Author's note, this takes place right where part 5 ended, right after school got out*
Every Monday through Friday I worked after school from 5-6.
"Kate you have to stay here okay? It is only for a hour but I can't take you to my work for sanitary reasons which are stupid!"
"What are those?" Kate asked.
"They are rules that say you can't have "pets" in the store I work at, I love my job there though," I explained to her.
"Don't be down Kate there will be times I won't be able to be with you unfortunately. Now Stormy is here and well as Buddy they can keep you in good company, just make sure Buddy don't try to hump you if he does you have my full permission to thrash him!" I then got down and pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her.
"I love you Kate, when I get back me, you, Stormy and Zach will go downtown or something, sound good to you?"
Her face lit up, "oh that sounds like fun Jon! You never have taken me and showed me around town much."
"Well then that sounds like the plan! We will head out when I get home, now I gotta run to work. I love you and will be back before you know it!" I stood up and descended the stairs and went to the Bronco, started it up and headed for work.
Work was the usual, sweeping the floors, emptying garbage's and mopping. The hardest part was keeping Kate off my mind! "You Make me Smile" by Uncle Kracker was now stuck in my head thanks to the XM radio that played throughout the whole store. Now that I was done mopping I rolled up the carpets by the front doors and took them out and shook all the dust out of them. After that was done I took down the banner from the front of the store between the doors "Central Montana Variety and layed it out on the floor by the shopping carts. Keep in mind this store has actual doors, not the fancy ones that slide aside when you walk toward them! There is a big gap between them where the banner is hung outside to greet incoming customers. Now that that was done I checked the time, only 5 minutes until closing! I headed into the backroom and went downstairs to turn off all the lights in the basement where all the goods are stored.
It is a small store and only 6 people work there not counting the manager Tom also the coolest boss anyone could have! That day it was me, George and Tom and since Tom was the manager he had to stay and count the tills so as usual he let me and George out and locked the doors behind us. I fast walked to the Bronco and headed home as quickly as possible. On Upper Spring Creek Road I stepped on the gas and could hear the sharp whistle of the carburetor sucking in air and the big engine roar. Propelling the 5,600lb Bronco forward. I loved that feeling, but knowing the price of gas was going up I let off the accelerator and the Bronco's engine torqued down. The exhaust's deep rumbling as the transmission dropped down into 2nd gear, I turned down the road that eventually led to our driveway. I quickly called up Zach and told him the plans for the night and hung up just as I was parking by the back door.
Less than an hour later I could hear Zach's little Blazer pulling into my driveway. For dinner I had prepared pre-made lasagna from the store. Kate enjoyed this a lot too; not as much as a rare tenderloin but she did like it a lot.
"Alright Kate lets go!"
I swept my hand in front of her and she bounded down the stairs and to the back door, Stormy was already there however. Stormy had lived her life for 2 years now and she knew ahead of time when her master was about to leave by the way he acted. Talking hastily on the phone, or jumping up from the chair and grabbing his jacket or coat. Sometimes however Stormy just knew when they would be going somewhere like they were now.
I opened the passenger door and Stormy hopped into the back of the Blazer I then sat down. Kate looked at me with a confused look, I patted my lap.
"Here Kate sit on my lap!" Kate jumped in and positioned herself so that her back was to me and so she could see out the window clearly, I didn't mind at all.
"You and Kate, no making out in my vehicle!" Zach joked.
"Well then hurry up and drive asshole!" I laughed, he scoffed at me and put the transmission into reverse. He sped out of the driveway and headed for downtown as quickly as possible. I wrapped my arms around Kate's middle and rested my head on her back all the while watching Zach drive. I grew bored and lifted my head to peer around Kate; I saw the decrepit grain elevator passing by. We were in the city limits now.
"Where we parking at Jon? That one thing is going on on Main Street and there wont be many parking spots," said Zach. I had forgotten there was some type of spring festival going on and Main Street would be closed off for it.
"Park over there," I had seen a empty spot being vacated by a car in front of O'Reilly Auto Parts and Zach parallel parked the Blazer before the spot got taken. This was good because Main Street was only a block away and we would not have to walk far. I opened the door and let Kate out and I got out to let Stormy out. Zach was already out and walked around my side to lock the door.
