Kat Parrish [Parrish - Rezso

* * *

Therell be a ticket waiting for you at the Alaska check-in desk, Mickey said as if Id already said yes to the job and things were already settled. It was a relief to hear Id be flying Alaska, though. That meant Id be flying Sea-Tac to Burbank and would at least avoid the clusterfuck that is LAX, so there was that.

Ill need a car, I said, without adding please, because I can be an asshole too.

Jon will pick you up, Mickey said and ended the call without saying goodbye.

I looked down at the dog frisking about my yard chasing butterflies and acting silly.

Looks like youre going to be on your own for a while, I said. She did not seem to give AF, but at the sound of my voice, she abandoned the butterflies and pranced over to me, putting her head on my knee so I could pet her. I didnt. She is not my dog. It is not my job to pet her. She never seems to take my disinterest personally. She gave me a friendly barkIf you change your mind, Ill be right hereand then went back to playing with the butterflies.

It doesnt take much to entertain her.

The dog had shown up about a month ago, nothing but skin and bones, with fur so matted it looked like felt. Shed nosed around my garbage cans looking for scraps but found no joy. I keep my cans locked down to foil the raccoons that roam the neighborhood.

But she kept coming back, kept getting closer and closer to my porch. She was wearing a collar, but no tag and I wondered if she was a dog one of the local college students had acquired as a puppy and then left behind when they graduated.

People did stuff like that.

I fucking hate people.

Id ignored the dog when she first came around because I wasnt interested in taking on a pet, but she kept coming back like she didnt have anywhere else to go.

And then one morning Id found her stretched out on my front porch, right in front of my screen door. She was so still I thought she was dead. But she heard me come out and raised her head. Her eyes were bright but sunken.

She looked so pathetic I went back in the house and fetched her some water and a bowl of leftover paella I was going to eat for lunch. The dog scoffed it down like she hadnt eaten for weeks. She probably hadnt. Afterwards, she came up to the porch glider where I was sitting and put her filthy paws on my leg and looked up at me with big brown eyes that were full of goop.

Im not going to pet you, I told her.

So, she put her head down on my knee and we just sat there for a while, her body heat warming my legs.

You smell bad, I told her. She wagged her tail. It was brushy, like a golden retrievers.

Ive seen Marley & Me, I told her. I know how this movie ends.

Wrong movie bro, my college kid neighbor said as he wheeled his bike out to the street. The college is like two blocks away, but he always takes the bike.

Marley was a lab, he added.

He studied the dog for a minute as she sniffed at his shoes and the tires of his bike. Though he might have some lab in him somewhere.

She, I said, correcting himnot because it mattered, because the dog wasnt going to staybut because he was annoying me. I fucking hate being called bro.

He nodded like hed known that all along because hes a sophomore and college sophomores fucking think they know everything.

When did you get her?

Not my dog, I said as the dog returned to me, tail wagging happily.

If you say so, he said and laughed.

I fucking hate college kids. But this one, Trey, is mostly okay despite his douchey name. He has a sense of humor and he mostly treats me with respect, which is pretty much all I ask of a human being. Hes been doing odd jobs for me on and off since he first moved in a year ago.

Whenever I have to leave town on one of Mickeys errands, I pay him to pick up my mail and packages and if Im gone more than a week, mow my lawn.

I had no idea how long Id be gone to L.A. this time.

I told Trey Id need his services for at least a week. Hes got a key to my place and a debit card linked to one of my accounts, so if any emergencies come up, he can take care of them without involving me.

What about the dog? he asked. Do you want me to feed her?

No, I said.

Trey looked at the dog. She looked at him. A moment of what looked like intense communication ensued. Then Trey reached out his hand the dog high-fived him.

Do not feed her, I said.

Dude, of course Im going to feed her.