Author's note -
This is the opening chapter in an ongoing series of character studies. The first part centers on an older attorney who is trying to escape the world of corporate law and a young, newly graduated art teacher who is discovering the world. This is not a stroke story; of course, this being Lit, there are some sexy scenes.
All characters are over eighteen years of age and are fictional. While some places may be geographically correct, what takes place is fictional.
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Ru, my sweet little puppy, at long last, we are on our way. (As a footnote, Ru is an 85 pound trained Beligun Malinois who is more a minder than anything else.) I've one more set of conferences to finish, and then old boy, we're free. Or at least, that's my hope. Then, we can wander along the back roads and see where they go. Is this the last stop or the first stop of our voyage? I suppose both. After this, after Buffalo, the daily structures should begin to fall aside. Except, of course, for the Monday phone call back home with the old team in the office.
Parking the beast at the client's practice facility and opening the door was the excuse for Ru to fly out and see a new world. As had become his latest habit, he had to be the first out the door whenever the camper stopped. Then go around sniffing so he could leave his calling card telling everyone that he had arrived.
"Neil! Damm, man, it is so good to see you here. I was worried that we would get some kid fresh out of kindergarten to do this meeting. What's with this? I heard that you are pulling out to follow other avenues. And, who's your little friend there?"
"Hey Carl, it's good to see you too my, old friend. Ru? Go, say hello to Carl. Actually, Ru is a wolf hiding as a lap hound. Unfortunately, given the untoward events of the last couple of years, my fellow partners demanded that I have a minder. Ru's a compromise. He's my new bestie. Can we say that Ru will make believers out of the faithless?"
Ru! Leave Carl alone. He is not another lap you can camp out on.
"Carl, if I know you and I do. You know where the coldest beer is to be found within a hundred miles of here. Let's go, and I'll bring you up to speed."
"You never change, do you, Neil? Maybe with this little mutt of yours, you might stay out of trouble. But I am not betting on that. By the way, how much does that thing tip the scale at, and what is it?"
"Well, Ru thinks he is a lap dog. He just happens to hit the scales at around 85 lbs or so. He's a Malinois who is trained as a service/protection dog. Most of the time, he'll try to get in your lap and demand attention. But, if, for whatever reason, he alerts, I need to take notice immediately. He'll lock his eyes on whatever he perceives as a threat, and there then is a very low growl. At that moment, I have five seconds to stop him and tell him to sit. Or issue the attack command. If he launches, he will want to sit on your face."
"Damm, Carl. You did it again! You found the coldest beer out there. OH! Miss? Could my little friend here get some water, please? He's not old enough to drink beer, so it's water for him."
"Sure," the sound of a delightful giggle was clearly heard, "I'll be back in a moment."
When Ru saw the waitress heading back our way with a plastic bucket, he immediately sat up. Ru, sit and don't you start flirting with our waitress. "Here you are, Ru. OH? Ru, you can flirt with me anytime you want to. I bet you're a nicer flirt than most of the guys around here. Besides, you're a nice little puppy, aren't you?" With that Ru, started to nuzzle and sniff the waitress' fingers.
"Lady? Watch out, you about to get the biggest kiss you've ever gotten in life."
"Ru? Will you give me a kiss, Ru?"
"Neil! You done lied to me yet again. Some people just can't change. They are born liars. You said that dog was a guard dog. Hell, it's a damm lover. Anyway, what's going on?"
"All right, for the past year, I've been stepping aside. I have been unwinding and moving many projects and clients to associates of the firm and my team. I will be keeping three clients, with you and the Player's Association being one as I move away from day-to-day activities. So you and your association will notice no changes. The only difference is where my phone is physically located when you call. For thirty years, I have not taken a real vacation. I am officially on vacation after this week. I will remain a partner in the firm and will continue to function in that role."
"I seem to recall you have yourself a very nice fishing boat that you go up and down the Eastcoast with. Well, you saw my boat earlier this afternoon. Before it is all said and done. I will have gone to Lubec, Maine, the easternmost point in the country, to watch the sunrise. Then wandered down to Key West, the southernmost point in the country, and watch the sunset. Up to Point Barrow in Alaska and anywhere in between. Somewhere along the line, I will find the westernmost point as well. I have a fully equipped office set up on the bus. I know things will come up that demand that I step back and address issues. But, for me, the good thing is I have all my cameras are there so I can indulge myself in my hobby as a landscape photographer. I'll be keeping the condo in the city, and sometime in the future, I will build out the lot I have on the Gulf Coast. At least that's the plan, but of course, that is subject to change."
"Excuse me, Miss. Could we get another pair of these wonderfully cold beers, and if there's a hamburger to had, could you add on as well?"
Ru? Would you like a hamburger too? I bet you would. Am I right, Ru? Of course, that question was met with a thunderous volley of barks and happy tail waggings. Hamburgers are his special treat, along with his bones that he loves to chew on. "Oh? Miss. Could the puppy get a raw hamburger too?"
When Ru saw our lovely waitress headed back our way, he immediately sat up and started to track her every step. Ru! Sit! Behave yourself!
"Lady, watch out. That damm dog is a certified flirt. Each and every time he sees a lovely young lady, he goes into hyperflirt."
"Mister, he should hold classes on how to be a flirt. Wait a minute, you're Carl Johnson, aren't you, and I've seen you somewhere before too? Haven't I?"
"Yeah, you have possibly seen us. Carl is the Player's Association president. Yes, he played a little ball for the team across the street on their way to a championship ages ago. Over the years, Carl and I have worked together."
"Young Lady, this is a delicious hamburger. It's juicy like it should be.."
"Well, thanks, I'll tell my uncle. He runs the kitchen, and my aunt handles the front of the restaurant. They just opened the place about three months ago, and I've been helping out while I finish school."
"Could I speak with your aunt for a minute when she's available? I have a question for her."
"Carl, I will need a place for meetings next week. So you are renting the patio here in the afternoons for me for the week. You will pay these good folks a rental fee of ten thousand dollars. In turn, you pass the rental fee back to the firm. That way, you can say that the Player's Association supports local business."
