My Darling Angel

         I tore off another strip of fried chicken with an elegant turn of my head, whilst I continued to keep a wary eye out for any trespassers. That was my job; it had been clearly explained to me. My views on nourishment did not coincide with that of the cook and I had sneaked this drumstick on my last visit to the kitchen. I had slipped in and out before she knew it.

         I had to be careful; she knew who had eaten most of that last carton of Rocky road ice-cream, although she had not seen me snaffle it at the lawn party. She tended to shoo me out of her kitchen ever after, never letting me even get myself a drink of water there.

         I let the bone fall behind the potted plant; I knew just where to dispose of it later. I had two or three spots already dug just for such a purpose; there’s nothing like being prepared.

         It was hot and I wanted to let my tongue hang out and pant doggy-style. I contented myself with turning my nose to face the faint breeze; it was then that I saw her. The wind was flirting with the curtains and they parted enough for me to see in through the French windows – there – a flash of yellow on the sofa.

         I stared at the intruder, light and flashy, but she can’t fool me, she does not belong here. In fact there had been no sound of anybody having let her in. Only Joshua and his current girl-friend were in the room beyond, the study; his aunt was upstairs. Nobody else ought to be in there - besides the servants of course, no use counting us menials.

         I let out a low growling warning, not to frighten, merely to warn; she continued to sit on the couch, just moving ever so slightly in a teasing manner.

         I barked out a sharp command to stand still or beware the consequences, tensing my muscles for the spring. The little hussy took no notice of my caution, but it behooved me to make all the right moves. The master was not big on trouble and complaints, more the quiet peace-loving type.

         When she had the cheek to ignore me, ME, I pounced upon the intruder and got a good hold of her. It surprised me that she was so soft and fragile, collapsing into a heap upon the carpet; I grappled with her wildly to prevent any thoughts of escape, even as I set up a loud hue and cry.

         Not for help, I could manage this chit by myself; but more in hope of an admiring audience. It had been boring out on the porch all morning until I espied something through the French windows. Joshua Jamison was firm in believing that one must know one’s place and apparently my place was to be stationed on the front porch to view-halloo the visitors.

         They all came rushing in – Joshua, his aunt Miz Jamison, Miz Hurley who was both cook and general dogsbody, and a dazzling vision in blue-violet chiffon that I later learned Joshua had been wooing without success for weeks.

         I felt a hand upon my collar, a couple of pats on my back, Ah, appreciation, at last! Joshua tried to lunge at me with a cushion, I clamped a hold on the cover, delighted he finally wanted to play.

         A swipe at me with the back of his hand made me give out an involuntary whimper. He was shouting at me, telling me I was ‘bad’,’ really bad, Sir!’

         The vision intervened, an angel she was in truth.

         “Stop it, Joshua. He is only a puppy; he doesn’t realize he was bad. Of all my coats, I hated that florid yellow number most.”

         The angel advanced and tickled the top of my head; I closed my eyes in beatific pleasure. That girl really knew how to hit all the right spots, I was rolled over on my tummy and my paws were waving in ecstasy as she ran fingers down my belly.

         “Isn’t he cute? That patch over one eye gives him the dearest lop-sided look.”

         “He’d be cuter if he hadn’t a propensity to chew first and ask questions later. All is grist to his maw, now a coat hanging over the back of the sofa has become victim number twenty-three.”

         Angel, I called her that now, just giggled and murmured in that rhythmic baby talk that girls use sometimes, “Is he a beguiling wily beagle then?”

         I nuzzled her wedge-heeled blue strappy sandals, I am a connoisseur of shoes, I am. A steady diet of sneakers was what I got, Joshua possessing nothing much else; this was heaven, a taste of tar, some cork and a hint of glue. Dee-lishus!

         The rolled up newspaper wielded by Joshua was blocked by the deft scooping maneuver made by Angela, I licked her face to show I appreciated her intervention. She scowled at Joshua as she let the words get past her clenched teeth.

         “It-is-useless-to-punish-puppies. They-do-not-understand.”

         Uh-oh. This can’t be good for his love life. He is sure to blame me for it, I’ll get banished to the shed again. Those cackling hens are terrible company.

