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Chapter Three

Thursday March 20, 2008

11:47am

A cool drizzle and a gloomy procession of clouds made no attempt at matching Tyson's mood as the shepherd cruised east on I-60. His days of waiting were at an end. The day of their second date--a second date with his economics professor--had finally arrived. Tyson's ear-to-ear smile, stuck on his face all morning, only grew wider as he curled along the first exit marked for Elliotsville. Following Elena's directions, the shepherd took a right at the end of the ramp, hopped into a cluster of city traffic for a few hundred feet and pulled into a long parking lot.

The Lucky Rabbit Cafe was jammed into the middle of a relatively new shopping plaza at the city's edge. Its sprinting red hare logo projected from a steel forehead while the build's face was all dark-tinted glass and square brick pillars.

After nabbing one of the few empty parking spaces near the cafe, Tyson flipped the hood of a gray fleece sweatshirt over his ears and hurried through a set of clear glass doors. He wiped a few drops of rain from his nose and found the Lucky Rabbit packed with the lunch hour--canines, rodents and other breeds gabbling along a rustic bar counter, with more patrons pouring into booths and tables. A low ceiling and intimately-arranged floor compounded the noise, whilst a smorgasbord of vintage wall décor and red-and-white-checkerboard floor assaulted the eyes.

Tyson scoured the booth seats and bar stools. It was a mixed crowd, blending weekend workers on the lunch break and families of various age. But there was no sign of the one Tyson was looking for. He stepped from the order line, expelled a deep breath, leaned back 'gainst one of the tall windows beside the glass doors and smiled to himself.

"Oh? What's so funny?"

Tyson shot upright, turning towards the doors he hadn't even heard open. "Hey!" he exclaimed, heart aflutter.

The fox smiled, stopped a step shy of the shepherd, and as she halted the hem of a long floral-patterned skirt fell to rest over her sandals: cork heels, knotted straps of denim over her feet. "Were you waiting long?"

"Oh, no. I just got here," Tyson replied. "Wasn't sure I'd be able to find you in this place."

As they stepped to the back of the order line, Tyson was pointed at a sign beyond the bar which listed soups, salads, sandwiches, sweets and plenty of grilled goods, all alongside single-digit prices.

When they reached the curly-coated canine manning the register, Tyson urged Elena, who frowned at the wallet which had appeared in his paw, to name her choice first, then added a sandwich to her salad.

With all booths full, they were left to occupy a tall, round table in the cafe's crowded midsection. They squeezed between other noisy tables, but no one seemed to mind a little bump or tail brush, and Elena remarked that it was all a part of the cafe's charm. Each canine drew a sip of ice water after sliding into opposing stools.

"Thanks for lunch, Ty," said the fox, straightening the collar of a cozy black cardigan.

Tyson nodded and smiled across the table. "The pleasure's mine." In reality, it wasn't his money. His parents backed the debit card in his wallet.

"Sure, sure."

Opposite the slow, careful presentation of Ruben's, food at the Lucky Rabbit Cafe came fast and with minimal flare. Styrofoam cups. Straws in white sleeves. Plastic baskets with red-and-white-checkered wax paper to match the floor tiles.

"Oh wow," Tyson remarked, making surprised eyes at the first bite of sandwich. Grilled chicken, bacon, tomato and Swiss--all fresh and distinct, enveloped his taste buds.

"Good, isn't it?" Elena asked, her smile small and smart.

Tyson sized up his next bite, nodding agreement.

A playful frown then appeared on the fox's muzzle as she grasped her cup of water. Her brow twitched. "I hope you didn't drive all the way here just for lunch."

Tyson shrugged and replied, cocking his head slightly, "Just lunch? This is definitely worth it." He set the remains of his sandwich aside and added, "Besides, I really don't have much to do back at my parents'."

"Getting bored of spring break already?"

"Nah, not so much bored, just--" Tyson directed his gaze into the fox's golden eyes. "Ready to be back here." He reached for his beverage. "Plus, I was hoping you might wanna do something after eating."

