It was the most miserable evening that Cincinnati had seen in a long time

Pantless

Based on a True Story

Dedicated to the loves of my life-my doggies

It was the most miserable evening that Cincinnati had seen in a long time. And oppressing blanket of grey clouds grey streets and grey office buildings were smeared together through the freezing hail and rain. The smell of car oil and refuse rushing through the cracked gutters permeated the air and a howling wind whistled through back alleys and bowed over the naked winter trees. Any poor souls unfortunate enough to be out were bundled in dreary rain coats, scurrying about like cockroaches exposed to sudden sunlight.

Except one.

One bent and dripping lady in a soggy peacoat stood sullenly, holding an obese basset hound and a whimpering whippet by ragged leashes as they meticulously chose a miserable looking shrub to pee on.

She gazed mournfully around through her smudged glasses. The oppression of final exams was looming ominously on the smoggy horizon and her social life was dull and lifeless.

She gazed into the distance, to be awoken from her reverie by a low growling. Spinning on her heel, she caught sight of a huge snow-white husky growling at her pudgy hound and ecstatic whippet menacingly

“No…oh dear lord no” She whimpered as the white monster stalked towards her, “Hey! Stay away!” She jumped towards it screaming like a lunatic and waving her hands. The hesitation that it provided in utter confusion proved just enough for her to try to back away and succeeded only in entangling herself in the leashes of her barking and howling mutts. “Stay away, oh stay awa-DON’T YOU DARE CHEW ON THAT!” The dog had seized her soggy shoe and was tugging happily. “THAT SHOE COST ME MORE THAN YOU SPEND IN A MONTH!”

“Shasta!” Through the hazy rain, a tall and lithe young man jogged jangling a leash at beaming almost as brightly as his macaroni orange umbrella, “You horrible big baby you! How am I supposed to keep you around if you keep terrorizing people like that?” The huge dog pranced like a puppy to her owner, still with the beaded flat in her slobbery maw.

“Your-your dog” she stuttered in disbelief, scooping up her pudgy hound and shoving her whippet behind her.

“Isn’t she a darling?” He pried the gooey shoe from the dog’s mouth.

“It almost ate me!” She gasped

He chuckled reproachingly, “Hardly, she just wanted to play”

“P-play?” She glared at his honest smile

“I believe this is yours?” He knelt down and slipped the chewed shoe on her foot, making her turn a magnificent shade of red.

“Yeah but I gotta go…” and she clumsily detangled herself from a web of leashes and stumbled away.

“Please take my umbrella” He grabbed her elbow and placed it in her free hand, “I love the rain”

Not daring to say anything else, she broke into a quick trot, dragging her barking dogs behind her as she ran to her dull apartment under the vibrant umbrella.

But it was strangely comforting that when she stepped on her pant leg and it fell down, that his laughter behind her seemed to linger in her ears long after his dazzling smile faded out of sight.

A/N: Looking at this, I realize exactly why I never post anything I write; because it’s total trash. But this one just had to go up. I’m a review whore so spread the love.