Catch Me if You Can

[Verity Harper]

 

It’s been a few years since Verity moved back to Glenhaven, but even now she was still having mixed feelings about it. It was good that she was near her family. They would have fallen apart without her after her mother’s death and she would have been even more lost than she was now. Still, there’s so much else out there. There’s a whole world she was supposed to see. There was still time, but it never seemed like a good enough time. There would be times when she would be walking around town and a memory would hit her like a sucker punch to the gut. She would remember the bakery her mom took them to every Sunday growing up. She would stop at the high school and remember running out after taking her SATs with her mom there to greet her with balloons. She tried to focus on the good memories, but the bad ones crept in sometimes. She remembered getting into the car after a soccer practice, angry and refusing to speak to her mom for being late when supermom had driven all over town unselfishly for her kids. Everyone’s gone through the angsty teenage years with their mothers. Don’t beat yourself up about it. She could hear her aunt’s words in her mind, but it never made it any better. Verity shook her head and the thoughts from her mind. It was the final weeks of summer vacation and, dammit, she was going to enjoy them. 

“Come, Baloo.” Verity called to her black lab with a short whistle. The sun was shining and it was that perfect time on a Saturday morning that would ensure most people would still be sleeping in. Verity both loved and hated that she could walk around town and always run into a familiar face. Right now, she was hoping to go about her usual Saturday routine without much commotion. Verity put the harness on Baloo and they were on their way. As long as the weather was nice, it was always the same: a jog through the park, a stop for coffee and a pastry (otherwise the jog would have been TOO healthy), and a leisurely walk back to the apartment. 

Verity took a deep breath in when they reached the apartment. The air was crisp. With a slow start, the two of them were off.

[Torrence Paige]

Saturdays were always reserved for Tori's alone time. Not that she didn't have enough of it at home; after all, she lived alone. But there was something different about being alone at home because you have no choice, and being alone, hanging out with yourself, because you chose to. She would usually dedicate her Saturday mornings to just relaxing, destressing from the week's worth of work, then moving on to her Saturday afternoon errands.

The breeze in the park ruffled the blue sun dress that Tori had on as she walked around the park, a book in hand, and a rucksack and black sneakers to complete the ensemble. She was almost done with the book she was reading, and she hoped that this morning at the park would prove to be productive so she can move on to other books on her 'to-read' list.

She was walking along the sidewalk when the wind swept her hair to her face, blocking her line of vision. She slowed down for a bit while she pulled the stray strands aside but, too late, she stumbled on to something blocking her way.

"Aaah!", she exclaimed as her hand shot out to break her fall.

She fell on her knee and scraped it a bit, but other than that she was fine. She finally managed to move her hair from her face and looked up to see what she'd stumbled on. She found that it was an adorable black dog.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry", she said, moving towards the dog cautiously, in case it didn't like strangers. She looked up to the dog's owner, a young woman, and apologized again. "Sorry. My hair blocked my face for a while there", she said with a small smile.

[Verity Harper]

Tunnel vision. It was a horrible side effect of a good run. Verity was in her zone and Baloo was staying focused, rather than stopping at every tree or post they passed. She assumed the park was quiet this morning, but she wasn’t really focused on her surroundings. She was focused on her breathing, on the tempo of her feet hitting the ground, and the path she was taking. Verity glanced down for what she thought was just a second to change the song on her playlist when it all happened. Baloo stopped, jerking her arm back and forcing her to stop, too. “Baloo!” Verity scolded before she even saw what had happened.

As a woman laid on the ground with blood obvious coming from her knee, Verity’s mouth opened in horror. “Oh my god!” Verity exclaimed as she extended her free arm to assist the woman in standing. “Oh my god, I’m sooo sorry! Are you ok?!” Verity had been in such a daze that she still couldn’t really piece together how it all happened. “Oh gosh, I’m terribly sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Does it hurt? Can I get you anything?” In panic mode, Verity only asked questions and stumbled over her words non-stop. She gestured to a nearby bench. “Do you think you could sit on this bench? I’ll help you.” Verity was caught off guard when the woman apologized. She was sure it was Baloo who had gotten in the way. He was adorable, but not exactly the smartest or most graceful dog out there. She was so confused that she even stopped her ridiculous questions and chatter for a brief moment. “No, no – please don’t apologize. I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t realize he had stopped in time. I have some band-aids if you need them.” Verity kept them in her little fanny pack when she went for a run along with some key essentials in the case of any emergency. She noticed the woman was hesitating about coming too close to Baloo. “He’s friendly.” Verity promised. “Just not very clever. This is Baloo, and I’m Verity.”

[Torrence Paige]

The woman who owned the dog started apologizing profusely, appearing to be slightly panicked by what had happened. Tori held her shoulder to settle her down a bit.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I wasn't looking, too, so I guess we all share the blame", she said with a small laugh.

She crouched down and began petting the black dog a little more comfortably. "Hello there, Baloo. Sorry that this lady wasn't looking at where she was going. You're a good girl, aren't you?", she said. Then she looked up at the woman and smiled. "Wait, is she a girl or a boy? And, nice to meet you, although I would've hoped we met in different circumstances", she said with a smile. "My name's Tori", she added afterwards.

[Verity Harper]

It was amazing that a complete stranger could be so comforting. Despite living near her family, Verity was usually alone. She hadn’t realized just how alone she had been until now. She had friends, but they had been gone vacationing most of the summer. It had just been her and Baloo. It was refreshing that she didn’t back away from Baloo. There had been times when she had been running and kids would see Baloo’s size and clam up. Their parents would follow suit and usher them away, but really, he was such a sweetheart. “He’s a boy.” Verity smiled. It was hard to tell with dogs.   

Verity’s run had just about come to an end before this fiasco. She had done enough, at least she thought so. “Baloo and I usually grab some coffee after our runs. Can I buy you a cup?” Verity had lived in this same town for almost all of her life and she’s had the same friends. Her friends have been wonderful, but the dynamic of their friendship has changed over the years. Verity has been through a lot of life-changing tragic events that have caused her friends to look at her differently. Maybe this was a chance to make a new friend with a clean slate. 

[Torrence Paige]

Tori giggled and patted the dog on the head again. "Sorry, honey. I meant to say that you're a good boy", she said, correcting herself. Tori had always loved dogs, even though she's never really owned one before. Their New York home wasn't exactly conducive for pets, because they wouldn't have enough space to freely run around the house. And being cooped up in a cage was no way to live for a free-spirited animal. As for her home here---well, even if it was wide enough to accommodate a dog, she didn't really have enough time to take care of a dog properly, what with having a full-time business, and a freelancing gig on the side.

When Verity mentioned coffee, Tori smiled and nodded. "I'd love to go with you, guys! As long as I'm not imposing on your day?", she replied. Tori was always quite awkward in meeting new people, to be honest. But Verity seemed like a nice lady. And it was a huge plus that she would get to pet the adorable dog in the process of making a new friend.