Elena hummed to herself, took a drink of water and hummed again. A black paw went to her muzzle. "What did you have in mind?"

"Ehhh," shrugged Tyson, and he leaned back in his stool, nearly into the gut of a bear trying to squeeze by. "That's the problem," he said, shifting forward again. "I've got nothing."

The fox hummed once more. "I'm not sure either."

They each took a few bites in silence.

"We could go for a little drive," Tyson suggested, "unless there's somewhere specific you can think to."

"I don't want to make you waste more money on gas," Elena protested, and she patted at the fur of her muzzle with a napkin.

"Really, it's no problem."

"Okay," Elena sighed, smiling in tandem. "You win."

* * *

1:05pm

The morning's steady drizzle had given way to spottier afternoon showers. Beneath gray clouds and patches of clear-blue sky, Tyson's red Porsche coasted south. He took Elena past Elliotsville's industrial extremities, then along vast, empty farm fields that were broken by the occasional grain elevator or leafless shelterbelt. None of it looked too spectacular given the dreary color palette, but neither canine paid it much notice. They were absorbed in conversation.

"I actually grew up in Colorado and went to college near Santa Fe," explained Elena. "I only moved here when I started at NISU."

"Where in Colorado? I was born in Cali, but my parents moved before I was old enough to remember anything."

"July. You've never heard of it. Trust me. And a Cali boy--oh my."

Tyson snorted and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "That's a stretch. So, you don't have much family here?"

"No. Only my daughter in Hollins."

"Oh, yeah. You said she's coming to visit soon, didn't you?"

"Tomorrow night."

"That's cool. Do you see her a lot?"

"When she's not too busy with work and school--she's three years into her degree."

Tyson shook his head, again reminded of just how many years stood between them, and grinned incredulously. "So, what's she going to school for?"

"Clinical psychology."

"Seriously?"

"Just like you."

"Huh," mused Tyson, and he looked to his mirrors, then focused on the road ahead. "Say, um, Elena?"

"Yes?"

Tyson's paws grew a little tighter on the wheel, his eyes tunneled around the road ahead. One of those little thoughts which had been floating around his head in the restless days since their first date left him. He had beat around the bush at the cafe, but now he needed to know.

"I've, I guess, been wondering . . . what are we at this point?"

"You mean as in our status?"

The fox sounded sharp, serious all of a sudden. Hearing her change in tone made Tyson all the more nervous. "Well, yeah, because--" He was getting tongue tied. He took a deep, slow breath and forced a grin. "Well, I didn't want to feel like an idiot if I was getting all serious and you were just thinking something different, I guess."

"Are you serious?" Elena watched the German shepherd nod and gave herself a moment to think, then exhaled a soft chuckle. "So, this isn't just for kicks or some kind of teacher fetish thing for you?"

Tyson quickly shook his head. "Not at all."

"And what would you like us to be?"

"Well," began Tyson, a nervous smile breaking his muzzle open. "For now, I guess I'd like you to be my girlfriend."

A terribly-long silence drained the blood from Tyson's paws. Had he pressed too soon?

"Well, for now you'll have to be my boyfriend."

The young shepherd felt a moment of lightheaded relief, and his lethal grip loosened on the steering wheel. "Cool," was all he managed to say, a dazed grin on his face.

By the time they returned to the Lucky Rabbit, Tyson's mind had pieced itself back together, allowing him to form complete sentences and comprehensive thoughts once more. The shepherd pulled alongside Elena's white Honda and slowed to a stop.

"Thank you for lunch again, and the drive, Ty."

"Yeah, I had fun," Tyson understated, turning a pleased, somewhat sad smile to the fox. Spring break really was overrated.

But that sadness was quickly forgotten when Elena leaned over the center console, working her arms around the shepherd's shoulders, and after a moment's soft embrace her tongue darted out, catching a few black hairs of Tyson's muzzle. The younger canine retracted with a grin of surprise, and Elena pressed her lips to his.

Tyson was hardly aware of his girlfriend leaving the car. For a long while he just sat there, alone in the parking lot--paws numbly gripping the steering wheel and head far beyond any cloud in the sky.