[TM] 292 - Show & Tell
Elle took a deep breath as she sat down on the couch. Pulling her legs up beneath her she settled in before reaching down to pick up the small puppy that was trying it's best to climb up onto the couch with her. Part of her knew that really it wasn't appropriate to start him on bad habits this early, but he was so tiny Elle didn't really see what the harm was.
Maybe he wouldn't even remember it when he was too big to do those things. Of course that would probably mean actually realizing that there needed to be a point where she would stop putting him on the couch with her.
The good thing though, was that it meant she would have company when Don was out working far too late for her to actually feel okay staying awake for him to come home. Normal circumstances she'd have pretended to sleep in the empty bed, waiting for him to try and sneak in without waking her. Now though she had the excuse that "The puppy woke up." and when she was wearing pajamas and her hair wasn't brushed, it looked somewhat believable.
Reaching over to the end table Elle grabbed the stack of mail, sorting through it and watching Fred sniff at the envelopes that she discarded onto the cushions. "Those are bills," Elle stated to the dog, who seemed very unimpressed. With a simple nod she continued flipping through the pile of assorted fliers and leaflets telling her all about how she could save a small village for just a dollar a day. Those got dropped to the floor, and Fred moved to jump after them, but Elle's foot blocked his way quickly, "That is junk mail, and I know what you're thinking Fred -- those look just like the papers that get laid down for you in the kitchen so you don't pee on the rugs. You'd be right, but they're out of their natural environment at the moment. So you can stay right there."
Fred just tilted his head at her, wondering probably how so much could slip out of her mouth so quickly and make so little sense. Elle just continued and pulled the Vogue magazine out of the stack and set the rest of the mail aside. Letting the magazine rest on her stomach she scooped up the bills and put those on the coffee table, then grabbed Fred and set him in her lap. Leaning against the arm of the couch Elle glanced through the pages, watching little puppy teeth try to snap at the air that came from her flipping more than a few of them at a time with her thumb.
Pausing on a two page color spread Elle sighed, "These are Jimmy Choos. Now I know it sounds like Chews, but I'm just warning you, right now, that word is not the same at all. Your name is Fred too. Like how Holly Golightly calls Paul Fred, I wanted to name you Danny, but instead I call you Fred. Still doesn't mean you can chew on my shoes."
Elle pressed her hand down the middle of the seam, making the pages flat against her knee, "See? If you ever, ever see these shoes in here? They are not for chewing. Ever. They are for wearing on my cute feet."
Fred seemed to be either contemplating chewing up the page, or peeing on it. Elle wasn't sure but either way she sighed and set the magazine down and set Fred on the floor. He followed her into the kitchen where she grabbed his leash off the hook and attached it to his collar.
"See? I'm putting the leash on you, so we'll go outside and if you have to go to the bathroom you can do it there," Elle tried to explain to the dog. Mostly she was hoping he'd understand by repetition. It was the fifteenth time she was taking him outside that day, and thankfully he'd actually gone to the bathroom three of those times. Elle just wasn't really sure anymore, and she assumed it was better safe than sorry. Mostly Fred just sniffed around the grass and wagged his tail at anyone that passed by. Elle just waited, watching to see if he was going to do anything she needed to clean up after. Which wasn't the glamorous part of having a cute puppy.
Eventually Fred just sat half on Elle's bare foot and half on the ground. The warm puppy skin of his underside, touching her foot and making her more aware of him there at three in the morning. "You know, if you didn't take fifty naps a day you wouldn't be up this late."
Fred just looked up at her and she shrugged, "It's okay I don't feel like sleeping either."
Stooping down, Elle picked him up and carried him back up to the apartment, "We'll just keep each other company until Don gets home. Then you can pretend to sleep too."
Maybe he wouldn't even remember it when he was too big to do those things. Of course that would probably mean actually realizing that there needed to be a point where she would stop putting him on the couch with her.
The good thing though, was that it meant she would have company when Don was out working far too late for her to actually feel okay staying awake for him to come home. Normal circumstances she'd have pretended to sleep in the empty bed, waiting for him to try and sneak in without waking her. Now though she had the excuse that "The puppy woke up." and when she was wearing pajamas and her hair wasn't brushed, it looked somewhat believable.
Reaching over to the end table Elle grabbed the stack of mail, sorting through it and watching Fred sniff at the envelopes that she discarded onto the cushions. "Those are bills," Elle stated to the dog, who seemed very unimpressed. With a simple nod she continued flipping through the pile of assorted fliers and leaflets telling her all about how she could save a small village for just a dollar a day. Those got dropped to the floor, and Fred moved to jump after them, but Elle's foot blocked his way quickly, "That is junk mail, and I know what you're thinking Fred -- those look just like the papers that get laid down for you in the kitchen so you don't pee on the rugs. You'd be right, but they're out of their natural environment at the moment. So you can stay right there."
Fred just tilted his head at her, wondering probably how so much could slip out of her mouth so quickly and make so little sense. Elle just continued and pulled the Vogue magazine out of the stack and set the rest of the mail aside. Letting the magazine rest on her stomach she scooped up the bills and put those on the coffee table, then grabbed Fred and set him in her lap. Leaning against the arm of the couch Elle glanced through the pages, watching little puppy teeth try to snap at the air that came from her flipping more than a few of them at a time with her thumb.
Pausing on a two page color spread Elle sighed, "These are Jimmy Choos. Now I know it sounds like Chews, but I'm just warning you, right now, that word is not the same at all. Your name is Fred too. Like how Holly Golightly calls Paul Fred, I wanted to name you Danny, but instead I call you Fred. Still doesn't mean you can chew on my shoes."
Elle pressed her hand down the middle of the seam, making the pages flat against her knee, "See? If you ever, ever see these shoes in here? They are not for chewing. Ever. They are for wearing on my cute feet."
Fred seemed to be either contemplating chewing up the page, or peeing on it. Elle wasn't sure but either way she sighed and set the magazine down and set Fred on the floor. He followed her into the kitchen where she grabbed his leash off the hook and attached it to his collar.
"See? I'm putting the leash on you, so we'll go outside and if you have to go to the bathroom you can do it there," Elle tried to explain to the dog. Mostly she was hoping he'd understand by repetition. It was the fifteenth time she was taking him outside that day, and thankfully he'd actually gone to the bathroom three of those times. Elle just wasn't really sure anymore, and she assumed it was better safe than sorry. Mostly Fred just sniffed around the grass and wagged his tail at anyone that passed by. Elle just waited, watching to see if he was going to do anything she needed to clean up after. Which wasn't the glamorous part of having a cute puppy.
Eventually Fred just sat half on Elle's bare foot and half on the ground. The warm puppy skin of his underside, touching her foot and making her more aware of him there at three in the morning. "You know, if you didn't take fifty naps a day you wouldn't be up this late."
Fred just looked up at her and she shrugged, "It's okay I don't feel like sleeping either."
Stooping down, Elle picked him up and carried him back up to the apartment, "We'll just keep each other company until Don gets home. Then you can pretend to sleep too."