Mr. Pandy

Aurora bobbed her head to the electronic music pulsing through her veins. She could feel the vibrations of the party rocking her body as she danced and weaved through the crowd. "Come on, Hal!" she called, unintentionally slurring her words. Hal bounced over, beer in hand, whooping to whatever rapper was playing over the speakers.

"Whoa there, Ror, how many shots have you had?" he joked, catching Aurora as she began tilting violently to the left.

"You don't -- I don't -- I dunno, haha," Aurora mumbled, her head drooping suddenly. She lifted her head up again and stared right at Hal. He began to flush red, nervously laughing.

"Come on, let's get you home," he said, looping her limp arm over his shoulder. He began to half-drag, half-support her to the doorway before she blurted out, "No... no... I don't wanna go, Charms. I wanna stay here." The last word elongated as she fell to the ground unconscious, a faint drunken smile playing on her lips.

Hal sighed, but smiled at his nickname, Charms. He carried Aurora to a side room and shouted out to the bartender to bring a cup of black coffee. Aurora's eyes slowly blinked open, revealing startlingly icy blue eyes. Hal looked at her and smiled, exhaling heavily as he sat down besides Aurora, tracing the stained wooden floorboards of the bar beneath his fingers. Surprising him, Aurora leaned her head on his shoulder and twisted around to look into his face. Hal's nerves felt like they were on fire, and he looked back, trying to keep the desire out of his eyes and face.

Aurora placed a lone finger on his cheek and began to trace it downwards along his sharp jawline. "Hey Charms..." she murmured, touching his nose lightly and smirking, "I'm still better looking than you when I'm uber drunk."

Hal laughed and looked away, fixing his vision on a random wooden beam above him. Then, his eyes inevitably gravitated back to Aurora. Suddenly, he took Aurora's beautiful face in his hands and kissed her, pressing his lips against hers until she pulled away. Scooting to the opposite corner of the room, she said, "No, Hal. I'm -- I don't like you like that." Confusion darkened her eyes, which were already clouded by drink and alcohol.

Hal's eyes burned brightly in the poorly lit side room, passion dancing like jumping fire. He crawled over to her as if in a trance and kissed her again. Aurora pushed back, hard. "Hal! No!" she yelled, raising her voice and raising unsteadily to her feet in anger. "No." she said again, softly. "You're my friend, Charms. Nothing more. I'm sorry." Aurora walked away and found herself seconds later on the sidewalk, her feet carrying her to her apartment. As she passed the familiar neon light of the nearby Korean grocery store, she heard panting and familiar footsteps behind her. "Charms..." she shook her head.

He stopped behind her. "Look, Ror, that was a mistake. Please, please, I'm really sorry, that was a huge mistake. I -- just please forgive me. I don't know what I was doing back there, just --" the words tumbled out of him quickly, like a stack of dominos waiting to fall. Aurora turned back with her hands in her pockets, and stood looking at Hal for a few moments. She studied the cracks in the sidewalk a bit, noticing the weed urging to break free from its concrete prison, and then faced Hal again with open arms. "Bring it in, Charms," she said. Sighing with relief, Hal wrapped Aurora in a grateful and tight hug, and she patted his back reassuringly. "We all do dumb things, Charms. Don't worry about it."

The next day, Aurora woke, splayed out on the sofa, with a splitting headache. Fumbling for her phone, she called Hal and bleakly told him to come over. Minutes later, he stood in her apartment's doorway with a mug of green tea and two aspirins. "Ah, you're a lifesaver, Charms," she managed weakly, and crinkled her eyes in humor. Hal snorted and remarked, "Well, this isn't exactly the first time, Ror." She slumped back onto her sofa and pulled the throw blanket over her face, groaning as she did so.

Hal leaned over and comfortingly touched her leg. "I gotta call my mom, but I'll check back on you in a bit, 'kay, Ror? Don't try and move," he said. Aurora halfheartedly laughed, retorting, "As if..."

Typing in his mother's number, Hal stepped out into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, completely at home. "Hey Mom, I just wanted to say Happy Birthday!" he said, his peppy and excited voice a clear facade. Hal looked back at Aurora, and she mockingly mimed his 'good son' voice with a few choice faces and hand gestures. He gave her a jokingly irritated expression and returned his attention to the call.

"Thanks Harry, how are you?" a snobbish female voice returned. Aurora continued to poke fun at Hal, mouthing "HARRY", knowing that his given name would continue to annoy him. Hal had never liked the name Harry, it was too common, too preppy, and too inclined to end with Potter. Hal was much more suitable for his personality: loose, fun, a good time, and of course, charming.

