Peace and/or Quiet

"Peace be with you," Phoebe says, as she always does at this part of the service. The congregation is supposed to respond, "And also with you," which they sometimes do, but often all she gets back are mumbles and coughs. This week, Deacon responds half-heartedly (and Stan snores), but Lucille whistles and shouts, "You go, girl!" Which pleases Phoebe tremendously.

"It's a mystery," Phoebe says. This is not what she had intended to say (she had intended: "It's a joy to be here"), but there it is, so on she goes.

"I mean, have you ever thought about what goes on your mind? Like...why do we do what we do? Why do we want what we want?" (She is thinking about Josephine here--something she knows she should not be thinking about--but the longing she's felt these past weeks everyday at the park, and the dawning realization of the futility of it all, just won't leave her, and it doesn't seem to be something she can keep quiet about.)

Phoebe Needs a New Plan

Phoebe has been trying to find a way to ask Josephine out, but hasn't had much luck because (1) Phoebe doesn't know Josephine's phone number, which is only part of the problem because Phoebe doesn't have a phone and (2) it's winter and it's been way too cold to hang around the Dog Park waiting for her to show up.

Phoebe really doesn't know that much about Josephine. She doesn't know where she lives, for example, or what she does for a living, or if she's involved with anyone else. She doesn't even know if she's gay or straight, but Phoebe figures these are all things they could talk about. Well, maybe not the gay or straight part. That's not the kind of topic you can just start up. But maybe you could, Phoebe thinks, once you've found some other things out.

Phoebe's plan was to bring a thermos of hot tea to the Dog Park, wait till Josephine complained about the cold (the weather is always a lively topic at the Dog Park), offer to pour her a cup, and then take it from there. But Phoebe's been lugging that thermos to the Park since Christmas, and so far, Josephine has eluded her.

Phoebe Has a Crush on Josephine

Josephine is slender and athletic, with green eyes and freckles, big teeth and rust-colored hair. "Ginger" she would call it. Josephine grew up near London and has a pleasant British accent--not posh, but crisp and foreign enough for Phoebe to take notice. (Josephine says "boot" for "trunk" and "mo-bile" for "cell phone," and listening to her makes Phoebe think of Diana Rigg as Emma Peale.)

Phoebe has a crush on Josephine, but Josephine doesn't seem to notice. She spends most of her time at the Dog Park playing catch with Coco, her big chocolate Lab. Coco is very insistent. (She'll fling the ball, slobber and all, right into your lap if you try to ignore her.) Plus, she has a nasty habit of eating fresh poo, so Josephine has to stay on alert. (Dried piles of poop don't tempt her, but the minute one of the dogs starts to hunch over--even one at the very far end of the park--Josephine has to grab Coco's collar and hold on tight until the other dog's owner has cleaned up, or Coco will take off and wolf it right down before anyone can even get to it.) 

Josephine is mortified by Coco's poo-eating behavior, which mitigates somewhat the disgust most of the other dog owners feel. "It's a phase," some of them say. Or, "Maybe you should feed her more meat."

Phoebe tries to be firm, but reassuring. "You'll just have to teach her not to do it," she says, but she's not so sure. God, as far as she knows, has never eaten dog poop. But he does like to root through the garbage and every so often he'll find something foul on the ground and then he'll throw himself down in ecstatic delight and roll in it until he's covered with the stuff.