A MAN AND HIS DOG

It was a hot day that summer and I was sitting on the porch of our little two-story house that Sunday afternoon wondering what I was going to do this summer vacation. I was glad now I was eighteen and would be able to move out after graduation. Since mother had married Steve Keller and moved to the country to live with him she paid little attention to me. I told her I couldn’t wait to move and get my own place. One of the reasons was I could hear them at night screwing and the way she screamed and moaned for more I knew he was hung like an animal. It was really gross. As for Steve, her new husband, he seemed to like that damn dog of his more than me. Brutus his dog had accepted mother the day she moved into Steve’s house probably because he though mother was Steve’s bitch but he was always growling and glaring at me. I was deathly afraid of his big Doberman. When the call came about Grandmother being sick Mother said she would fly out to look after her. I knew it was going to be one long summer alone with Steve and Brutus and I begged her to let me go with her. She said she was only going to be gone three months and it was too expensive.

I watched as Steve and Mother pull away and decided to go in and watch TV. I lay there on the sofa and Brutus was lying on the floor watching my every move. It had started getting dark when I heard Steve pull up in our long gravel drive. He was carrying a paper sack and as he entered he told me to wash up for supper. Setting to bowls on the table he began filling them with some dumb Chinese food telling it was his favorite and for me to eat up. Then taking a steak from the refrigerator he cut it in pieced and put it on a plate for Brutus. I muttered that was the steak mother had fixed for my supper and all Steve said was for me to shut up and eat. Grumbling I told him he that fed that Damn dog of his better than he did me. Coming over and grabbing up my dish he slammed it to the floor telling me if I was going to act like a bitch dog I might as well eat like one. Then pulling me up he slammed me to the floor.

When I tried to get up he put his foot on my back pushing me to the floor telling me to eat like a good dog. Now Steve was a huge brute and I was afraid of him. I went down on all fours and began licking at my food. As Brutus gulped his food he kept glancing over at me. When he’d finished his steak he walked over licking my face like a playmate. It was the first time the dog was ever friendly to me. Steve sat there watching to make sure I ate then getting up dug through one of the kitchen drawers pulling out a dog collar. Reaching down putting it on me saying when I gave him the same respect that Brutus did I could take the collar off. Looking up at him he was smiling and leaning down patted my head like I was one of his pets. It was the first time Steve had ever made a move to be friendly even if it was a cruel joke. He made me keep that collar all that evening until I went to bed. --> continue reading the story here