“Bring a little water…bring a little wine…Bring a little lovin’…I feel fine”
The radio played at a low hum as the white, 1999 Toyota Camry turned into the neighborhood. Preoccupied with thoughts of the many chores that awaited her that week, Jeanine hummed along with the tune while occasionally muttering some words to herself. Her many thoughts bubbling up to the surface briefly, only to die down a few seconds later. As she got closer to her house at the end of the street, a familiar sight awaited her.
“Oh my god! I can’t believe this.” she speeded up. “The nerve of this guy!”
The car came to a screeching halt on the curb outside her house. Shocked at the suddenness of the event, the man jumped in fright. The dog that was merrily rubbing it’s back on the front yard grass moments ago, stood up in full attention.
Jeanine swung open the door in a huff and attempted to get out of the car. She was swiftly pulled back by the seat belt buckle. It took a few tries but once the seat belt released from the buckle, she jumped out of the car, slammed the door shut and took strides towards the man. Having had a few moments to regain his composure, the dog did what came naturally to him. He charged at her with a few powerful barks, only to be held back by a buckle of his own, much like his aggressor.
Shocked by the volume of the bark and the ferocity of an otherwise meek looking dog, Jeanine stopped in her tracks and kept a safe distance from the man and his dog. But the physical restraint did not deter the verbal barrage that was about to follow.
“You despicable man! I can’t believe you have the nerve to come back here again. Do you think I want that filthy, little dog’s ticks and whatever else it has trapped in that fur, all over my front yard?”
“Ma’am…I…”
“I have been watching you for weeks now. You and that filthy, little mutt are always on my front yard. You have no regard for personal property.”
“Listen, lady!” the man intervened. “My dog was simply rubbing his back on your yard for a moment. It’s not like he pooped in it! Besides, I always clean up after him, if he poops in someone’s yard.”
“Well, him and you should find somewhere else to do your business! This is a good neighborhood and these dogs are ruining it. They are all over. There’s trash and dog filth all — ”
While the man gave Jeanine a patient ear, the dog had plans of his own. He made a second attempt at lunging at her. The man held him back and instructed him to sit and be quiet. He reluctantly followed the instructions. The man took this momentary quiet as an opportunity to quell the situation.
“Listen, I apologize for my dog. I’ll be more mindful about his actions. Let’s put this matter to rest.”
“The matter will be at rest when you stop bringing your dog to my house. Because if you don’t, there will be consequences.”
“Consequences?”
“What you and that canine are doing is called trespassing. If it happens again, I’ll call the cops.”
The man opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He thought to himself that perhaps he has a better chance getting through to his dog and preventing him from going on yards, than he had convincing this lady that he and his dog meant no harm. He asked his dog to get up and tugged him away from the spot. The dog looked back at Jeanine and gave one last growl before walking away from her.
Jeanine watched them walk away for a few moments. Her mind then came back to herself and her state. She realized that she was audibly breathing hard and her hands were trembling. She looked back at her car, which was still running, jutting out onto the street with the radio playing some public service announcement. She felt a slight ache in her ribs that labored her breathing. She ambled to her car, got into the driver’s seat and parked it into the drive way.
Exhausted by the day, she was now looking forward to unloading the many groceries from the trunk, filling out the refrigerator and pantry and drinking a cold, sweet tea on her arm chair near the back porch.
She placed the many bags on the door step and rustled in her handbag for the house keys. They always managed to slide into some deep crevice of the bag and it annoyed her to rummage for them. Not this time though! She grabbed them straight out of the bag, inserted the key in the doorknob and turned the key. No movement.
She tried one more time and then another.
“What the hell is going on?” she mumbled to herself as she held the doorknob with one hand and turned the key with the other.
The key didn’t turn. She pulled the door toward her and turned the key slowly but firmly.
“Surely that will do the trick.” she thought to herself.
“Oh, for god’s sake!” she exclaimed in frustration as she broke her grip.
“It’s the damn doorknob!” she thought to herself.
“I told Al we should fix this darn thing!”
Feeling somewhat apologetic of waking her husband from his afternoon nap, that he surely must be taking, she rang the door bell, once and then another time for good measure.
She waited a few moments, anticipating the time it will take Al to wake up, find his slippers, his walking stick and amble his way down the stairs to the hallway and eventually to the door. As he approaches the door, he’ll call out, “I’m coming!” as he always does. She anticipated about five to seven minutes. She turned around to look at the spot where the dog was rubbing itself on the grass, shaking her head.
She didn’t hear Al’s voice but the door finally opened.
She turned around as she said, “Sorry to wake you up, honey. The door wouldn’t — ”
Al wasn’t standing at the doorway. A little girl, perhaps five or six years of age, seemingly Asian descent looked back at her. Jeanine was both shocked and confused. She looked at the house number next to the door — 1577. It was indeed her house.
Somewhat annoyed at the further delay in her blissful plans to relax, she tried her best to feign friendliness at the child, “Young lady! Are you lost? What are you doing in my house?”
The girl looked back at Jeanine for a few seconds, without saying a word. She then turned around and ran towards the living room, disappearing behind the wall.
“This is ridiculous.” Jeanine picked up the grocery bags and started to step into her house when a young man, also of Asian descent came out from the living area and walked towards her.
On any given day, all of us have a number of surprises that we can handle with somewhat grace and aplomb. On most days, that number for Jeanine was zero. With the man and his dog on her front yard, house keys not working and an unexpected occupant opening the door to her house, Jeanine had had more than her share.
So when she lost her cool one more time that day, she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. “What the hell is going on? Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”
“Hello, Jeanine.”
“How do you know me? I have never seen you before.”
“Yes, you have. Several times. I’m Kwan”
“Kwan! Kwan who? Are you a friend of Al or something? Is he in there? Al!” she called out.
“Well, I wouldn’t say friend. We have more of a business association.”
“O…kay…”
“You sold us this house, remember?”
Jeanine stood there blankly, utterly confused by what she had just heard.
“It’s been over six years.” Kwan said.
She peaked into the insides of the house and did not see anything that she recognized. The paint was blue. The furniture and artifacts were not her’s. There were pictures on the wall, that weren’t of her or her family.
“Your house is few streets down from here.” Kwan spoke again. “On Elm and — ”
“Elm and 4th.”
‘That’s correct. Do you want me to take you there?”
“No, I got it.” It all came back to her in those moments — The many years in this house with Al and her children, her children growing up and moving away for college, their marriages, her and Al’s retirement, his death, his memorial, her selling of the house. Everything. She nursed her forehead in embarrassment.
“Ah, I’m sorry to bother you.” She finally said. “Sometimes I get — ”
They both looked at each other in a knowing silence, that eventually stayed long enough to become an awkward one.
“Well…I’ll be on my way!” Jeanine picked up the grocery bags and stepped away from the door.
She turned back and said, “Hey, at least I took care of the man and his dog for you!” She laughed awkwardly as she quickly shoved the bags into the backseat, pulled the car out the driveway and drove away without looking back.
When she was out of sight, Kwan closed the door to his house and walked back to the living room. Nari was typing an email when Kwan walked into the living room, so she didn’t look up.
She simply asked, “Was it Jeanine, again?”
“Yes.” He said as he sat next to their daughter.
“What was it this time?”
“Something about a man and his dog.”
“Oh, that’s a new one! A man…and his dog….” Nari shook her head as she clicked Send.
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