The Sound of Silence: A Dream Daddy story

Chapter Six

You didn't set foot outside again for several days, except to buy groceries. You subsisted on sandwiches and the brownies Joseph had brought over a few days before, and vodka. Lots of vodka. The brownies were, you had to admit, delicious. Mostly, you puttered around the house and caught up on work. You kept the curtains drawn, and truth be told, you slept more than anything else.

One night, you stepped outside on a whim, rubbing your eyes to relieve some of the tension. You always felt a little tight--in your neck and face--after spending so much time in front of your computer.

It must've been close to 2am. Stepping out onto your porch, a mixed drink in one hand, you ventured out far enough to look up at the stars. The neighborhood was dead quiet around you, everyone asleep and totally unaware of your presence in the night. It was nice. Peaceful.

You sat on the porch step after a moment, sipping your drink and watching the stars.

Was this what freedom was? Enjoying a drink on your own porch in the dead of of night? Sitting alone, no distractions, to think about the mysteries of the universe?

You shook your head.

How long had it been since you'd been able to do something like this? To sit quietly and contemplate life without half-listening for the sound of the garage door opening or footsteps on the staircase. Without worrying about the snide comments when you poured another drink. Clenching your teeth, you took another sip of your drink, smiling grimly at the satisfaction of doing whatever the fuck you wanted.

All of that other stuff was behind you.

The crunching of rapid footsteps caught your attention suddenly. Jumping to your feet, you were halfway to the door before you realized there was no way they were human footsteps. You turned, the slash of light that fell through a gap in your curtains illuminating the porch enough for you to just make out a tiny figure barreling toward you. As you watched, a tiny dog approached at a run, its tongue lolling and its eyes bulging with excitement.

"Well hey there!" Speaking in a low voice, you sat right back down on the step, holding a hand out to the dog. It came forward willingly, sniffing your fingers for a moment while it's tail waggled furiously. "Where'd you come from?"

Of course the dog had no answer to your question. But she seemed perfectly content to let you scratch behind her ears and rub her belly as she flopped to the ground beside you, panting.

An instant later, more footsteps, undeniably human this time, crunched toward you. You glanced up, your fingers clamping down on the dog's tiny body as you tensed slightly. She squirmed, but her tail wagged even more happily.

A tiny dot of light illuminated the spot of night where the footsteps originated. You watched, your heart beginning to pound, as whoever it was slowed to a walk and approached very, very slowly.

"Didn't realize you were a night owl."

You let out a breath, but caught it again just as quickly. His voice was so unlike the one you remembered, but the sight of his face, illuminated by the slow burn of a cigarette as he lifted the stick to his lips and took a drag, shook you to your core. "Don't think I've seen you out here before."

You quirked an eyebrow, but he didn't elaborate. So you said the first thing that came to mind. "She yours?" Nodding to the dog whose tail had started going a mile a minute as Robert approached.

"Nah. Watching her. For a friend."

No more information seemed forthcoming. But the dog didn't seem inclined to go anywhere any time soon, so you simply kept petting her, smoothing her coat down repeatedly while she wriggled and wagged to her heart's content. There didn't seem to be much else to say. You gulped at your drink, more out of a sense that you needed to occupy yourself somehow than out of any desire for the burning taste of a drink you'd poured too strongly.

Robert seemed content to stand silently as well. He leaned, uninvited, against the corner where the house met the garage, his cigarette dangling from his fingers between drags. You noticed that he'd positioned himself perfectly so that the smoke wouldn't be blown toward you in the night breeze.

Considerate, and such an unfamiliar gesture.

Part of you wished he would go away already, while the rest of you suddenly craved the smell of smoke in your face.

And the taste of it on your tongue.

Shaking yourself, you realized you'd been zoning out, while he'd stood quietly smoking on your driveway. He'd probably think you were some asshole, just ignoring him in the dark of night.

Just as you drew breath to say. . . Something, anything, he pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket. With practiced ease, he pulled out a piece of gum, twisted the butt of his cigarette into the now-empty square of foil, pocketed the butt, and clicked his tongue at the dog. She obediently got up, leaving your hand empty and missing the touch of soft fur under your fingers, and trotted to Robert's side. He turned to leave without a word, and you blinked.

Only to be caught off guard as he called back softly through the night.

"You coming on Saturday?"

"Coming?" Confusion raced through you. "Coming where?"

"The barbecue. Joseph said he was going to invite you."

You quickly backtracked mentally over the last several days. Someone had woken you from an extended nap by ringing the doorbell the other day, but they'd been gone by the time you got to the door. You'd never bothered finding out who it had been, and had spent the rest of that night absorbed in work and a bottle of vodka.

"Oh, uh. Maybe."

He was already at the end of the driveway, the dog trotting at his heels. He lifted a hand. "See ya Saturday."

You stared after him in bemusement. After a moment, you downed the rest of your drink.

Guess I've got plans on Saturday.