Planets. Stars. Galaxies. Nebulas. Colby was unsure if the universe around him was getting smaller, or if he was getting bigger. As Earth fell further and further away, an overwhelming sadness flooded his thoughts as everything he knew was now nothing but a microscopic speck of dust. Faster and faster, he was suddenly reaching the outer limits of reality at an exponentially-increasing speed as even the largest celestial bodies were shrinking down into nothingness in his vision. Even in the nearly infinite vastness of the dark void of space, Colby’s grief shifted into claustrophobic terror.
With each passing second, he felt himself getting closer to the end of everything. Even the blackness of space was fading into a pale gray. He looked up to see the spacial barrier separating his existence from those beyond, greeted by a concave reflection of himself looking back at him from the other side. He pressed his paw to the warped mirror, their palms meeting in the middle as the universe itself closed in on him like a shrinking cage.
“You… you’re-”
Colby awoke with a jolt of pain in his head as he was hit with a brief but pounding headache in his sleep, finding himself back in his sleeping bag on the Pooches’ living room floor. He was apparently the first to have woken up; the sun was just barely up over the mountains on the horizon and the lights in the house were still dark, with no sign of either of the blue terriers in sight. He slid out of the sleeping bag, letting out a quiet yawn as he got up and slowly shuffled his padded feet to the couch. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, figuring it’d be okay with Smooch if he watched a little television at a very low volume.
Anything to help him forget that nightmare.
As he slowly flipped through the channels one by one, Colby was mesmerized by each show and movie he saw. Many of them were very kid-friendly, teaching presumably young viewers how to be active both physically and within their communities. There were shows about sports, racing, baking, and even farming. But as Colby went through the channels, he noticed that he surprisingly couldn’t find a single gritty action drama or horror movie anywhere.
‘Oh, Smooch probably has a child-lock on for her son. That makes sense,’ he thought to himself as he looked down at the remote; he didn’t mind the puppy cartoons in the least though; in fact, it was rather therapeutic for him.
After a few episodes, Colby stood up from the couch and left the TV playing in the background, rolling up the sleeping bag and pillow before storing them beside the coffee table. To show his appreciation to Smooch for letting him stay for two nights now, Colby began cleaning and tidying up the living room and kitchen. Not that they were significantly dirty to begin with – a smudge or two of dried gravy on the counter, a few clumps of shed blue fur on the floor, and a few leftover dog-bowls and cups in the sink were most of what Colby cleaned. After that, he took the liberty of spraying and wiping down anything and everything that looked like it had been gathering a bit of dust over the time since the Pooches had first moved into their house.
Colby stopped at the bookshelf in the living room when he noticed an urn on top. It was a deep shade of blue, with a simplistic yet beautiful yellow ornamental design around it. He took a brief moment to pause and reflect upon the urn, figuring it could only be for one particular dog. As Colby paid his respects, he got the chilling feeling that he was being… watched. But with a dismissive shake of his head, he moved back to the kitchen.
Just as Colby was wiping the last bit of hidden dust off the area behind the microwave, a rooster began to crow outside, signaling the official start of a new day. It wasn’t long before Smooch emerged from her room after a very pleasant night’s sleep, humming a tune happily to herself with an extra little spring in her steps. However, she stopped in her tracks as she entered the kitchen doorway, locking eyes with Colby as they both remembered what had occurred between them last night.
“O-oh, good morning, Colby. You’re up early,” Smooch said as she set her foot down onto the floor, walking normally again.
“Yeah, I, uh, had some weird dreams and couldn’t fall back asleep,” Colby replied as he avoided eye-contact, unsure if he should bring up the kiss on the cheek she’d given him last night or not.
“Really? What about?” Smooch asked as she crossed by him, making her way to the fridge for a bottle of corn juice. After opening the fridge and grabbing two bottles, she began to notice something was different about the look and smell of the kitchen.
“I… don’t really remember. It’s hard to explain,” Colby lied; in truth, he remembered every vivid detail of his dreams as though they were memories. Or at least, his subconscious interpretations of them.
“Were you… cleaning?” Smooch looked around at the spotless kitchen before her before her eyes met Colby’s again.
“Oh, y-yeah, just a couple things here and there,” he said with a modest shrug, rubbing a bit of morning gunk out of his eye.
“You really didn’t have to do that.” Smooch got closer to him and smiled warmly, handing him a cold bottle of corn juice. As he took it from her, their furred fingers brushed against each other slightly.
“I know.”
They stood silently for a few seconds as they looked into each others’ eyes, though it felt much longer. Smooch hadn’t fully noticed until now just how tall the yellow Labrador was compared to her, being an entire head’s height above her. In the same way, Colby realized how short the blue terrier was compared to him as her eye-level barely rose past his chest.
They each opened their bottle of corn juice, chugging them down together.
“Wow, that’s actually pretty good.” Colby licked his lips, looking at the bottle in his paw. “I’ve never had corn juice before.”
