Accidental Love.




  I had just gotten home from work when the phone rang. 

  Dale, my next door neighbor was calling me. He told me 
  that he had a secret that he wanted to share with me.

  Normally, I would have been happy to go over and see 
  what he had to show me. But I had just gotten off a 
  long shift and I really didn't want to do much except
  get some sleep.

  When I told him how I felt, he begged me to come. He
  sounded so desperate, that I relented and got dressed 
  and went over.

  I came through the back door. Dale was a bit of a pack
  rat and you could never know what he would be doing 
  next with the odd stuff he bought and brought home.

  Mounds of computer paper decorated the livingroom today,
  last month, he had seemingly bought out the entire stock
  of an Oregon Thunder Egg dealer out in Madras, Oregon. He
  had stacked them so hapazardly, that the floor had given
  way in one spot and hundreds of pounds of the rocks had 
  dropped into the basement.

  Now, the computer paper wouldn't do the same, but some
  of the stacks were so high as to present a hazzard of 
  tipping over and burying a person alive in them. As I
  stood there, I heard his voice call out to me from the 
  basement.

  Heading downstairs, I had to make room for Shark, Dales
  Huge Great Dane. A year after Dale had moved in, he had 
  gone to the local animal shelter and found this dog and 
  brought him home. I had sort of envied him, I had done 
  the same some years ago and had cared for, and loved two
  male Labs.

  Sadly, they had both died just two years ago and I still
  had not gone to the dog shelter to try to find another
  to love. I just didn't want to again face the terrible 
  feelings that had come to me after I had buried them.

  As he passed me, I got whapped on the side by the tail 
  that I had told Dale he should have docked. Dale would 
  laugh and then change the subject. Now, I could see row 
  upon row of blinking lights. and Dale standing in the 
  corner fiddling with a bunch of wires.

  As he worked, I stood there and watched him. Dale had 
  admitted to me that he was gay. I told him that I was
  a zoo. Dales face fell a bit when I told him that.

  Later, when we got drunk one night, he admitted that he
  was sort of fond of me and would I fufill his fantasy?

  I told him that I wasn't into that sort of realtionship,
  He nodded and then continued to drink until he passed out. 

  Lugging him to the taxi and then carting him home was
  easy. The real problem was when I got him in his house.

  He came around and then begged me to stay the night. I 
  carefully told him that I just couldn't. That was the 
  hardest point, because he started to cry. I sat with him
  for a couple more hours, then he fell asleep on the floor
  while still begging me to stay.

  I left the house and went to my own. My heart hurt for him,
  he was a nice guy and friendly. But I had drawn the line
  earlier in my life and that was the way it would stay.

  The next day, he apologized for what he said and did. I 
  told him I understood. He dropped the subject from then on.

  Now, he finished and lifted the panel back into place.

  Flipping some switches, he stood there as a low whine 
  started to come from the other side of the machine. Coming 
  nearer to me his face was wreathed in a smile.

   " What do you think?" He said.

   " Nice" I replied. " But I thought that Christmas lights are
   supposed to be put outside."

   " Very funny." He snorted. " I think I have finally developed
   a way to cause a rip in time."

  I looked over the equipment. Mostly it was bargain basement
  stuff that most manufactures had thrown away or just dumped
  at a local auction.

   " But do you have the ability to sew it shut too?" I asked.

  Giving me a dirty look, he flipped a couple more switches 
  and then stepped back to a ring-like device that had hundreds
  of wires wrapped or fastened to it. Carefully using a stick,
  he tossed it through the ring.

  The stick went through the ring and fell to the floor. Dale
  picked it up and tossed it through again. Nothing happened.

  Casting a worried look at the machine, he walked 
  over and flipped a couple more switches. Throwing
  the stick again, it landed next to Shark who picked
  it up and brought it to him.

  With a growl, he took it and snapped it in half.

  Stomping over to a box on odds and ends. He picked 
  up a small cube of metal. He then tossed this through
  the ring.

  Nothing happened. By this time, the whining from the
  machine started to hurt my ears. Shark was laying down
  now and had his paws covering his. Flipping a final 
  switch, Dale stood near me and then wound up like a 
  major league pitcher and threw the cube at the ring.

  I came to a couple of minutes later, smoke and flames
  were pouring from the machines and I couldn't find the
  fire extinguisher that he had. Grabbing Dale and Shark,
  I staggered up the stairs and out of the house.

  I heard shouting as I came out and laid them both on 
  the lawn. The rescue squad arrived first and started
  trying to revive Dale. After thirty minutes, they gave
  up and covered his body. Shark had finally come to and
  was staggering all over the place.

  I grabbed him and took him to my place and then went back
  outside to tell the police what happened. By the time the
  fire department arrived, the house was totally involved and
  they didn't bother trying to fight the fire.

  About six hours later, they hauled off the equipment and
  Dales body also. Saddened by the loss of a good friend, I 
  wearily walked back to my house. Sitting there, I had tears
  rolling from my eyes as I remembered him. I now sort of 
  wished I had given into him that one night.

  Shaking my head, I knew that that sort of wish would no
  longer be possible. I heard a snort and looked up into
  the eyes of Shark as he stood there. Patting my lap, he 
  came to me and licked my face.

  " Easy fellow, I'm sorry but I guess you're going to have
  to live with me now. Your owner has gone from here." I said.

  Shark cocked his head and looked at me. " I guess that I
  sort of screwed up the experiment, didn't I?" He said.

  I sat there, my eyes nearly popping out of my head.

  His lips parted in a sort of doggy smile. " As to that time
  I wanted you to stay the night, care to take me up on it now?"
  He said.

  I leaned back and started laughing. He climbed halfway into
  my lap and I hugged his massive body. " I think I will." I 
  said and then got up and followed him into the bedroom.

  That night, both of us found what we needed and wanted most of
  all.