Dog Days of Summer

A dry, blistering, soul sucking heat. Probably wouldn’t be so bad if the clouds disappeared for a day or so to give me a break from this awful humidity, I thought. Even the water from the hose was too warm to cool me down. The beach so packed yesterday, it seemed the human population had raised the water temperature from all their activity.

With power grids unable to cope with the demand, houses were unable to use any air conditioners. Dads solution to this, a nice long drive in an air conditioned car. Count me in! I was at the door quick as a flash. “Come on, come on, let’s go guys,” dad said as he grabbed the key from the hook in the kitchen.

Mum walked over to the fridge, “you grab Spunky Chunky and I’ll pack a quick lunch.” She took bread, butter, cheese and lettuce and two cold sausages out of the fridge. She made cheese and lettuce sandwiches and placed one of the sausages in a sandwich bag. I walk over to her, she laughed and gave me one of the sausages. “You and your sausages, you prefer them to cheese and lettuce any day, don’t you.” she said. “Come on, let’s get cooled down.” We walked to the door and I ate my sausage while we waited for dad.

Dad had grabbed Spunky Chunky and was carrying him over his shoulder toward us. Spunky Chunky leaned toward me and I smiled. “Urgh, I don’t know if I even want to open the door,” mum said as she turned the handle. The bitumen road shimmered and browning grass was crunching as we walked to the car. I stopped. Nope. I thought. No way I am getting in that car until the hot air is let out, completely!

“Nope,” mum said taking a step back and grabbing Spunky Chunky from dad’s arms. “No way I am getting in that car until the hot air is let out, completely!” Two great minds think alike. I thought as I walked over to her and waited for dad to bear the brunt of the heat and start the car. “Come on, good to go,” he said after a few minutes of the car running.

Mum strapped the sweaty little Spunky Chunky into his car seat and I jumped into the seat next to him for dad to do my seat belt up. They both laughed as Spunky Chunky and I touched arms. He looked at me and smiled with his half-drunk bottle hanging from his mouth. “I’ll need to stop at the shop at some point to grab more milk,” she told dad.

So, for a drive we went. Cool air in the car, and the occasional, “Phwoar, who did that!” from dad. Mum would turn around and dad would look in the rear-view mirror. I would put on my innocent face and look at Spunky Chunky. “Gees Chunk, might need to check that nappy!” mum would laugh, winking at me.

We stayed in the running car while mum braved the heat for milk. Dad turned to us and laughed, “we all know she will be in there for half an hour!” He leaned his chair back and leaned back singing to the music. Spunky Chunky saw his opportunity and started kicking the back of the chair. Dad raised an eyebrow and lifted the chair a little. “Alright with you now boss man?” he smiled at Spunky Chunky.

Mum opened the back door and I jumped. “Oh sorry,” she laughed with her head in the door, “didn’t mean to startle you.” I snooped in the shopping bag. Hmm nothing too interesting in there.

As she put on her seat belt she turned to dad. “You should see it in there, utter chaos. People with their heads stuck in the coolers pretending to choose veggies. When I grabbed the milk, I saw one of the staff sitting in the back of the fridge on a crate reading the paper!” They both laughed. Mum turned to the back seat and grabbed the lunch she had packed. “Alright, who’s up for a snack?”

Dad looked at us, then her “you?” he said to her. She opened the bag and one sandwich remained. “Well… you were gone for a while, we thought we may as well. Spunky Chunky made me do it, right Spunk?” He looked at Spunky Chunky. “No, no, no,” he said kicking his legs. “Alright,” dad confessed. “It was my idea, but they are accomplices, they didn’t say no.” He turned and poked his tongue at us. I put my head down and Spunky Chunky blew a raspberry at him.

We drove for a while longer then headed home for dinner to be prepared.

I couldn’t help it. I had to get up. My bed was drenched with sweat and I knew I wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. I picked up my pillow and made my way to the bathroom. With the pillow on the floor I sprawled out on the tiles. The coolest place in the house to my mind.

I startled awake as another came to join me on the cool floor. He was red faced with sweat clearly visible in the room lit by an outside streetlight. I nodded to the pillow for him to join me. His dark ringed sleepy eyes blinked slowly, and half smiled.

He waddled his chubby little legs across the floor with nappy swaying side to side behind him, even in this heat, he still carried his silky little rug. He held his silky in one hand and laid on his back, arms and legs spread wide on the coolness of the tiles, head sharing my pillow.

When dad got up in the morning and headed for the shower, he laughed at the site. “Come check this out,” he whispered to his groggy wife. He motioned rapidly with both hands. “Quick, check it out.” She raised her overheated sleepy body from the bed and walked groggily to the bathroom door.

She covered her mouth to suppress a hearty laugh and bent her knees together so as not to pee. “I can’t believe a two-year-old and a dog are smarter than us!”