"Sorry about that man, now Kate I want you to stay next to me at all times no matter what okay? Don't let anything distract you," I said.
Kate nodded, "okay but what are you going to do about her?" There was a reason Stormy had no collar or leash on.
Raising up the authority in my voice, "Stormy heel!" She had been sniffing a nearby shrub and instantly lept to the right of me, looking up and me wagging her tail.
"That's my good girl Stormy!" I patted and praised her.
I smiled at Kate, "take my left and lets go sweetheart!"
Awestruck Kate asked, "how did you do that?" I shook my head though.
"Not now Kate, we got other things at hand, I will explain everything to you some other time okay?" I said patiently. Kate nodded and the four of us all began to walk down the street and took a right at the intersection that led to Main Street.
"Sorry sir but there are no pets allowed at the spring festival!" A untidy, squat man told us as we were about to walk into the street.
"Why is that?" I asked in a rather annoyed tone.
"For the safety of the public, trust me man I have dogs too and think this rule is dumb but the city officials say "No!" unfortunately." The man said.
"Very well then," I said and turned around and started walking back.
"Kate you and Stormy wait right here, Zach and I won't be gone long. Kate I trust that you will keep everything in order and do not leave you hear?" It was in the Don's sporting goods store parking lot under a young tree that we were gathered around. I got down on my knees and pulled both Kate and Stormy close to me. I looked directly into Stormy's eyes.
"You be a good girl okay? Do what Kate says, I know you can't talk to me but I do know that you and her can so be good, love you," I patted her head.
"Kate?" I faced her, "you know what to do. Like I said we wont be long," we shared a nice kiss and then I got up.
"Let's go Zach," we walked back down the street and disappeared into the crowd.
Kate watched them go into the crowd and looked around keeping her eyes set for any movement. Something yummy smelling teased her nose and she sniffed the air. It smelled like sausage being cooked; just like the time Jon had cooked that wonderful breakfast for her!
"Hey Stormy lets go check this out!" Kate said completely forgetting what Jon had told her to do. Stormy had settled down on the cool pavement of the parking lot, she sniffed the air too.
"Man Kate that does smell great dosen't it?" She too must have forgot what she had been told.
With her nose doing its job; Kate led the way, Stormy close behind. They crossed the small parking lot and without knowing walked into a alley that was quite dim because of the old building that it bordered blocked out the setting sun. The smell began to grow stronger and Kate stopped to look around.
Big mistake but it was too late, the alley they had walked into was home to a rickety old brick building with a porch. On the porch sat a Weber barbecuer and a strange man with metal tongs in his hands. He glanced up and saw Kate and Stormy, and pointed at them with the tongs.
"You two are just in time! I have not had dog in years, tonight must be my lucky night!" The man said stupidly and he stumbled his way down the 3 stairs on the porch and was now in the alley.
"Get away from us!" Kate growled ferociously at him, she flattened hear ears, pulled her lips back, all the hair on her neck and back stood up. Stormy stayed behind her; she growled too but never in her life had she been alone without the master to protect her. The man did not seem the least scared and continued to walk toward Kate and Stormy. He was in comparison to Jon about the same height but really disgusting! His face was all hairy and his head was shaved; Kate had never seen a human quite this strange before. The man clicked the tongs.
"C'mere pretty, yeah you brown one!" He said lazily; the toe of his shoe caught on a rock and he nearly fell but managed to stay on his feet. Kate was now scared for he had backed them both up to a; she dared a glance behind her, dead end! The alley ended right there, they were trapped! Stormy was now in a mild panic.
"Kate what do we do?" She whispered, her voice broken and shaken.
"Stand your ground and show your teeth!" Kate hissed quietly. Stormy did but now they had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. It was hopeless unless a miracle happened. The man staggered closer to them and was now only feet away. His eyes were bloodshot and menacing.
"Now that I got you where I want you...Get the fuck over here! You can't get past me, I have a weapon!" Once again he clicked the metal tongs.