“I suppose you’ve probably noticed a trend by now.” Smooch sat down at the kitchen table, and Colby took the seat across from her.
“I wasn’t gonna mention it, but yeah. You sure have a lot more corn than I’m used to.” Colby took another drink of his juice, already almost at the bottom of the bottle. “But I like trying new things.”
“I already told you how I lost my husband, right? To… colon cancer?” Her face fell, those dreaded words feeling like poison in her mouth.
Colby nodded with sympathy.
“The reason I keep so much corn around the house is because it’s good for the immune system. Specifically, it lowers the risk of… that.” Smooch took a breath, deep in thought. “But now, apparently cancer is just… gone. Believe me, I’m happy to hear it. I mean, who wouldn’t be? With Scooch having Kernel’s genes, I was worried he might be at risk of getting it someday too. Heck, I wasn’t necessarily safe either, ‘specially at my age. But the fact that it’s just gone in a flash, literally… no rhyme or reason to it, nothin’, I... I just don’t know how to feel about that. I mean, it’s great, but… what was it all even for?”
Colby said nothing as he listened intently.
“I just wish… I dunno, that it had happened a few years earlier,” Smooch finished, tilting her head up and drinking the rest of her juice.
“I’m sorry,” Colby said quietly, drinking the last drop of his as well.
‘I’m really, truly sorry.’
As the sounds of Scooch’s small footsteps down the stairs could be heard from down the hall, Smooch’s police-radio suddenly went off.
“Sergeant Pooch, we have a 10-54 in progress on highway 94, need assistance, do you copy?”
“Ugh, come on!” Smooch huffed, pulling her radio out and internally debating whether to answer or not.
“What’s a 10-54?” Colby asked as Scooch entered the kitchen.
“Oh, that one means ‘livestock on highway’,” Scooch answered for his mom, proudly reciting it from memory.
“10-43?” Smooch asked hesitantly as she pressed the button.
“That one means, ‘more information, please’,” Scooch continued.
“Cattle-crossing.”
“...10-4.” Smooch put the radio behind her back, which Colby noticed with a look of confusion on his face.
‘Where did she put the radio?’ he wondered.
“Sorry, Colby, looks like I’ll have to take a rain check on our breakfast plans. Duty calls, but I’ll try to make this quick.” She sighed as she went to the living room, taking her police hat off the hat rack and fitting it on her head between her ears.
“No worries, responsibilities come first,” Colby replied, though he was admittedly a little disappointed.
“And speaking of responsibilities, Scooch,” Smooch continued as she turned to her son, “make sure to do your chores today while I’m gone. The list is on the fridge.”
“I will, Mom!” Scooch said with a smile as he did a little hop and a run to his mom, jumping up into her arms and giving her a tight hug.
“I love you,” she said sweetly as she held her son against her.
“I love you too. Drive slow,” Scooch said back, letting go and landing down onto the floor again.
“You know I always do. See you two later.” Smooch blew her son a kiss, and with that she disappeared out the front door and drove off in her cop car.
“Okay. Chores,” Scooch said to himself as he passed Colby back into the kitchen, grabbing the list off the fridge.
“Wow, that’s a pretty long list,” Colby noted as he looked down at the long sheet of paper in the little blue terrier’s paws.
“Oh, it’s okay. Mom’s usually working hard, so she depends on me to take care of a lot of chores around the house while she’s gone.” Unlike most children, Scooch was surprisingly enthusiastic about housework; the sense of duty that his mom had instilled in him made him feel important and indispensable.
“I guess that makes sense. Can I see it?” Colby asked, and Scooch handed him the paper. “Cleaning your room, watering the lawn, dishes- well, those are done already… wait, ‘powerwash siding’? ‘Empty the gutters’? ‘Deep-clean the carpet’?! This seems like way too much for one kid to handle!”
“‘Kid’? I’m a dog, not a goat,” Scooch scowled as he looked up at Colby, placing his paws on his hips.
“Oh, sorry, I meant to say dog. I had a, uh, dream about goats last night and I guess I misspoke.”
“Really? ‘Cause I had a dream about chickens!” Scooch gasped and his eyes lit up again, his tail wagging as his dream came back to him. “Did you know that chickens don’t like goats?”
“Huh, I didn’t know that. But still, are you sure you can handle all of this?”
“Yeah, of course! Tag’s always there to-” Scooch stopped. “Oh yeah, Tag’s grounded today…”
“Look, I get that it’s good for your mom to teach you a good work ethic, but I think she might be overloading you a bit on chores, especially some of this harder stuff. So why don’t you just go play and have fun today, and I’ll take care of these chores for you? It’s not like I have anything better to do.” Colby folded up the list, taking a moment before curiously putting it behind his back. He turned his head around and spun in place to find it was completely gone before reaching his paw behind his back and taking it out again with a befuddled look on his face. But to Scooch, it merely looked like Colby was chasing his tail for a moment.
