Phil's Cabin Works Out Well

All characters in this story that need to be are eighteen years of age or older.

This story is a work of fiction and the product of my imagination.

I hope you enjoy the story and take a few seconds to rate it and leave a comment.

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I decided I needed to get a dog if I was going to continue this walking routine I'd established. Walking by myself was getting a little boring, despite all the interesting things to see and explore in the woods, and I was sure a dog would help. I'd grown up with dogs--small ones since my mother always liked what Dad called "foo-foo" dogs. I wanted a bigger one, like a German Shepherd, or maybe one of those classy gray Weimaraners. A Doberman wasn't out of the question, either. I'd have to think about it a little.

I was sure the dog would be more reliable and trustworthy than the women I'd known lately. Much more! I'd been thinking that when God decided that man needed a helpmate rather than a woman, he should have created a dog. Dogs didn't treat you like women do. At least how they treated me...the women, that is.

It had happened twice, but it wouldn't happen a third time. I'd considered myself too smart to be fooled twice, but it had happened. A couple of close friends had informed me that the way I was, and the way I operated, it would happen again and again until I eventually stumbled onto a good one...a keeper. The trouble was, I might be broke before that happened.

When I was a senior in engineering school, I'd gotten an idea, worked on it, and finally showed it to several professors who helped me get a patent. I'd made a few inquiries and was called in to meet with one of the major automotive companies who'd made me an offer for the patent. Just on a hunch, I'd refused the offer, which was immediately sweetened. When the third sweetening made the offer ten million dollars, I accepted.

I could hardly wait to see my device on cars, but I was informed by those who know that companies often buy patents just so other companies can't get them and use them. Unless something changed in the future, that seemed to be the case with my invention. Either way, I had plenty of money...and a few women after me once it had leaked out.

The first one, Mandy, swore undying love for me and wanted to get married as quickly as possible. Fortunately, one of my buddies spotted her out with another guy, and it appeared they were more than just friends. I had escaped in the nick of time. My antennae were out when number two showed up. She was a bit more skillful than her predecessor, subtle, and very convincing. But her best friend felt sorry for me and ratted on her, and I was saved again.

Thus my random walks, my frustrating attempts at writing, and my slowly expanding wood shop. I used to love to make things when I was small, and I decided maybe I could do it again, only this time with the proper equipment. Dad wasn't handy at all, so we had very few usable tools around the house. I had been purchasing power tools one-at-a-time and learning to use each tool before I got another.

I paused for a moment in my walk, stooping to check a bunch of short stems with small white flowers. I was totally ignorant of things like this.

"Hi." A soft but very bright voice said.

I turned my head and replied, "Hello," to a pleasant-looking and smiling face.

"Whatcha looking at?" she asked.

"Dunno. They're pretty, though."

She knelt beside me. "Lily of the Valley."

"I'll remember that."

"I'm Nina, by the way."

"Phil," I replied.

"Nice to meet you," she said as she stood. "Enjoy your walk."

She disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared.

I'd been barely civil with her, but there was a reason for it...at least for me. She looked hauntingly similar to Mandy, the first girlfriend who was long on spending my money but short on real affection. Seeing her had dredged up lots of memories, none of them very pleasant.

Still, being naturally curious, I wondered where she'd come from. Who she was wasn't important, but I did want to learn about the neighbors...maybe. Hopefully, they'd all be retired couples or bachelors, like myself. Not likely, but I could dream.

Her name was Nina. That much had stuck. Maybe nothing else mattered. If I ran into her again, I could call her by name. Eventually, we'd meet again I was sure.

I needed to get the dog.

An Internet check led to a trip into town to the animal shelter. The older lady that seemed to be in charge was very helpful.

"I'm Joan, and why do you want a dog?" she asked to begin our conversation. She looked skeptical.

"I grew up with dogs but haven't had one in years. I live by myself up in the woods and have gotten so I take a walk every day." I chuckled, wondering if she'd consider this a good reason to have a dog. "I'd like to have a big dog for company on my walk."

"And a watchdog for the place in the woods?"

"That would be helpful too."

"Do you have a preference in big dogs?"

"What are my choices? We always had small dogs when I was growing up."

Joan smiled at me and shook her head. "At the moment, there are not a lot of choices." She held up an index finger.

