Dog Day in the Park (8.11)

(Sunday morning at Monk's apartment)

The sun was still low in the eastern sky as San Francisco was starting to rise from its slumber. One could tell it was a weekend from the still sleepy apartments and lack of pedestrians on the pristine streets. Today, unlike other typical days, fog was hardly found, which made it a perfect fall day for the outdoors.

Inside one certain apartment one man pranced around busily as if he was readying for work. In fact, Adrian Monk was not preparing for his two vocations, solving murder crimes or cleaning. He was actually looking for his beloved dog Shelby, who had started another of her hide-and-seek games in Monk's apartment. Monk disapproved of such behavior and the mess it caused, which furthered his resolve to clean Shelby and his floors as often and best as he could. But today, armed with a leash, he was preparing for Shelby for a walk in the park.

Natalie, Monk's assistant, sat by the dining room table with amusement as she looked on. Monk, who had despised all dogs and anything carrying fleas, had really taken to Shelby and loved her as if she were family. His change would have astounded anybody who knew him. Today, partly at her behest, Monk had agreed to take Shelby on a walk to the park, a leisure activity that did not involve wipes. He even agreed that no morning cleaning was necessary, and a break – a break! – in the routine was in order.

"Aha, there you go! Shelby, I've got you. Now we are ready. And let me check your paws; make sure there are no fleas or other dirty stuff there," Monk's voice from the living room suggested that they were ready to go.

Natalie closed the newspaper she had been reading and proceeded to place her glass of finished orange juice in the sink. Knowing that Monk wanted to clean everything himself, she gave it a quick rinse and placed it in the cleaning area. Walking to the hallway, she saw Monk standing with Shelby on a leash and ready for the walk in the park. Today, unlike other days, he was not dressed in his standard, formal uniform. He looked carefree and ready for a restful morning in the park.

"Ready, Natalie?" Monk asked her as he extended his arm.

"Ready as ever Adrian," Natalie gave him a smile, petted Shelby and opened the door for them to pass through.

Monk and Natalie took a scenic route to the park that passed alongside the bay. That Sunday morning saw few people as most of them were sleeping. Natalie thought many of them were missing the good morning with plenty of sunshine and a light breeze. Monk walked at an even pace, with one hand touching any poles and another on Shelby's leash. Natalie exchanged holding Shelby's leash with Monk and they carried on light conversation as they approached the park.

Seeing a few dogs on the main lawn, Shelby barked in excitement. Her barks caught Natalie and Monk's attention, as they looked at each other with knowing smiles. Monk was a bit hesitant so Natalie took charge.

"Adrian, it's ok to let the leash loose. See the sign there, 'Dogs Zone'? That means dogs can play freely here," Natalie pointed out.

Monk shook his head and begged to differ, "But it doesn't say leashes are not required. You know that municipal ordinance that states all dogs must be on leash in parks? From what I know, there are no exceptions listed in the main enactment or schedules."

Natalie shook her head at Monk's reluctance, "Adrian, the law isn't written in stone. Sometimes, you are allowed to be more discretionary. See the other owners unleashing their dogs. It's perfectly ok here, especially since this section of the park is designed for dogs."

Monk seemed ready to accept Natalie's wishes. He still worried about breaking the law and any consequences. Maybe Stottlemeyer might find out and write a ticket.

Natalie then pointed at Shelby and looked at Monk, "Plus, look at Shelby. She wants to play and run around."

Monk saw the expression on Shelby's face, which asked for some freedom to run around and get dirty with other dogs and nature. He remembered seeing a similar face on Tommy, a two-year old boy he had taken into custody five years ago. He decided a similar freedom was in order and let go of Shelby's leash.

Monk and Natalie watched Shelby run off and play with the other dogs. The other owners were watching on the sidelines as well and took a similar joy in seeing the dogs interact. Natalie gave Monk a small hug to express her appreciation for what he did. He, by letting Shelby go play, was overcoming his fears and need for extreme control.

Natalie distracted Monk's gaze with a pull on his arm, "Adrian, let's walk around the lawn. We can talk while keeping our eye on Shelby."

Monk held Natalie's arm as they proceeded on a walk around the perimeter of the park. Inside, he was counting his and Natalie's footsteps. Monk had recently read about Beethoven and how he tried to envision everything in life by counting beats of music. Monk found a similar pleasure in counting his and Natalie's footsteps, which seemed very much synchronized.

Natalie looked up at Monk and saw him relaxed but still thinking, "Adrian, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh nothing, just counting our footsteps. It helps me maintain my beat."

"And how are we doing?"

"We're doing quite well Natalie. It seems you are walking at a beat of 45 steps per minute, and I'm at 46. Just one step off, so close. Maybe you can speed up a bit so we're all same and even."

Natalie chuckled at Monk's counting. It was so typical of him to count and stay on beat. Maybe he had some inner metronome that kept him going at a constant meter. "Adrian, I'll try to speed up for you. But I cannot give guarantees. Speaking of music, are you counting because you want to keep up your clarinet skills? I haven't seen you play for a while."

"That's partly why. Well, my clarinet is in my room; it's dated from my high school years. I haven't had much time to practice since Trudy passed."

"You should play it sometime. I want to listen to you play."

"What songs? I only know some basic tunes from school and some that Willy Nelson taught me."

"Willy Nelson is good for me. I like whatever music you like."

"Really? I don't really listen to music. You know all I have are classical, and classical."

"Hey, classical isn't bad. I happen to like Beethoven. I think all his symphonies are masterly works."

