Good Dog, Madd City

"...Heavy downpour coming through the weekends again, but at least we could splash on some great puddles right? More on tonight at the six o'clock news..."

That line kept repeating in Melanie's head as she trudged through the Los Angeles ghettos and the accompanying storm. The wind ceaselessly pummels the palm trees and foliage, a stern reminder of her situation. The heavy incoming rain never seem to cease as her dog Tito hopelessly coughs and shivers. It's been raining too long just for a dry place like California. At least she doesn't have to see the patrons of the neighborhood slinging crack around the corners now.

She took her turn to cough too, arranging back her slings of her hiking bags and readjusting her tattered raincoat. It had been miles walking without actual rest, especially with the rain getting worse. She appears to have not slept for weeks and had become caught in the toils of surviving in abandoned buildings and sleeping in coach buses with her mutt. Her dog appears downtrodden as splotches of missing fur are prevalent on his body and his muzzle appears to be consistently bruised though even with his current posture had represented a burly figure in the past. Melanie and Tito has been doing this for years, the lack of a residence being a prevalent problem for her lack of financial stability.

Melanie looked up at the dreary sky, the drops hitting her face hard.

"Ay ay ay, why is it even raining in Los Angeles?" She muttered to herself as Tito agrees with his shivering.

"I know Tito, I promise we'll find a dry place to rest." She looked down at Tito and tried to smile to her dog. However even the dog knew that was a false promise as he shivered in place.

They kept walking until they were out of the ghetto and crossed the avenue, not minding the rampant traffic going through as the heavy rain and ringing horns kept pelting both of them out of frustration. The drenched woman and dog looked up at the equally drenched apartment complex, spotting the almost warm lobby with an receptionist answering the phone.

They then looked at each other, Melanie petting the dog's nappy head.

"Better than staying out here right Tito?" She meekly smiled as she lead her dog to the lobby.

Melanie looked at him with conditioned furrowing brows from her drenched chair, the dog still shivering as his head laid on his owner's lap. The receptionist was still rather cross with her bringing a "stray mutt" to the lobby and even worse made most of the carpet wet from her entrance and her equally wet bags. She bought her dog's head closer to her as if Brian might do something to Tito.

"Are... you asking me?" She glanced at Brian carefully, her latin accent lightly touching her English. Even the receptionist began to look at Brian, awaiting his answer.

Melanie began to grimace as she took off her hood and wiped her face with a soggy hand. The hood appears to not cover the back of her head well enough, her nappy misshapen bun with strands of hair helplessly flayed around her hair.

"Sure the dog is allowed here, but after that I'm supposed to leave to the rain again when I'm done treating him?" She interrogated Brian as she turned her whole body to face him, her eyes been persistently sharp before she met him.

"While I respect such policies, I'm not a resident here so I don't think I apply whatsoever."

She looked at him with those tired yet persistent eyes, her face wet and filled with stains. Her grimace came from practice, as if to represent her defiance of anything especially her situations. The dog began weakly nipping on her coat, as if he was saying to Melanie to accept Brian's offer.

The drops dripped from both the woman and dog's bodies from the chair to the wet carpet, as if to punctuate the silence even further.

Melanie grew almost frustrated at Brian's hesitation that her impatience was apparent in her face. She bit her lip in her frustration and stood up. Even with the tattered raincoat her figure looked heavily built even with her continual malnutrition and her skin was marred by recent scars and wounds from her past military service.

While she was only a inch shorter than Brian, her posture still possessed a proud demeanor as she walked to the man and stopped an inch away from his face. The dog laid on the carpet now, his shivering now reducing to inconsistent coughs. She put her strong hand onto his shoulder and had this almost blank expression of disbelief.

"… If you're gonna lend people help, at least don't tell them they can have your leftovers guero..." She doted to Brian, shaking her head as if she was scolding her hypothetical children.

"... And do speak up guero. as much as you think you want to help me you wouldn't be this indecisive, at least the receptionist was direct enough to be disgusted by me and my mutt here."

She almost wanted to laugh at this situation, not to particularly mock him but never in her travels has she seen someone to have the guts to help her and seem so pathetic at the same time.

Melanie looked surprised. She almost felt bad treating Brian that way. She put her hand away from his shoulder and her dog came by her side.

"No, I can't. I just need my dog to dry out a bit until this rain subsides." She simpered. She didn't want to keep her guard down in case she's about to be bound for trouble. But the man appears normal and was almost appeared naive to keep persisting to help her.

"If anything becomes a nuisance from me, I can leave after I take care of my dog. Would that be fine by you?" She inquired, moving away from Brian and getting her bags. Melanie was always too proud to ask for help. But with her dog's health at stake, Tito came first before her pride.

Melanie grew silent and bought her bags with her, making clicking noises for Tito to follow. She followed Brian, her stubborn expression still persistent. She had no where else to go other back to the rain and she really needed to get Tito clean up so she can check him for any parasites or infections.

She'll trust Brian for now, not trying to take advantage of her situation. Many days out on the road made Melanie paranoid and extremely cautious of any assistance. This man's naivety was possibly for her dog than anything else, but Melanie wasn't too stubborn that Brian had pity on her as well.

She began to frown and grew more silent as her dog panted loudly for the elevator.

Melanie took the glass of water from Brian and thanked him with a nod. She crouched down to her dog with the glass as he laps up the water quickly. As she was waiting for the dog to finish, she stood up and gave Brian the empty glass.