“Oh, um… well, since Tag’s grounded, I don’t really have anyone else in town to play with,” Scooch sighed. “And after all, I should be the one to do these chores.”
“Your mom raised you really well, didn’t she?” Colby smiled, resting his knee on the floor as he got down to Scooch’s level. “Alright, how about this? I’ll help you out with doing some of the harder chores on the list, and you just do what you can manage on your own for now.”
“Really?! Thanks, Colby! Paw-pound it!” Scooch held up his little fist, his face practically beaming with enthusiasm. Colby brought up his own fist, and after a brief moment of hesitation, bumped it against Scooch’s with a slight smile.
With that, the two immediately got to work with the chores. While Scooch cleaned his room, Colby powerwashed the siding. As Colby cleaned out the gutters, Scooch watered the lawn. They finished chore after chore, some of which were a two-dog job that one needed the other’s help for. When the final task of deep-cleaning the living room carpet was finished, the yellow Labrador and the little blue terrier finally took a moment to breathe as they laid back on the couch in the spotless house.
“And that’s that,” Colby said as he exhaled, giving Scooch another ‘paw-pound’ with their fists. Thankfully, with two dogs splitting the work, they got everything done in only a few short hours.
“Thanks again for helping me.” Scooch nodded, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth as he panted with exhaustion. He picked up his plush green chicken, holding it under his arm and idly petting it. “We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”
“Yeah… yeah, we do.” Colby replied, smiling a little. “I hope your mom appreciates all your hard work.”
“Yeah, I know she does. She’s the best.” Scooch sat up, a thought crossing his mind. “Hey, Colby?”
“Hm?” Colby turned his head.
“Do you like my mom?”
Colby sat up and turned his head away with a soft chuckle, trying to hide his reddening face as he played off the question casually.
“Y-yeah, sure I do. Of course I do. She’s really nice.”
Scooch wanted to press the question further, but stopped himself. He doubted that even if this dog did like his mom in the way that he really meant, he certainly wouldn’t tell her own son. Especially since it was no secret that Scooch couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
“That’s good. Because my mom likes you too.”
Colby's face felt hot as he remembered that feeling of her soft muzzle pressed against his cheek from last night, saying nothing.
“Anyway, um…” Scooch changed the subject, realizing how embarrassing this whole conversation had suddenly become. “Since we’re all done with chores and my mom’s still not back yet, can I… hang out with you, while you do ‘Colby’ stuff?”
‘’Colby’ stuff?’ Colby thought, his brows furrowing. What was ‘Colby’ stuff, exactly? He hadn’t relaxed or had fun in such a long time, he could hardly imagine what it was like anymore. Not having to worry. Not having to be afraid. Not having to fight for his life. When it came down to it, pushing aside all the painful memories of his past… who was he?
Now was as good a time as any to figure it out.
“Tell you what, I’m up for whatever you like to do for fun.”
“REALLY?!” Scooch said at a louder volume than he’d intended, “Usually Tag’s always the one dragging me along on her adventures! You’d really let me take the lead?”
“You’re in charge, little buddy.” Colby gave him a thumbs-up, though he was mostly relieved he didn’t have the responsibility of finding ways to entertain the young pup himself.
“Pawsome! Let’s go, dog, go!”
Scooch jumped off the couch with his toy chicken in his arms and ran down the hall to the garage, with Colby following close behind. Inside was Scooch’s trusty miniature tractor with a small trailer already hitched to the back of it and covered with a variety of stickers - conveniently big enough for one adult dog to sit comfortably inside.
“Have you ever ridden a tractor before, Colby?” Scooch looked back to him, eager to see if Colby was visibly impressed by his ride
“I… can’t say that I have, actually,” Colby replied, feeling genuinely interested in this new experience.
“Oh, by the way, check it out! My tractor even has a chicken horn!” Scooch pressed a button on the console, causing the little chicken at the front of the tractor to give out a loud and shrill ‘BA-KAWK-KAWK!’
“That’s delightful.”
“Hey, do you wanna know all the names of the chickens I know?” Scooch asked, his tail wagging behind him.
“Sure, lay ‘em on me.” Colby chuckled, realizing he’d just made a chicken joke completely by accident. “Get it, ‘lay em on me’, like an egg?”
“Good one, Colby!” Scooch laughed. “Let’s see, there’s Lizzie, and Vanessa, and Kevin, and Pete, and Andrew…”
For much of the remaining day, Scooch showed his new friend all of his favorite things about Pawston. The small terrier drove around town slowly - very slowly - in his tractor, with Colby seated in the small trailer behind it. Scooch first took him to the Pawston Speedway, where he’d often help Tag be the best racer she could be as her crew-chief. They then went to the beach, where the two played catch with a frisbee - then to the park, where they played fetch with a tennis ball. Scooch was apparently not a very good thrower due to his small arms and large head, but with Colby’s guidance, he improved his form a bit to get a couple extra feet of distance.
