Nothing is quite as classic as a man with a gun and his hound, patiently waiting for nothing, sitting in the duff without a sound/ the occasional mud stomping, squishy tobacco spit sound, onto the forest floor, but nothing startling enough to awaken the hound as he has heard this all before/ Is the man out there hunting after a long day of work, to feed his kids back home? Or is he hiding from the nagging housewife, who can’t seem to ever leave him the hell alone?/ Jerry the hound hops into the bed of the truck as the old man takes the wheel, with no need for a word or a whistle, the loyal man’s best friend sharply knows the deal/ Chuggin’ on down the bumpy road, suspension squeaking more than a child’s schoolhouse swing set, His fellow neighbors, the same few that have never left town, wave as they holler “G’d evnin’ Chet!”/ He parks the old rig in front of the closed barbershop, proceeds to walk around to the side door of the saloon, customarily pats ‘old man Bo’ on the shoulder, who never moves told by his red nose swollen like a balloon/ a napkin falls then held down by a rocks glass containing his ‘whiskey neat’, all in habitual instinctual motion happening before he could even grab his seat/ staring at his own reflection in the mirror behind the spirits, soot inhabits the desert cracks in his forehead as he has no concern for his appearance/ Jerry makes his way to the corner where the last little ribbon of sun shines in, patiently waits for Dusty to come out from behind the bar to place a water bowl under his chin/ Chet nods at Dusty while he riffles through the old jukebox selection, not sure why because they all knew he’d play the same song track 8 without any objection/ by the time that classic solo from ‘Free Bird’ played, the whiskey started to flow from the bottle resembling the Angel Falls cascade/ the chimelike sound of car keys and clunking boots streamed through the door, Chet saw his last window of opportunity and stuck up his index finger signaling for one more/ As he stood up, knocked on the bar top and gave his tip in the jar with a flipping throw, Jerry stretched and shook off his nap, made his way through the crowd as he knew it was time to go/ all eight cylinders working double-time to make it up the sharp steep hill, Jerry lie low on the floor of the cab cautiously making sure he’d not take a spill/ at the end of the long driveway he checked the empty mailbox, then opened the inessential useless creaking gate, impatiently Jerry runs to the house, for this ritual only Chet could appreciate/ the old hound waits to enter the empty, once lively house, as the old front door swings open so darn slow, the two of them retire to their easy chair and tattered rug, by the unlit fire, until tomorrow.
I like how you described the little details to give the big picture. A man and his dog…tale as old as time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. Yes you got it. In a short write, I wanted you to feel like Chet. Wondering if he is a “went out for a pack of smokes” kind of dad or husband or is he widowed or a loner old salt. Thanks for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So vivid, and I do like the ending, finding out perhaps he wished to be fleeing from a nagging housewife just one more time. But nope, just him and the dog, “patiently waiting for nothing.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
yup, it changes the whole thought of him possibly being a selfish jerk and realizing he may just be a sad old man with a dog who lost his wife. Glad you liked it, and very pleased you read the whole thing. Thank you, thank you 🤗🎩
LikeLike
The dry, repetitiveness of this story drives home the dull quality of Chet’s life after losing his wife – almost too much. I felt quite sad for poor, old Chet.
Excellently-written story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Josh. I appreciate you for reading my story. Glad you enjoyed it. 🎩
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate your for writing it, and for your top hat!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved your great nostalgic story, Joe. Glad he got a cab ride home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Small town dirt roads, just had to make it up the hill. (not sure why I’m defending Chet) lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
there is something flawed, but real in his character!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My life was going to take this road because that’s how I was for more than half of my life. I broke the cycle by going sober over a year and a half ago. Don’t know how I made it home more than half the time. Definitely an alcohol issue as I would never ever think about driving intoxicated. I know 3 deaths somewhat close to me as results from drunk driving and yet I would think I was fine when under the influence. Sorry for the rant lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are all flawed in our own way. I am glad to hear you made the choice to stay sober. I enjoy your posts and your comments from time to time. Keep on ranting and raving!! :>)
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍 thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person