         I snuggled deeper into Angela’s arms and sneezed softly twice as that ridiculous flowery smell wafted up from the pulse in her throat. Girls seem to prefer that stuff over nice fresh burnt rubber or a heavenly hint of kipper.

         Joshua reached in to try and grab me and there was a confused jumble of hard muscular arms and something soft and yielding and I fell to the floor yelping.

         There was a sound like someone running into a wall or some other hard object and I looked up to see Joshua reeling back with one hand to his reddening cheek. Angela’s cheeks were flying crimson flags too and she was muttering something about ‘feeling’ when she bent to pick me up. Perhaps she felt sorry for Joshua running into the invisible wall?

         But, no. The two of them were going at it hammer and tongs, yelling at each other as they squared off in the middle of the room. Only my lipping and tugging at Angela’s locket stopped all that.

         Angel stopped yelling first, I was so happy I took a deep breath of relief, only to find myself choking and unable to breathe. I could hear the silence, if you know what I mean? Even as I seemed to be falling into this impenetrable darkness that closed in on me and pressed on my chest; I felt that pin-drop silence.

         There was a bright light shining in my face. I shook my head, no, you don’t, I know better than to run towards that.

         “Joshua look, he shook his head.”

         That was my Angela’s voice, I opened my eyes to find Joshua’s face near mine and Angela peering down from above. They hugged and squealed with joy and I was in for some of that affection too. Incoherent babbling ensued, but I am good at following the scent though nonsense.

         It seemed I had choked on the locket I had nipped off Angela’s chain. Joshua had done the doggy equivalent of the Heimlich maneuver and in even more heroic mould, given me mouth-to-mouth. I owed my life to him.

         They had rushed me to the vet’s, he was just two blocks down, but it was Joshua who had acted in time. The vet had given me a mild sedative, it seems, because I was making frantic jerks and rolling my eyeballs, but I remembered nothing of either journey. The vet was a blank in my life.

         I licked Joshua’s ear to say thanks and to my surprise he did not wipe off the ‘slobber’ as he usually did. His eyes were returning Angel’s adoring gaze.

         “I think you might be a doggy person after all, Joshua. It was the only that thing put me off, before. I love dogs myself”

         I landed on the floor again as two otherwise absorbed people went into one of those people-clinches. I think one of them must have swallowed something because there was some more of that mouth-to-mouth stuff going on; but the recovery was swift and they both linked arms and beamed down at me.

         “What are you going to call him?”

         “I had thought Black Jack, for his eye-patch and black coat.”

         “Oh, no. He is the one who brought us together, he ought to be Cupid.”

         I made gagging noises at both these suggestions and they seemed to get my drift. They both sank down on the sofa behind them, to decide on my name, I suppose. Apparently sitting nearly atop each other and with faces ready for any resuscitation promotes deep thought. I jumped up and insinuated myself between them and with waving tail signified my intention to remain there in readiness to return Joshua’s favor.

         They were both clearly not quite recovered from that experience because they seemed to be half-crying and unable to speak clearly.

         “Loo-hhoo-ook!”

         Some angelic squeals and giggles started as I wiggled my body into a more comfortable position. The pats and appreciative noises spurred me to a hand licking frenzy.

         “He’s appointed himself our protector, Joshua, the pet.”

         “He’s more like a buffer preventing us from being close together, darling; see how the fellow has put himself between us.”

         “I think he just wants to share us both, but that’s a wonderful idea for his name, sweetheart.”

         Joshua seemed pleased with the praise for his acumen, he squeezed us both in a tight hug as he whispered some sloppy stuff about eyes and skies, but I had learned her name – Darling.”

         So, I became Buffer, and lived happily ever after.

         PS: I was the ring bearer a year later when Joshua wed my angel, now his wife. ‘Darling’ is what he still calls her, I now know it’s not her name, but hey! – If it pleases her, who am I to bark, I mean balk?

Word count:1657

Written for "Invalid Item" 

Prompts: A beagle, a trip to the vet, sneakers and a carton of rocky road ice cream