100TWC - Day 97: Enthusiasm

[ this post is a continuation of the story "A Place to Belong" from earlier in the writing challenge ]

Vince came lolloping toward Carl across the springy green turf. He was wearing a lop-sided grin, made even more lop-sided by the tennis ball he carried in his mouth. He dropped the ball at Carl's feet.

"Woof!" he barked.

Carl grinned at the dog and ruffled his neck. "Again boy?"

He picked up the ball, slimy with Vince's slobber, and threw it high and hard across the garden. Cyn and Roger's garden was as impressive as their house. Even a Yankees baseball star would never have been able to pitch the ball over the tall copper beech hedge that separated it from the next plot. Vince gave another excited bark and took off after the ball, his ears flopping wildly about his head and his tail wagging as he ran.

Cyn watched the scene from the relative warmth of the morning room. A cup of coffee sat steaming on a table beside her, unnoticed. She turned to Roger.

"Vince has really taken to him," she said.
"I know."
"Can't he stay just a little longer?"
"He's been here six weeks already. I offered to give him a hand up, not a permanent residence."
"Just a little longer?"

Roger set his coffee down beside hers. The steam from the two cups mingled, painting the bulls-eye panes of the morning room with vaporous circles.

"How many more weeks? One? Two? Ten? I'm sorry. Sorry for him, and for us in a funny kind of way. I've felt good having him around. But you know how it is. Before much longer he'll start to feel settled. He must have wondered how long he could stay here. Has he said anything to you?"
"No."
"Well he must have thought about it."
"I don't think he's the kind of person to think about the future. He's just happy to be here. Look at him. Playing with Vince. He's out there every day you know. You don't always see him. Vince loves him."
"I'm sorry, but Vince doesn't get a vote here. Vince loves the postman too. I don't see you offering him a room and board!"
"Hold on just a minute Roger. Don't put this on me. It was you offered him a place."
"Right. And it's me withdrawing the offer."
"It won't be easy. Sending him back onto the streets. Have you thought about where he'll go? Where he'll end up?"
"It won't be any worse than it was before. Spring's only just around the corner."
"It's the middle of February for Christ's sake! It'll be at least another six weeks before it gets any warmer out there."
"Yeah, well, like I said. He's used to it. He'll be no worse off than he was before."
"Of course he will."
"How's that?"
"He's been here, hasn't he? Living in the warm and dry. Sleeping in a soft bed. Three meals a day. Walks with the dog, down by the river. You've dangled that life in front of him, let him have a taste of it. You've done that Roger. Now you're going to whip it all away again and kick him back down the road."
"Well what else can we do? He doesn't belong here. He's nothing to us."
"Isn't he? So why did you bring him here?"
"I felt sorry for him. And he found Vince. We'd have lost--"
"You felt sorry for him then. Why not now?"
"Look, he's had nearly two months to get better. He's healthier, he's put on some weight. All his sores are cleaned up. We'll give him some clothes, shoes. A coat. We can even get him a sleeping roll if you like. I'm not talking about sending him back out there in the rags we found him in."
"And that's it, is it? A few clothes and a pair of shoes. Now run along Carl, there's a good man. Don't want you making the place look untidy."
"What else do you suggest? I don't know why you're making me out to be the bad guy. We've helped him for God's sake. We haven't done anything wrong. We've helped him, and now it's time to move on."

Cyn sighed and reached for her coffee. It was no longer steaming. The fog had cleared from the window panes. "I know you're right," she sighed again. "It's just... well... I've got to like having him around. The house will feel--"
"Don't say it'll feel empty."
"Well it will! Just the two of us."
"That's how it was before."
"I know. It's probably silly. But didn't you ever feel there was something missing? I never really got fired up about anything before. Maybe it was all too easy. Having Carl around, somehow it's given me more energy."
"Anyone would think you were screwing the guy!"
"Roger! How could you even think that!"
"Take it easy. I was just joking."
"Well don't. None of this is a joke, and especially not that."
"Sorry. I'm feeling like the evil twin here."
"I'm sorry too. I guess I'm just not ready to throw Carl out yet."
"Can we at least broach the subject with him?"

Cyn bristled, but Roger waved her objection aside. "I don't mean in a threatening way. I'm not going to give him an ultimatum. But we could ask if he has any plans, or where he sees himself ending up, couldn't we?"
"I guess."
"Like I said, he might already have been thinking about moving on. Or he might have an Aunt Jemima in Oregon he wants to go visit."
"Aunt Jemima!" She slapped his arm playfully. "Where did that come from?"

The tennis ball thumped loudly against the window, rattling a pane. They both jumped.

"Sorry!" called Carl from the garden. "The ball slipped. My bad!"
"Woof!" agreed Vince, running to retrieve the ball from a flower pot on the terrace.