TheBanyanTree: A Date at the Dog Park

[Monique Young]

                The dog belonging to the male half of the couple carries a
large rubber football in his mouth, blue and silver, and he cares for it as
Britney Spears cares for her children - recklessly and without regard to
keeping it intact for yet another day.

                So that was a cheap shot and uncalled for. I just couldn't
pass it up.

                Back to the couple at the dog park. The dog trots around
unattended, as many of the dogs at the dog park do. It's a dog park. That's
what dogs do. (Funny story: We pass by one woman who is walking her 9 week
old puppy on a leash, and telling it, "You can't stop every time you see
another dog!" We laugh after we pass her, and say to each other, "New dog
owners! Good luck with that!") The couple are talking intently, asking each
other questions in a hesitant but forthright manner, each of them trying to
get to the root of the reason for being there together: is this headed for a
relationship? Or is this just a walk in the dog park? 

                "I went to Russia," he says, "And passed through Sweden on
my way. Where were you in Sweden, not that I'd know," but before he even
finishes she interjects and names the place in Sweden, and he says, 'Oh,
well, I'm not familiar with it." 

                "What were you doing in Russia?" she asks, and as he
launches into the story of how he went to Russia in high school because he
was taking Russian and his Russian teacher arranged for a student trip to
Russia, the dog runs up to them, drops his football, and looks up
expectantly, awaiting the ceremonial throwing of the football so he can
return to his play.

                The football is thrown, the dog runs, a few other dogs join
in the pursuit, and the conversation continues. The woman is attempting a
younger look, with her strapless top that one can see through if one is
paying attention, and her bleached blonde hair (or perhaps it's a normal
shade of blonde, and just because a color does not look like anything in
nature does not mean it is not found in nature, for certain species of tree
frogs don't seem to be entirely natural colors, after all), but the problem
with dressing to impress with one's youth is that there are certain facets
of one's appearance that will give away one's age, when exposed, that one
does not even consider. Especially when one disregards their back - the
thinking must be along the lines of: "If I can't see it, surely no one else
can either." This defies logic, but that is neither here nor there. 

                She asks the man a series of questions designed to test his
possibilities as a provider, along the lines of what he does, how long has
he been doing it, does he enjoy it, is it profitable? He responds with a
series of stammers, unsure how much information should be disclosed, how
much should be kept close to the vest. His answers are predicated upon how
badly he wants for female companionship. If it has been awhile, he is
circumspect in not revealing anything of detriment, but if he has a date
scheduled for later he can be a bit more honest. He weighs all this in his
mind with every question he answers, and finds the conversation exhausting. 

                The dog returns. The woman ignores the dog, glancing at it
occasionally as if weighing the threat factor. How attached is he to his
dog, she wonders, as she's never been all that fond of big dogs and prefers
the little pocket ones that she can carry in her Gucci bag, if she had a
Gucci bag, which she doesn't, but which she would if things work out like
she hopes.

                The football is thrown again, but the dog wanders off to
play with other dogs. They're more fun, after all, and perhaps he can make
some of them cower at his sheer size and strength.

                It's a sunny day at the dog park. The couple wander down
paths newly lined with bark, oblivious to oncoming dogs and people as they
work out their own scenarios on each other. It is either history in the
making, or it is a one-time event, and at the end of it they will part ways
and never speak again, or meet again and explore their individual scenarios
and find no common ground, or meet again and again until they're bored with
each other and one of them takes the easy way out and stops answering the
phone, or meet again and again until one of them gives in and they move in
together, only to part six months later when she finds out that his idea of
commitment does not include her alone, or they part a year later when he
finds her neediness and jealousy too much to deal with . . . the
possibilities are endless. They could even meet again and again and fall
madly in love and never be parted again. It's too soon to tell. 

                The dog hopes that he remains the man's center of attention,
his focus of affection, and thinks he might bite the woman if she gets in
his way. He is territorial, after all, and he was there first. 

                The man tries to remember the last time he was intimate with
a woman and how much he can overlook in exchange for that.

                The woman remembers the last time she was intimate with a
man and thinks it's been far too long, though it really hasn't been, but if
one isn't busy being desired, what good is one's life?

                The man wonders what it would be like to be desired for
something other than his bank account.

                The woman wonders at the size of the man's bank account.

                Behind the scenes there are entire scenarios of life being
played out, individually, while at the forefront the couple is polite and
engaging, following the script as they knew it should be played.

                The dog chased other dogs, sans script or motives, other
than playing until too tired to play, at which point he'd sleep.