A Dog’s Life
Gary Whitmore
Copyright By Gary Whitmore 2011
Smashwords Edition
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events or places or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful early day in May across Western Pennsylvania and especially in the city of New Castle.
On the outskirts of New Castle, a new housing development was being build by the Hanson’s Construction Company. This new development was called Highland Estates with thirty new homes being built in a nice woodsy country setting.
At the entrance of the construction site was the office for Hanson’s Construction, which consisted of a single wide old trailer. The owner of this company was Mike Hanson; a 40-year-old married man of average height and average potbelly for men of his age group. Mike was still a handsome man with some gray hairs that started to peek through his full head of brown hair. Mike inherited the business from his father, Ernst, who founded it in 1960.
It’s now 4:30 in the afternoon and the sounds of power saws and hammers pounding nails just ceased to indicate the end of another workday.
Mike stepped out of his office trailer and watched while his workers headed to their cars and pick up trucks parked in the dirt parking lot.
“Great progress today, guys. See you tomorrow,” he called out to some of the workers while they got into their vehicles.
A few of the workers acknowledged Mike with some waves or nods of their heads.
“We’re going out for a few beers. Want to join us, Mike?” one of his workers offered.
“Nah, I have tons of paperwork to finish, you know, paychecks,” Mike responded.
“Well, then, I think you should get back to work,” another worker replied jokingly then got inside his pick up truck.
Mike went back inside his trailer and walked over to the coffee pot. He poured a cup of coffee then walked over to his desk filled with paperwork and sat down.
The trailer door opened and Russ Gates, a 55-year-old foreman for Mike, entered the trailer. Russ was hired by Mike’s father back in 1975 and had continued to be a valuable asset with keeping Mike’s company successful.
“Progress is looking good with the units,” Russ said while he removed the hard hat off his head and sat down at his desk. He kicked his Steel Toed boots up on his desk and ran his hair through his gray thinning hair.
“Good, are there any concerns with making our August deadline?” Mike asked then sipped some coffee.
“No indications yet,” Russ replied then placed his boots on the floor and stood up. “I’m going out for a few beers, want to join me?” he offered.
“Thanks, but I need to get the payroll finished,” Mike answered then sipped some more coffee.
“Well, don’t stay here all night,” Russ replied then walked to the door. “See you in the morning,” he said then left the trailer.
Mike went back to work writing out paychecks for his workers.
While Russ walked over to his Chevy Silverado pickup truck, a mangy looking female reddish haired terrier mix mutt named Ginger, snuck out of the construction site through a hole in the fence.
Russ got into his pickup truck and drove out of the construction site while Ginger moped down the side of the two-lane country road.
Thirty minutes later, Mike walked out of his trailer and locked the door.
He walked over to his Ford F-250 pickup and got inside. He started it up and drove out of the construction site. He stopped, got out of his truck and locked the front gate to the site. He got back in his pickup and drove off down the two-lane country road.
A little while later, he turned on his radio and the Aerosmith’s Walk This Way song played.
“Then you’re sure to be a-changin’ your ways,” Mike sang along with Steven Tyler and played some air guitar.
Then he spotted Ginger while she moped down the road on the right hand side. An evil smirk grew on his face while he accelerated his pickup and raced after the stray dog.
Then the second the front of his pickup was by Ginger, he blew his horn.
Ginger got startled and jumped off the road and landed in a big mud puddle on the side of the road.
Mike glanced in his rearview mirror and saw Ginger while she stepped out of the puddle, soaking wet, then she shook off the water. She continued to mope down the road. He chuckled and felt proud of himself. “Stupid ugly mutt,” he said then returned to his song. “Walk this way, talk this way,” he sang out along with Steven Tyler while he drove down the road.
In Mike’s neighborhood, Louise LeBlanc was 70 years old with long white hair that contained some purple dyed streaks down the side. She walked down the sidewalk with a limp and a cane. She was a spooky woman from New Orleans and spoke with a Cajun accent. A massive male Mastiff dog named Boodro walked alongside Louise where he was connected to a leash.
Louise and Boodro walked at the end of Mike’s driveway at the same time he pulled his pickup into the driveway. Louise felt threatened by his pickup so she bolted across his front yard dragging Boodro by the leash almost choking him. She stopped and glared back at Mike.
“I hope that stupid Boodro didn't use my front yard as a bathroom!” Mike said while he got out of his pickup and walked to his front door.
“You shouldn't treat your neighbors that way!” Louise scolded Mike.
“I don't consider a dog or a weird voodoo lady my neighbors. If I had my way, I would give him to that new Chinese restaurant down the street. And deport you back to New Orleans!” Mike replied with a mean tone.
Louise hissed at him like a mad cat. Boodro snarled at Mike.
“Give me five seconds alone with him,” Boodro said quietly to himself.
Louise walked Boodro across Mike's yard to her house, which was next door, and was painted a light purple color.
Mike walked to his front door.
The Hanson home was nicely furnished. The living room had a mahogany wood entertainment center with a 52-inch HDTV on a stand, nice expensive beige couch, plush lazy boy chair and wooden floors.
“I want that voodoo queen and her ugly mutt to stay off my grass!” Mike said the second he stepped foot into his living rom.
Jenny Hanson, Mike’s 6-year-old girl daughter rushed into the living room. “Daddy!” she cried all excited out the second she saw Mike.
Then Chris Hanson, Mike’s 8-year-old son rushed into the living room after Jenny. He had a baseball glove in his hand.