Along the way from one place to another, Scooch told Colby about all the many exciting and fun times he’d had with his friend Tag, like the day they first met when he first moved to Pawston and she took him to a party in a tree. The time they competed as a team to be in the Race Cadets - and won. The time he and Tag arranged Pawston’s centennial anniversary and got the famous singer Kelly Korgi to perform the new town anthem that they wrote themselves. For each story Scooch told, Colby would casually ask a question or two, slowly getting a better idea about what life was like here in Pawston. The more they talked, Colby began to feel more and more at ease, like this new life of his really could be worth living after all.
Everything about this endearing little blue pup made him smile.
After spending some time playing together at the playground and getting a quick afternoon snack at a hot-dog stand, Scooch drove Colby from the martial-arts studio where he was training to be a tail-kwon-do master all the way to the tall party tree just outside of town, where Pawston would very often hold parties for one reason or another - and sometimes, for no particular reason at all.
As the sun began to get lower in the sky, they returned back to the house for Scooch to show Colby all his favorite ‘Chaser and Chewer’ superhero comic books and introduce him to his favorite board game, ‘Treat Peak’; Scooch won, of course. After their game, he made a small batch of his famous ‘pupcakes’ for them to share - adorable cupcakes with sugary purple fondant shaped like the round face of a floppy-eared puppy. As Colby took his first bite, his tail suddenly began to wag quickly back and forth and he floated several feet into the air with a startled look on his face until he landed again a few seconds later.
Evening eventually came, and Smooch still wasn’t back yet as Colby and Scooch relaxed on the couch once again after their long and fun-filled day together.
“I hope your mom’s okay. She’s been gone for quite a while,” Colby said as he arched his back slightly, cracking it in a few places.
“Yeah, like I said, she works a lot. She should be back pretty soon,” Scooch replied, not worried in the slightest; while he’d always miss her while she was off at work, he was usually kept busy with his own adventures he’d get into with Tag. Or, in today's case, Colby. “‘Duty calls’, as she always says.”
“Unity, duty, destiny,” Colby quietly muttered under his breath.
“Huh? What’s that mean?” Scooch tilted his head curiously.
“Oh, it’s just a saying I remembered.” Colby shook his head slightly, returning to the present. “It’s about three virtues.”
“Virtues?”
“It’s like a… a mantra I learned. Three reminders of how to be a good person - a hero, like the ones in your comics.” Colby idly rubbed with the dog-tag hanging from the collar around his neck under his thumb. “‘Unity’ is a reminder that we’re better together, not alone, and to put the needs of the many above our own. ‘Duty’ is doing what needs to be done, no matter the cost. And ‘Destiny’ is… what we’re meant to accomplish in our life. Our fate. Our purpose. The end of our story.”
“What’s your destiny, Colby?” Scooch asked, intrigued by all of this; it all seemed so… larger than life.
“I… don’t know.” Colby looked forward blankly, just now making the realization himself. He’d walked down so many roads before to become the dog he was today, sitting in this very living room; he was almost certain he’d achieved his destiny by now, but… if so, what else was there left for him to do?
And if not, could he ever truly feel safe, knowing there might still be one final road left?
How many roads must a man walk down?
“Do I have a destiny too?” Scooch asked, looking down at his body and patting around his chest as if it were something physically inside him.
“Absolutely, everyone does.” Colby rested his palm on Scooch’s head, slowly petting his blue fur as he spoke. “I believe there’s no such thing as ‘accidents’ or ‘coincidences’, because whether we know it or not, everything happens for a reason. But sometimes, destiny works in ways we don’t expect. One person’s destiny might be to help someone else achieve theirs; that's where unity comes in. And as much as they might hurt… our failures are just as much a part of our destiny as our successes. Duty isn’t always easy, but as long as you have the courage and willpower to keep going wherever the road takes you, destiny is waiting at the finish line. You might know what your destiny is right away, or you might not know what it is until you’re already there. The universe has a way of putting you where you’re supposed to be, exactly when you’re supposed to be there. It’s kind of funny, in an… interesting way.”
They sat silently together for a moment as Scooch processed this rather existential lecture.
“So uh, destiny… does that also include, like, soulmates and stuff like that?” Scooch asked, a small blush slowly appearing on his face.
“Yeah, I suppose so, but where’d you learn that term?” Colby sat up and rested his elbows on his legs.
“I heard it on a tv show my mom was watching one night when I came downstairs to use the bathroom, I think it was a soap-opera.” Scooch frowned. “I remember she looked pretty sad watching it, though.”
“O-oh. I can imagine.” Colby remembered Smooch telling him about her late husband. All this sudden talk of soulmates was making him start to tear up as well, though he tried to hide it.
“Do you think…” Scooch continued, twiddling his fingers together, “it’s possible to maybe have more than one soulmate?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like my mom, for example. I may not be the smartest dog in town, but I notice things.” Scooch pointed to his nose. “I have a really sensitive nose, even for a dog, and sometimes I think I can sense emotions with it. She puts on a happy face every day, but I know my mom’s still really sad about losing my dad, and I think it’s because he was her soulmate. But do you think someone can ever find another soulmate again after losing their first one?”