"Yes, they are. Too bad he stopped at nine, which to be honest, was an excellent work. It's just too bad he stopped at nine."

Natalie smiled in agreement. She thought that the Ninth Symphony was a work of its own, especially Ode to Joy. It was a song particularly good for Adrian to listen to.

Monk interrupted her, "How did you know I was learning the counting exercise from Beethoven?"

"A woman's intuition. That's all."

Monk nodded as he took her words in. Trudy often said the same thing. He gave much deference to her knowledge of most worldly matters. Natalie, too, knew much that he could learn from.

Shelby came running up to them wagging her tail. She looked excited about something. Monk and Natalie looked at each other and then at Shelby. They noticed a small, blue ball in Shelby's mouth and held by her teeth. Monk cringed in slight disgust and commanded Shelby, "Shelby, spit that out. No wait, don't spit that out. Don't spit. No spitting, definitely no spitting."

Natalie, ignoring Monk's histrionics, petted Shelby and asked her to spit out the ball. It was a rubber ball often used to play handball in New York, but how it came to San Francisco was beyond Natalie's guess. Shelby then looked at the ball on the grass and wagged her tail as if taking an interest in it.

Monk recovered slowly and fortunately, had turned his head when Shelby actually let go of the ball. He took out a package of wipes and started wiping Shelby's teeth and mouth. He was carefully to get everything, especially the molars. It was difficult to clean Shelby while her tongue was moving around and sometimes trying to lick him.

Monk finally stood up from cleaning and dropped the dirty wipes in a garbage can. He then proceeded to wipe his hands thoroughly as always. Natalie and Shelby just watched in amusement. Unlike when she just met him, Natalie found his cleaning habits to be more endearing than annoying, even though most of it was unnecessary.

"Ready to go, Adrian?" Natalie grabbed the leash and beckoned Shelby to follow them along.

Natalie and Monk, now with Shelby on leash, proceeded to the promenade by the bay. It was a relaxing path with many pedestrians, joggers and some dog owners. With Monk and Natalie interchanging the leash, they proceeded along the walk enjoying the morning sunshine and calm of the water.

"Adrian, I wonder, what made you love Shelby?"

"I don't know, Natalie. The first day, she actually drank from the toilet. I had to place her in an umbrella while I completely sanitized the bathroom. But later, as we got comfortable, so to speak, I began to like having her in my life. She followed me around in the house and when I go buy groceries. I found myself appreciating the joy she brought to my life. It's no longer so lonely when you are not around."

Natalie smiled at his story. She, too, had found Shelby endearing and would have adopted her if Julie wasn't allergic to dogs. But equally endearing was Adrian's love for Shelby, very much similar to how he loved Tommy after adopting the two-year old boy for a few weeks. She realized that despite his many handicaps, Adrian Monk could be a very loving person.

But she wanted to get one thing straight that had been bugging her for a while now, "And do you love Shelby as much as you love me?"

Monk was taken slightly aback at her question. He studied her face and saw that she was expecting a serious answer. He had not considered the question of love. True, Natalie and he had been dating steadily for a few months. But Trudy still held his heart and until her mystery was solved, it was difficult to love anyone else. Nonetheless, Natalie had been a constant in his life for five years now. He found her personality warm and character strong. Could he love her as much as he loved Trudy?

"Natalie, I do love you. And no offense Shelby, even though I love you as much as a man can love his dog, I love Natalie more," Monk addressed the latter sentence to Shelby, who turned her head around expressing some displeasure.

Monk continued, "Natalie, I might even love you as much as I loved Trudy. It's still hard for me to say it unequivocally, but yes, I want to love you and be with you for the rest of my life."

Natalie smiled as her eyes filled with small tears of happiness. Grabbing Monk by the shoulder and tiptoeing to kiss him, Natalie voiced, "Adrian, I love you too. I know Trudy is in your heart, I too want to be with you for the rest of my life. Mitch will always be part of me, but yesterday, he came back in a dream and told me to let go of my past and share my happiness with you. I'm definitely looking forward to that."

Monk looked downwards at Natalie with love and tenderness. His fears forgotten, his compulsions waylaid, his past thrown into history, he was prepared to love the woman in front of him for the rest of his life. Taking the initiative, he leaned in and gave Natalie a long, meaningful kiss.

Shelby looked at her masters and wagged her tails in excitement. She was no novice to human relations and emotions, for they were not so different from what dogs experienced. She had an inkling of this human emotion called "love". She had seen her previous master "fall in love" with another human being, who happened to own a dog. What Shelby and that dog then experienced was something for a more dogged and wistful occasion. Maybe it was time to scurry back and relay information about her impending puppies…

Natalie and Adrian released each other from the kiss and looked at each other. It was obvious to each what the other person was feeling. They wordlessly expressed their feelings and desires without any additional gestures. Their new relationship was building along nicely (or in Monk's words, evenly). Seeing Shelby looking at them oddly, Adrian and Natalie picked up the leash and proceeded along the promenade.

"Bread and butter."

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked Adrian upon hearing his interruption.

"Trudy used to say 'Bread and Butter' to me. It meant that we would not be separated. Those were her last words," Adrian explained wistfully with a touch of sadness.

Natalie listened to Adrian and gave him a small hug from the side. She felt him loosening up and the remaining sadness melting away. It enlivened him up and even added quickness to Shelby's steps in front of them.

"Bread and butter, Adrian," Natalie said softly as they continued on toward wherever the promenade led them.