Only one? Maybe I should come back another time. There was no hurry.

"But the one we have may be perfect for you," she continued, at least temporarily pushing aside my reservations. "Come along, and I'll show you."

I followed her through the door and into a room full of two-level cages and dogs of all shapes, sizes, and dispositions. Some were barking, some were sleeping, and a few seemed disinterested.

"Right over here," she said, gesturing.

I went over here and was face-to-face with a big dog who was eying me suspiciously.

"Wow, he's beautiful."

"She certainly is. We've had her about a week. Her owners had to move and were broken-hearted to have to give her up."

She was the typical black and tan of a German Shepherd with black face and back and tan trim. I think I fell in love with her right then and there.

"Can I pet her?" I felt like she was still inspecting me.

"Through that far door is a small room. I'll bring her in."

I only waited about a minute until they came in.

"Her name is Ingrid, and I'd suggest you keep it if you decide to take her. It's a familiar sound to her. The owners said she seemed very intelligent, has learned to sit and stay, and is housebroken."

I think I'd already decided to take her unless she totally rejected me.

"I'll leave now. Take your time. He looks like a good guy, Ingrid."

I chuckled as Joan closed the door behind her. I sat down on the floor and leaned against a wall. Ingrid seemed curious about that and took a few tentative steps in my direction. She sniffed my hand, then moved closer. When I began scratching under her chin, I saw her tail begin to wag. We were going to be okay.

I scratched her head and received a single love-lick on my nose. I rubbed and scratched, and she nipped and danced. We played for ten minutes, and I tapped the floor beside me. Ingrid seemed to understand and lay down beside me. I scratched her head and back and watched her big brown eyes close.

We were partners.

I finally stood, and so did Ingrid. When I went to the door, Ingrid was right beside me. I opened the door and stepped outside. I knew Joan wanted to re-leash Ingrid, but the dog was walking right beside me as we looked for Joan.

"I think I've got my answer," she said with a chuckle, peeking around the corner of some cages.

"I guess so," I replied, scratching a black head and getting a loving look from two big brown eyes.

"She's obviously adopted you."

"You might as well get the paperwork done and let me know what I owe you."

Joan quoted a number which I thought was more than reasonable for a beautiful dog like Ingrid. I pulled out my wallet and handed her a credit card.

"Do you ever run short of things here?"

Joan burst into laughter. "Sorry," she said when she'd recovered. "We're short of something all the time, though."

"I suspected that. Add five-hundred dollars to the bill."

Joan looked astonished. "Really? That would be wonderful." She handed me the leash. "This and the collar are yours as thanks for the very generous donation."

Everything was finally complete, and I received a thankyou and good wishes from Joan. It was time to go home with my new friend.

"Well, Ingrid, it's time to head home. Do we need the leash?"

She looked up at me and wagged her tail. I glanced at Joan, who smiled and shrugged. Why not, I decided.

We walked to the front door, stepped outside, and headed for my truck. Ingrid was either super intelligent or had learned more than had been shared with Joan. I was voting for the latter as she walked beside me all the way and eagerly climbed into the truck, and settled into the passenger seat. I half-expected her to fasten the seat belt.

We were off but not heading home just yet. I used my cell phone to find the nearest pet store--actually, the only pet store in town, and we headed there. I gave Ingrid a head rub, and she seemed very content to wait in the truck, curling up in her seat as I climbed out.

One of the clerks, a very cute redhead, gave me a big and very friendly smile.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"Well, there's a beautiful female German Shepherd in my truck who's brand new to me. I need just about everything." I felt helpless and didn't like feeling that way. But I was sure I was going to learn.

"So, do you need dishes too?"

I nodded.

"I'd recommend these with the legs. That way, she doesn't have to bend her neck so far to reach the food."

It made sense. So did the food, the treats, the toys, and, of course, the custom collar with "Ingrid" engraved on the little brass plate. The engraving took an extra ten minutes, and the redhead filled it completely with chatter. When everything was packed up and paid for, she offered to help carry it to the truck.

She lugged the forty-pound bag of food, and I carried the rest. She tossed the food into the back end of the truck and went to the passenger door, and looked in. Ingrid was there, looking back at her.

