Man's Best Friend?

A Closer Look at the Everyday

u
Stanley was a creature of habit. The weather had no apparent inclination on his actions, as he sat underneath an old oak tree in the corner of Penfield Park in his rust colored pickup truck as he did every other day. The pounding of the rain against the thinning layer of metal above his head seemed to blend harmoniously with the sound of Bocelli's Romanza coming from the car's speakers. Tapping the two middle fingers of his left hand on the dashboard in sync to the beautiful notes of a harp, he sang loudly and entirely off key to no one in particular.
His other hand was preoccupied by a rather large and overstuffed turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread. Keeping his eyes clothes, he chewed his food, somehow managing to make sure it found its intended target. A few bites later he started on a small bag of goldfish crackers, and after a few heaping handfuls his supply of food was depleted. He slid his hand down between his legs and from a mysterious resting place he found a soda bottle. Without checking its contents, he took three large gulps.
Opening his eyes for the first time, he noticed a black dog, perhaps a Labrador-sitting upright on its haunches down on the far side of the baseball field. He contemplated to himself why an animal would chose to stay out in the rain rather than seek obvious and easily accessible shelter elsewhere. It just didn't make any sense to him. He opened the driver side door and slowly squeezed his portly body out from behind the steering wheel, careful not to slam his door. He crept over to a faded wooden park bench behind third base, directly across from the dog. He sat down and felt a cool sensation as the water made its way through his jeans. He felt the rain pelt him on the face and skin, and he made eye contact with the animal. The dog let itself roll onto one side, letting the damp grass of left field tickle its fur. The man got down off the bench and he too lay on his side, taking in the smells of the recently cut grass. He smiled to himself, all the while keeping eye contact with the dog. The two of them lay there, completely unaware of the rain falling around them, absolutely captivated by the other's movements.

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