Colby was silent. In fact, he still wasn’t so sure himself. He couldn’t imagine anyone ever replacing…
Her.
“Y’know, I’ve also noticed something else,” Scooch said, smiling slightly as he looked at the yellow Labrador sitting next to him. “I noticed that ever since you came to Pawston, my mom’s been humming. She’s never hummed before, at least not that I can remember. She just seems, I dunno… happier.”
Colby’s heart began to beat a little faster. Maybe it was possible to have more than one.
“What about you, Scooch? Do you have a special someone you think could be your soulmate?” Colby asked, switching the topic over to him. “You can count on me to keep a secret, you and your mom are still pretty much the only dogs in town I know.”
“O-oh, well, um…” Scooch swayed his feet shyly, though he felt he could trust Colby. It was nice to have another male dog to talk to that wasn’t Frank or Beans, who were often the last dogs he’d want to see on any given day. Well, mostly Frank; Beans was usually tolerable enough, but he was far too empty-headed to ever hold any real conversation with.
“I sorta… kinda… maybe have a crush on Tag.”
“I kinda figured, you’ve been talking about her nearly all day. I’m guessing she’s also the same girl you were riding around with last night?” Colby straightened his posture, intrigued. He remembered Smooch telling him about Tag the first day they’d met, but to hear that Scooch also had feelings for her was nothing short of adorable. “She’s your neighbor too, right? We dropped off her little brother yesterday at the house right next-door.”
“Please, you can’t tell her!” Scooch stood up on the couch, a look of fear in his eyes. “Promise you won’t tell anyone! She knows pretty much every dog in town!”
“Relax, little buddy, I promise I won’t tell a soul. I can see why you like her though, she’s certainly a cutie.” Colby paused, clearing his throat. “But I didn’t mean that in a weird way, obviously. So, when are you gonna tell her?”
“Never.” Scooch slumped back into the couch. “She’d never speak to me again!”
“Listen, Scooch. Can I give you some advice, from one guy to another?” Colby turned to the little blue dog, gently placing a paw on his shoulder.
Scooch nodded, a somber and lovesick expression glued on his blushing face.
“You miss all of the shots you don’t take. You’re still really young, so you can take all the time you need, but if you wait too long… she might slip away.” Colby patted Scooch’s shoulder, creating space between them once more. “She likes you, doesn’t she?”
“Y-yeah, I think so… I hope so. You could say we’re best friends.” Scooch’s smile returned the more he talked about Tag. “She’s always there for me when I need her. Always has my back.”
“How often do you spend time with her?” Colby asked.
“Almost every day. Sometimes, she sneaks into my room just to wake me up early for whatever crazy plan she has that day.” Scooch rolled his eyes, that being one of the few things that bothered him about Tag as he very much liked sleeping in. But in a strange way, he still liked that about her and would admittedly miss it if she stopped. After all, what could be a better way of waking up than seeing Tag’s smiling face?
“Well there you go. If she didn’t like you back, would she be willingly spending every day with you? That sounds a lot like a soulmate to me, I’d be surprised if she didn’t feel exactly the same way about you.” Colby placed his paw on Scooch’s shoulder reassuringly, giving it a few pats. “You’re a really cool ki- pup, Scooch.”
“You really think so?” Scooch’s tail wagged behind him.
“I know so.” Colby nodded, his heart feeling warmer than it had in a long time. “I know it probably sounds corny, but you just have to believe in yourself.”
“That’s what Tag always says!”
“Then she sounds pretty smart.” Colby smirked.
“Yeah, you don’t know the half of it!” Scooch held Cluckles in his arms again, idly petting the frills on its head as he began daydreaming. “She’s like a genius when it comes to anything with an engine, she invents things all the time… she’s funny… and pretty…”
As Scooch trailed off with a longing sigh, Colby couldn’t help but blush as well for his sake. Young love was something to be cherished, and he hoped deep in his heart that everything would work out well for the two of them.
Just then, the front door finally opened and Smooch walked in, taking off her police hat with an exhausted groan.
“Sorry I took so long, one of the cows gave birth right in the middle of the road, it was a whole thing. The mama and calf are healthy though, at least.”
“Mom, you’re home!” Scooch jumped up off the couch and ran to his mother, hopping up into her arms and giving her a hug just as tight as the one he’d given her that morning.
“Thanks for takin’ care of those chores, Scooch. Do you want me to make some corned corn for dinner?” Smooch asked, giving her son a kiss on his head. “I know it’s your favorite.”
“Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. Colby helped me a lot!” the little blue terrier pointed over to where Colby was still sitting on the couch.
“He did?” Smooch looked over to him, causing the yellow Lab’s face to feel warmer.
