Girl Dog

She purposely timed my entrance during the peak of the lunch rush, and when I entered Louis’ I had to force my way inside. There were so many people waiting for a table, I could hardly get past the crowd loitering around the hostess. Reluctantly, I pushed my way to the bar and looked around the restaurant. My heart beat hard as my eyes searched the room for Katie. I couldn't see her from where I stood and assumed she hadn’t seen me either. Not sure if I could go through with her plan, I nearly turned to leave. Knowing what she might do if I didn’t follow through, I took a deep breath and built up the courage to walk to the back of the restaurant.

I spied Katie sitting with Janet at a table in a far corner. She was beautiful, as usual. Then I noticed she was wearing the white blouse I loved, but hated her to wear in public. You can just barely see the dark shade of her nipples through the silk material, and when there’s a chill in the air the blouse leaves little else to the imagination. Katie confidently wore that blouse, and any time a man blatantly gawked at her breasts, she saw it as an opportunity to publicly brand him as a pervert.

Weaving around tables, I slowly worked my way toward the girls. I approached Katie from behind as she put down her glass of wine. “I don’t know what to tell.” Janet stopped abruptly. Her eyes focused upwards on me, where I stood behind Katie. I held my index finger over my lips and motioned Janet not to give away my position, then leaned over to kiss Katie on the cheek. She was startled when she felt my lips gently touch her skin, then excited as I slipped the dog collar around her neck. I locked the collar in place and whispered in her ear. “Time for your w w walk l l lady.”

Shit! Katie hated when I stuttered. I braced myself for the backlash.

Katie paused for a moment, then let out a nasty titter. She pushed her chair out from under the table, and as she stood up, she leaned toward me and grazed her hand against my zipper. “I didn’t know you had it in ya,” she whispered in my ear.

I was shocked. She was making this too easy, but fantasy was always easy for Katie. The reality of our relationship was where she failed. Whenever she felt she was losing control, she’d find a way to divert my attention by forcing me to play some erotic game; a game like the one we were about to play.

Katie picked up her purse and winked at Janet. Janet just shook her head, visibly embarrassed for her friend as well as herself until she realized that Katie was leaving her with the bill, again. “You owe me for your lunch!” Katie ignored her friend and walked away from the table.

Katie walked toward the exit showing off the collar and leash that hung from her neck. She liked attention whether it was good or bad, and the restaurant diners were her audience. Unfortunate for her, most of the diners were too caught up in their own moments to care about Katie’s play acting. I could tell she was irritated by their lack of awareness.

As we exited the restaurant, I opened the door for Katie. She walked outside and turned to head south, but I ignored her lead and turned north, yanking her in my direction.
The forceful tug to her neck threw her off balance, and she almost fell to the sidewalk. She lunged back my direction and shoved me. “Bastard!”

“I’m holding the leash. Shouldn’t I be leading?”

“You have to ask?” she snapped, then stared at me with irritation. “I should have known you being in charge wouldn’t work.” My mood turned angry, but I kept it to myself. She had that affect on me. With Katie I had become good at not showing my feelings. I knew that if I did, she’d lash at me more, and she had already put me in enough of an embarrassing situation. I didn’t want her to make more of a scene.

As we walked up the 16th Street Mall, I felt heads turn. I heard laughs and snickers. One man stared, but as he got closer, looked down and shook his head as he passed us. The longer we walked, the more I was overcome by embarrassment. Katie was pleased by the reaction of the crowds.

“Jerome, do you know where you’re going? You have to cross the street to get to Royce’s.”

I ignored her.

“Jerome, did you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Well?”

“I know where I’m going,” I mumbled.

“Jerome, you’re walking too fast.”

I walked faster.

“Jerome! You’re not funny!” I could tell she was about to lose it., and since we were attracting enough attention, I gave in and walked slower.

“Thank you.”

“Jerome cross the street by those newspaper vending machines. I want you to buy me a paper.”