Every Monday through Friday I worked after school from 5-6.
"Kate you have to stay here okay? It is only for a hour but I can't take you to my work for sanitary reasons which are stupid!"
"What are those?" Kate asked.
"They are rules that say you can't have "pets" in the store I work at, I love my job there though," I explained to her.
"Don't be down Kate there will be times I won't be able to be with you unfortunately. Now Stormy is here and well as Buddy they can keep you in good company, just make sure Buddy don't try to hump you if he does you have my full permission to thrash him!" I then got down and pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her.
"I love you Kate, when I get back me, you, Stormy and Zach will go downtown or something, sound good to you?"
Her face lit up, "oh that sounds like fun Jon! You never have taken me and showed me around town much."
"Well then that sounds like the plan! We will head out when I get home, now I gotta run to work. I love you and will be back before you know it!" I stood up and descended the stairs and went to the Bronco, started it up and headed for work.
Work was the usual, sweeping the floors, emptying garbage's and mopping. The hardest part was keeping Kate off my mind! "You Make me Smile" by Uncle Kracker was now stuck in my head thanks to the XM radio that played throughout the whole store. Now that I was done mopping I rolled up the carpets by the front doors and took them out and shook all the dust out of them. After that was done I took down the banner from the front of the store between the doors "Central Montana Variety and layed it out on the floor by the shopping carts. Keep in mind this store has actual doors, not the fancy ones that slide aside when you walk toward them! There is a big gap between them where the banner is hung outside to greet incoming customers. Now that that was done I checked the time, only 5 minutes until closing! I headed into the backroom and went downstairs to turn off all the lights in the basement where all the goods are stored.
It is a small store and only 6 people work there not counting the manager Tom also the coolest boss anyone could have! That day it was me, George and Tom and since Tom was the manager he had to stay and count the tills so as usual he let me and George out and locked the doors behind us. I fast walked to the Bronco and headed home as quickly as possible. On Upper Spring Creek Road I stepped on the gas and could hear the sharp whistle of the carburetor sucking in air and the big engine roar. Propelling the 5,600lb Bronco forward. I loved that feeling, but knowing the price of gas was going up I let off the accelerator and the Bronco's engine torqued down. The exhaust's deep rumbling as the transmission dropped down into 2nd gear, I turned down the road that eventually led to our driveway. I quickly called up Zach and told him the plans for the night and hung up just as I was parking by the back door.
Less than an hour later I could hear Zach's little Blazer pulling into my driveway. For dinner I had prepared pre-made lasagna from the store. Kate enjoyed this a lot too; not as much as a rare tenderloin but she did like it a lot.
"Alright Kate lets go!"
I swept my hand in front of her and she bounded down the stairs and to the back door, Stormy was already there however. Stormy had lived her life for 2 years now and she knew ahead of time when her master was about to leave by the way he acted. Talking hastily on the phone, or jumping up from the chair and grabbing his jacket or coat. Sometimes however Stormy just knew when they would be going somewhere like they were now.
I opened the passenger door and Stormy hopped into the back of the Blazer I then sat down. Kate looked at me with a confused look, I patted my lap.
"Here Kate sit on my lap!" Kate jumped in and positioned herself so that her back was to me and so she could see out the window clearly, I didn't mind at all.
"You and Kate, no making out in my vehicle!" Zach joked.
"Well then hurry up and drive asshole!" I laughed, he scoffed at me and put the transmission into reverse. He sped out of the driveway and headed for downtown as quickly as possible. I wrapped my arms around Kate's middle and rested my head on her back all the while watching Zach drive. I grew bored and lifted my head to peer around Kate; I saw the decrepit grain elevator passing by. We were in the city limits now.
"Where we parking at Jon? That one thing is going on on Main Street and there wont be many parking spots," said Zach. I had forgotten there was some type of spring festival going on and Main Street would be closed off for it.
"Park over there," I had seen a empty spot being vacated by a car in front of O'Reilly Auto Parts and Zach parallel parked the Blazer before the spot got taken. This was good because Main Street was only a block away and we would not have to walk far. I opened the door and let Kate out and I got out to let Stormy out. Zach was already out and walked around my side to lock the door.