“Yeah, Mom! We got done real quick working together! And then when we finished we went to the park and the beach and the speedway and we ate hot dogs and played Treat Peak and read comics and all kinds of fun stuff!” Scooch rambled excitedly, almost losing track of all the different things they’d done together.
“Wow, you had quite a day!” Smooch smiled, setting her energetic son down gently on the floor.
“Yeah, Colby’s the best! Can he stay over again tonight, too?”
“Well... we’ll just have to see.” Smooch glanced back over to Colby again with a vibrant glow in her furry cheeks, clearing her throat before their eye-contact became too uncomfortably long. “By the way, I was thinkin’ we could all go to the windmill museum, so I got some tickets for the three of us. You haven’t been yet, have you, Colby?”
“Windmills? No, I haven’t seen any windmills yet,” Colby replied as he stood up from the couch, arching his heels as he stretched.
“That sounds great, Mom, but uh… I was actually waiting to go with Tag tomorrow when she’s un-grounded, so you two can just go on without me.”
“You sure? But you love the windmills!” Smooch looked back at her son, surprised.
“I do, but, ah, I’m pretty tired. Still plenty full from those hot dogs, too.” Scooch feigned exhaustion, spreading his arms and letting out a surprisingly-convincing yawn. “I think I’ll just hit the hay a little early tonight, I’m beat. Thanks again for the pawsome day, Colby!”
The little blue terrier went back to Colby, gently hopping up and giving him a tight hug as he rested his head against his chest. After a brief hesitation and a glance to Smooch, Colby hugged him back. For some strange reason, he was getting the faintest hint that this little blue pup might be subtly trying to set him up with his mom.
“You’re the one who made today pawsome, Scooch. I’m really glad I got to hang out with you.”
Scooch let go of Colby, dropping back down to the floor and taking Cluckles from the couch as he gave the two a wave and a smile before retreating down the hall and upstairs to his room. “See ya tomorrow, Colby!”
Colby couldn’t help but smile in the direction that Scooch disappeared to, feeling like he’d made a true friend today - despite their age-difference.
Smooch pulled out the tickets, finally speaking up.
“S-so, uh… windmills?”
It wasn’t a long walk before the two eventually arrived at the outdoor windmill museum, a large fenced-off block filled with a wide variety of life-size wooden windmills lit a vibrant orange by the setting sun.
“Thank you so much for helpin’ Scooch with the housework. And… for spending time with him,” Smooch said as they arrived at the front gate; although they had tickets, they were simply able to walk in as there was no dog at the entrance to check them. In fact, there were no dogs whatsoever.
“Oh, it was no problem at all. Scooch is a joy to be around, he was so polite and well-behaved all day,” Colby replied with a smile.
“It really means a lot to me, and I’m sure it meant a lot to him, too. He normally has Tag of course, and I’ve already told you how good they are together, but he still hasn’t had a single male friend yet.” Smooch looked up at the yellow Lab, admiring how well he got along with her son - it almost seemed like he had a parental aura about him already. “That is, until you.”
Colby remained silent, feeling a sense of pride; in a way, it made him feel… special.
“My son means everythin’ to me, Colby. He’s all I have,” Smooch continued, stopping in her tracks. “And he seems to have really taken a likin’ to you. What I’m tryin’ to say is… well, I don’t even know what I’m tryin’ to say, exactly. All I can say is… thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Colby looked back to her with a gentle smile before his attention turned up to the old wooden windmill in front of them, clearing his throat. “These windmills are pretty interesting.”
“Aw, you don’t have to lie, I know everyone thinks they’re pretty boring. Scooch and I are the only dogs who ever come here. Well, I did drag Tag along once, but I could tell she hated every second of it.” Smooch chuckled. “To be honest, I kinda did it on purpose, but that’s a story for another time.”
“N-no, no, I really do like these windmills, I promise!” Colby looked up at the sails as they spun slowly in the gentle wind. “They feel like… home.”
“That’s funny you should say that, because this place is like a little piece of home to me, too.” Smooch stepped a few inches closer to Colby without even realizing. “S-so, how much do you know about windmills?”
“Not much, I just think they’re nice to look at. I know they’re used for wind-energy or something, but that’s about it. What else is there to really know about them?”
Smooch gasped, her eyes lighting up like his question had flipped a switch on inside her.
“A lot! For example, there’s post mills, tower mills, smock mills - oh! And if anyone asks, windmills and windpumps are not the same thing - common misconception. Y’see, windmills are specifically for-”
As Smooch walked Colby through the different windmill exhibits and taught him everything she knew about windmills - which was far more than he could’ve ever anticipated - Colby listened to every single word intently. He greatly admired the life in her eyes when she talked about windmills; it was abundantly clear just how passionate she was about them.
“-A composite mill, which is really just a type of post mill, was most commonly used in-”
She was like an endless encyclopedia of windmill knowledge, hardly taking a second to breathe before she immediately thought of something else interesting to say about them. Colby would ask her a quick question every once in a while when he could get a word in, but truthfully, what he enjoyed the most about this evening was simply hearing her speak. Looking at her face. Being in her presence. And although he didn’t realize it at the time, this would be the moment when Colby would officially be falling in love with her.