I went to the door and opened it. The big tail was wagging again. The redhead looked at me.

"I think it'll be okay," I said, and she began petting Ingrid.

"Pretty dog. Take good care of her," she said, heading back toward the store.

We headed for the cabin, Ingrid content to curl up on the seat and take a quick nap. I'd wanted a dog to walk with me, and I had one--a good one, for sure. I was a little amazed at how quickly she seemed to have accepted me and what was becoming her new life. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but my life at the cabin was also new, so we'd be learning together.

I pulled into the parking area at my place and jumped out of the truck leaving the door open. Ingrid stood, peered out the door, then gingerly stepped across the console. She paused for a moment, then easily jumped down and looked up at me. I held out my arms.

"Look around," I said. "This is home."

Ingrid's nose was instantly in motion as she sniffed out her new environment. She moved to the edge of the woods and circled along its perimeter. After a while, she seemed to tire of exploring and came back to me, ready for whatever was next.

"Well, girl, let's go inside and see where you're going to be living."

I unlocked the door, opened it, and Ingrid went inside. I sat down while she explored.

In a few minutes, she sat down beside my chair.

"You can bite me if you want to, but I forgot to get a bed for you. I've got a blanket we'll use until we get back to the pet store."

I'd heard it said that people who talk to their pets are weird. But, if I was going to have Ingrid, she was going to be a part of the family, and I talk to my family. I chuckled to myself as I wondered if she'd begin talking back.

The lady at the pet store told me there seemed to be two styles of eating for dogs. Some eat everything you put in their dish, and if you fill the dish again, they'll eat that too. Others just eat what they want and leave the rest. For those, you just fill the dish and don't worry about them overeating. I looked at Ingrid, wondering where she fit. One way to find out.

I emptied the big bag of accessories I'd purchased, set the metal stand on the floor in the corner of the kitchen, filled one bowl with water and the other with kibble from the bag of food that had resisted my efforts to open it. Ingrid seemed a little impatient and nudged her way past me to get to the water. I watched her digging into the kibbles, and when they were half-gone, she drank more water and sat, watching and waiting.

I sat next to her, rubbing her long fur, feeling very fortunate to have found her. If only I had such good luck with females of the home sapien species. I'd pretty much given up on that, though.

My lone walks had been thirty to forty minutes, mostly, I guess, because I was bored with my own company. Maybe with Ingrid, I could see a lot more of the area.

"Want to take a walk?"

I took the wagging tail as a definite yes. I thought I knew Ingrid, but this was the first day with her, so we'd use the leash just to be safe. I grabbed my small backpack, threw in three bottles of water and an old plastic butter bowl for Ingrid.

We were off, Ingrid tugging on the leash at first but quickly settling into my pace. She found a number of places that needed "sniffed out," and I let her take her time. We stopped and talked with the few neighbors we met, some of them a little wary but quickly warming to Ingrid's friendly demeanor.

I stopped a few times myself to check out flowers and interesting bushes, and Ingrid sat patiently, waiting. It was a beautiful day, the sun twinkling through the trees, dappling the road with gently wavering shadows. My life had been a mess, but walking along with Ingrid and anticipating using the new workshop had me feeling a contentment I wasn't used to.

We passed the little road where I usually turned, but I was going further today. Many of the cabins we passed were closed, some for the season and others waiting for the owner's occasional sojourn to the woods or the renters.

I spotted her before she saw us. So did Ingrid, her ears snapping to attention. When she turned, she started.

"Does he bite?"

"Not so far," I answered. "And she's a lady." Ingrid stood by my side, waiting. "Do you like dogs?"

"I don't like much of anything these days. But she's a pretty lady."

I was checking out the lady in front of me. Fairly young, blond hair that was, well, pretty much a mess. No makeup, wrinkled blouse and shorts, no shoes, and a voice that sounded a little hoarse. But, when she looked at me, her beautiful blue eyes were obvious...and the rest of her, as best it could be seen, looked very nice as well.

I was surprised when she shrugged, took a few steps, and knelt in front of Ingrid, scratching her under the chin.

"You one of those one or two-week passers-through?" she asked without looking at me.

"Nope. This place is my home now."

"No shit," she said, giving me a quick glance.

