Ian Page 2

  “Ian, my name is Bob, can I give you some suggestions on our menu?”

  “I would appreciate that Bob.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “My home is in Stonehaven, Scotland.”

  “Do you eat much hamburger in Scotland?”

  “No.”

  “Then, I’m going to recommend a beef hamburger topped with cheese and a side of French fries. You ordered a draft beer. I’m gonna give you a sample of our home grown October Fest.”

  Ian tasted it and then said, “This is really good. Can you pour me one?”

  He sat at the bar eating his all beef cheeseburger along with his beer and watched the people in the establishment. When he finished his meal he told Bob, “Thank you for the recommendation. If you will please bring me the bill, I will pay it with US cash.”

  Ian paid the bill and gave Bob a twenty percent tip.

  “Thanks man, I appreciate the tip.”

  Ian walked back to his studio and called his Mum. She asked him, “What do you think so far?”

  He chuckled and then told her, “Mum, it is a lot bigger than Stonehaven. I ate a hamburger earlier and the studio will do me well because I can walk everywhere I need to go.”

  “I am glad to hear that. I shipped your furniture yesterday and I hope that it arrives shortly.”

  “I will be fine until it arrives. Please tell father that I arrived safely.”

  “I will son, but please make sure that you speak with him as well as me.”

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  On Sunday morning during breakfast, Jack asked his parents, “Can Molly and me play with Vinnie in the back yard after breakfast?”

  Sam wanted to see what this pooch was all about, so he told his kids, “I think that’s a great idea. Can I come out with you?”

  Molly had a quizzical look on her face when she said, “Of course you can Dad, because he’s your dog too.”

  Sam grabbed a ball and followed his children into the yard. He said to his son, “Jack take his leash off and bring it to me.”

  There was pure horror on his son’s face when he took of the leash and brought it to his father. Sam saw that the pup remained where he was, so he gave the ball to Jack, “Throw this and let’s see if he brings it back to you.”

  “But Dad, what if he runs off?”

  “Then we’ll know that we can’t take the leash off. The back yard is surround by bushes and we’re standing at the openings, so if he tries to run, he won’t get far.”

  Leona watched out the kitchen window. Her heart was in her throat when Jack picked up the ball and threw it to the far end of the yard.

  The dog ran to it and brought it to Jack, dropping the ball at his feet and then sat. Jack looked amazed as he said, “Dad, did you see that, he brought the ball back to me and then sat. Isn’t that just amazing? Did you know that he would do that?”

  “No, I didn’t, but I figured that since he was a service dog for someone, he had training.”

  Molly asked, “Dad, can I throw the ball?”

  Jack handed her the ball and she was so excited that he brought the back she screamed.

  Leona went into the mud room and found a Frisbee and took it out with her. She handed to her husband as she said, “Let’s see how he does with this.”

  Sam threw it into the air. The dog jumped up with all four legs leaving the ground and caught it in the air and then brought it back to Sam.

  Leona went into the kitchen to put water in his bowl and took it out to him. She announced. “We need to take a break and let Vinny get a drink of water. Sam can I bring you out a coffee?”

  “That would be great.”

  The Marksman family played in the back yard until lunch time. They sat at the table eating chicken salad sandwiches when Molly said, “Isn’t Vinny smart?”

  Jack said, “Molly, I think that someone trained him and did a really good job.”

  “Yeah.”

  After lunch, Sam went out with them and Leona was delighted because playing in the fresh air did them all good. She watched from the window as she did laundry and started preparing dinner.

  When she called them in for dinner, her family was so tired that they could hardly hold their heads up. She asked her children, “What do you think of Vinny, should we keep him or take him back to the rescue center?”

  Molly said, “Mom, how can you even say that? I don’t want to take him back because he’s a really good dog. Jack, what do you think?

  “Molly, Mom is just making sure that we want to keep him. Is that right Mom?”

  “Yes it is.”

  After the kids went to bed, Leona, Sam and the dog met in the kitchen for a nightcap. “Sam, I have to say that I never dreamed that a Poodle would steal the hearts of our children.”

  “Me either, but I have to say that he’s stolen mine as well.”

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  It would be several days before Ian’s furniture arrived, so he decided to take a walk to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. It was a sunny day with a crisp breeze keeping everyone cool. He walked around for a while deciding what he wanted to do. From the brick walkway, the National Aquarium towered over him. He got in the line to purchase a ticket. When he entered the building, what he saw took his breath away. He took an ascending ramp to see that he was just outside of the aquarium tank. He stood for a few minutes watching the fish swim in and out of the aquatic plants.

  He moved along to the terrarium on the top floor admiring the number of species collected here. He’d never been to the Amazon, but he believed that this was a great depiction of it. He wandered for hours trying to engrain everything he saw into his memory bank.

  He exited the Aquarium and then realized just how hungry he was. He wandered along the walkway trying to decide where to eat. A gentleman about his age stopped and asked him, “Are you looking for a place to eat?”

  “Yes, can you recommend something to me?”

  He pointed, “Second Floor of the Light Street Building. You’re gonna love it man.”

