February 2, 2009
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Derek’s back. He was very upbeat on the phone this morning, but when he came by this afternoon he seemed different. He’s a pro at sniffing out the vibe. Bridget was excited to see him and her tail was wagging a mile a minute, but it was down and she was real low to the ground. When I opened the dog gate that keeps her from the rest of the house she scooted upstairs without hesitation.
We talked about his trip. We talked about the market. And then I told him about my visit with the acupuncturist and what I’d learned. He thought it was baloney until I mentioned he resonated at between 300-400. I got online and looked it up so I could read it aloud. I didn’t find the site I’d wanted but I found an even more interesting one. He hates new age stuff but he reads a lot about health-related things, being obsessed with his body, so some of it must have sounded reasonable because he didn’t dispute it.
Then I talked to him about Bridget. I said “brutal” was the word my acupuncturist used to describe his training methods. We argued about hitting dogs and kids, and then I told him it didn’t matter what he thought; that he was a guest in my home and that I didn’t want him having any further interaction with my dog. That hurt his feelings but I didn’t care. We talked about that day it happened, and he told me he hit her with a stick when she didn’t mind; that the Bible says you’re not supposed to use your hand. He totally stood by his behavior.
I know he looks forward to seeing her. I know he loves playing with her and I know she loves pleasing him, doing all the tricks he’s taught her. When she came down to go pee she stuck around, feeling safe, now that he wasn’t engaging her in their usual games.
Then I told him I’d actually thought he’d done something sexual with her. He was appalled that I could even think such a thing. I went back and cited some of the jokes he’d made. He thought I was crazy. He got really mad at first and said, “Prudy, you can’t say stuff like that to me if we’re going to be friends.”
We watched a little TV and he tried to get me to make cookies. I gave him nothing to eat so he had to resort to his usual cheese melted on a tortilla. Then he called the girl he rode with on the trip to see his sister’s new baby. She had to work tonight, though.
The next move is to tell him I don’t want him in the house when I’m gone. And, finally, to cut him off from eating here. I hope we will be able to wrap this up with our friendship in tact. I think we’d both like to keep the lines of communication open.
Comments (5)
That makes me laugh–I thought of your last comment when I wrote the line. Too much time with my Southern girlfriends I guess.
Eek! Why do you want this guy around at all?
i wasn’t thinking sexual… i was thinking that anyone who scared a dog would steal yr money! i just don’t turst ppl my dog doesn’t like!
Wow, when did we get to “sexual” with the dog? Am I missing something? Are you posting stuff protected? I’m lost somewhere between Derek being a freeloading fix it man to being a dog abusing sexual nut…..or are we to be mentally intuitive? Either way I don’t quite see the advantage to you in having him around, trust me though — I don’t see the advantage to me in having some people around either, but they’re there! BTW if Marmeleum (I know that’s not spelled right) requires a special subflooring you might want to think about it again, as I know tile floors require a special subfloor and if you don’t do it the tile will not last. Is it obvious that I speak from experience? I’m not familiar with what you’re using, but sometimes the extra $$ is worth it in years of service. But, you know that.
I would have loved to hear you tell him you thought he was abusing your dog sexually, somehow I can’t quite get that picture in my head! I can’t even get Derek’s picture in my head. Maybe I should go check your photo blog…..is he there?
I was reading your earliest posts but I had no idea that you had thought Derek might have messed with the dog sexually. Probably you did not say explicitly the symptoms you dog got. That is unbearable! You are so kind to feed him with melted cheese and tortilla. I would have feared of him coming near me.