For the Love of Pete

Then he grabbed his car keys and headed for the door. Did he even remember any of the old haunts downtown, he wondered, as he walked to the car. Were any of them still there?

The car stopped sooner than he expected. He’d been daydreaming. He hadn’t even driven in the direction of the downtown area. He looked out the window and saw that he was in the parking lot of a park. Several other cars were parked there. That wasn’t a surprise; it was a Saturday morning.

Rick got out of the car and stretched. It was dangerous to drive this way, he thought. He’d been zoned out—hadn’t even gone in the right direction. He needed fresh air to clear his brain and then he’d take off for the city again. Did he even know where he was? How to get to the city from here?

He was walking through a fringe of woods and found himself at the edge of an open field. A group of people were standing in a semicircle over to the right. They were drinking coffee and chatting.

Rick heard barking and looked out into the center of the field and saw a pack of dogs—several different breeds—running around in circles, playing with each other. While he watched, one of the dogs would break away and run back to the group of people for a reassuring pat and stroke and then scamper back to the center of the field, passing another dog going to check on its owner.

I’m at Penn Park, Rick thought. This is where Mike told me I should come. That I should get another dog and bring him to Penn Park on Saturday mornings. I’m not ready for this, he thought.