| |
My dog took an instant shine to Ki Tae.
I imagine he felt like he knew him. After all, he’s been staring at his posters for five years. Ralphie is pretty friendly to begin with. They say that pets take after their owners. But he and I don’t always agree on everything. And once he gets an idea in his head, it’s hard to change it.
Ralphie can be pretty stubborn. I guess he takes after me in that area, too.
––––––––
The director shouted a direction Letty couldn’t understand, and everyone gathered around the spotlighted table in a basement room at UStar that was decked out like a small cafe. Each reality couple would take turns enjoying a candlelight dinner that should last no longer than seven minutes. After all, they had a schedule to keep.
“Another meal.” Letty sighed. “Are they trying to wreck my diet?”
Ki Tae walked by Letty’s chair with his entourage and waved as he passed his coat to his manager. He wore a closely tailored black suit with a white low cut t-shirt underneath, and a variety of gold and silver chains hung from his neck.
“He loves his jewelry.” Letty waved back. The restrictive cut of the sponsored dress she received from the wardrobe lady didn’t allow her arms much movement. She felt like a high school quarterback trying to squeeze into a junior varsity uniform. Maybe Korean shoulders were narrower than American ones. She stretched her arms against the too-tight fabric and adjusted the simple string of white pearls around her neck. Ralphie sat beside her chair in a small fenced in enclosure that a crew member prepared for him.
Ben ran up with her microphone pack and held it out to her.
“I just put fresh batteries in. You should be able to hear me loud and clear for the rest of the day.”
“Thanks!” Letty took the small box and tried to clip it to the back of her belt, but her outfit wouldn’t let her arms bend far enough. She twisted to the right and the left, but it wasn’t happening.
“Uh ... you want some help?”
“Yes, please.” Letty passed the microphone box back to him and he walked behind her. He slipped a gentle finger beneath her belt to pull it out and clipped the pack to the accessory. Letty tingled where the part of his hand pressed against her back, and she wondered what it might feel like if he’d used two fingers instead. They might have to call the paramedics.
He stepped back, but the tingle remained.
“Okay, you’re all set.” He dropped the wire with the earpiece onto her shoulder.
Letty stuck the tiny speaker in her ear and placed a rosy pink cardigan on top of her outfit to cover the wire.
Ben took something from his pocket and bent down beside her near Ralphie’s cage. He held out a dried squid snack and offered it to the dog.
“Is it okay for him to eat that?” Letty asked.
“Sure. In small amounts.” He held the rubbery treat under Ralphie’s nose, but the silent animal just stared back at him with dark, serious eyes.
“Maybe he doesn’t like seafood.”
“What is it?” Ben asked the recalcitrant dog. “Why don’t you want to be my friend?”
Ralphie turned his back to him and trotted over to the other side of the enclosure.
“Maybe Ralphie is the one living creature that you can’t win over with your charm,” Letty said.
Ben shook his head. “I refuse to accept defeat. I must be loved by everyone or I cry myself to sleep at night.”
“Oh, you!” Letty waved him away from the pen and picked up Ralphie in her arms. She scratched his ears, while he cast a suspicious look at the man across from her. “I’ve never seen him so standoffish. He usually goes with anyone who shows him the tiniest crumb of affection. I even had a friend borrow him to propose to his girlfriend.”
“Why would he need a dog for that?” Ben edged a finger toward Ralphie, but pulled it back when he heard a soft growl.
“Ralphie, stop.” Letty tapped him on the nose. “His girlfriend loved dogs. So my friend took her and Ralphie to the beach for a play date and had the engagement ring hanging from Ralphie’s collar.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “It’s guys like that who make it harder on the rest of us. Girls hear those stories and expect a grandiose event every time.”
“So you won’t be springing for any fireworks or skywriting planes?”
“I guess I’m not that romantic.” Ben shrugged as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’d probably just take her to our favorite food truck, or park bench, or wherever our special place was, and tell her that any day I don’t spend with her is wasted. Living the rest of our lives together sounds fun, so I hope she’ll marry me. But ... even in the not so fun times, when things are hard, I want to spend them with her because she’s my best friend.”
Letty had spent countless hours in high school algebra class daydreaming about the perfect proposal—what Mr. Right would say and how he would get down on one knee with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hand. But being called someone’s best friend for life? That sounded pretty wonderful. Even if it did happen in front of a food truck.
Ben grimaced at Letty’s continued silence. “She’d dump me right there, huh?”
“No!” Letty realized she was staring and averted her gaze to run her hand over Ralphie’s head. “It’s a good plan. Not fancy but ... heartfelt.”
“So you think she’d say yes?”
“Absolutely.” Letty looked up with a smile. “Fireworks are nice. But nothing beats an honest confession. Sincerity gets them every time.”
Ben reached over without thinking to pet Ralphie’s head and almost got his hand bit.
“Ralphie!” Letty wrapped her hand around his muzzle. “What is wrong with you? I’m so sorry.”
“If he doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like me.” Ben snapped his fingers. “Maybe Auntie has a little chicken left from lunch. I’ll win you over, yet.” He shook a playful finger at Ralphie before bounding off.
Letty sighed as she watched him leave and released her pet’s soft, furry nose.
“I don’t know how you do it, Ralphie. I was a goner the moment he smiled at me.”
Ralphie whimpered as if he wanted to pass on some advice. It was a shame he couldn’t. If something didn’t change soon, Letty was afraid her trip to Korea might end with her falling for someone other than her husband.
