Chapter 2
Natalie walked around the park on Saturday morning watching her new puppy run around and play with a stick when she saw a big chocolate Labrador approach. One she was already familiar with.
“Flea!” she called out and the dog ran up to her followed by Dougie.
“Nat! hi, how are you?”
“Hey Doug, I’m really good, you?”
“I’m good, I actually…” Dougie started but then suddenly stopped midsentence.
“You actually what?” Natalie asked with a curious look on her face.
“I…kind of…Brought Danny along today ‘cause I knew you’d be here walking Leah” He said sheepishly.
Natalie’s expression changed from curious to disappointed.
“Dougie…why did you...”Natalie tried to ask but was interrupted by Dougie.
“Please hear me out Nat, he doesn’t know he’s going to meet you here today…or that you’ve been coming here on weekends or that we meet here sometimes to walk our dogs” Dougie paused for a while “I asked him to come along because I think it’s about time you two talk”
Natalie sighed, she knew Dougie was right. It was about time they talked, but it had been three months since she had seen Danny and she didn’t know how she was going to react when she saw him again. Over the past three months Natalie had been working her ass off for a promotion at the magazine she worked for, so that pretty much had taken most of her days. But when she came home at nights she had the hardest time being on her own. The first few weeks she spent the nights crying herself to sleep and blaming herself for her inability to make her marriage work, she knew she was definitely relieved she didn’t come home every night to have just one more fight with Danny, but she couldn’t help but miss him terribly despite how things ended up. After all you don’t just throw away four years of marriage and forget your husband ever existed.
After a while she realized that what affected her more than everything was coming home to an empty apartment, so she got herself a puppy to keep her company and have something to distract and keep busy with. She started getting busier with appointments to the vet, buying dog food, toys, bones and walks around the park every once in a while, specially Saturday mornings when she met Dougie every time he took Flea out for a walk.
Natalie Looked at Dougie again. “I would have appreciated a heads up before you brought him along, I mean, I haven’t seen the man in three months and I’m definitely not ready to see him…”Natalie paused for a moment when she saw over Dougie’s shoulder a frowning Danny walking up to them and holding two starbucks cups in his hands “…just like that” she managed to finish just before he reached the point they were standing.
“Natalie? What are you doing here?” asked Danny who was still frowning
“I…uhh came to walk my dog” she answered as naturally as she could but she couldn’t help sounding a bit nervous so she thought she’d fire
back the question. “What are you doing here?”
“I came with Dougie to walk f…wait, did you say walk my dog?”
“Yeah I did, her name’s Leah, look at her” Natalie pointed at her puppy who was now tugging on her jeans. Danny looked down at the floor to see the small beagle puppy wiggling it’s tail.
“Oh I see, since when do you have a dog?” he asked in a reproachful tone that made Natalie angry.
“Since I feel like it!” she snapped back at Danny and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Guys!” Dougie cut in “Do you think you can have a normal conversation? You know, like the ones in which you don’t yell? He paused turning to Danny. “You and you…”this time he turned to Natalie ”Don’t know what’s been going on in each other’s lives in a while, and I didn’t plan this whole thing in vain, so I suggest you better start being civil to each other and talk”
When Dougie finished Natalie’s mouth was hanging open and Danny was trying to say something but he kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.A few seconds passed until Danny managed to speak.
“Doug you…”
“No, no” Dougie raised his hand to silence Danny. “I don’t wanna hear it. I’ll take the dogs and you two will talk...oh and I’ll also take one of those” he stretched his hand and grabbed one of the cups in Danny’s hands. “Come Flea, Leah, let’s go over there” with that Dougie walked away with the dogs behind him leaving Natalie and Danny by themselves.
Natalie walked around the park on Saturday morning watching her new puppy run around and play with a stick when she saw a big chocolate Labrador approach. One she was already familiar with.
“Flea!” she called out and the dog ran up to her followed by Dougie.
“Nat! hi, how are you?”
“Hey Doug, I’m really good, you?”
“I’m good, I actually…” Dougie started but then suddenly stopped midsentence.
“You actually what?” Natalie asked with a curious look on her face.
“I…kind of…Brought Danny along today ‘cause I knew you’d be here walking Leah” He said sheepishly.
Natalie’s expression changed from curious to disappointed.
“Dougie…why did you...”Natalie tried to ask but was interrupted by Dougie.
“Please hear me out Nat, he doesn’t know he’s going to meet you here today…or that you’ve been coming here on weekends or that we meet here sometimes to walk our dogs” Dougie paused for a while “I asked him to come along because I think it’s about time you two talk”
Natalie sighed, she knew Dougie was right. It was about time they talked, but it had been three months since she had seen Danny and she didn’t know how she was going to react when she saw him again. Over the past three months Natalie had been working her ass off for a promotion at the magazine she worked for, so that pretty much had taken most of her days. But when she came home at nights she had the hardest time being on her own. The first few weeks she spent the nights crying herself to sleep and blaming herself for her inability to make her marriage work, she knew she was definitely relieved she didn’t come home every night to have just one more fight with Danny, but she couldn’t help but miss him terribly despite how things ended up. After all you don’t just throw away four years of marriage and forget your husband ever existed.
After a while she realized that what affected her more than everything was coming home to an empty apartment, so she got herself a puppy to keep her company and have something to distract and keep busy with. She started getting busier with appointments to the vet, buying dog food, toys, bones and walks around the park every once in a while, specially Saturday mornings when she met Dougie every time he took Flea out for a walk.
Natalie Looked at Dougie again. “I would have appreciated a heads up before you brought him along, I mean, I haven’t seen the man in three months and I’m definitely not ready to see him…”Natalie paused for a moment when she saw over Dougie’s shoulder a frowning Danny walking up to them and holding two starbucks cups in his hands “…just like that” she managed to finish just before he reached the point they were standing.
“Natalie? What are you doing here?” asked Danny who was still frowning
“I…uhh came to walk my dog” she answered as naturally as she could but she couldn’t help sounding a bit nervous so she thought she’d fire
back the question. “What are you doing here?”
“I came with Dougie to walk f…wait, did you say walk my dog?”
“Yeah I did, her name’s Leah, look at her” Natalie pointed at her puppy who was now tugging on her jeans. Danny looked down at the floor to see the small beagle puppy wiggling it’s tail.
“Oh I see, since when do you have a dog?” he asked in a reproachful tone that made Natalie angry.
“Since I feel like it!” she snapped back at Danny and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Guys!” Dougie cut in “Do you think you can have a normal conversation? You know, like the ones in which you don’t yell? He paused turning to Danny. “You and you…”this time he turned to Natalie ”Don’t know what’s been going on in each other’s lives in a while, and I didn’t plan this whole thing in vain, so I suggest you better start being civil to each other and talk”
When Dougie finished Natalie’s mouth was hanging open and Danny was trying to say something but he kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.A few seconds passed until Danny managed to speak.
“Doug you…”
“No, no” Dougie raised his hand to silence Danny. “I don’t wanna hear it. I’ll take the dogs and you two will talk...oh and I’ll also take one of those” he stretched his hand and grabbed one of the cups in Danny’s hands. “Come Flea, Leah, let’s go over there” with that Dougie walked away with the dogs behind him leaving Natalie and Danny by themselves.