Fostered Affections

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Austin! I’m home!” Erika’s high-heeled shoes made identical thunks as she kicked them off in the front hallway.

Bunny lifted her head at the sound of the door opening and closing. When it became clear that Neil was not there, she rolled onto her side and stretched dejectedly on her bed.

Erika walked into the room and greeted Austin with a kiss to the top of his head. “Whatcha workin’ on?”

“That article about why Across the Universe should have gotten more acclaim.”

“Ah, yes, let me see if I remember the top five reasons.” Erika closed her eyes and counted on her fingers. “It bridges the generation gap because you can watch it with your parents or anyone who lived the sixties and talk about what happened back then; stellar choreography; an Asian-American lesbian gets a happy ending with no compromises; um…interracial relationship where the black man doesn’t beat up his white girlfriend, and…uh…shoot, what was the last one?”

“It cuts through the glorification of the Vietnam War and shows, however briefly, the ordeals experienced by drafted men.” Austin cracked his knuckles. “That’s the part I’m working on now.”

“Speaking of the military, did Airman Stafford already leave? I thought maybe he would stay for dinner.”

Austin shook his head. He saved his work before he stood up and stretched. “He was here an hour ago. We sat on the back patio and he filled me in on all things Bunny.” He put his arms around his wife and kissed her. “And how was your day?”

“No sales yet,” she said. She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. “They said they wanted to talk it over first. I showed them three great houses, all within walking distance of the university, access to public transport, around their price range—”

“I’m sure you did everything perfectly,” Austin assured her. “They’re students. They have to be wise with their money. Plus, there’s four of them. They’re probably compromising on which house will fit all of them, then they’ll come to you for the sale.”

“I know,” Erika sighed. “But stupid Amber Bryson sold the first house she showed today and sent out two snaps about it. Gloating bitch.”

Austin hugged her affectionately. “Well, you know what they say; petting animals reduces your stress levels. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Erika adjusted her skirt so she could kneel comfortably by Bunny’s bed. Bunny looked at her, ears perking slightly. Erika gently stroked Bunny’s back. “She seems sad.”

“Of course she is. Neil is gone. He said she’s like his daughter, so imagine if we were babysitting a three-year old girl who is acutely aware that her dad is leaving for a while. Neil told me he had to lock her out of his room while he packed because she kept giving him hang-dog looks.”

“Well, is there anything we can do?”

Austin had been thinking about this during breaks from writing. “Do you know any nearby off-leash dog parks?”

Erika stared at him with deadpan incredulity. “You’re asking me if I know the Davis area and its amenities?”

Austin grinned. “Well, do you?”

“Why do I put up with you again?”

“Because I’m handsome as f**k and I clean the house better than you do.”

“Oh, yeah, that.” Erika then went on to list almost every dog-friendly park in the county, plus a few houses that were available nearby. “Do not question me on my knowledge of real estate.”

Austin shrugged nonchalantly. “Just testing you.”

They picked the one closest to their neighborhood where Bunny could roam freely. Bunny was hesitant to get in the car. She sat by the open window in the back instead of sticking her head out of it. Austin spent most of the ride turned around in the passenger seat assuring her that everything was going to be fine.

It was a nice day at the park. Bunny perked up at the sound of other dogs. Many people were there with their pets, or just hanging out by the nearby pond that was off-limits for the dogs. Austin took Bunny by the leash and led her to the fenced-in area where the dogs were allowed to run. She had a blast. Erika found a place to sit, looking as cute in the casual clothes she had changed into as she had when she left for work that morning.

Austin plopped next to her with a happy sigh. “See? Now you can tell buyers with a dog about this place. Maybe we should sample all the dog parks.” His eyes lit up with excitement. “I could write an article about it! I’m gonna write an article about it! And you can tell your buyers to read it!” He took her hand and kissed it. “I’m so glad you picked this place.” He tried to spring up and leave, but Erika gripped his hand tightly.

“Austin,” she reprimanded. “Are you going to go shove your phone in people’s faces to ask for anecdotes?”

“Maybe a few?”

“I need you to sit down and give it ten seconds of thought.” Erika was Austin’s voice of reason when he got ideas like this. He would get overexcited and want to leap into action without too much planning. Sometimes Erika let him, but often she would make him think first.

“One of these days I’ll do that on my own,” he said.

“And I’ll be proud of you,” Erika replied. “Now, about this article…”

“Right! About that…” Austin watched Bunny romping with a golden retriever and what looked like a border collie mutt. He supposed he should get some photos, though all he had was his phone’s camera. He would also have to ask people’s permission to take their picture with their dog. The best place to start was striking up a conversation with whomever owned the dogs Bunny was playing with. “Okay, thinking done. Time for work.”

“I’ll be here,” Erika said. “Don’t steal anyone’s dogs!”

“No promises!” Austin’s excitement at being surrounded by so many dogs made him temporarily forget why he had come over to see them. He greeted them all with, “Hi, pupper!” and pet any that came within arm’s length.

By the time they left an hour later, Austin had a few dozen pictures of the park, the dogs, their people, and some exclusively of Bunny to send to Neil. Bunny was much happier, and Erika said the time away from her laptop and stress around the house was good for her as well. “We should definitely do this more often,” she said.

Austin kissed her. “See? I told you we should get a dog.”

Erika shrugged. “We’ve only had her a few hours. What if she gets into the trash? Or pees on the rugs?”

“Neil said she was housetrained.”

“Yes, at her house. You don’t know how she’ll act at our house.”

“Well, if we had our own dog, it would be well-behaved in the house.”

Erika rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You’re incorrigible. Let’s deal with the dog we have for now, then decide if we want one of our own.”

Austin had already made up his mind. He wanted a dog, the issue was whether or not ‘we’ wanted one. Erika didn’t care about dogs like Austin did, but perhaps six months with Bunny would change her mind. By then he would definitely be attached. He wondered how far it was to Neil’s base if he ever wanted to visit her. He typed that in with the notes on his phone as something he should look up later.

Bunny’s spirits had improved by the car ride home. She put her head out the window, tongue flapping in the breeze. Austin noticed Erika watching from the side-view mirrors, a slight smile on her face. He made another mental note to thank Neil for this opportunity to show her how nice having a dog was.

Once they got home, Austin gave Bunny a treat and refilled her water bowl. Some of her wistfulness returned, but her ears weren’t so droopy anymore. Austin sat down at his computer and opened a new document.

“What do you think of ‘The Dog Days Approacheth’ as an article title?” he asked.

Erika snorted. “I don’t know, but I don’t think about dog parks when I hear it.” She pondered a moment. “How about, ‘Parks with the Most Bark’?”

“That is better, but I dunno…” Austin typed it up to see how it looked. He shrugged. “I can use it as a working title. Who knows? Might grow on me.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Erika said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Austin smiled. “That’s why I love you.”

“I love you, too.”