"Good, Mom, yep, everything's going great!" he said back, knowing that that wouldn't stop his mother from probing further into his life.

"Just... good?" his mother predictably inquired. "Nothing... more?" she continued.

Hal sighed. "Literally nothing exciting has been happening, Mom. I will tell you when that blue moon comes. But how are you? It's your birthday!" he cheered, trying to shift the attention onto something else.

His mother wouldn't take it. "Harry, tell me. Have you gotten that girl yet?" she asked.

Hal looked uncomfortable and he walked further back into the kitchen. "No, Mom, and I've told you before, Ror is just a friend, okay? So would you please drop the subject?" he hissed.

"No way to treat your mother on her birthday, but okay, Harry," his mother pettily replied.

"Oh, oh, so NOW you're pulling the birthday card? Unbelievable," Hal sniped back. "Look, Mom, I just want this birthday to go by peacefully, alright? I want you to have a great day! After all, you only get to have your 50th birthday once!" Hal said in a softer tone, offering an olive branch to his mother, whom he often bickered with.

She sighed over the phone, blowing unnecessarily hard into the receiver. "Thanks, Harry. I'll do my best." she said. The line clicked as she hung up and Hal set down the phone, placing his hands on the marble island and sighing almost as hard as his mother had just done. He walked back over to Aurora, who was now snoring loudly on the blue sofa, and he pulled the blanket over her shoulders with care. Settling in to the seat opposite the sofa, he took out his laptop and began to go through his email for work.

Three hours later, Aurora woke to the sun spilling through the red window curtains and piercing her eyes. She pushed her thick and unruly blonde hair out of her face and sat up, prompting Hal to look up from his laptop. "Hey, Ror! Do you feel less horrible?" he asked.

She looked at him sarcastically, saying, "Never better, Charms." Walking to her bedroom, she yawned, her lavender jumpsuit flowing breezily around her. Hal heard her flop onto her bed, its creaking springs sounding all throughout the apartment. He had just returned to his laptop when she shouted, "CHARMS!"

Hal looked up, alarmed, and yelled back, "What is it?!"

She ran back to the living room and screamed, "WHERE'S MR. PANDY?!?!"

Hal's eyes widened in panic and his voice shook as he asked, barely audibly, "Mr. Pandy... is... gone?"

Aurora's eyes twitched in anger. "Yes, and whoever has him is going to PAY the price." She stalked out of her apartment, swiping a coat off the rack with all the righteous fury of a strict schoolmaster. Hal patiently watched her go, and then watched her scuffle backwards, muttering, "Can't wear a red jacket, doesn't go with the purple..." before replacing the red coat and taking a white denim one instead. The proper outerwear having been chosen, Hal nodded and continued out the door after Aurora, having to walk terribly fast to keep up with her insane pace.

"Ror, did you see anything out of the ordinary in your room?" he asked in between quick breaths.

Eyes set dead ahead, Aurora gritted her teeth and grumbled, "No. Nothing," as she continued to storm ahead.

"Uh, anything out of place in your apartment?" Hal inquired.

"No. Nothing."

"Has Mr. Pandy been acting weird lately?"

"No. Nothing."

"Hasn't been, like, barking more or eating weirdly?"

"No. Nothing."

Hal stopped, but Aurora kept charging ahead, eyes flaming. "Look, Ror, where are you even going?"

Aurora turned around and huffed. "Well, Mr. Pandy can't have gotten far. I'm pretty sure I saw him eat his breakfast after you came to my place, so he's been missing 3 hours tops. He's a tiny little Corgi, and who knows what's gotten into him? Maybe some weirdo opened the gate or something, or like, maybe I just forgot to close it. Or maybe Mr. Pandy found a way out of the side fence... gosh, I knew Mrs. Wilson had a loose board! Ugh! What am I supposed to do, Charms?" Aurora groaned, frustrated, pressing her face into her hands and sitting down on the curb.

Hal sat down next to Aurora and put his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ror, we'll find Mr. Pandy together. Let's just start with any places he might be."