"Sorry about that man, now Kate I want you to stay next to me at all times no matter what okay? Don't let anything distract you," I said.
Kate nodded, "okay but what are you going to do about her?" There was a reason Stormy had no collar or leash on.
Raising up the authority in my voice, "Stormy heel!" She had been sniffing a nearby shrub and instantly lept to the right of me, looking up and me wagging her tail.
"That's my good girl Stormy!" I patted and praised her.
I smiled at Kate, "take my left and lets go sweetheart!"
Awestruck Kate asked, "how did you do that?" I shook my head though.
"Not now Kate, we got other things at hand, I will explain everything to you some other time okay?" I said patiently. Kate nodded and the four of us all began to walk down the street and took a right at the intersection that led to Main Street.
"Sorry sir but there are no pets allowed at the spring festival!" A untidy, squat man told us as we were about to walk into the street.
"Why is that?" I asked in a rather annoyed tone.
"For the safety of the public, trust me man I have dogs too and think this rule is dumb but the city officials say "No!" unfortunately." The man said.
"Very well then," I said and turned around and started walking back.
"Kate you and Stormy wait right here, Zach and I won't be gone long. Kate I trust that you will keep everything in order and do not leave you hear?" It was in the Don's sporting goods store parking lot under a young tree that we were gathered around. I got down on my knees and pulled both Kate and Stormy close to me. I looked directly into Stormy's eyes.
"You be a good girl okay? Do what Kate says, I know you can't talk to me but I do know that you and her can so be good, love you," I patted her head.
"Kate?" I faced her, "you know what to do. Like I said we wont be long," we shared a nice kiss and then I got up.
"Let's go Zach," we walked back down the street and disappeared into the crowd.
Kate watched them go into the crowd and looked around keeping her eyes set for any movement. Something yummy smelling teased her nose and she sniffed the air. It smelled like sausage being cooked; just like the time Jon had cooked that wonderful breakfast for her!
"Hey Stormy lets go check this out!" Kate said completely forgetting what Jon had told her to do. Stormy had settled down on the cool pavement of the parking lot, she sniffed the air too.
"Man Kate that does smell great dosen't it?" She too must have forgot what she had been told.
With her nose doing its job; Kate led the way, Stormy close behind. They crossed the small parking lot and without knowing walked into a alley that was quite dim because of the old building that it bordered blocked out the setting sun. The smell began to grow stronger and Kate stopped to look around.
Big mistake but it was too late, the alley they had walked into was home to a rickety old brick building with a porch. On the porch sat a Weber barbecuer and a strange man with metal tongs in his hands. He glanced up and saw Kate and Stormy, and pointed at them with the tongs.
"You two are just in time! I have not had dog in years, tonight must be my lucky night!" The man said stupidly and he stumbled his way down the 3 stairs on the porch and was now in the alley.
"Get away from us!" Kate growled ferociously at him, she flattened hear ears, pulled her lips back, all the hair on her neck and back stood up. Stormy stayed behind her; she growled too but never in her life had she been alone without the master to protect her. The man did not seem the least scared and continued to walk toward Kate and Stormy. He was in comparison to Jon about the same height but really disgusting! His face was all hairy and his head was shaved; Kate had never seen a human quite this strange before. The man clicked the tongs.
"C'mere pretty, yeah you brown one!" He said lazily; the toe of his shoe caught on a rock and he nearly fell but managed to stay on his feet. Kate was now scared for he had backed them both up to a; she dared a glance behind her, dead end! The alley ended right there, they were trapped! Stormy was now in a mild panic.
"Kate what do we do?" She whispered, her voice broken and shaken.
"Stand your ground and show your teeth!" Kate hissed quietly. Stormy did but now they had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. It was hopeless unless a miracle happened. The man staggered closer to them and was now only feet away. His eyes were bloodshot and menacing.
"Now that I got you where I want you...Get the fuck over here! You can't get past me, I have a weapon!" Once again he clicked the metal tongs.