It was a quiet, normal morning on the bus, a dozen-plus passengers keeping to themselves, averting eye contact, and trying to avoid having a story to tell that begins, “You wouldn’t believe what happened to me on the bus.“ I looked at each of their faces – no one was surly, no one was cheerful, everyone was simply in a holding pattern, waiting for the bus to arrive at their stop so that they could step clear and resume their lives.
This went on for a couple of miles when Duchess got on. (I didn’t know her, but I would soon learn her name.) Duchess was part Fox Terrier, part Chihuahua, fur the color of amber ale with not-quite-geometric splotches of white, with deep, soulful eyes that would have had Normal Rockwell pulling out his wallet to rent the dog for a sitting. Her owner chose a seat near the front, where Duchess obediently hopped up on his lap and began looking at her fellow passengers.
What Duchess saw was nothing like what I saw. Every formerly-expressionless face was now alive and animated, smiling coyly at the dog, trying to make eye contact with her. It was immediately clear that there was competition for the dog’s attention, and when silent smirks and subtle fingers scratching on the fabric of pants failed as lures, a couple of riders leaned forward and upped the ante: “What’s the name?” asked one; as soon as the answer was supplied, “What’s the breed?” asked another. A moment later, a hand reached across an empty seat to scratch the dog’s chin while the folks out of arm’s reach eyed the petter jealously.
The fawning continued for eight blocks, quiet whispers of adoration and sly winks if Duchess momentarily settled her gaze on someone’s face. Then the owner ruined everything by exiting the bus, Duchess bounding as if spring loaded and disappearing out the front door of the bus.
We all glanced at each other with smiles that seemed to say, “Did you see how cute that dog was?” and “What a delight!” It was as if we needed to acknowledge it, this sudden burst of energy that momentarily bound us. Then the bus rumbled forward, the smiles subsided, and we all returned to our silent, expressionless reveries.
Story contributed by Bill Reagan (@williamreagan). Read more of Bill’s writings at www.WilliamReagan.com.
Wow, Bill. Awesome.