Marley's Next
Adventure
by Jerry Guarino
Marley (the vegan dog) and
Boston (the labradoodle who was allergic to dog
dander) were watching their pups at the pond. It
was a summer romance, but now the work of
parenthood lay heavy on Marley. His eye was
wandering to other dogs, maybe one of his own
breed, a terrier. Dogs don’t mate for life.
“Marley, aren’t
the pups precious?”
“Yes, dear. The best
of both of us.”
“My owners were
surprised when I gave birth. They are still
looking for the father.”
“I’d rather you
kept that between us.”
“Are you ashamed of me,
of our summer romance?”
“No dear. I just think
in today’s mores, to live and let live. It’s
not like we share the same house.”
“This isn’t the
summer of love. What about commitment? What about
fidelity?”
“We can still be
friends.” Marley wandered away and Boston
whimpered.
***
You see, Marley was a brown
and black Yorkshire Terrier (15 pounds) and
Boston was a large white labradoodle (60 pounds).
So, Marley’s desire to meet other dogs wasn’t
racism, just practical romance. He still had warm
feelings for Boston, but wanted to be with
someone more like himself.
That’s when he met
Rachel, a pretty West Highland White Terrier.
“Hi. I’m Marley.”
“I’m Rachel, nice
to meet you.”
“You have a lovely
coat, so fresh and clean.”
“Probably the diet of
chicken and fish my owner gives me.”
Marley perked up. “I
love chicken and fish, but my owners are vegans,
so I never get them.”
“I can share with you
if you like. Let me show you where my house is
and you can meet me there after dinner.”
Marley thought to himself. This
may be the perfect girl. But how can I impress
her? Maybe I should introduce her to some of my
friends: Duck, Larry Bird and Jeri, the stoned
cat.
Marley and Rachel spent the
rest of the day together and for many days
afterward. True to her word, Rachel brought out
some chicken and fish to him after dinner,
providing the romantic background for some after-hours
cuddling. Fortunately, both of them had doggie
doors in their houses, so they could come and go
when they pleased. Not so for Boston, who had to
wait for her owners to walk her.
So, Marley and Rachel didn’t
run into Boston, not even at the pond.
Rachel’s owners took
her out for a walk on a Sunday morning. Rachel
steered them over to Marley’s house. He saw
them coming and barked his owner to take him out
too. Soon Marley and Rachel were walking side by
side as the owners chatted.
“Your Yorkshire is so
pretty,” said Rachel’s single mom.
“And your Westie is
too,” said Marley’s dad, who was
clearly attracted to more than the dog.
Soon, these meetups became
more frequent and Rachel’s mom was
encouraging the flirting from Marley’s dad.
Not surprisingly, Marley’s
dad was invited over to Rachel’s for a drink
and before long they had started an affair.
Marley and Rachel found themselves together most
of the time.
After a month, Marley’s mom was getting
suspicious.
“You seem to be taking
a lot of walks with Marley, at all times of day
and night.”
“Well, it keeps him
healthy.”
“Maybe I should be
walking him more often.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
This made her even more suspicious. So, she
attached a tiny camera on Marley’s collar
and tracked it over the internet. Before long,
she had her proof. Her husband had been seeing
another woman, even using dog walking to cover up
their affair. She saved the video and contacted a
divorce attorney.
Meanwhile, Rachel’s
mom was getting tired of preparing vegan meals
for Marley’s dad.
“Why can’t you
have normal food? I need more than vegetables to
survive. What about a pizza?”
“They make vegan
pizzas. I’ll bring one over.”
Needless to say, Rachel’s
mom did not like a vegan pizza and thus began the
end of the affair between them.
Marley and Rachel were
relegated to their secret rendezvous meetings.
But their romance continued for some time, even
though their time was restricted.
Meanwhile, Boston was
searching for another companion, but kept caring
for the mixed breed pups of terrier/doodle dogs.
Marley’s
Next Adventure by Jerry Guarino
Copyright July, 2020 – All Rights Reserved
|