The angry knot in my gut doubled in size. I knew she didn’t want a newspaper. She never read the paper. She was directing me across the street because she wanted us to follow her preferred route to Royce’s. I decided to take a stand stay on my course.

“Jerome!” The capacity of Katie’s voice shocked a lady walking toward us. The woman’s face turned fearful, and she jumped away from us and toward a building entrance.

I felt responsible. As we passed the lady I apologized, “I’m sorry ma’am.”

I felt a sharp nails poke into my back. “Don’t apologize for me.”

“Now cross the street and buy me a newspaper.”

This time I followed her orders. When I handed the newspaper to Katie she snapped it away from my hand and didn’t bother to thank me. She waved the paper, directing me to carry on to Royce’s.

As we approached Royce’s, I noticed the two lion statues that guarded the doorway. Behind the statues were two huge picture windows looking into the coffee shop. I was surprised to see a familiar face through the window, Katie’s boss. Irene Black did not noticed us as we approached because her back was to the entryway.

Irene didn’t approve of Katie for obvious reasons, so when Katie caught sight of her boss she panicked. “Jerome, you’re nuts if you think I’m following you in there.”

“But that was your plan.”

“Don’t be an idiot Jerome.”

“What the hell is she doing in there?” questioned Katie with her hands back on her hips.

Maybe it was the now giant sized lump of anger that had built in my gut, but on impulse, I challenge her. I caught her off guard and pushed her through the door. She didn’t resist. Instead, she slunk forward and walked as fast as she could toward the back of the coffee shop.

I followed her sporting a grin of victory, and I snickered out loud.

“Shut up fool,” muttered Katie.

My shoulders fell forward, and the grin turned sour. The angry lump also returned.

In the back left corner of the coffee shop stood a table hidden by a jutted service entrance. The table was empty, and I sensed Kate was headed towards it. She moved faster, fearing a man to our right might reach the table before us. I tried to keep up with her, but lost my footing and bumped a nearby table where an elderly couple sat.

“Watch where you’re going.” clamored an old woman. I glanced down and noticed her tea had spilled onto the saucer. The old woman bore a miserable frown, but I suspected it was immutable rather than directed at my clumsiness.

“Sorry.”

Just then I heard Katie say, “C’mon.” She was facing me, holding the leash, and pulling me toward her.

“What are you looking at!” asked Katie with her eyes focused in the direction of the elderly couple. She barked and growled, then refocused on me. “Let’s go sit down.”

Katie got the table she wanted. The man headed for the same table backed off after witnessing Katie ferocious display.

We both pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Shouldn’t you be sitting on the floor, where dogs belong?” I asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“But that was part of the game.”

“Again with the game. Rules are meant to be broken.”

It wasn’t that rules were meant to be broken. It was that Katie felt she should always get her way.

The lump of anger in my gut rebuilt, and with it the courage to challenge her again. I yanked the leash toward the floor, stressing her neck and face to nearly collide with the table. “On the f floor.”

Katie grabbed ahold of the leash with both hands and yanked it away from me. She slammed her hands down on the table. “Don’t fucking yank at my neck!” The attention of the diners in the back of the coffee shop turned in our direction. “And stop that fucking stammering. You’re embarrassing me.”

Glancing around the room, the expressions of the onlookers reviled Katie and pitied me. After staring into one man’s eyes, for the first time I felt that the only embarrassment
Katie should feel was for herself.

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever while Katie hid behind the newspaper. Then her hateful eyes peered over the top of the newspaper and down on me. “Well, are you going to see why we don’t have a waitress?” she asked. “I need a cup of coffee.”

I wanted to tell her to go to hell and walk out of Royce’s, but couldn’t find the courage. I looked over by the waitress station and noticed two waitresses talking beside a coffee machine. Then I glanced in the direction of the breakfast counter and noticed a third waitress laughing with a customer. They showed no intention of approaching our table, but who could blame them.

