Chapter 19

The storm front had passed, and I could tell it was going to be a frosty morning. The furnace had been running a lot and the bright square of moonlight moving across the wall had kept me waking often, measuring the progress of the night. I finally gave up, and made my way quietly into the kitchen and started some coffee.

I made blueberry pancakes, stacking them in the oven to keep warm, and was finished eating, cleaning up and dressed for the outdoors before Mom appeared in the doorway with a bemused look, opening her arms to call me over for a rare hug, wishing me a good day. I held the hug just a fraction beyond her comfort time, squeezing a bit tight in lieu of an I love you, and slipped out the door wordlessly.

The devilish duo would have to get by on hot blueberry pancakes in lieu of a hug this morning, it would just make them appreciate the next one that much more, rather than routinely taking it for granted. I was glowing inside from that rare hug from Mom, it would warm me all the way to school, even better than a Tiff kiss! I could always find another girlfriend, after all, but it was harder to find a good Mom, I thought to myself insincerely, but sort of meaning it at least for the moment.

I had decided to walk to school, it starting to be still dark out, especially this early, and with the moon low in the sky, my breath visible in a white cloud, and frost on the vine, or at least on all the lawns, cars, and manhole covers, I headed for school with a light step, anticipating the coming show, when the Artist would paint the sunrise, with me being one of few to enjoy it.

Just as it got light enough to officially be dawn, wherein a white thread and a black thread held at arms length could be distinguished one from the other, assuming the streetlights and the sinking moon didn't interfere with the experiment, a gleam caught my eye from the gutter. Stepping over to the curb, I found an old fashioned gas cap, chromed, rounded, mysterious with a ridged gripping edge about the outside. It was surprisingly heavy, a good chunk of metal.

I liked it, but it seemed forlorn somehow, laying abandoned in the gutter like that, so I picked it up, and looked about, but the only cars in sight were only a few years old. Maybe I could ask Holly about it, what kind of car it was from- She would probably know the brand, model, and year! I doubted there were too many cars that old being driven about town, but I would bet Holly would have noticed it if she had seen it parked anywhere.

I felt as if I was being watched, with curiosity and yearning, so I looked about and almost didn't see the dark eyes of the dingy looking mutt sitting very still in the shadows. I sensed she was hungry, and wary but hunger would win I suspected, and since I had rolled up the last pancake in a paper towel, because it had been undersized and lacking in blueberries and slightly scorched, and because it had just seemed like I should, I had a bribe to offer.

Trading the chrome weight for the pancake, I pretended to ignore my voyeur, and tore a small bit to bite. I hammed it up as I chewed the slightly scorched tasting morsel, making appreciative noises and breathing out pancake scented clouds of hot steamy breath. Ah, that was how I had spotted the unfortunately colored hound- which was exactly the color of dirt. By the white cloud of her doggy breath.

Her attention got more intent, although she didn't move. There seemed to be a tension within her, and although I had no idea what exactly she intended, I didn't sense that I would be subject to a mutt mugging. I opened the negotiation, pretending to notice her, and tearing off a piece, softly asked her if she wanted some of my pancake.

She didn't move, but a thin trail of drool drooped from her jowls, and a thin high whine, almost too high to be heard by human ears pierced the nearly colorless morning, a trace of pale orange just becoming visible to the east. I squatted comfortably down, facing sideways and just the merest bit away from her, so if she was conversant with a drafting board or surveying equipment, she might have been able to judge that I was facing away from her. By whatever means, she judged that I wasn't, that in fact I was not approaching her, so when I threw a bit of pancake towards her, she came the few feet, tentatively, and snatched it up, swallowing it before it even touched the inside of her mouth, and dashed back to her previous spot, checking to see if I was in pursuit.

A few repeatitions and she was no longer dashing back, and she pretended to ignore the fact that my throws were getting shorter. She took the last piece from my fingers, slowly and carefully, giving my hand a quick lick just in case there were any crumbs left, but really to say thanks, and trotted off to a comfortable distance, more from habit than fear.

I told her I had to go to school, but I would be back this way in the afternoon and hoped I would see her then. She snorted in disgust at silly humans and their schedules, and vanished into the gloaming. Or into whatever the version of gloaming that happens at dawn is called, anyway.

I felt good about the companionship I had just shared with a fellow being, and my spirits were lifted even more, as the sky pinkened and brightened, and if pinkened wasn't a word before, it is now. As I crossed the street a few blocks from school, my attention was drawn to a classic car, probably from the thirties with a huge hood, split flat glass windshield, enormous hood ornament and rounded fenders.

Another reason my attention was drawn to it was that the driver had pulled all the way into the cross walk, probably not expecting any pedestrians at this god touched hour. As is my policy in these cases, I walked behind the car, and it seemed the man driving was preoccupied, or still asleep, because I don't think he knew I was even there.

It was a sad looking car though, looking like it needed washing and polishing, mud and winter grime streaking back from the wheel wells, bug-juice splattered on the dusty windscreen, and a dirty rag stuffed into where one put the gas, as the gas cap was missing-