“-and some dogs actually think that windmill trestles are made from tubular steel! Can you believe that?”
“No way, that’s crazy,” Colby replied with a soft chuckle, though at this point he was now more focused on how adorable she was more than what she was even saying.
“I know! Not to mention- Oh.” Smooch stopped when she realized that the sun had set and they were back at the entrance, having taken Colby through the entire museum already. “Shoot, I probably talked your ear off, didn’t I? Sorry ‘bout that.”
“Don’t be, I had a great time.” Colby gave her a smile. “I learned a lot.”
Smooch’s heart warmed at the sight of Colby’s genuine smile, feeling like it was a rare sight for her to see. Even rarer was the fact that someone else besides her had any interest in windmills whatsoever; he didn’t make her feel self-conscious or weird for liking them as much as she did, and he’d been actively listening the whole time she’d been rambling on and on about her obscure passion. Not to mention, he’d also spent all day keeping her son company and even got along great with him. Although she didn’t realize it, this would be the exact moment when Smooch was officially falling in love with Colby as well.
“S-so, um…” Smooch finally spoke, remembering something Scooch had brought up earlier. “About stayin’ the night again…”
“If you want me gone, I totally get it. I’ve already-”
“No! No, that’s not it at all!” Smooch interrupted, “I was… I was gonna ask if- if you’d like to stay the night again.”
Colby thought for a moment.
“I… think I’d better not, tonight. It just feels, I dunno… improper?”
“But-” Smooch opened her mouth, but stopped herself. Even she wasn’t sure why she was so insistent on him staying in the first place. “Okay, I understand. You’re your own dog. But just so y’know, you’re always welcome.”
Colby was silent for a moment, thinking about where he’d actually sleep tonight. There were plenty of vacant trees, the grass, a bench… each option only seemed more depressing and lonely than the last the more he thought of it. And the thought of being alone…
“You know what? Screw it, I’d love to stay the night again.”
“R-really?!” Smooch asked excitedly; she’d convinced herself she was only offering out of generosity, but the truth of the matter was that she felt much less alone with another fellow adult under her roof, even if they were in separate rooms. Over the last two nights, his presence had been nothing if not comforting to her.
But before either of them could say anything else, her stomach grumbled loudly.
“Heh, I’m pretty hungry too. Wanna get something to eat before we head back?” Colby gestured to the diner some distance away.
Smooch blushed at the embarrassing noise her belly had made, but had no objections.
They soon reached the Big Bowl Diner, and as the two found an open booth to sit in, Colby quietly looked around at the many decorations and vintage photos littered across the walls. Within less than a minute, a lethargic-looking blue waitress dog wearing an apron approached them before speaking in a dreary monotone voice as she handed them menus.
“Welcome to the Big Bowl Diner… my name is Wagnes, and I’ll be your server tonight… can I start you with something to drink…?”
“Just water, please.” Smooch smiled politely at Wagnes. “And the barbecue chicken bowl, with extra chicken.”
Wagnes simply nodded with a slow blink, looking to Colby as he opened his menu for a second before closing it again.
“Uh… an orange soda, if you have any. And I think I’ll just get the same thing as her, that sounds really good.”
The faintest smile was just barely visible on Wagnes’s otherwise lethargic expression as she nodded and took the menus back before disappearing into the kitchen.
“Don’t tell Scooch about this, he’d be devastated.” Smooch said in a hush, as though Scooch might be able to hear her from all the way back at the house.
“What? Oh, because he likes chickens?” Colby asked, figuring that was the most likely reason.
“Yeah, I love him to death, but I never get to eat chicken around him anymore because he gets kind of… what’s the word… distraught.” Smooch’s eyes widened. “And trust me, it ain’t pretty. ”
“That’s too bad, chicken’s one of my favorites,” Colby replied as his mouth began to water from all this talk about it.
“Yeah, maybe he’ll grow out of it one day, but what can ya do? We make sacrifices for the ones we love.”
Something about what she’d said seemed to unnerve Colby, his chest heaving and his paw suddenly trembling visibly as it rested on the table. Smooch reached out and placed her paw on his, slowly but surely settling it down once again.
After a few more minutes of silence, the two nervously cleared their throats and brought their paws back to their sides as Wagnes returned with their food - two large dog bowls filled to the brim with grilled chicken, rice, peas, carrots, corn, and onions, all topped with a fragrant and mouth-watering barbecue sauce.
Colby and Smooch thanked Wagnes for the food and she walked off to tend to another customer, leaving the two to their dinner. They picked up their forks, and Colby stopped himself just before sticking it into the bowl. He looked across the table to Smooch; rather than using her fork to eat, she was simply holding it in her paw as she leaned her head down into the bowl to eat just as Scooch had done yesterday morning with his plate of sausages. As Colby glanced around at the other dogs in the diner, he noticed then that they were all eating straight from their bowls. Every single one of them simply held their silverware in their paws without ever actually using them.