Mike knelt down and gave Jenny a hug the second she rushed up to him.
“Daddy, will you have a catch with me?” Chris said excitedly while he held up his glove and baseball.
“Then will you join my tea party?” Jenny asked with a gleam in her eye.
“Maybe another day kids, daddy's exhausted from a hard day at work,” he said while he walked over and plopped down on his lazy boy chair. He grabbed the remote off a small table next to the chair and turned on his TV.
Debbie Hanson, Mike’s 40-year-old blonde haired wife entered in a jogging outfit and stood at the archway.
Chris and Jenny moped out of the living room and felt hurt that Mike wouldn’t play with them.
Debbie watched while Jenny and Chris moped down the hallway and went inside their bedrooms.
“What did you say Mike?” she asked a little concerned.
“That voodoo lady,” he answered.
“Her name is Louise LeBlanc and don't make her mad,” Debbie quickly interrupted him.
“Whatever, anyway, she had her ugly dog in our yard again,” he replied while he surfed through the channels.
Debbie eyed the hallway. “Okay, but what did you say to Chris and Jenny to upset them?” she asked a little concerned.
“They wanted to play, but I'm too exhausted, Debbie,” he replied while he stopped on the ESPN channel.
“You better get some energy before the kids are all grown up and will definitely want nothing to do with you,” she snapped back.
“I hear you,” Mike replied but he could really care less, as all he wanted to do was relax and watch TV.
She rolled her eyes knowing she was up against his thick head. “I’m going jogging, I’ll make dinner after my five mile run. We’re having spaghetti,” she said then walked to the front door and left.
Mike turned to an ESPN channel and kicked back in his lazy boy chair.
Later that evening, Mike sat in another lazy boy chair in their fourth bedroom, which was his playroom.
Mike played the Aerosmith Train Keep A Rollin song on his pristine Sunburst Les Paul guitar. He was really good and missed those days more than 20 years ago when he played in the band called The Rockers in high school.
Debbie entered the den all sweaty in her jogging outfit. She glanced over at Mike and got a little upset. “I guess you're not too tired to play your guitar?”
“When's dinner?” Mike replied ignoring her question.
“After I take a shower and hopefully in twenty minutes if I’m not too tired,” she replied then walked away upset with him.
Mike continued to play his song on his Les Paul.
Later that evening, the Hanson family sat around the dining room table and ate their spaghetti with meatballs dinner.
“Chris has a little league game this Saturday and Jenny has a ballet recital,” Debbie told Mike.
He frowned while he sipped his ice tea. “I can't Debbie, the crew's working Saturday. I could get a nice bonus for finishing this project early,” Mike replied then he munched on a meatball.
“You're always working! Can't you spend a weekend doing something with the family for once?” Debbie scolded him.
“I’m sorry honey, somebody has to work to pay for all this,” he quickly replied then looked at Jenny and Chris. “So kids, how was your day at school?” he asked to get Debbie off his back.
“Carey Whitestone got sick in class so we had to stand in the hallway while the janitor cleaned the room. It stunk!” Jenny said when slurped up some spaghetti noodles.
“Joey Brooke showed us his new puppy. Can we get a puppy?” Chris said excitedly.
Mike frowned at his request. “You know how I feel about dogs. All they do is use the house as a bathroom and chew toy,” Mike replied.
“But Mommy talked with Uncle Kenny and he has a new puppy at the shelter,” Chris added with a gleam in his eyes at the prospect of having a puppy in the house.
Mike gave Debbie a stern look. “I don't think so, they're a waste of precious money.”
“But they’re so cute!” Jenny added.
Mike continued to eat and ignored everybody.
Debbie discreetly winked at Chris and Jenny.
They both smiled and knew what that meant.
Chapter 2
It was another beautiful morning in New Castle.
The Hanson household woke up, ate their breakfast and then Mike was off to work while Debbie got the kids ready for school.
Then she went off to work as a bank teller in town.
At his construction site, Mike wore his hard hat while he walked with Russ down the main street of the new neighborhood.
The sound of nail guns and saws filled the air while the workers worked on the homes in various phases of construction.
“Looks like our load of plywood for roofs of units twenty-five thru thirty will be late,” Russ said.
“When will it arrive?” Mike asked a little concerned.
“In five days,” Russ replied.
“Five days? I can't wait five days,” Mike said worried that the good progress will slow down.
Then something caught Mike’s attention while he looked at a framed house when they turned and walked down another street. He didn’t see the white Chevy government car that was parked at one of the homes down that street.
Mike walked Russ to the framed house and they saw Ginger in the living room area eating part of a sandwich on the wooden floor.
“Get out of here you ugly mangy mutt!” Mike yelled at Ginger while he ran over to the framed house. He picked up a sawed off piece of 2x4 board then ran through the framed front door opening.
They didn’t notice the government Chevy that drove down the street and turned onto the main street.
Ginger saw Mike with the board in his hand and she knew this meant trouble. She grabbed the sandwich and ran between the openings of the framed outside wall.
Mike ran back through the front door opening and ran across the yard after her. He threw the 2x4 piece of board and it bounced in the ground a foot behind Ginger’s running paws.
Mike walked back to Russ who stood in the front yard and saw the whole event.
“Tell the crew I don't want them leaving food around the site. And check the perimeter fence for any gaping holes,” Mike ordered while he watched Ginger run away. “Also have someone check the property to make sure that dog is gone,” he added.