him tonight. We said hello and he played his online RPG while I listened to “Toxicity” by System of a Down and rifled through his bag. As we sat chatting, I brought up the “Last Order: Final Fantasy VII” file a friend had uploaded for me, because I spotted his Flash Drive collection. One of which was an 8 GB unit that would have stored the movie perfectly.
It was then that I asked him if we could download the file onto his computer, unzip it, and burn it on a CD so that I could take it home with me. He said ‘Yes.’, and I now have my very own copy of “Last Order.” I hope. He put extra things on the CD for me to enjoy at home, including entire System of a Down CD. Albeit, it’s one that I have never heard before and really didn’t need, to tell the whole truth. He also included several short movie bits as well.
I ended up having to cut out sooner than I would have liked to, because his friend, Daniel (Yes, ‘Daniel’.) showed up. He kept giving me these weird looks and poking fun at me. It was all a good laugh, but. . . I don’t know. It was all sort of odd. I have the impression that one or both of them might have been flirting with me, Daniel more so. Perhaps it simply was my imagination, because it’s been a while.
So as I walked out the door, I noted the fact that it had decided to rain some time while I was in the college. I hoped that it wouldn’t decide to rain on me and set out. As I reached the halfway mark to my house, it started to sprinkle lightly. Nothing major, just a drop here and there.
When the sprinkles started coming down harder, I begin to panic. Not because I am afraid of a little rain, but because it was, and still is, rather cloudy outside. I mean, very cloudy to the point where I would expect thunder and lightning next.
I was really hoping that neither of those would follow, because it would only make me panic worse. The very thought of being outside while a thunderstorm passes overhead is enough to give me a full-blown panic attack. I mean, hyperventilation, racing thoughts, the whole nine. It’s not even unfounded either! If I could simply write it off as my own little thing, that would be great. But just last week, some poor girl actually was hit my lightning.
To get myself to focus on walking home and not on the clouds above me and the raindrops that were rapidly covering my skin, I pushed myself to reached various points along the street. They all places that would at least protect me from the rain, if not from any lightning that might spring up.
I had made it as far as a neighborhood club’s parking lot, when I felt the edges of panic beginning to eat away at me. Suddenly, out of the side of my eye, I see something run up to me. At first thinking that I was being attacked, I jumped. But when I looked down, I saw a dog. A dog. Out of absolutely nowhere. I hadn’t even seen it on the street. Maybe I simply wasn’t paying attention, but there it was.
I walked across the parking lot, and it came with me. I crossed the street, it did that, too. I walked along the sidewalk in front of the club to the next parking, and it followed. When I got to the street I turn on, the dog turned first, without me even prompting it to do so. It strolled casually down the street, stopping where it felt the desire to do, but always caught up with me. When it walked well ahead of me, it would stop to let me catch up.
Now when I reached the street I live on, it kept going after stopping at my street to smell the asphalt. I guess that it thought I was going to keep going straight. Either way, it came back and turned down my street when I whistled at it. Again, without my prompting it to do so, it stopped at the right place, directly in front of my house.
It went on to walk down the sidewalk when I stepped onto my driveway. I whistled for it to come back so that I could give it a drink of clean water a thank you, since I didn’t have any dog food to offer. It eventually came back towards my house after having a look about, but it kept going. I set some water out in a bowl on the porch just in case it decided to come back from a drink after all. It’s certainly earned.
What’s even more heartwarming is the fact that it paused to glance in my direction when I stood in my door pouring water in the bowl.
Wherever that dog came from, I am wholly grateful, because I was able to focus on him and not my need to hyperventilation, which would have slowed me down. The good news is, not long after I got home, the harder showers started, but I was already safely tucked away.
Danielle