I couldn’t be this drunk, could I? I pull my blankets in close proximity and bang on my alarm. Damn, it’s fragmented now. My head sinks into the pillow. There goes another forty dollars into the perpetual drain.
Bruno’s running around the house. I shout at him to keep quiet, and he’s still running. A dog does not listen to you.
“Hmmm”, I stir. “Bruno, shut up.”
He’s barking substantially. Almost like coughing. There goes another forty dollars for the vet. That’s eighty in total.
“Bruno, are you sick?”
“Bow wow. Cough cough”.
“Okay, you are.”
I’m calling in sick today. I don’t really care if Megan takes my case. I hate my job anyway, and me getting fired may give me time to consider better jobs than sitting crunching numbers on sugar packets.
“Bruno..hmm..eat your breakfast, boy”.
He’s quiet. Breakfast numbs his throat, especially when it’s his favorite food.
I’m still in bed. I’m feeling too good to let the feeling of ultimate enlightenment of deep sleep pass.
Oh man. Bruno’s licking me all over. I can’t open my eyes, I’m too somnolent to perform that kind of feat.
Bruno’s licking me over and over. My face is wet with puppy saliva.
As I finally jolt to life from languid death but am yet to open my eyes, it strikes me.
I don’t like to sleep in late.
I don’t have an alarm clock.
I didn’t get drunk yesterday.
I don’t crunch numbers on sugar packets for a job.
And I don’t have a dog.
My eyes open with a jolt. My face is still wet, and I can hear the barking, and coughing, and a little, cold whisper.
My alarm’s ringing, and it’s dark outside.