Chapter 2: The Gang, Reunited
Daphne gently pushed the stroller through the park, walking the path that
she had walked so many times in her childhood. Nostalgically, she recalled the
times that she and Velma would walk to the park without the boys, then spend the
entire afternoon talking about them. **Yeah, she thought to herself. **Those
were the days. Now, here I am, Mrs. Daphne Blake-Jones, walking this same
path with my infant daughter accompanied by the same man who was so
frequently the topic of our discussions. A thin smile played across her face as she
imagined what Velma would think of the scene.
A sudden, violent force on the stroller's handle woke the redhead from her
thoughts.
"Let's go another way this time," Fred said, directly.
Daphne glanced inquisitively at her husband. "Why?"
The blond man shrugged. "Because I feel like it, that's why."
Daphne shot her husband a suspicious glare. "There you go," she chided,
"acting like a dictator again."
"Just trust me, alright?"
The red headed woman shook her head in disgust. "Freddy, for once, why
don't you let me make my own decisions. Do you have to tell me what to do
every time?"
The blond man said nothing, seeming to accept his wife's comment.
Then, abruptly, he grabbed the stroller from Daphne's hands and began pushing it
in the direction that he wanted to go.
"Hey!" Daphne screeched, both in horror and shock, "what do you think
you are you doing?"
The blond man shook his head and grinned, all the while, continuing to
walk towards a large fountain in the center of the park, Daphne following closely
on his heels.
"Just trust me, okay?"
Moments later, Daphne caught up with her husband and daughter.
Panting, she glared at the blond man. "Are you crazy?" she scolded, in between
breaths. "What did you think you were doing? I think you owe me an…" Her
stern tone of voice suddenly subsided, softening, as her previously harsh words
melted into a startled gasp. "Oh, my G…," she breathed, putting her hands over
her mouth in shock.
The blond man smiled at his wife, surrounded by his childhood friends
and a large Great Dane. "You see, I told you it would be good for you to get out."
* * * * * * * * *
On the other side of the park, Marc Wyndham calmly walked the giant
Great Dane. "'Atta girl, Kala," he praised. "Now don't you like this better than
that stuffy kennel at Laura's place? You can be a real dog with me, not just some
fancy lawn ornament like you are with her."
The giant dog cooed in response.
The pair stopped in front of the snack bar. "Two ice creams," he began.
"mint for me and vanilla on a cone for her."
"NOT ON YOUR LIFE, MISTER!!"
The dark haired man turned around abruptly and found himself face-to-
face with his ex-wife. "Laura," he stuttered, in surprise. "What are you doing
here?"
The blonde woman sneered at her ex-husband. "That dog is a valuable
commodity; don't you DARE corrupt her…"
Marc sighed. " 'A valuable commodity'? You talk about her as if she's a
piece of property."
"She is, and she's my property. I co-signed that registration form, and that
dog belongs just as much to me as she does to you. I think I have the right to say
that I want her!" Laura took a drag on her cigarette. "Am I not being reasonable,
dear?"
Mark Wyndham looked his ex-wife squarely in the eyes. "No, you're not.
You never really liked Kala anyway; why do you suddenly want her? She was
never anything more to you than an object to show off in those stupid canine
beauty pageants. I treated her the way she should have been treated, first as a pet,
then as a show dog."
"Pet, my ass! That animal is a champion show dog of champion lineage,
worth, might I add, over $100,000. I mean, do you know who this dog is?" She
began enumerating the dog's accomplishments. "Top honors at the mid-western
regional Great Dane specialty show, sixteen blue ribbons, this year's AKC's 'Top
Dog,' and a two time national champion!" Her voice peaked in volume as she
named the final accomplishment, unaware that she could be heard all the way
across the park.
The blonde woman continued her tirade. "And for your information,
'Kala, 'as you call her is the most sought after female Great Dane in the country;
people are paying me to mate their dogs to her.' Laura waved a piece of paper in
front of her husband's face. "I've got $5000 riding on this dog and her hormones.
She'll be shipped cross-country next week to mate with a stud dog out in
Nevada."
Marc Wyndham shook his head in disgust. "That's nice, Laura, but you
still haven't told me why you want her. What could you give her that I couldn't?"
Laura Wyndham took another drag on her cigarette. "Me? Well, I know
her potential as a show dog, and I would allow her to reach that potential. If you
get her, she'd be nothing more than a fancy foot warmer." The blonde woman
paused, then blew a cloud of smoke in her ex-husband's face. Marc Wyndham
coughed in disgust, fanning the air with both hands, and inadvertently dropped the
leash in the process. Feeling the sudden slack on her leash, the giant dog took
advantage of her newly found freedom, running swiftly away from the bickering
couple who never even noticed her departure.