Colby held the fork upright, looking down at his chicken bowl. He lowered his head and clumsily bit down into the chicken bowl with the fork held firmly in his paw as Smooch looked on in slight amusement. The blue terrier hummed a quiet chuckle to herself as she resumed eating along with him.
Although Colby felt silly at first, something about eating food in this way quickly began to feel more… natural; never in his life had he actually tried eating something like this before. It still felt a bit weird, but he began to enjoy it more with every bite. But more than the flavor of the chicken itself, the best thing about this meal by far was that he had someone to share it with.
“That was a real nice dinner,” Smooch said as they exited the diner, their stomachs fully satisfied. “Ready to head back? Or we could, I dunno…”
“Hm?” Colby glanced over to her, wondering what else she had in mind.
“Well, we’re adults, we can stay out as late as we want.” She looked back at him, her heart beating a little faster. “Who says the night has to be over?”
Just then, the large bell at the doorbell store automatically rang its chime, signifying that it was 8 o’clock. Smooch turned her head excitedly as if some kind of Pavlovian switch had been activated in her mind.
“Ruff! Ruff-ruff!”
Feeling a strange and foreign urge rising within him, Colby turned his head to the noise as well before instinctively letting out several impulsive barks of his own.
“Bark bark bark!”
His paw immediately slammed tightly over his own muzzle, suddenly running in a panic into the nearby alley behind the diner as if he were about to vomit.
“Colby?” Smooch followed him outside once she came to her senses.
The yellow Labrador’s paw shook as he removed it from his mouth, looking at the dim reflection of himself in a small puddle of water where he sat.
“What is happening to me?” he whispered.
“Colby, is everythin’ okay?” Smooch asked as she followed him into the alley. He simply sat in silence, looking over to her as the pale white light of the moon illuminated the back of her head.
“No… no, I’m not okay.” Colby looked down again, finding himself unable to look Smooch in the eyes as she sat down next to him. “I haven’t been okay for a long time.”
“...Welcome to the club,” Smooch sighed with a sad chuckle, gently placing her arm around Colby’s shoulders. Much to her surprise, Colby suddenly leaned in and wrapped his arms around her in a firm hug. “O-oh, I guess we’re doin’ this then. Okay. You’re okay.”
Smooch wrapped her arms around him as they held each other in a tight and emotional embrace.
They emerged from the alley some time later - after how long, neither could say. Their shoulders were wet from the other’s tears, and their eyes were glazed-over and red.
“I really needed that. Thanks…” Colby said quietly, feeling rather embarrassed by what had just happened.
“I think we both did.” Smooch smiled a little as she wiped under her eyes with her fingers. “It ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of, Colby. Sometimes we just need to let ourselves have a good cry every now and again. Good for the soul.”
“Yeah… yeah, I feel a bit better now,” Colby exhaled, rubbing his cheeks into his arm. “But I think I’m done for the night, if that’s okay with you. I’m pretty tired.”
“I’m with ya there, that took a lot outta me.” Smooch nodded, laughing softly under her breath. “We both had a long ‘nuff day already.”
Colby remembered his conversation with Scooch earlier that day.
“Do you think someone can ever find another soulmate after losing their first one?”
“My mom likes you too.”
“She just seems, I dunno… happier.”
“You miss all of the shots you don’t take.”
“Hey, so… tomorrow.” Colby took a breath and gathered his courage, deciding the time had come for taking chances. “Smooch Pooch, would you… like to go out on a date with me?”
“I…” Just as Smooch was about to respond, her mind took her back to thoughts of her husband, Kernel. She was still haunted by her memories of him, holding herself back from moving on. “I-I…”
No pressure. I hope I didn’t get the wrong impression, I just… thought maybe we might be able to have something… more.” Colby blushed deeply, feeling his heart begin to sink deeper the longer her silence lasted.
“Colby, I… look, this don’t feel right.”
“Oh… okay. I understand. Sorry.” Colby was disappointed, but not surprised. Smooch was still in mourning, and he had the nerve to ask her such an insensitive question? However, sighing with awkward humility as he began to turn away, Colby was quickly stopped by a paw on his wrist.
“But it don’t feel wrong neither.”
Smooch’s voice shook as she held back more tears. She never expected Colby would be the one to ask her out first.. “I’m just… kinda mixed-up right now. I admit I’m still a bit torn up about my husband, but… I wanna give this a shot. I really do like you, Colby. And more importantly, my son likes you too. What I’m tryin’ to say is… yes. Let’s go on a date tomorrow.”
Colby wiped his eyes one last time as he smiled wider than Smooch had ever seen on him before.
“It’s a date, then.”
They walked back to Smooch’s home paw in paw, their hearts both finally beginning to slowly heal. All they really needed was a little push in the right direction.
Sometimes, even just a small scooch is all it takes.
