--Dan Z. -- New Character

Hey, Just checkin out the blog to see how it works. The following is the introduction to the other main character to my story. I figured I might as well submit something since i'm on here. Feel free to read and make suggestions. Don't mind the minor spelling/punctuation errors because I will go through and catch those later. Charlie Moore The sun peeked through the scattered trees and roofs to bring light to the world of the working men and women of Greenshade suburbs. Husbands and wives kissed, or didn’t, gulped down that last drink of coffee and jumped into their “environmentally” friendly foreign cars. In a matter of minutes the dead streets were filled with lines of vehicles, like ants marching to and from the hill. With that they were gone. The suburbs now belonged to those who stayed at home. After the stampede, dogs were let out to survey their own little patch of green on earth. Stay at home moms and dads might venture out, still in their pajamas, for some reason or other. The children wouldn’t be up for an hour or so, it being the summer months. These few moments of relative stillness were precious to those who were still awake. Inside the house was still. The kitchen still had the smell of coffee and eggs and the dishes lay unwashed on the counter. The entire house seemed to glow as the sun entered in through the windows and warmed the house. Dust could be seen in the penetrating light, floating lazily down from nowhere. It could be cleaned later. In these precious moments the numerous duties and cares of the day were put on hold. These were the moments when a person could realize themselves. It created a time to become familiar with yourself through the silence. It was healing. It was nostalgic. It was not what Charlie Moore was encountering this morning. The stillness of the house was shattered by sound of feet thudding quickly down the stairs. In a flash of clothes and half groomed features Charlie burst into the kitchen, gulped down a cold, day old cup of coffee and bent down to tie his shoes. The shades were still drawn, allowing only a dim light to enter the the living room. Charlie slid on his brown loafers, realized that he left his briefcase upstairs, and ran up to retrieve it with his shoes on. His bedroom was a wreck. The sheets on the bed were only halfway on. The large flowry comforter lay as if it were some slain monster on the ground. An assortment of clothes and garbage were strewn haphazardly around the bedroom. A box of chinese food sat on top of the dresser next to a collection of perfumes and jewelry boxes. Charlie made a quick mental note to clean up the place before Shannon came home and ran downstairs with his briefcase. The door slammed behind him, leaving the house to enjoy the sweet morning on its own. Charlie brought the Corolla’s speedometer up to a quick fourty-five. He was late for work and this gave him an excuse to exceed the communities twenty-five mile an hour speed limit. The rows of houses sped by him as if he were replaying the same scene on a video. They were all the same, occasionally varying in color or lawn ornaments. It was a jungle out there, easy to get lost in if you didn’t know your way. One wrong turn in an unfamiliar area and you were destined to wander the lonely corridors in search for a familiar street name. Many of Charlie’s co-workers employed an in car gps that told you what to do in case of a wrong turn. Without missing a beat the seductive electronic voice told you where you were and how to get where you were going. It was a comfort to always know where you were going. Charlie Moore knew where he was going. There would be no time to stop by one of the little drive thru coffee shops today. Those girls are always so glad to see you in the morning. If you went often enough they might even remember you. Once they knew your face they could associate it with your drink. Charlie was a black and white Mocha. It felt good to have some sort of companion out there. Charlie would try to wave as he drove by his stand. They might recognize his car. He approached Coffee Tyme on the corner of Lancaster and Cannon lane and rolled down his window. The little shop was located at a major junction within the suburbs. It took long enough to get out of the suburbs that the residents allowed the little establishments to be put up in a few locations. People could not go that long in the morning without coffee and it was harder to find a good place once you were out on the freeway. This was Charlie’s coffee stand, he knew that Melissa would be working. The girls were always surprised when he called them by their first name for the first time. He always felt clever when they gave him a confused look and he stared back for a moment as if they should know him. After a moments pause he would always tap his breast and point at them who would, in turn, look down to see their own name tag. As Charlie rolled down his window he gave his horn two short honks and leaned out to see if Melissa had seen him and then BUMP! His car gave a startling jolt as he hit the brakes. “Have I been