AllFreeNovel
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Silence is an answer. She isn’t buying what I am selling. Whatever. I don’t need my mother choosing who I want to meet. No need of a second opinion. It was not required at sixteen and not now. Grabbing the leash, I kick off flip-flops, pick up Oakleys, and head for the door.
“Come on, boy!”
That wasn’t necessary. He is by my side before the words are out, tail wagging at the thought of another walk and a dip in the ocean. Our new habit suits him. Hooking the lead onto the collar, a random thought pops up and gets discarded before it takes root. No, I’m not too old to get the hula girl’s attention. She might not be into graying temples, but what about a man who knows how to treat a woman? And how to please her. I choose to ignore the obvious disadvantages of age. What the fuck. Nothing ventured.
Out the door, down the wooden steps, we’re on the sidewalk. The heat of the sun lands on my shoulders. Feels good. Traffic is heavy today. Must be roadwork in town. Directly in front of the house, behind a long line of cars, a beat-up convertible with three girls singing to a Katy Perry anthem comes to a stop.
When they spot me and Kanaka waiting to cross, a dreadlocked bleached blonde with black roots stands and waves us across in dramatic fashion. Her girlfriend chimes in.
“Go ahead, baby! Give us a show!”
Oh shit. This is embarrassing. Someone turns the volume up and loud clapping to the beat begins. Crap.
“Thanks, girls.” I give a wave and start across.
“Like your big dog,” the driver calls.
Of course, this is the moment Kanaka decides to stop in his tracks and stare at the humans. He has no problem with being in the middle of the road, and zero intention of missing the attention of the females.
“Yeah, your dog!” Dreadlocks laughs.
As the line slowly creeps ahead, the convertible stays put. The car behind them honks. And once again, leaning on it for extra emphasis. All three girls address the driver with a few thoughts of their own.
“Up yours, asshole!”
“Take a pill!”
“Bite me, bruddah!”
Oh God. I pull on the leash. When my eyes lift, some of the sun worshipers are watching from the sand. Paula, Leilani, and a few kids have eyes on me. Every one of them is enjoying the show. Except for Alana, who wears a scowl. Guess I am embarrassing her regardless of the fact it is not my bad.
“Come on! Kanaka! Get your ass up!”
The command must have landed because he stares me down for a few seconds then decides it is in his best interest to cross the street. The pace is like molasses dripping from a tree. Or like a beauty contestant’s slow strut in front of the judges. He is working it, making sure the girls see what a fine specimen of a dog he is. At least we are moving.
“Shake it like you mean it, now!” the blonde calls to me.
This is what women must feel like when passing some idiot men. Meat for hungry shoppers. Oh man. I don’t mind that they like the merchandise, but what do I do with it? Appreciate or ignore? I am going with a smile before looking away.
Thank Pele, the line of cars inches up and theirs moves beyond the house. They are some other man’s problem now. As I make it to the other side, Alana stands and takes a step forward. My palm comes up. There is confusion on her face, but she sits back down. Kanaka switches gears and strains at the leash. I set him loose and he runs toward the water, kicking up sand all the way there. Free at last, free at last.
“Hey. Aren’t you hot in that?” I call.
There is a momentary look of frustration, but she covers it with a sigh. I plant my ass in the sand and try not to see if Leilani is watching.
“Please stop asking me that, Dad. What are you doing here?”
“Just thought we could take a walk if you want. Or maybe you’d like to build a sandcastle. I can find you a little bucket and shovel,” I tease.
Okay. One brick in the wall crumbles. There’s a little smile.
“I saw you watching the kids over there. They look around your age.”
The smile disappears.
“So?”
“So maybe you could make a few friends. You’re going to high school pretty soon and you’ll be making lots of new friends there. You can practice.”
