Darla's Back


I see that Darla is back at the Clip Joint.  And that’s good.
That’s real good.
Now, I have no idea who Darla is or where she’s been, but I can imagine that little thrill she gets when she sees her name on the marquee outside the Joint: Darla’s Back!  For a few weeks, I’d wager, people will talk:  “Oh! She’s back! Darla is back!”
“Oh, I love the way she does my tints.”
“She’s just terrific, isn’t she?”
And then, upon seeing Darla again, “Where’ve you been?”
“You look great.  You lose weight?”
And eventually, the marquee will be changed: Back to school special: Free bang trim; Darla’s scissors will grow dull; and everyone will forget that Darla’s back, let alone the fact that she’d gone somewhere in the first place. 
But that’s OK. 
It’s the ordinariness of life that makes marquee moments special.
* * *
I’m sad to report that Destructo—the service dog that Squints was raising—has been pulled from the program.  It’s not an uncommon thing to happen, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel a bit disappointed and perhaps a tinge embarrassed by the whole thing: Leave it to us to have a dog that fails the program.
And I have to stay, it’s strange, going places without him.  No library.  No bank.  No book store.  Not even Starbucks.  We were used to our little bit of fame that having Destructo brought us.  Some people scolded us for bringing him into the library; Others told us stories of the service dogs they raised; They congratulated Squints for his dedication while his sisters and I roll our eyes at each other, knowing that Squints’ dedication had waned as Destructo went from eight pounds to fifty.
Every week, the bank tellers would offer him a biscuit.  The librarians would exclaim over the size of his paws while they scanned books.  Mothers would bring their children over to pet Destructo and ask questions.
When we initially stopped taking Destructo around, there were questions: “Where’s the dog today?” 
Or…
“How come you didn’t bring Destructo?”
But eventually, the questions diminished and then faded and then stopped altogether. 
That’s all over now.  We’re back to being regular people.
We’re back to being ordinary people and Destructo is now an ordinary dog. 
He’s nothing special.
Except he’s ours.

Labels: , ,

Writing in the Margins, Bursting at the Seams: Darla's Back

Friday, August 5, 2011

Darla's Back


I see that Darla is back at the Clip Joint.  And that’s good.
That’s real good.
Now, I have no idea who Darla is or where she’s been, but I can imagine that little thrill she gets when she sees her name on the marquee outside the Joint: Darla’s Back!  For a few weeks, I’d wager, people will talk:  “Oh! She’s back! Darla is back!”
“Oh, I love the way she does my tints.”
“She’s just terrific, isn’t she?”
And then, upon seeing Darla again, “Where’ve you been?”
“You look great.  You lose weight?”
And eventually, the marquee will be changed: Back to school special: Free bang trim; Darla’s scissors will grow dull; and everyone will forget that Darla’s back, let alone the fact that she’d gone somewhere in the first place. 
But that’s OK. 
It’s the ordinariness of life that makes marquee moments special.
* * *
I’m sad to report that Destructo—the service dog that Squints was raising—has been pulled from the program.  It’s not an uncommon thing to happen, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel a bit disappointed and perhaps a tinge embarrassed by the whole thing: Leave it to us to have a dog that fails the program.
And I have to stay, it’s strange, going places without him.  No library.  No bank.  No book store.  Not even Starbucks.  We were used to our little bit of fame that having Destructo brought us.  Some people scolded us for bringing him into the library; Others told us stories of the service dogs they raised; They congratulated Squints for his dedication while his sisters and I roll our eyes at each other, knowing that Squints’ dedication had waned as Destructo went from eight pounds to fifty.
Every week, the bank tellers would offer him a biscuit.  The librarians would exclaim over the size of his paws while they scanned books.  Mothers would bring their children over to pet Destructo and ask questions.
When we initially stopped taking Destructo around, there were questions: “Where’s the dog today?” 
Or…
“How come you didn’t bring Destructo?”
But eventually, the questions diminished and then faded and then stopped altogether. 
That’s all over now.  We’re back to being regular people.
We’re back to being ordinary people and Destructo is now an ordinary dog. 
He’s nothing special.
Except he’s ours.

Labels: , ,

11 Comments:

At August 5, 2011 at 6:16 AM , Anonymous Beverly Diehl said...

I think that happens to every parent, "No, I swear, I'll take care of him, Mom! You won't ever have to do anything, he'll be MY dog." We all know how it's gonna end - us with the pooper scooper or baggie in hand - but somehow, parents keep falling for it.

That said, families need pets, and at least when the kids are off on various pursuits, the pets are there, happy to keep us company.

 
At August 5, 2011 at 8:27 AM , Anonymous Cheryl P. said...

There is honor in just being a pet too. I am so impressed with service animals but realize that is a very specialized animal. The place a regular dog fits into a family though is another type of awesome.

 
At August 5, 2011 at 10:41 AM , Anonymous jaum said...

Great phrase, "It’s the ordinariness of life that makes marquee moments special." It reminded me of another favorite, Parapharasing "I do not wish happiness for my children, but that they know the occasional stab of joy"

 
At August 5, 2011 at 12:22 PM , Anonymous kgwaite said...

Regular dogs are good. Two regular dogs? Better? I have never swept up so my dog hair in my life. Tumbleweed here. But we're happy to have them both. Most days, anyway.

 
At August 5, 2011 at 12:24 PM , Anonymous kgwaite said...

Love this quote! Who's it from? I tried googling it and couldn't find it.

 
At August 5, 2011 at 12:24 PM , Anonymous kgwaite said...

Squints still takes care of the dog, he just grumbles about it a lot! Thanks for reading!

 
At August 5, 2011 at 12:26 PM , Anonymous jaum said...

Can't remember but I heard it when you kids were growing up and it stuck with me.

 
At August 5, 2011 at 8:35 PM , Anonymous TLanceB said...

He didn't fail "your" program.

My wife works for a vet. We have a 100lb almost 7 year old godlen retriever we call our son. I liked reading the same emtoion we feel for him through your post.

Oh....and you;ve been challenged. Indie Ink.

 
At August 7, 2011 at 7:18 PM , Anonymous Michelle said...

Thanks for stopping by the Sit and Relax weekend hop! I see you have quite a few Ohio posts on here. Are you from Ohio? Never put "Crooked River" ale together with the Cuyahoga river before--duh! LOL I've lived in the Cleveland area for 11 years now. Luckily, we left our subdivision with all of it's rules! Following you now. Have a great week!
Michelle
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life

 
At August 13, 2011 at 5:54 PM , Anonymous kgwaite said...

Thanks for reading and following, Michelle.

 
At August 13, 2011 at 5:54 PM , Anonymous kgwaite said...

Thanks, Lance.

 

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home