hit” he thought to himself, looking in his rearview mirror? He was the only car on the street at the moment. And then he saw it. A small bundle of fur lay in the road about twenty feet behind him. “Damn. Must have been a dog.” The animal was too big for a cat, and he could not imagine any other pet living in the area. For a moment he considered the thought of driving on. “Someone will pick it up later. I don’t have time to deal with it” he thought. His engine idled, still in the drive position. But then another thought quickly came to him. What if Melissa had seen him hit the dog. There would be no way out of it, she recognized his car. Charlie imagined the upset owners, probably a crying child and flustered mother, coming out to their dead pet. They would surely ask Melissa if she saw what happened. Charlie glanced at her window in the coffee house, it was closed for the moment. He had no choice, he had to take care of the dog. Charlie backed his car up along the white line on the side of the road. A million things were flashing in his mind. “I am late for work, I don’t have time to deal with this.” “Who’s dog is this, what should I do with it?” “Had Melissa seen me hit the dog?” “I wonder if she will be upset?” “What will Shannon say about this?” He stepped out of the car, now parked parellel to the dog in the road. The animal was still moving, kicking one of its legs and whining. The whining was terrible, it was as if Charlie could hear the animals pain with every whine. The dog appeared to be a small black and white border collie. Charlie’s grandfather had a border collie for a while. The dog would take advantage of Charlie’s adolescent size and knock him over every chance it got, flooding his face with kisses and consuming whatever food he had on his person. The dog looked like his grandfathers, except it had a large white strip on its nose. As he approached it he noticed a small pool of dark blood growing from the dog’s side. He animal took no notice of him and continued to writhe about and whine there on the pavement. How had Charlie come to this point in his life? He couldn’t help thinking as he stood there in front of the dying creature that everything in his life had led up to this moment. He couldn’t help hitting the dog, it was something that was going to happen. He looked up for a moment, shielding his eyes from the sun. No, he did not believe in God. God was a thing of the past, as Nietzshe said “God is dead.” Dead in our imaginations. Charlie no longer needed God. He had his life laid out before him. God was replaced with cookie-cutter houses, “environmentally friendly” cars, GPS navigators, and coffee shop girls. There was no more room for God in this world. No, it wasn’t God that brought him here. Charlie brought his hand down and looked over toward Coffee Tyme. Melissa had opened the window and was staring out at him. Catching his attention she yelled out to him “do you need any help sir?” Why hadn’t she used his first name? “Do you have any trash bags” Charlie called back to her. She nodded her head and disappeared back into the shack. The dog had not died yet. Charlie wondered how long it would take. Maybe the animal would survive the incident? His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of Melissa’s flip flops slapping against the pavement. She looked rather disturbed. Charlie watched her run across the pavement toward him in her short brown shorts and tight t-shirt. Melissa was a looker, Charlie was sure of that. Something about the intense emotional expression on her face and her casual “summer girl” outfit turned Charlie on. She was innocent, or at least she was in his mind. She really cared for this dog that lay their dying on the cold pavement. He longed to touch her. But then again he didn’t. He had a beautiful wife, a house, and a successful career. Charlie knew that he didn’t want her, but for some reason he did. “Ooooh, poor puppy!” she squealed as she got closer. “Is it alright? Do you think it will make it?” “I don’t know” Charlie said. “It didn’t even see it.” How could he not have? The dog was in the the middle of an empty street on a sunny morning. Melissa bent down and put her hand up to the dog’s nose. For the first time it seemed to take notice of its surroundings and it licked her hand. Charlie shuddered. “I think it is those people’s dogs, I’ve seen it around before” she said, nodding toward one of the nearby houses. “Maybe we should get it off the road first.” Melissa, in tears at this time, nodded in agreement. Charlie was not sure of the best way to go about doing this, not knowing how in tact the dog actually was. He stood awkwardly over the dog for a moment and then moved as if he were going to drag it off to the side. “Oh, don’t do that” said Melissa. “Here I’ll do it,” she gave him a sharp glance. Melissa bent over and picked the dog up slowly, she held it as if it were a newborn child. The dog’s whines had died down to the occasional long whine. She carried it to the nearest lawn, kneeled down and then rested the dog in the soft grass. Charlie stared at the blood stain in the