"The name's Melanie. At that situation I don't think exchanging names was a prerequisite nor was it necessary... After all I'm just another squatter in LA." She replied plainly.

"Besides, where is your bathroom?" She asked with a hint of politeness, taking off her bags and coat.

Melanie nodded again as she walked to the bathroom and before closing the door,

"Please, Tito's not picky. If anything I'm the picky one." She commented as Tito already eviscerated the piece of chicken. He was on his all fours, awaiting another piece as he stared at Brian.

Brian could hear the bathroom churning with busy water, Apparently Melanie was already taking a shower to rid away the months of filth she had.

After his slaughter of his meal had already finished, Tito topped his meal off by lapping up most of the water bowl and began to pace to the bathroom door. He laid himself comfortably on the floor and panted heavily at the door, his fur still nappy from the rain. While his appearance looks shoddy and downtrodden, his pitbull-like traits are prevalent with his strong legs, beady eyes and a powerful snout.

The dog begins to yawn as he waits for his owner, unusually silent and laid his head on his paws.

The bathroom door opened a few minutes after Brian sat to his chair, steam being letting out from a warm shower. Tito perked up to the sound first and began to walk to the table where Brian is as her owner accompanied her dog.

She picked her ear for any loose water and stood near the table. She had frazzled wet hair that wasn't from the rain and was wearing her old dirty tank top and fatigues.

"Sorry for commandeering your shower Brian, But it's been approximately five and a half months of actually having clean water on my skin..." She frowned at the warm food and pulled her hair with her rubber band to create her old yet messy bun again.

She looked almost disappointed to Brian. She didn't expect this hand of hospitality to go this far. Melanie felt almost uncomfortable to be treated more equally than she was in the streets. Sure, she had a home once, but it was when systems were in check and nuclear fire wasn't so close to burn everything...

She looked hesitant now as she studied the food. It wasn't anything special and even then shelter food was worse than this. Melanie looked at her dog for any confirmation, his happy panting an indication of nothing suspicious. After all, this Brian person actually fed her dog a bit as well. His naivety was more or less welcoming yet it made Melanie's nerves jumped slightly.

"... So are you expecting me to stay here or something? I was just gonna go clean up myself then Tito here and be on my way." Her look turned serious, as if she was detaining Brian for information.

"Oh great, you have a couch. Fantastic." Melanie rolled her eyes, walking to the table and began scratching Tito's ears.

"Tito is not a puppy, nor am I. So do not treat me like one guero." She sighed. "Even though I like to thank your generosity, I rather not overstay my welcome." She began to simper again.

"... Besides I was just gonna clean up Tito here and be on my way. Again I thank you for helping my dog have some scraps, especially serving dinner for me and even give me permission to sleep on your couch."

She almost smiled at the meal then to Brian, but turned stern again. She still stood there defiantly to Brian. Melanie didn't particularly know why she's doing this to the man. Perhaps with all of the scrounging, abuse, and cynicism has gotten into her deep within those three years. Especially most of those years enduring and treating her dog rather than taking care of herself.

The dog appears oblivious to his owner's attitude, poking with his nose on the back of her weathered brutish hand. Tito was becoming impatient and was staring patiently at the plate of pasta.

"So I have to inquire something of your interest really... Why exactly are you doing this?" She asked kindly for the first time, her face softened a bit for a moment. But it was a fleeting moment regardless.

The woman’s face began to recede from her stern look to a face of exhausted defeat. She began to slowly grimace at his response and felt something she hadn't felt for years. The vulnerability she had resisted for so long began to rise slowly, the feelings of regret and guilt creeped on her slowly but surely like venom. She almost wanted to hate him. Maybe with all of her feelings she’s been bottling up, almost consuming her being.

Melanie open her mouth and shut it promptly from Brian's remark. Her mind fully jammed and had no ammunition to shoot at him now. How does such a simple phrase already crumbled her? What is she, a teenager? She began boiling in her mind and wanted to interject her frustration to this naive man, as if Melanie was gonna scream to the heavens.

Of course, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn’t even admit anything in her insecurity. Melanie didn't survive what she's been living through all her life to feel such emotion over a man who gave her and her dog a simple handout. It might have been the gesture that got her. Regardless she was resisting to break like she’s done outside in the rain and even here in Brian’s apartment.

Tito whined about the pasta, which Melanie automatically got the plate and put it on the floor. The dog loudly ate the pasta as his owner took a seat with Brian. She rubbed across her wet hair and sighed. She looked at Brian with a smile. A smile that has never seen the light of day until now.

“Maybe I’m trying too hard to find answers.” She chuckled warmly to herself, putting her hand to her forehead in exasperation as she leaned in her chair.

"Well if you were trying to trick me the whole time Brian, you have done such an awful job doing so." She began to smile wider, still chuckling. She looked content as she scratched her dog's head softly.

"... Thanks for bringing us in Brian. I wouldn't really know where to go here in LA." She looked back at him warmly with that large grin. "I could've just slept in a ditch with Tito here and be complacent about it but now..."

She glanced around his apartment. "... It's nice to stay somewhere warm. Even for a moment's rest." She then looked down at her dog as Tito rested his head on her lap.

Drips of water came from somewhere, dropping to her dog's head. The dog glanced at his owner and loudly barked for the first time. Somewhere Brian could've hear the smallest sniffle between the loud yelping from Tito as she grew silent and wiped her eyes defiantly.