“I think we’re being ignored,” I mentioned.

“Really. Then maybe you should do something about it.” Katie began tapping her finger nails on the table.

I sat still for a moment, wondering if I should approach the two waitresses standing by the coffee machine. Royce’s wasn’t necessarily conservative, but the waitresses had been there for what looked like centuries. They probably weren’t too tolerant of aberrant customers.

“We’re being ignored. Lets just go to The Supper Club instead.”

Katie stopped tapping her finger nails and placed the newspaper down on the table. “You’re so fucking weak!”

Katie got up from the table and approached the two waitresses standing by the coffee machine. “Hello!” She waived her hand and waited for a waitress to look in her direction.
“I’d love a cup of coffee,” she said snidely.

“Yeah dear, I’ll be right there,” replied one of the waitresses. The two waitresses looked into each others’ eyes and laughed. Then they continued their conversation, ignoring Katie’s request.

Katie didn’t paying attention to the waitresses. She sat down and picked the newspaper back up.

A few minutes later the newspaper came crashing down on the table. Katie looked over at the waitresses, who were still chatting and ignoring us. “Fucking bitches.” Katie threw the newspaper on the floor. “Let’s go.”

Katie rushed toward the exit; I followed.

“Where we going?” I asked.

Katie didn’t answer. When she got pissed she lost sight of everything around her and could only focus on herself.

On our way out I noticed that Irene still sat by the big picture window. This time she saw us. Her expression turned sour when she noticed the collar and leash. She shook her head and whispered something to her companion.

Outside of Royce’s Katie took a moment to decide which way to walk. I thought this might be a good time to ask again, “Where are we going?”

“We should have never gone in there," she said. "Irene’s going to make my life miserable. She thinks she’s so much better than everyone else.”

She turned and walked toward the 16th Street Mall, and again I followed, lagging reluctantly behind her.

“If I lose my job over this, I’m suing.”

Sensing I was not beside her, Katie turned. “What, am I talking to myself?” I skipped forward to catch up, and thought it sad she could not realize the truth in her statement.

I never got a chance to ask Katie a third time where we were going. I didn’t have to. She pulled out her cell phone and called a number of her friends. No one answered, so she left a message to meet her at The Supper Club. She didn't mention of me.

When we reached the entrance to The Supper Club, Katie told me to go in and get us a table. She stayed outside and made another call.

The restaurant was mostly empty. I preferred it that way. There was a sign out, telling customers to seat themselves. I walked to our usual table and sat down beside the window.

I could see Katie standing outside talking on her cell phone. Her arms were waving, her eyebrows frowning and her lips flapping at an accelerated rate. She was in her element, bitching about her life to whoever would listen. I assumed it was about her boss, with a little thrown in about my inability to support her. I was surprised she had stayed outside to rant. She usually like to insult me to my face.

Where’s the waitress? I need a beer.

The Supper Club was one of my favorite places to hang out. It had a great rundown atmosphere, and I assumed it hadn’t changed in nearly fifty years. Unlike Royce’s, I was approached almost immediately by my favorite waitress, Joy.

“Hey Jerome. Can I get you a beer?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

“Awe. Rough day.” She placed cocktail napkins onto the table.

Joy was a cute young blonde who was always cheerful and greeted customers with a charming smile. Katie hated when Joy was our server because, she said, Joy was an awful waitress. Even I had to admit that Joy wasn’t very skilled in her profession, but her personality more than made up for her forgetfulness and lack of coordination. The actual truth of the matter was that Katie was jealous because she knew she could never be as captivating as Joy.

“I’ll have the darkest beer you got,” Katie said as she approached the table. Being engrossed in Joy, I didn’t noticed her enter.

I flipped to the back of the menu where the beers were listed.

“Jerome, why do you bother to read the beer menu when you always get the same thing?” asked Katie.

I looked up at Joy. “I think I’ll try something new today. Got any suggestions?”

