Part 2:
Glass breaking and tin cans clanking on the pavement.
That’s what made us look out the window that January evening.
A recycling bin sat overturned, its contents strewn across Rick’s driveway.
Garbage cans tipped and fell.
Something was digging through the trash.
My brother went out to scare the animal away and curious me went as well.
Our purposefully loud footsteps had no effect.
Nor did the light shined in its face.
“Get out of here, scat!” Rick hollered. “Go on!”
The animal looked up, perplexed.
“Are you … are you new here?”
Somehow, incredibly – it seemed like a reasonable thing to ask.
That’s what made us look out the window that January evening.
A recycling bin sat overturned, its contents strewn across Rick’s driveway.
Garbage cans tipped and fell.
Something was digging through the trash.
My brother went out to scare the animal away and curious me went as well.
Our purposefully loud footsteps had no effect.
Nor did the light shined in its face.
“Get out of here, scat!” Rick hollered. “Go on!”
The animal looked up, perplexed.
“Are you … are you new here?”
Somehow, incredibly – it seemed like a reasonable thing to ask.
There stood Dale, matted and messy.
Scrawny and shivering in the cold.
“Are you new here?” he asked again.
“I live here,” Rick answered.
The lion grunted and resumed pawing through the garbage.
“Looking for something?” I asked.
He picked out a chicken wing and inspected it for meat.
“Don’t eat that,” Rick said. “If you’re hungry, come inside, I’ve got food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. C’mon.”
Perhaps we should have thought twice about inviting a talking beast inside.
Perhaps it should have unnerved me.
But even hungry and confused … he made us smile.
And of course he spoke pretty well.
Rick heated up leftover spaghetti and meatballs in the microwave.
The meal was devoured until lips were licked; a bowl of water was soon emptied.
Scrawny and shivering in the cold.
“Are you new here?” he asked again.
“I live here,” Rick answered.
The lion grunted and resumed pawing through the garbage.
“Looking for something?” I asked.
He picked out a chicken wing and inspected it for meat.
“Don’t eat that,” Rick said. “If you’re hungry, come inside, I’ve got food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. C’mon.”
Perhaps we should have thought twice about inviting a talking beast inside.
Perhaps it should have unnerved me.
But even hungry and confused … he made us smile.
And of course he spoke pretty well.
Rick heated up leftover spaghetti and meatballs in the microwave.
The meal was devoured until lips were licked; a bowl of water was soon emptied.
“Are you from around here?” my brother asked.
“Huh? I thought you said you lived here.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But where are you from?”
His eyes rolled a bit. “I … I don’t know.” He looked distressed.
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “It’s OK.”
“Do you have anything else to eat?”
Rick opened a bag of pretzels and began cooking two hot dogs.
“I'm Josephine and this is Rick, my brother.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What’s your name?”
“Name? Let me think about that. Hmmm. Nothing’s jumping out at me.”
“Really?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had one. Is that weird?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Can you give me one?”
“A name?”
“Yeah, give me a name.”
I glanced at Rick and he seemed blank.
Meanwhile, feline eyes searched the kitchen for inspiration.
“How about that bottle? What does it say … Dale? Hey, I like that!”
A jar of salsa sat unopened on the counter.
“Huh? I thought you said you lived here.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But where are you from?”
His eyes rolled a bit. “I … I don’t know.” He looked distressed.
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “It’s OK.”
“Do you have anything else to eat?”
Rick opened a bag of pretzels and began cooking two hot dogs.
“I'm Josephine and this is Rick, my brother.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What’s your name?”
“Name? Let me think about that. Hmmm. Nothing’s jumping out at me.”
“Really?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had one. Is that weird?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Can you give me one?”
“A name?”
“Yeah, give me a name.”
I glanced at Rick and he seemed blank.
Meanwhile, feline eyes searched the kitchen for inspiration.
“How about that bottle? What does it say … Dale? Hey, I like that!”
A jar of salsa sat unopened on the counter.
“Dale? Are you sure?”
“It sounds happy to me.”
Rick turned the jar around and displayed the full title: ‘Ida Lee’s Peach Salsa.’
“It’s not ‘Dale.’ You just picked out some letters from the middle.”
The lion thoughtfully considered the impact of this revelation.
“Ida Lee’s Peach Salsa? Wow. Even better! Call me that, thanks.”
And had we’d known he’d be our future partner?
We might have come up with something a little cooler.
Something like ...
Leonardo Ferocitus.
Fuzztron Thundercrash.
ClawFang BiteMarx?!
At that moment, however, it was all we could do to fend off Ida Lee and her tangy yet sweet salsa.
“Let’s go with your first choice. I think I like … Dale.”
He shrugged his shoulders and asked for a third hot dog.
“It sounds happy to me.”
Rick turned the jar around and displayed the full title: ‘Ida Lee’s Peach Salsa.’
“It’s not ‘Dale.’ You just picked out some letters from the middle.”
The lion thoughtfully considered the impact of this revelation.
“Ida Lee’s Peach Salsa? Wow. Even better! Call me that, thanks.”
And had we’d known he’d be our future partner?
We might have come up with something a little cooler.
Something like ...
Leonardo Ferocitus.
Fuzztron Thundercrash.
ClawFang BiteMarx?!
At that moment, however, it was all we could do to fend off Ida Lee and her tangy yet sweet salsa.
“Let’s go with your first choice. I think I like … Dale.”
He shrugged his shoulders and asked for a third hot dog.