Desire

 "Excuse me, have you seen my dog come by you? He's wearing a blue collar."

The voice came from a couple of feet behind me, delivered in clipped, measured tones...tinged with the slightest of Kittitian accents.

I was walking home from Rams where i'd gone to do my customary weekly resupply shopping. It was already starting to get dark and i was in a foul mood. The results of my Ethics test had come in earlier and frankly, they could have been better. I mean, i thought the patient's autonomy was the principal rule, so why not give the annoying man the antibiotics eh?

I turned round to mutter some words...to tell the person off when i came face to face with the most beautiful girl i'd ever seen. In the fading light, her beauty was etched clearly against the backdrop of swiftly darkening day.
My God...i swallowed back the hasty answer i was about to bark and stuttered my greetings.

                   "Good mor-afternoon...sorry, good night ma'am"

She smiled at my awkwardness and i heard the clearly audible sound of my heart dancing a jig within my chest...beating a crazed tattoo rhythm in sync with my suddenly ragged breathing.

..."my dog. Bruno...i'm looking for him. We were walking along the road when he dashed off to chase a cat."
Silly boy. She had been speaking to me all this while. 

"No ma'am, i haven't seen any dog come by this way... i'm just coming from Rams.

"Alright, sorry to bother you, i'll keep looking. Good day."

(Think! Don't let her walk away!)

"Wait! I can help you look for him. I just need to drop these off at The Bird Rock Beach Hotel. Gimme a couple of seconds."

Usain Bolt had nothing on the way i ran home with the bags fluttering around and behind me like tattered flags. I flung the bags on the bed and dashed out...not before i'd doused myself with that expensive perfume i bought at Port Zante. I mumbled a prayer for the insistent salesman that made me buy the bottle.

She was where i left her, but something was different. She was smiling. Then i saw why...or rather heard why. A playful bark came from the ground and i saw a little dog snapping joyously at her heels.

"Thank you kind sir for offering to help me, but he's back now. You were my goodluck charm."
I nodded like a dumb robot. Wheels of disappointment turning in my head.
She stuck out her hand. "I'm Anna and this ball of fur is Bruno."

I took the offered hand and smiled up at her. The same one i'd practiced over the years. "My name is M."

We chatted a bit, i bent down to pat the dog's head and made all the right noises to whatever she was saying.

This was it, the big moment. I HAD to say it. I HAD to get her number.

Anna beat me to it. "You have an interesting face. I'd like to maybe see you sometime. Mind if i call you?'

Success! We exchanged numbers and promised to talk later on at night.

I bounded home like a conquering warrior. I even had a word of greeting for that grumpy old man that usually looked at me with some form of distaste whenever i walked by him, puffing happily away on my cigarettes. 

She called. We spoke. I was in my element. Flattery will get you everywhere. Anna agreed to come spend a day with me during the weekend...lunch, movies, Vibes, the whole nine yards.

I was in. 






To be continued....