Untitled.

...Huh?

It's snowing outside? Snow... Never really crosses your mind how peaceful snow truly is. It's like rain without the clutter or noise. You walk out of the warmth of your apartment and into the cold winter air, heading towards the local corner store. You arrive and make your purchases, consisting of a box of Hot Pockets and a 6-Pack of Monster. The world...no one really remembers what you did. You don't care, there are plenty of other awesome things you've done. But you can't shake this feeling. You feel some what...hollow? Why? Is it selfishness? Bah, you're just a kid with a good heart who manages to find his way out of trouble. You don't deserve jack shit. That certain someone's face appears in your mind, as if seared into your brain. What is this? Why can't you get her out of your head? Come on man! You don't deserve her. No matter how much you try, you'll always be that friendly, ordinary dude who does extraordinary things.

"Hmmm..?" Something catches your eye. There's an old man sitting on the curb. No cars going by, and the place looks more desolate than a ghost town. It gives you an eerie feeling of emptiness. Like a void. You look around, as if to gauge your surroundings. Fuck it, you approach him.

"Hey Old-Timer, getting drunk on the curb?" He looks at you wearily and sighs.

"Talking to an old guy like me durin' this shit-storm?"

"Some place I should be?" you reply, almost mockingly.

"Kid, it's written all over your face..." He gives an even more exasperated sigh.

"Son, you see those wedding props lying in the middle of the road?" You notice there's a few paper cans rolling around.

"Yeah, did I miss something good?" You feel yourself dropping your guard a bit.

"You wanna know what makes a wedding so special?"

"Beats me, the cake?"

"Love."

"You're getting mushy on me, old guy."

"Yeah, but I like mushy things sometimes lad, I'ma sucker fer em, really."

"Yeah, I hear you." Her face instantly comes back to mind.

"Anywho, the married couple could be insulting each other this very minute, hittin' each other, cheatin' on each other....but durin' the wedding..." He proceeds to take a sip from the bottle. Liquor dribbles down his mangy beard. "...durin' the wedding, it just melts away. Tow souls come together and share a piece of them within themselves, ya know?" He looks at the puzzled expression on your face. "You like weddings, kid?"

"Not really, I don't believe in the institution of marriage."

"You never do, until you meet the right women." Somehow, you knew he was going to say that. They always do.

"Nowadays? Women are all the same Grandpa...Conniving, over-empowered, whores. Chivalry is dead." You scoff.

"Exactly mah point son. That's what makes that special someone so special! Uniqueness."

"I suppose so."

"Wanna hear a story, son?"

You glace down at your bag of late-night gamer snacks. You look back up at this man, who probably hasn't had any sort of positive human interaction in quite some time. You've already gone this far right? Maybe you can learn a thing or two from this guy.

"Sure old man, I don't have anywhere to be." You sit down, and grab a Monster.

"Just wait a second..." He looks over towards the empty alleyway. An old dog comes hobbling out. A mangy looking fur-ball.

"Heh, cute dog. I would have taken you for a cat guy though."

"This dog...there was a boy who came through here on his way to school, few years back. Lonely kid, never really fit in with any of the other kids. He always had this sort of permanent frown on his face." Another sip.

"...."

"One day, he was pushed into a garbage can down that alley by a bunch of older kids. They though it was funny 'cause the didn't know no better. He cried and cried, until a little pup came out of a box that was in the very same garbage can and started lickin' the boy's face."

"Hate to think where that dog's tongue has been.", you mutter under your breath.

"The boy looked at the door with a perplexed face. The dog did the same. That made the boy chuckle a small bit and the pup got excited and hopped onto his lap and gave him a big ol' smoocher. The boy had finally found a friend. The puppy had been abandoned and thrown away like a scrap of trash. And when he met this boy, that puppy finally felt like he had a master. A friend. Someone he could love."

"I see..." Your guard melts away as you grow increasingly interested in this man's tale.

"Each day, the puppy would walk with the boy to the stop sign and wait for him to come back from school. The day began and ended with those meetings. Eventually, the boy grew up a bit, and thanks to the dog's love, became more outgoing. He found friends and stuck up for himself and such. The boy was finally happy, and it was all thanks to this here pup." He gently pat's the old dog's head.

"......"

"One day, the boy was walking home from the school bus, and there was this terribly stupid moron who decided to drink and drive. He was a suicidal maniac and he didn't care who he took with him. The boy bent down to give his puppy a gift; a collar. He told him that from that day forward, he would be his dog and best friend. Forever."

"The driver-"

"The boy was struck right next to the stop sign. He died instantly. The sonofabitch drivin' was just injured. The puppy walked over towards it's master and sat there. It didn't budge from that boy's side. He whimpered and lifted the boy's hand with it's nose, but the child lay motionless. They say dogs can't cry, but that didn't stop this one. Even if it wasn't on the outside."

"That's horrible..." You feel your eyes swell up a bit.

"The dog grew up , and each day it would return to this spot and wait for it's master. The boy would never come, but the dog will never stop returning to this stop sign."

"My heart feels heavy..."

"Shit like this happens everyday, son." The old man takes a long sip from his bottle. "Do you understand what I'm talkin' about, boy?"

"Yeah, I get the jist of it, old-timer."

"You're a lot like that puppy."

You laugh. "Why? Am I waiting for a master that'll never come?"

"No, the difference between you and him is that your master...is still alive."

"You know, for an old drunk guy who I just met, you sure are fuckin' preachy."

You both let out slight chuckles.

"It's the booze, kid. Makes fools outta all of us."

"And time as well."

"Hahaha, yep. Time as well. So many things I wish I could do again. So much I'll never accomplish. But that's life."

"Bullshit. Age is just a number."

"Maybe yer right, but you don't see any 63 year old men playing ice hockey on the moon."

"I don't think anyone plays ice hockey on the moon, Grandpa."

"I woulda been the first, kid."

"God damn, you're depressing."

"You're listen' to me, aren't cha? Isn't that even more depressing?"

"Well shit, you have a point there."

"You got someone you like, dontcha kid?"

"Eeehhh, I dunno."

"You don't know? Quit being such a fucking pussy."

"...You're right, if I see something I want, I should take it!"

"AHA! Now yer talkin'! Good luck kid, I got a date with a fluffy lookin' box with newspaper for blankets."

"Thanks a lot, for the talk. What did you say your name was again?"

"Never did, but Old-Timer works just fine kid. Now go get yerself a wench."

You stand up, pump up, and vanish into the snowy night.

"That idiot left without saying goodbye...damn kids."

The old man sits down and stares at the spot where that boy lay all those years ago. Its still in his mind to this very day.

"Sorry kid."

The old man sheds a tear as he regrets the day he decided to drink and drive.

The dog lets a howl into the night.

Forever loyal.

Forever waiting.