Julkalender

I woke up because someone was poking at me. Opened my eyes and saw a long stick in front of my nose. Holding the stick was a little girl.

“Are you a bum?” she asked, and continued poking me. I stood up, and looked around. What was I doing at the playground?

It took me a while to remember what had happened the day before, and when I did my stomach turned and I became angry again. I knew he would be back now and I had to return home. I had to take a shower, change and eat breakfeast before I went to work.

So I started walking home. I remember my phone and took it up. I had received five messages from my mother. I let out a sigh and looked threw them. She asked me to come home, and come home and home. The last one read : “I'm at the emergency.” I smiled a bit, as I walked up the frontyard. “Good,” I answered and opened the front door. My father was home again, since the car was parked at the street.

He sat at the kitchen table, staring into a cup of coffe. He saw me coming into the kitchen and smiled a bit. I tried to ignore him as I opened the fridge. There wasn't much food left. I opened a package of milk and drank from the carton. As I turned around he was standing in front of me.

“Where is she?” he asked. I didn't know what to tell him.

“At the hospital, since you broke her nose,” I signed. He looked surprised.

“I would never..” he started but I broke him off.

“You would, dad. And you did,” I signed in anger and tears fell from my cheek.

“All the alkohol you're pouring into your body turns you into an asshole! And then you scream at her, and hit her. I told you to stop drinking, stop stop drinking,” I signed, and I wanted to scream it and hit him. But I just stood there, watching my father, my hero and role model sink into the chair again, wiping his face free from tears.

“It's all your fault,” I signed, and wasn't even sure if he could see me.

“Bastard,” I thoght, and went into the bathroom.

I slowly removed all my clothes and turned the water on.

My head was aching again. It had been aching almost all the time the last month. We had asked the doctors but they didn't think it meant anything. Still, it was annoying.

After the shower I changed clothes and walked to work. The dogs were barking at me, and I smiled. Mouths opening and closing, and not a sound hit my ear. I had almost forgotten how dogs barking sounded. After telling my boss I was there I fetched a few leashes and put them on my first five dogs. I loved morning walks with the dogs.

 

It was a big mystery. She just vanished.

She was obviously a bit shy, since she didn't speak that much. Actuallly she hadn't said a word at all. She had to be very shy.

“Bert? What are you doing?” someone asked. I opened my eyes and Dan was standing beside me.
“Sleeping?” I tried. He snorted once and looked around.

“In a restaurant?” he asked, laughing. I looked around. The other bandmembers, Quinn and Jeph were looking at me funny.

“Sorry, must have.. drifted off a bit,” I said. “I'm just gonna..”

I left the restaurant and sighed. I hadn't eaten all day but I wasn't hungry anymore. I started walking towards the park. Some fresh air would do me good.

I noticed that the grounds were full of frost, but not snow. Not yet. It didn't feel like december at all.

I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes a bit. There had been something wrong with the girl. She looked like she was daydreaming all the time, and as I talked, I noticed her eyes fixed on my lips. Very focused. It's the look you get from somebody that want's to kiss you, I thought and giggled. It was in all the movies.

A dog bark made me jump. In front of my eyes there was a dalmatian, waggling his tail and trying to kiss me with a big wet tounge.
“Oh, Hi?” I said surprised. “Where do you come from?”

Steps on the gravel road made me look up. Running towards me was.. her. She had four dogs after her and a empty dog leash in her hand. She took up a whistle from her pocket and blew two short times. The dalmatian frooze, then turned around, and ran towards her. She patted him and discretely put the leash back on. I stood up and walked towards them. The dogs started barking wildly, but she didn't even notice. She kept patting the dalmatian, but as he also turned to me and barked she noticed me. As she recognised me she smiled a bit. I was in fron of her now. On her chest there was a nameplate.

“Hayley, “ I said. She smiled, then nodded.

“I didn't think I'd have the pleasure of running into you again,”

Another smile. Say something, I begged in my head.

“BERT,” someone screamed. I turned around. Jeph was waving at me.

“What?” I answered.

“We have to go! The press conference is starting without us!”

I sighed and turned to Hayley.

“I have to go.. but at least this time I know your name. Do you have a phone number?”

She blushed, and shook her head. My smile disappeared. She wasn't interested.

“Oh, okay...” I said. She looked at my lips again. Why was she giving me these mixed signals?

“Bert!”

“Fine, but can you take my number? You can phone me, or something.. if you like?”

She smiled, this time and nodded.

“Bert, stop standing there like and idiot, and come here!” Quinn screamed.

I quickly wrote my number on a piece of paper. I handed it to her, and as our hands touched I blushed.

“So.. I gotta go, and you got to take care of all your dogs,” I said smiling.

 

Great. He was expecting a phone call now. And he thought I was a idiot mute. I looked at the dogs. They were waggling their tales, and saw no problem at all. “Stupid dogs,” I sighed. “But at least you don't laugh at me. That's why I love you,” I told them and hugged them.