F***in' Arizona

Bitch, You Thought! (Chapter 21.1)

One Month Later

*Le sigh*

It felt so nice being out of school.
No having to worry about waking up for classes.
No stressing over an abundance of assignments due in an unreasonable allotment of time.
No getting mad because of the subpar food choices on campus.
Best of all, no having to get angry because I got a parking ticket on campus.
And even better, no panicking and being late to classes because I couldn't find a parking spot.

To just be at home in the comfort of my parent's house for a part of the summer and not have to worry about anything except for how annoying my mother was being that day.

I was currently and unfortunately on a waiting list for a job I really wanted, so for the time being while I was staying with my parents, I was working a restaurant job until I could be given the chance to prove myself at the job I really wanted. I told myself that I wouldn't work another restaurant job, but here I am. It's whatever, I guess.

Maya stayed in our apartment back in our new home city. Her parents were traveling to Puerto Rico to visit family and she opted not to go. She said something about starting a new job and couldn't take the time off.

I, on the other hand, was the personal slave to my parents and my job. I had no time to do much of anything for myself. Most days I went from work, home, church, bed, and repeat.

What did I do for fun when I did get the chance to escape from my daily routine? I was either eating food with a few select coworkers on Mondays every two weeks, or I was at the park.

I liked to go to the park to take my precious black and white Pit/Lab mix Bruce, to roam around and play with other canines. He was a bit of a "hood" dog, so he liked to show dominance to other dogs by trying to stand up to them, pee on all and everything, chase after squirrels, birds, and sometimes people. And he liked to try and escape his collar so he can go home with someone else so they can feed him more dog treats.

Today was no different.

Bruce was roaming around a few bushes sniffing out whatever intriguing things he could, and I was listening to my favorite music while sitting comfortably on a nearby bench.

It was a cool, clear, and breezy afternoon and I could honestly stay out there for hours if I had the availability.

It smelled like a bushel of beautifully scented flowers and sandwiches because of the hot and cold sandwich cart not far away. The scent of a delectable Philly cheesesteak wafted towards me and up into my nostrils, making me bring my head upwards away from my cell phone in order to smell the scent better.

"Huuuhhh," I breathed in, "Do you smell that Brucie? That, my dear friend, is the smell of an earthly food Heaven."

Bruce halted his bush adventure and picked up his head as well at the sound of his name and trotted his way towards me to rest his head on my thigh and wag his tail vigorously.

"I'm not even trying to spend money today, but damn that smells good!" I tell him like he cared. He probably wants me to spend the money so he can also obtain a piece of the sandwich.

"Should I spend that $5 to get one? Or should I be a responsible adult and just eat the food I have at home?" I ask in his direction but was really just asking myself.

Bruce's tail stopped wagging but started up again as if he was saying "yes!". And as an added bonus, he sounded off with a happy sounding bark.

"You've convinced me, boy. Let's go get that sandwich. Although, you aren't getting any until you cough up $2.50 towards the meal."

My best friend and I started our trek across the vibrant and full of life park to our destination that would grant us warm and full bellies. 
Past little children flying kites and couples picnicking on cliched checkered blankets, dodging a group of boys in a heated game of Frisbee, and between a few giant grandfather Oak trees that seemed to be the protectors of the park, till we made it to home base.

"Fourth in line buddy, I don't know if I can wait that long, can you?" I say jokingly to him.

Bruce barks at me and sits as if to say that he didn't walk all the way through the park just to not get a treat.

I nod in agreement with him and continue to patiently wait for the joy that would soon fill the angry void in my stomach.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in possession of the current greatest thing on earth. The soft and hot bread coupled with the grouping of the savory and well-seasoned meat with tomatoes, lettuce, and mozzarella/ provolone mix warmed my hands and spread a smile widely across my face.

I put the sandwich up to my nose and inhaled deeply then allowed Bruce to do the same. His tail began swiftly moving to signal his excitement until something else caught his attention and his tail stopped midair while he sniffed upwards.

"What's the matter boy?" I asked him wondering what could gather his attention more than what was in front of him.

Bruce turned from me to continue sniffing the air and look in different directions to see where the scent was coming from.

He seemed to finally obtain the direction because he then began to sprint off towards the source.

"Bruce! Come back here! Stop!"

Bruce may be a hoodass dog, but he is also very sweet unless threatened or provoked. He is the coolest pup in the streets; however, he is also a Pitbull mix. Considering the stigma around breeds like his, if anyone in this park sees a dog like him running at full speed without an owner nearby, they could potentially call animal control thinking he's vicious.
Needless to say, I was very upset that he ran off.

"BRUUUCCCEEEE!!" I yell after him still holding on to my sandwich as he continued to sprint over a hill.

My annoyance and I ran after him but I needed to stop at the top of the hill to gather my breath and regain some energy.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten that sandwich and just got a salad from somewhere else instead. I've gotta start exercising again," I say in huffed breaths.

I look around for my pup and listen to see if I hear any deranged screams coming from any direction, but I don't. Just the laughs of random people.

My dark brown eyes frantically search every inch of the scene in front of me for any signs of black and white fur until I finally spot him jumping on a man.

"SHIT!" I yell. Please tell me he hasn't finally cracked and fed into the stigma even more.

I run down the hill, newly gained energy in tow, and yell out his name. Screaming at him to get down from the stranger.
Upon closer arrival, Bruce senses me and hops down to run towards me, happily hopping towards my hand that is still gripping the sandwich.

"I am so sorry! I don't know what has gotten into him. He never does stuff like this. Are you alright? Did he hurt you in anyway?"

I was too busy looking over the stranger's lower body to even look him in the face, but when I heard his voice, my head immediately snapped upwards.

"I'm great! Pretty certain he just recognized me. Although, considering how far away I assume you guys were, I'm surprised he knew I was here. He always has been a smart dog."

I couldn't help but drop my jaw in astonishment.

"Ari?!?!?"