Brutus

Brutus was our back yard dog. He was a large breed...not sure what kind of dog he was, but he'd jump on you when you went out to feed him, weighed about 80 lbs and had no indoor dog manners whatsoever. Occasionally we'd look out at him through our bedroom window and sometimes he'd be staring off into the distance or up at the sky. After he'd eaten all his dog food from his big heavy dog bowl, he'd flip it over and teeter-totter the bowl gently with his paw...sometimes simultaneously staring up at the sky.

Mike informed me that there was some pipe that ran under the house. Right under the head of our bed to be exact. Apparently the end of this pipe extended into the back yard where Brutus was.

It was happening more frequently. Mike and I would be getting ready for work in the morning and Mike would sigh and say, "God...did you hear Brutus last night? I've gotta remember to take that damn bowl away from him before we go to bed. Didn't you hear him?"
Me: "Huh-uh...what was he doing?"
Mike: He kept banging his dog bowl against that pipe that runs under the house. You didn't hear it?"
Me: "Nope...I guess I slept through it...I didn't hear anything."
Mike: "I can't believe you didn't hear him."

Mike looked tired, I guess... but I hadn't heard anything so it really didn't register.

Then one night about 2:00 in the morning, I heard it...Brutus had his bowl. BANG!!!BANG!!!BANG!!!BANG!!! resonated against the metal pipe under the bed. I think I muttered the words "Oh, HELL no!!!" before I was even completely awake. Mike was already laying there looking up at the ceiling with a look on his face, like "Shit...I forgot that fucking bowl again." I looked at him and said, "That is what has been keeping you up at night? Oh my God."

I got out of bed, walked over to the window, slid it open, stepped out into the back yard, picked up the dog bowl...whacked Brutus with a couple times before he backed off...stepped back into the house, then called Brutus over to the window, "Come 'ere boy!!!" Brutus stepped over to the window, I leaned out with bowl in hand and whacked him a couple more times for good measure...dropped the dog bowl on the bedroom floor, got back under the covers and went back to sleep.

I was just thinking about that night while staring out my office window into the sky...

"Brutus!"