Day 48 Brokenhearted

A dog walked back with me all the way from Calimera today.  Medium-size with floppy ears, the black and tan beauty trotted a foot or two behind me.

He looked young, clean and well fed. His coat shone and his teeth gleamed white. Was he lost or had somebody recently abandoned him? 

Dog



I thought it amusing at first, how he made sure to stay behind me, and how, when some especially intriguing smell delayed him, Dog hurried to catch up to me. But as I approached the provincial highway, which intersects the old road at the mid-way point, I got nervous and started shooing the little bugger away. He stood still while I admonished him in Italian and stared at the sky. But as soon as I started walking, I could hear his nails hitting the road behind me.

A jogger caught up to us and she stopped dead when she saw Dog. He gingerly approached her and she gave me a dirty look. It's not my dog, I said quickly. He followed me from Calimera. Ah, she said, turned and went back the way she'd come.

When we reached the highway, I got a little more aggressive with him. He finally turned back and I thought he got the message. But no. He jumped a low fence into one of the vineyards and jumped back out -- ahead of me.  Smart little bugger, too. As I yelled at him, he came slowly, slowly close and put his head against my leg for me to pat. Sucker that I am, I did.  

Dog came all the way home with me, where I gave him some bread, which he refused.  He did accept the small piece of spicy provolone I found.

I introduced Dog to a widow who lives a few doors down when she walked by. I hoped, somehow, for a match made in heaven. But she wasn't interested and, frankly, I don't think Dog was either.

Dog was sitting quietly at my feet in the courtyard when Barbara came out of her room.
Paola doesn't allow dogs in the house, she said, but I couldn’t bring myself to kick him out. Then Shay came back from the studio hauling his bicycle up the front step. Dog got skittish and ran out into the street. Barbara said, it's better to close the door, which Shay did.

With his gentleness and his way with people, surely somebody will take Dog in, won't they? I'm keeping positive thoughts.



This beautiful tree sits in front of the contemporary art gallery Primo Piano in Lecce where we attended an opening last night.