Katie laughed and interrupted me before I could order. “You already tried something new today and it didn’t work.” She looked up at Joy. “Bring him the usual weak and pathetic pale ale.

I felt foolish as I watched Joy’s smile turn to a frown. “Our pale ale is a pretty good beer,” Joy said. It was like she was trying to save me from Katie.

“All right. You're the expert,” I told Joy.

“Great. I’ll be right back with your beers.” Joy walked away.

“How’s her ass look today?” asked Katie.

“Huh?”

“I said, how’s her ass look today? And since when is she an expert in anything?”

I hate you.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“I just ate an hour ago, or did you forget you picked me up from a restaurant?”

Bitch.

“Oh yeah,” I replied.

“Work really sucked before Janet and I met for lunch. Oh, and then we met up with Irritating Irene. I don’t think I’m going back to the office today.”

Self-absorbed bitch. She had turned to conversation to herself. Her favorite subject was becoming my least favorite.

Katie grabbed the leash where it connected to the collar. She ran her hand down along the leash seductively, pulling it from behind her back around to her front. She stopped short of the handle and began swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. Then she whipped it forward and onto my arm. The smack hurt, but she thought it was funny.

I was happy to see Joy return with our beers. She was a welcome distraction from Katie, even if it would take only a minute to serve us. She placed our beers down on table and asked, “Are you guys eating?”

“I’ll probably have something, but I’ll need a few minutes to decide,” I replied.

Katie said, “Make it fifteen. You know how long it takes him to decide.”

I had hoped to keep Joy at the table just a few minutes longer by asking about the specials, but she walked away before I had a chance. Instead I found a distraction with my beer that had overflowed onto the cocktail napkin. I lifted the glass and began fidgeting to clean up the mess using a wad of napkins.

“Jerome stop,” said Katie. “Just drink the damn beer.”

Katie startled me, and I spilled more beer. I left the puddle alone, but that irritated her as well. “Well, wipe up the mess.” I returned to sopping up the beer.

Holding my hands around the beer, I sat agitated, feeling like a machine, waiting for my next command. But I would have to wait because Katie’s cell phone rang and she answered it. “Hey Sam.”

“I’m hanging out at Wally’s having a beer,” she replied.

There was a long pause while Katie fondled the leash. Considering the failure of the game, I wondered when she would take it off. Even though she wore it proudly, like an expensive piece of jewelry, she looked ridiculous.

“See you guys in a few.” She hung up and dialed another number, but there was no answer. She threw her phone back in her purse.

“Sam and Bernie were at the Rockies game," she said. "They’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”

Katie got up. “I’ll be right back,” she said. I watched her walk to the bar and sit down, where she greeted the bartender, and he drew her a beer. It was obvious she had no intention of being “right back.” But, this was not the first she’d left me sitting alone in a restaurant.

About now I’d usually sit fidgeting and sipping my beer, patiently waiting for her to return. But this time I stared blankly down at the table. Get up and leave, I thoughts. My legs were restless and I couldn’t sit still. Get up and leave.

“Hey Jerome. Are you ready to order.” Joy asked but got no response. “Jerome?”

I didn’t hear her at first. I was stuck in a blank stare. “Uh. No.” I paused and she waited.

“Do you need a few more minutes?” she asked.

“No. I changed my mind. I’m not going to order any food.”

“Sure. How about another beer?”

“No. I don’t want anything.” I snapped. Joy jumped, not expecting my harsh response. She didn’t reply. She walked away wearing a muddled grin.

Over by the bar I noticed Katie whisper into the ear of the bartender. He looked at me and they both laughed.