However, night began to fall, and Mr. Pandy was still nowhere to be found. Both Hal and Aurora's voices had run dry and hoarse yelling his name across all seven dog parks, several friends' houses, and the Korean grocery store that Aurora often frequented. Mr. Pandy seemed to have vanished into thin air. Hal turned towards Aurora, whose moping face was pulling him down into the dumps as well. "Ror, I think the best thing to do is to just forget about it for the rest of today. Look, the sun's going down, and we won't be able to search for him much longer. I say we just go to my mom's birthday party and start fresh again tomorrow, maybe put up some signs and look again. Sound good?" Hal pleaded, trying to raise Aurora out of her sadness.

She smiled. "Thanks, Charms," she replied, nodding. "I just wish I knew where Mr. Pandy was... he's all alone out there right now."

Hal squeezed Aurora reassuringly and the two headed towards back towards Aurora's apartment to set out for the party. Half an hour later, the doorbell rang at Hal's mom's penthouse and Hal and Aurora smiled as they were ushered in, tux pressed and dress sparkling. "Hey, Mom!" Hal waved, giving his mother a cordial hug but inwardly grimacing while doing so.

"Hello Harry, hello Harry's friend," she greeted them.

Aurora smiled falsely and mockingly curtsied, saying, "Hello, Karen." Before any more damage could be done, Hal pulled Aurora away from his mother and towards something much more appealing, the glasses of expensive champagne and endless cocktail appetizers. "Come on, Ror, you don't have to call her Karen!" Hal implored.

"What? That's her name, Charms. Karen. I mean, it's horrible! Have you ever heard a more -this- name?" she defended, waving at the sumptuous penthouse, the lavish decorations, the excessive party, and well, Karen herself.

Hal gave her a look. "Okay, fine, I'll be nicer to Karen today." Aurora relented. "But it's ONLY because I'm still deeply hurt over Mr. Pandy. I just don't have it in me today." she maintained, delivering her dramatic lines with an air of pretentiousness.

Hal laughed, and said, "Well, whatever feeds the beast..." as the inseparable duo walked and sampled the different bite-sized treats. Suddenly, a familiar bark made both their heads snap up so quickly that Hal actually rubbed his neck afterwards. A tan and white dog appeared from underneath a tablecloth. Shocked, Aurora nearly dropped the champagne flute she was holding.

"Mr. Pandy?? What are you doing here?!" she gasped, quickly enveloping the loved dog into her arms and burying her face into its soft fur. Mr. Pandy squirmed around in Aurora's arms and began to lick her face relentlessly as she cooed over his overall cuteness.

Meanwhile, Hal was staring straight at his mother. "Mom? Do you know why Mr. Pandy is here?" he said, not really wanting to know the answer to his question.

His mother glanced at him apologetically, but Hal could tell it was all a facade. "No, no, not at all, my dear," she responded, an odd smile playing on her lips.

"Really, Mom? You have no idea how?" Hal moved forwards, setting down his champagne flute and approaching his mother. "Don't lie to me... again," he warned.

"Look, Harry dear, I did it for your own good," she proffered, attempting to pacify her increasingly angry son. Aurora immediately stopped fondling over Mr. Pandy and looked sharply at Karen.

"You! Karen! You little..." she started. The music cut off abruptly and all the party guests turned around to the conflict, obviously unable to resist the ripe family drama.

Hal's mother cut Aurora off. "Friend, whatever your name is, you have no idea what I have done for my son. I have sacrificed everything for him and," her voice trembled, "I have given up so many things for my little boy. But you, you blind woman, you won't love him. And I know he loves you. So, all I wanted to do was take away a little creature so that you could devote all your love to my wonderful boy Harry. That's all I wanted," she breathed, "and that's all I'll ever want. For you," she turned to Hal, "to be happy."

Hal blinked slowly, then breathed even slower. The entire room was quiet, and his mother looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand, to forgive, just like he had done so many times before. Without a word, he gathered Aurora and Mr. Pandy to the door, and opened it. Turning back, he stared at the room full of murmuring guests, a confused DJ, and his devious mother. Hal closed the door and blinked again. He smiled at Aurora and together, they and Mr. Pandy walked back home, to a life they loved to live together, even if they didn't love each other the way Hal's mother wanted. Hal realized that he would be happy with Aurora as long as she was there, and until the end of time, that would be more than enough. Aurora, looking up at Hal's serious face, understood for the first time what he put up with and the gravity of what he had just walked away from. Mr. Pandy continued slobbering, wondering why they hadn't stayed to mooch the bacon off the side table. As they passed the Korean grocery store for the nth time that day, Aurora and Hal looked at each other and truly smiled, a feeling that spread through their hearts and warmed their souls. Sometimes, love isn't the answer.