Daphne gently pushed the stroller through the park, walking the path that
she had walked so many times in her childhood. Nostalgically, she recalled the
times that she and Velma would walk to the park without the boys, then spend the
entire afternoon talking about them. **Yeah, she thought to herself. **Those
were the days. Now, here I am, Mrs. Daphne Blake-Jones, walking this same
path with my infant daughter accompanied by the same man who was so
frequently the topic of our discussions. A thin smile played across her face as she
imagined what Velma would think of the scene.
A sudden, violent force on the stroller's handle woke the redhead from her
thoughts.
"Let's go another way this time," Fred said, directly.
Daphne glanced inquisitively at her husband. "Why?"
The blond man shrugged. "Because I feel like it, that's why."
Daphne shot her husband a suspicious glare. "There you go," she chided,
"acting like a dictator again."
"Just trust me, alright?"
The red headed woman shook her head in disgust. "Freddy, for once, why
don't you let me make my own decisions. Do you have to tell me what to do
every time?"
The blond man said nothing, seeming to accept his wife's comment.
Then, abruptly, he grabbed the stroller from Daphne's hands and began pushing it
in the direction that he wanted to go.
"Hey!" Daphne screeched, both in horror and shock, "what do you think
you are you doing?"
The blond man shook his head and grinned, all the while, continuing to
walk towards a large fountain in the center of the park, Daphne following closely
on his heels.
"Just trust me, okay?"
Moments later, Daphne caught up with her husband and daughter.
Panting, she glared at the blond man. "Are you crazy?" she scolded, in between
breaths. "What did you think you were doing? I think you owe me an…" Her
stern tone of voice suddenly subsided, softening, as her previously harsh words
melted into a startled gasp. "Oh, my G…," she breathed, putting her hands over
her mouth in shock.
The blond man smiled at his wife, surrounded by his childhood friends
and a large Great Dane. "You see, I told you it would be good for you to get out."
* * * * * * * * *
On the other side of the park, Marc Wyndham calmly walked the giant
Great Dane. "'Atta girl, Kala," he praised. "Now don't you like this better than
that stuffy kennel at Laura's place? You can be a real dog with me, not just some
fancy lawn ornament like you are with her."
The giant dog cooed in response.
The pair stopped in front of the snack bar. "Two ice creams," he began.
"mint for me and vanilla on a cone for her."
"NOT ON YOUR LIFE, MISTER!!"
The dark haired man turned around abruptly and found himself face-to-
face with his ex-wife. "Laura," he stuttered, in surprise. "What are you doing
here?"
The blonde woman sneered at her ex-husband. "That dog is a valuable
commodity; don't you DARE corrupt her…"
Marc sighed. " 'A valuable commodity'? You talk about her as if she's a
piece of property."
"She is, and she's my property. I co-signed that registration form, and that
dog belongs just as much to me as she does to you. I think I have the right to say
that I want her!" Laura took a drag on her cigarette. "Am I not being reasonable,
dear?"
Mark Wyndham looked his ex-wife squarely in the eyes. "No, you're not.
You never really liked Kala anyway; why do you suddenly want her? She was
never anything more to you than an object to show off in those stupid canine
beauty pageants. I treated her the way she should have been treated, first as a pet,
then as a show dog."
"Pet, my ass! That animal is a champion show dog of champion lineage,
worth, might I add, over $100,000. I mean, do you know who this dog is?" She
began enumerating the dog's accomplishments. "Top honors at the mid-western
regional Great Dane specialty show, sixteen blue ribbons, this year's AKC's 'Top
Dog,' and a two time national champion!" Her voice peaked in volume as she
named the final accomplishment, unaware that she could be heard all the way
across the park.
The blonde woman continued her tirade. "And for your information,
'Kala, 'as you call her is the most sought after female Great Dane in the country;
people are paying me to mate their dogs to her.' Laura waved a piece of paper in
front of her husband's face. "I've got $5000 riding on this dog and her hormones.
She'll be shipped cross-country next week to mate with a stud dog out in
Nevada."
Marc Wyndham shook his head in disgust. "That's nice, Laura, but you
still haven't told me why you want her. What could you give her that I couldn't?"
Laura Wyndham took another drag on her cigarette. "Me? Well, I know
her potential as a show dog, and I would allow her to reach that potential. If you
get her, she'd be nothing more than a fancy foot warmer." The blonde woman
paused, then blew a cloud of smoke in her ex-husband's face. Marc Wyndham
coughed in disgust, fanning the air with both hands, and inadvertently dropped the
leash in the process. Feeling the sudden slack on her leash, the giant dog took
advantage of her newly found freedom, running swiftly away from the bickering
couple who never even noticed her departure.