It takes longer than Laddie Boy is expecting to find David. The assistant is taking his break, sitting out in the White House garden as he eats. Lunch is a sandwich, layered with thick slices of turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Mayonnaise drips down off the edges of the crust.
Ants swarm the dropped food. Laddie Boy rushes over, lapping at the ground. There’s salt on the mayonnaise. He sits down in front of David, staring up at the man with wide eyes.
David laughs. “Oh, Laddie Boy! What are you doing out here? Looking for a little snack?”
Laddie Boy wags his tail. “I wasn’t, but I’m not going to say no to it. Gonna share with me, buddy? I won’t say no to you sharing with me!”
Even though the human can’t understand what Laddie Boy’s saying, he’s smart enough to tug a chunk of turkey out from between the slices of bread. “Okay, okay. Here you go, pal. Have a snack!”
The turkey is salty, too. Laddie Boy devours it anyway, licking his lips and then leaning forward to lick at David’s fingers. He makes sure to clean off every last piece of sauce before sitting back down, wagging his tail again. “Thanks, David. I’ve been looking for you all day, and I was starving. Okay. Now, we’ve got some business to get down too! Where’s the paper you need to deliver?”
David, of course, doesn’t understand what the dog is saying. He continues eating his sandwich at a leisurely pace, occasionally offering Laddie Boy another piece of meat or a chunk of mayonnaise covered cheese.
There’s really nothing that Laddie Boy can do but sit there, occasionally standing up or shuffling a few inches to the right. Whenever he gets too restless, another snack is given to him. It’s not the answer that Laddie Boy is looking for, but he’s also not about to turn it down.
Eventually, David gets up, pats Laddie Boy on the top of the head, and heads back into the White House.
“Finally,” sighs Laddie Boy. He gets up and follows the man into the massive building. “I thought you were never going to get back to work! Come on, David. Show me where the paper is at. I need to get this over with, so none of the strings get tangled.”
Right on cue, David looks over his shoulder and laughs. “Gonna come with me, boy? Okay. I could use some company, anyway. I’ve got a pretty important job to do today!”
“Humans,” groans Laddie Boy, with a shake of his head. “They just don’t understand.”
Katelynn E Koontz – Author