Ralph and the Bath

"And where were you, Mister?"

Blink.

"Don't look at me like that."

Woof...

"Ralph, do not use that tone on me." Ralph bows his head and sticks out his tongue, not so much as in a gaped mouthed, playful way, but in defeated anguish with just the tip showing. His scrunched up face giving him the look of absolute sorrow.

"Apology accepted. Now, you need a B-A-T-H." Mary spells out the b-word as to not alarm Ralph. Bath is one of his trigger words. Others include: walk, bad, bye-bye in the car, and balloon (something to do with his complicated childhood). Mary doesn't want Ralph to flip out in his current, muddy state. She pictures Ralph getting too overwhelmed and... jumping... on her... white... couch cushions. She visibly cringes and shakes her head to try and make the image disappear.

Grabbing an organic dog biscuit, Mary tries to lure Ralph into the bathroom where lukewarm, sudsy water awaits the rambunctious pug. Ralph shows no interest to the biscuit made with real, green, leafy vegetables. Mary sighs and switches it for a treat that resembles bacon. She only bought the organic ones in an attempt to change the round body of Ralph into something more oval.

Sniff, sniff.

Mary waves the fake bacon in her hand slowly from side-to-side as she walks backwards towards the bathroom in an awkward crouch, beckoning Ralph. He waddles over to the treat, trying to taste the flavor that fills his tiny nostrils and makes his head swim.

With no recollection of how he ended up there, Ralph and Mary face each other in the bathroom. She gracefully closes the door and laughs at Ralph a little too manically for his liking. His little ears press against his head as realization dawns on him.

He's in what the human calls 'bathroom'. He smells hints of lilac and vanilla, common scents traced to cleanliness. He looks at the porcelain object referred to as 'bath', with it's bubbly substances spilling out, and up at the human which he loves. The human that takes him on walks and pets him for hours. The human that feeds him and feeds him again. How could human do this to Ralph?

Mary knows the light-bulb went off as the pug's face turns to horror and betrayal. Her heart breaks a little staring into his eyes. She frowns and squats down to pet him, the treat still securely out of reach. She sees his short fur coated with dirt and smells traces of wilderness on him. She knows what must be done.

Mary waves the treat in front of Ralph's face again. He snaps out of his trance and becomes memorized by the Ecstasy within reach. She tosses the bacon substance into the tub and Ralph soon follows suit without a second thought. Content with the treat, Ralph allows Mary to clean him and all is right in their world again.

Ralph loves human; Mary loves Ralph.