  Ian thanked the young man for his recommendation and made his way to the restaurant. He almost fell over when the hostess, wearing a tight t-shirt and very short shorts smiled as she asked him, “Do you want to sit at a table or the bar.”

  He stammered out, “The bar please.”

  His mother would smack him in the head if she saw where he was eating. The bar maid was scantily clad in a tight fitting t-shirt that barely covered her bosoms. His mouth was dry and he couldn’t take his eyes off her chest. She said, “Excuse me but my eyes are a bit higher.”

  He looked up and was embarrassed, so he made an attempt at an apology, “I am sorry, I was just admiring your uniform.”

  “Yeah right, what do you want to eat?”

  Ian hadn’t looked at the menu, so he told her, “I will order a draft beer and a hamburger.”

  When she returned with his beer, he made sure that he focused on her face and not her chest.

  He didn’t speak with anyone while he ate his lunch. He asked for his bill and was shocked at what the cost of a hamburger and beer was in this restaurant. He certainly did not have enough money to eat here every day.

  He decided that after lunch, he would take a tour of the USS Constellation. He found the tour to be quite amazing. He learned that the first Constellation, which was a frigate built here in Baltimore in the Sterrett Shipyard. He went below and found that the men who sailed her were considerably shorter than him. He had to bend over to get through the cabin. The guide showed them the cannons along with the bunks where the crew slept.

  The frigate had been recommissioned in 1871 and served as a training vessel for the next twenty-two years. In 1968, she took her place in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where she serves as the centerpiece of the city’s revitalization.

  While he’d enjoyed both tours, he was fascinated with the history that Baltimore held. He walked to Pickles Pub where he had dinner. Bob was working the bar, so Ian told him about his day.

  “I’m g
lad to hear that you had a good day. Baltimore is a marine port, so there is a lot of history here. Schooners would race from the eastern shore to Baltimore’s harbor to get their vegetables in first to get the higher price.”

  “That is amazing.”

  Ian finished his dinner and walked back to his apartment thinking about all the history he learned today. He also wondered if he should walk to Fells Point and then possibly take a cab to Ft. McHenry. He was tired so he laid on the floor and slept.

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  During breakfast Molly asked her father, “Dad, can you and Vinny walk with Jack and me to the bus.”

  He knew that she wanted her friends to see the new pup. “Sure, but if I remember correctly, you told me that you were a big girl and that you and brother could walk without me.”

  “I remember that I said that, but this is different.”

  “Is it different? Can you explain that to me?”

  “Yes sir I can. This is different because we have a new dog and I want all my friends on the bus to see him.”

  “Well then Miss Molly by Golly, I would be delighted to walk with you to the bus.”

  “Dad, don’t forget to bring Vinny with you.”

  “I won’t, so go upstairs and put your school clothes on.”

  Sam walked with his children to the bus stop and when the driver opened the door she asked, “Is that a new pup I see?”

  Molly told her, “Yes and his name is Vinny, we adopted him.”

  All of the students stood to see Molly and Jack’s new dog, so she waited while Sam walked him down the length of the bus for everyone to see him.

  Before she pulled away, she opened the door and said, “Thanks Sam.”

  “Not a problem Sharon.”

  He and his new mutt made their way back to the house to find his wife dialing the phone, she said, “I’m calling my mother to invite my parents to dinner.”

  “Mom, can you and Bill come to dinner this Saturday?”

  “Sure, what can I bring?”

  “Great, and yes, can you bake an apple pie?”

  “What time should Bill and I arrive?”

  “Any damn time you want.”

  Nancy laughed as she hung up the phone.

  “Now that that’s done, what would you think of letting the kids do agility training with the dog? He’s smart as whip and has already been trained as a service dog.”

  “That just might be a great idea. See if you can find a dog class for children.”

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  Ian received a call from the Port Authority that his furniture arrived at the dock 4:30 am that morning and would be delivered to him between 12:00 noon and 4:00 this afternoon. Ian thanked him and when they disconnected the call, he wasn’t sure what to do. He had planned to go to the Science Center today, but that would not work with the furniture delivery. Sitting on the floor for hours playing games on his laptop just didn’t cut it for him.

  He walked to the Café on the Square, ordered breakfast and stretched the time out by reading the newspaper, which he actually found interesting. He ordered another coffee and continued to read the paper.

  Just as he was about to order a third cup of coffee, a glance at the clock indicated that he had to pay the bill and go sit on the floor to wait for his furniture.

  He took the elevator to the fourth floor and sat on his studio’s floor and played computer games. He lucked out when his phone rang at 1:00, the man on the phone told him that the delivery truck was out front.

  “Do you need me to come down and help?”

  “No sir, the call was just to confirm that you were home.”

  “Okay.”

  Ian held the door open as the boxes were brought in. There were too many to count and that was a bit overwhelming for him. He signed the receipt that stated the delivery had arrived. He was alone in a room full of boxes and that was just a bit daunting for him. He called his mum to let her know that the furniture arrived. He then walked to Pickles for lunch.