Leave now! Do it. The voice inside me, coaxing me to leave turned loud, as if a crowd was cheering me on. I pulled my wallet from my pocket. Fifteen dollars should cover the bill. All I had was a twenty. I threw it on the table. Holding in a deep breath I slid sideways against an invisible force to clear the booth. A crowd cheered in my head as I stood up. Now all I had to do was build up the courage to walk past the bar and out the door. Then I remembered walking into Louis’ just a few hours ago. If I had been able to do that, I could certainly do this. My legs felt heavy as I walked forward, but lightened with each step. On the other hand, my heart pounded harder as I approached the bar. So far no one was looking in my direction. Katie was sipping her beer and the bartender making drinks. I was close enough to the exit that I was sure I could sneak out unnoticed.
Safe until I heard the outer door open. Sam and Bernie walked into The Supper Club.

“Jerome!” Bernie grabbed me and hugged me. “Where’s Katie?”

Sam was less affectionate. She greeted me by bragging that the Rockies had won.

I couldn’t walk out now. Katie approach from the rear and grabbed ahold of my arm. “I want to go to that blues club on Market Street. What’s the name of it again?”

“You mean that new place with the neon sign shaped like a trumpet player?” asked Bernie.

“Yeah that’s the place,” replied Katie. “Mark, the bartender over there knows the owner. He’s about to get off and wants to meet us there.”

“I’m game if they serve food,” said Bernie.

“They serve Cajun,” interrupted Mark the bartender.

I looked at him and met a fake grin that told me what I was in for if I followed them to the jazz club. While they had a good time, I’d sit in a corner all night, putting up with Katie
flirting with Mark. I wasn’t up for that sort of night. I would have to sneak away.

Outside of The Supper Club, Katie led the way across the street. I pretended to miss the crossing signal and stayed behind. Luckily no one noticed. This is my chance to sneak away, I thought. But as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, I heard her holler my name from across the street. Shit. I turned to find Katie walking in my direction. Why doesn’t she just let me go?

“Jeromy wait!”

Wait for what? You to come and yell at me? I turned back to walk away from her.

“Jeromy!”

Jogging across the street behind me, she struggled to catch up, but not until I was stopped at a crosswalk did she catch me by grabbing my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.

“Home.”

“What is your problem?” Do I need to put you on this leash?” She held the leash handle up to my face so close to my nose that it went out of focus. I swiped her hand away from my face and stepped closer to the traffic to see if it was safe to cross the street against the light, but it wasn’t.

A crowd waiting to cross the street gathered around us. Katie saw this as an opportunity to embarrass me into backing down. “Let’s go.” She grabbed my arm again and tried to lead me away, but was surprised when I forcibly yanked away from her. “Jeremy stop being such an ass.”

Traffic continued to flow past us and the light was taking forever to change. So I dashed from the westbound to the southbound crosswalk to try to get away from Katie, but she followed. “Why d d don’t you just let me g go?”

“Let you g go,” she mocked and then laughed. “Stop acting like a baby.”

She grabbed my arm again, but this time she clamped her nails into my skin so hard she drew blood. “Damn!” I grabbed her arms and pushed her away, but her grip was locked on my arm. I pushed her again and she squeezed harder. “Let go!”

By now, the crowd waiting to cross were uneasy and edging away from us. The light signaled to cross, and all but one masculine looking woman, who thought she might help, hurried away. The woman grabbed Katie’s grip on my arm. “Let go bitch!” The woman ordered. Katie let go of my arm, but only before she swung around to punch the woman in the face. Katie’s fist missed the woman and sent her into an out-of-control spin toward traffic. I cringed as she nearly fell into an oncoming car, then closed my eyes when the leash around her neck whipped through the air and caught on the side view mirror of the next car. The car jerked Katie off her feet and dragged her along its side. I opened my eyes when I heard a screech and then a crash. The car dragging Katie slammed on its brakes, and the car behind it had smashed into its rear end. I turned away from the scene when I saw that Katie was pinned under a wheel.

Down the street people were running toward the accident, and the woman who had come to my rescue ran in the opposite direction. I decided to follow her. After all, it was just a dog that had turned on its owner and got what it deserved.