Friday, May 10, 2013.
Murder Or Kidnapping. Rejoining Classmates From 45 Years Ago.
We have not seen the dog Steel since last Friday morning. Steel is owned by a young man who lives next door. He is on active duty in the U.S. Army, and is not always around. When still a puppy, Steel took a liking to us when his master was out of town, and more or less moved into our house.
Four or five months later, Steel is a rather large German Shepherd. From any distance longer than in my face, Steel looks just like our old dog Susie, who came out of the woods in 2004 and adopted us.
Susie has been the alpha dog here for most of that time. Steel took that title away a couple of months ago, largely by annoying the bejeezus out of Susie. His favorite trick was coming up behind Susie, latching his jaws around her collar, and pulling her to the ground. Susie never went anywhere without Steel right behind her or in her way.
Susie, however, is an extraordinarily street-smart dog. She takes long strolls down the main highway, disappearing for a day or two. A few years ago she led Fudge, our beloved chocolate Lab, on one of these walks. Fudge never came back. Susie also took Steel on a few of these jaunts, the neighbors say.
Once, after going missing for a day, Susie came back totally worn out, with Steel right behind her as fresh as if he had just awakened. If this was a trick of Susie's to reclaim her hegemony over the Cool Water Ranch, it didn't work.
But last Saturday Susie came back without Steel. Almost immediately, her old personality began to return. She once again comes inside and lets us pet her--things she'd stopped doing. Her depression had made her quit barking at squirrels in the trees or chasing the cats. She even stopped eating. (Although there was another reason for that. Steel always took over the bowl if he saw Susie trying to get a bite.)
But as I write this, ten days after Steel disappeared, Susie is happily following me around on my daily walk again (something else she gave up during Steel's rule). She is eating hearty and barking at the FedEx truck, just like before.
The idea that Steel's vanishing was a deliberate plot on the part of Susie to bump him off is in the minds of all of us. The Marys, especially Mary Leigh, are very suspicious. But how can one get mad at our old dog Susie?
The lady across the road who raises chickens and horses says Steel was so good-looking a dog that dognapping is the probable cause. I'm thinking Steel will come back.
Tonight was the first of two parties celebrating forty-five years since my class at Jesuit graduated. (I didn't, but they let me attend as if I had.) It was a stag affair at the very swell home of real estate man Frank Maselli in the Garden District. Frank is into music, and wants me to let you know that the world's authority on Stradivarius violins is coming to New Orleans for an event. He said he'd tell me more later.
I never miss reunions. The dynamics of them are fascinating to me. You have the guys who have remained in your life enough that they remain friends, even after all these years. Then there are those you remember well enough, but haven't seen in so long that you have no idea what they have done with their lives. Then there are the fellows whose names you remember, but not themselves. And a few you can't recall at all.
The conversations are a mix of two seemingly opposed forces. We are merciless in our kidding one another, particularly about matters remembered from our high school years. On the other hand, we're totally mellow.
To browse through all of the Dining Diaries since 2008, go here.