  He sat at the bar and ordered a draft beer along with a cheeseburger. Bob brought his beer and asked, “You don’t look good. Is everything okay?”

  Ian chuckled, “Yeah, it is just that my furniture arrived today and my apartment is full of boxes. It overwhelmed me a bit so I figured that I would have lunch and then go back and deal with the furniture.”

  “I’m off tomorrow, so why don’t I come over and give you a hand?”

  “How do you Americans say it? I remember, oh man that would be a big help.”

  Ian went back to his apartment and sat on the floor and played computer games on the floor until it was bed time. He found a place to spread his blankets to sleep on.

  Chapter Two

  Ian was half asleep when there was a knock on his door. He managed to stand and walk to the door. He opened it to find Bob standing there with two large carry out coffees in his hands. “Ian are you awake?”

  “Come on in. I was sound asleep. Give me one of those coffees and I will be fine.”

  Bob took a moment to assess not only the number of boxes, but the space in the studio. He watched as Ian grabbed up some blanks and threw them against a wall. “Ian, have you been sleeping on the floor?”

  “Yes, because I did not have my furniture.”

  “Hell, if I’d known that I would have asked you to stay at my place. Well, that’s behind us now, so let’s get started cutting open these boxes. I brought you a box cutter. I think that we’ll make faster progress if we work together on the same box.”

  They didn’t talk much as they cut away the first box. It contained a bureau full of clothes. Ian started going through the drawers, until Bob said, “Let’s not think about where everything goes until we know what we have.”

  The next box contained a desk. Bob stopped looking at what they were unveiling and just went to work cutting open boxes.

  Bob told Ian, “It’s time for a break. There’s a dumpster for boxes out back, so after we get them out of the studio, we’ll grab some lunch at the Café on the Square.”

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  Leona came into the kitchen to make breakfast and spied her husband’s smile. He looked up and said, “It sure feels damn good to be walking a dog again.”

  She said, “I think that the entire family agrees with that thought.”

  Before saying good morning to their parents, Molly and Jack greeted the dog. As soon as they sat at the table, Molly asked, “Where does Vinny sleep?”

  Sam said, “When Mom and I go to bed; he lays in the middle of the hallway.”

  Jack said, “It sounds like he goes on duty to watch for any intruders.”

  Sam told his son, “You might just be right on that thought, but it could also mean that he’s not sure where he’s supposed to sleep yet.”

  The kids left for school and Leona started cleaning the bathrooms. Her husband found her in their bathroom. “Lee, I have an errand to run, while I’m out, can I bring you back anything?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I can’t tell you yet.”

  “In that case, I don’t need anything.”

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  During the lunch break, Ian said, “Bob, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

  “Don’t worry about, when I moved, I had friends help me, so it’s now my turn to help you.”

  “I will pay the bill and maybe we can finish this up by dinner.”

  “Well, I think that there’s a good chance that we’ll get everything out of the boxes today, but it just might take another day to move the furniture to where you want it.”

  They worked until dinner time. Ian asked, “Where do you want to have dinner?”

  “I know a little place in Fells Point and I think that you’ll like. I’m gonna go home and take a shower and then I’ll pick you up.”

  An hour later, Bob picked Ian up at the front door and drove the car to Fells Point. He parked the car and they walked into One Eye Mike’s. He asked Ian whose head
was spinning as he gazed at all of the Grand Mariner bottles, “Do you want to eat at the bar or out on the patio?”

  “I think that I would like to eat out on the patio.”

  “What do you want to drink?”

  “A draft beer.”

  Bob asked the bar tender, “Andy can we eat on the patio?”

  “Yes sir. you sure can.”

  “That’s great, we’ll each have an October Fest Draft and can you also bring my bottle out.”

  Bob found a table and once he and Ian were seated, Ian asked, “Why are all those Grand Mainer bottles everywhere?”

  “This is a Grand Mainer Club. Those bottles were purchased by members who may drink from them each time they come in.”

  “We don’t have Scotch clubs in Stonehaven, but there are a number of them in the United Kingdom.”

  “Ian, I was just thinking that you can see more of Baltimore and the museums if you get a bus pass. I’ll be cheaper than paying cab fare.”

  Ian paid the dinner bill and Bob drove him back to his apartment. Bob laughed as he dropped him off. “Don’t forget that I’m gonna be at your place early tomorrow morning.”

  “I will not and I will make sure that I am up early enough that we can have breakfast.”

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  Leona had heard Sam’s car pull into the driveway, but he never came into the house. She walked out the front door and saw his car, but there was no sign of her husband. He had to be here somewhere if his car was parked here in the driveway. She walked around the house to the back yard and stopped to watch him. She wasn’t sure if what she thought she saw was right, so she walked toward him. “Sam, are you putting up an agility course for the dog?”

  “Yes ma’am, I sure am.”

  “I’m getting ready to put some lunch together, so come in and eat and then I’ll come out and help you.”

  During lunch he told his wife, “Lee you gave me the idea. You suggested that Vinny participate in agility classes with our children. I did some homework to find that a number of people set up courses in the yard, so I went out this morning to get what I needed.”