middle of the road for a moment. He had the odd sensation of floating above himself. It was as if he were watching a movie about himself. He felt as though he were staring at a crime scene. He envisioned a white chalk line in the shape of a border collie on the pavement. Stifling a small chuckle he turned back toward the dog and the girl. The man who owned the lawn was walking out toward them. He still wore his flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that said “Maui Wowie” in big red letters. “Hey, what happened here?” he said with a look of concern as he walked toward them. “I hit this dog on accident, is it yours?” Charlie asked. “No, but it looks like the McCallums little collie” he replied. “I’ll give em a call, hold on” he said, rushing back into his house.” This thing was beginning to be quite the ordeal. The time was 8:45 and Charlie knew that he would have to call into work and let them know he would be an hour or more late. The dog was much quieter now, but it was still breathing. Melissa remained kneeled beside it, petting it and occasionally saying “Its okay girl, its alright.” The sun was beginning to grow a little higher in the sky. Charlie was sweating but he did not know if the cause was the sun or his nerves. He took off his suit jacket and carried it to the car. “Sir, please don’t go anywhere” it was the man again. “I’ve called Mrs. McCallum, she’ll be right over.” “Don’t worry, I’ve just gotta make a quick call” Charlie said, ducking his into his car. He threw his coat in the passenger seat and sat down in the driver’s seat, leaving the door open. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the secretaries office. “(HNN) what can I do for you today?” the receptionists voice was cool and impersonal, a product of rehearsal and repetition. “Yes, this is Charlie Moore from the office of personnel relations. I am calling to let Roger Barkis to know that I am going to be a little late today due to an accident on my way in.” “I’ll let him know Sir. Have a nice day,” and with a click she was gone. Charlie wanted to stay in the car a moment longer. He left the phone help up to his ear so that it looked like he was still talking. He saw, what he supposed to be, Mrs. McCallum running across the street from her house next door. Charlie felt guilty, sitting there in the murder weapon with the phone up to his ear. “Hello! Helllo” he yelled into the receiver. “What was that?” he thought to himself. He was sure that he had just heard someone saying his name in the receiver. It sounded as though someone was talking not to him, but about him in the background. He held the phone up to his ear, listening closely. Nothing. The sound of the woman crying brought him back. He stepped out of his car and returned to the pitiful scene. Apparently the dog had died. Both Melissa and Mrs. McCallum were crying and the neighbor man was doing his best to comfort them. “At least she’s not in any more pain” the neighbor said. “Oh, Maggie. I can’t believe it. I just let her out” Mrs. McCallum sobbed. Charlie was not sure what to do. He waited a moment and said “I’m sorry mam, I didn’t see her. If there’s anything I can do...d’ya want money or anything?” “No, no its alright. I should have kept on eye on here... she normally stays in the yard” she had forgiven him. Melissa was not so quick to forgive him. She stood there, her shirt stained with the dogs blood, glaring at Charlie. Charlie felt released and was about to leave when Melissa said “what if it were a child?” Charlie was utterly unprepared for the question. “It wasn’t dear, this is different” Mrs. McCallum again came to the rescue. “I don’t know” the neighbor chimed in. “I have a child that could have just as easily been on these streets. How fast were you going?” Before Charlie could answer Melissa yelled out “Fast! He was going way over the speed limit. I saw him.” “I was late for work, I...” Charlie was cut off. “Late for work? LATE FOR WORK” the neighbor yelled. “Do you think that gives you an excuse. What if it had been my child.” How had Charlie gotten here? “Yeah, and why weren’t you watching the road?” Melissa chimed in. She was beautiful even in her anger, but Charlie didn’t notice. “I, I, look I’m really sorry” he stuttered. “But at least it didn’t happen. I’ll be more careful, I’ll...” he was only digging himself deeper. Suddenly the attention was diverted from him as Mrs. McCallum grabbed the plastic bag and began scooping the lifeless bundle of blood and fur into it. “Just go” she said. “I want to get this cleaned up before the kids are up.” “Charlie walked backwards toward his car. “I’m sorry, so sorry” he said, but there was no reply. He stepped into his car, turned the key, and slowly rolled away from the scene. It was a shit morning for sure. He glanced at the clock, 9:10, he could swing by for a much needed cup of coffee before heading to work. Maybe the day was not a total loss. He glanced up nervously in his rearview mirror again, feeling as though someone would be chasing him. Seeing nothing he returned his gaze to the road, putting the past behind him.