"How about you?" She was a little brusk--almost unfriendly, but I was curious at the seeming dichotomy I had before me.

She jerked her head toward the small and somewhat dilapidated-looking cabin. "Me too," she fairly snarled, "thanks to my f-ing ex." As she said that, Ingrid, as dogs do, gave her a lick on the nose. Surprising me, she laughed.

"Sorry."

"It's all good. At least the dog likes me."

I was incredibly curious, now, or maybe just nosey, but there had to be a story buried in the gruff words I was hearing. At least Ingrid was getting a lot of affection--maybe I could lean on that just a little.

"Sounds like you're not too happy to be a permanent resident here."

She snorted. "In that cesspool of a house, hell no, I'm not. That's my divorce settlement."

Things were a little clearer. But she wasn't finished.

"The place is falling apart, and I don't know what's gonna go bad next. The guy next door says there's no insulation, so I'll freeze this winter--he says the heater will never keep up. Let alone food," she added.

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. You married?"

"No, never been married."

"Stay that way, although it's different for a man."

"Why's that?" I got another quick glance. She stood and sighed.

"It just is. Mine screwed me good with this place. No money and no place to live except here."

I looked around quickly. "Um, I don't see a car."

She snorted again. "It's sitting at a repair shop, waiting for money to magically appear so it can be fixed."

She looked at me directly again. She was certainly ragtag, but the blue eyes were captivating. She was a little gruff and unkempt but not at all bashful about sharing.

"So what's your story?" she asked, surprising me.

Now, what should I tell her? She'd been open with me. Maybe too open. That didn't mean I had to tell her everything. My mind was whirring, trying to sort it out.

"My name is Phil, by the way." It was a start.

"My bad. I'm Jolene, a transplanted southern girl."

"My story is a little different from yours. My cabin has a big room in the back, and I'm starting a woodworking business there." That was one of my ideas. More of a hobby now, but it could happen, I hoped.

"Plenty of wood around here," she said, a disgusted smirk on her face.

I decided Jolene might be a transplanted southern girl, but she was also a misplaced city girl...er, lady.

"Kinda young to be starting your own business, aren't you? Plus, sounds like that would take a lot of equipment and stuff."

I smiled at the "too young" idea.

"I'm lucky, I guess. Got a few bucks to get started."

"Yeah? How old are you?"

Jolene wasn't bashful at all.

"I'm twenty-five."

"Listen," she said, taking a deep breath. "I don't need to waste your time. You and the puppy have places to go." She gave Ingrid a last scratch behind her ear.

Lots of thoughts were filling my head, and I decided to continue the walk and sort through them.

"Nice to meet you, Jolene. We'll probably see each other again."

"Maybe. What's the puppy's name, in case we do?"

"She's Ingrid."

"Never heard of a dog named Ingrid."

"It's kind of a German name."

"Yeah, I guess so." She knelt and took hold of Ingrid's right front paw. "Glad to meet you, Ingrid." Her nose got another lick.

I took off the backpack, opened it, and took out the plastic bowl and a bottle of water. Soon Ingrid was lapping away.

Jolene went inside, the screen door swinging crookedly behind her.

I stowed the bowl and empty bottle, and we were off again, that little black nose wiggling with every step she took.

Jolene. I almost wished I hadn't met her. I mean, she wasn't like any woman I'd ever known...and she certainly wasn't like any I'd ever dated, particularly Mandy and Jana, the last two that just wanted my money. This one had her issues. She sounded like she might BE an issue. It didn't sound like she had a source of income, just a few leftover dollars. None of it was really my concern.

I was tempted to take the leash off Ingrid; I was sure she'd like to run and explore. But it was just a couple of turns, and I thought we'd be home.

"So, you got a dog." That soft but bright voice again.

"Sure did. Too lonely walking by myself."

"I'd walk with you, but I'm not as pretty as this one." She dropped to her knees and began nuzzling Ingrid's head.

"Nina, isn't it?" I questioned, "and you're being silly," I added with a chuckle.

"You think Nina is prettier than this beautiful dog?" She turned toward me with a sly smile.

I nodded. She might be young, but she was working me already.

"You're very pretty, Nina...for a young girl." I could poke at her a little, too.

She snorted. "How old do you think I am?"