Page 11 of Keep Your Guard Up
“What’s all this?” I asked, moving away from that haunted fucking filing cabinet. An old perfume aroma followed her, clinging to the lemon-yellow matching outfit she wore. Even her sandals had those little yellow fake diamonds on them.
“Your washing, dear. JJ said you were running low on clothes, so I popped some of them in with the gym towels and whatnot.” She adjusted her big lenses and looked through the pile, as if making sure it was all there.
“Oh …” I mumbled, dumbfounded at the act of kindness from a woman whom I had spoken less than fifty words to.
“I hope that was alright,” she said, and I paused, hearing a faint sound of metal clinging and quick footsteps.
“No, no! Of course that’s alright! Sorry, Marilyn. I didn’t realise anyone else was here.”
She laughed. “It’s a rare moment when this place is empty. Gus and I are usually around somewhere during the daylight hours.”
“Gus?” I asked.
Marilyn grinned. “Gus! Gussie!” she called. “Come here, buddy!”
The quick footsteps got closer and a big, black-furred dog poked its head around the corner. His tall, pointy ears stiffened up to the sky as he tilted his head at me. A second later, a long, dopey tongue fell out the side of his mouth.
“Say hello, little man.” Marilyn smiled down at the dog, who immediately flattened his ears tightly to his head and trotted over to me.
Gus was by no means little—his head reached about mid-thigh on me. But as soon as he got to my legs, he tucked his tail under, sat down, and leaned with his entire being straight onto me. I smiled at the dog, reminiscent memories pushing at the edges of the box I’d forcibly shoved them into in my mind.
“He sure likes you.” Marilyn broke my chain of thought, her jewellery jingling as she crossed her arms.
“What a friendly boy you are, Gus,” I cooed, scratching the spot near his ear that dogs with big ears like him loved.
“He’s come a long way from where we started with him,” she gushed.
“GUSSIE BOYYYYY!!”
That echoing, booming voice could only belong to one lunatic. The same lunatic I called my best mate.
When he appeared moments later, Gus play-bowed at JJ and began doing gentle zoomies around the office area. JJ gasped and dramatically fell to the floor, not even trying to catch himself.
“What the—”
Marilyn held a hand up to me.
Those quick, tip-tap footsteps came pattering over, only stopping when Guslaunchedhimself onto JJ. The grown-ass man on the floor laughed and giggled like a child as Gus, still with his ears pulled back, licked every inch of his face, pinning his chest to the ground.
“How long have you had him for?” I asked Marilyn. Looking at the size of her, her old and frail figure, there was no way she could handle a dog as big as Gus on her own.
“A few years now, though the public only know about the last two.” She shot a look at JJ, who was now spooning with Gus.
“And why is that, Nana dearest?” My best friend smirked, looking like a mischievous cat who justknowshe’s been caught doing the wrong thing.
“No, no, Jaxon. I will let you tell that story.” She winked at JJ’s feigned shock at the usage of his first name.
I raised my eyebrows at him in amused question.
What did you do, you mad bastard?
“Mari and I may have heisted Gus from his previous shit-cunt owners,” JJ grumbled, scratching Gus’s belly.
“You two stole a dog?” I confirmed.
“Sure did, Chancey boy.”
“And this didn’t bother you?” I asked Marilyn.
