Free Whom Dog Hath Joined by Neil S. Plakcy Page A

Paris.”
    “Sounds good to me,” I said. At least she was pleasant, I
thought. If Santos wanted to make trouble for me, would she let him?
    She picked through the pile of folders and found mine, then
opened it. We were all quiet for a moment or two as she scanned the contents.
    “All your paperwork looks to be in order,” she said, when
she finished. “Santiago says you’ve landed a long-term position at Eastern
College. Congratulations.”
    “I’ve been very fortunate. I went to school there myself,
and many people there, up to the college president, have supported me.”
    “Excellent. That’s the kind of result we’re looking for.”
She looked at Santos. “Santiago? Anything else to add?”
    My heart skipped a beat.
    “Steve’s made a solid transition back home from prison,” he
said. “He’s put down roots, made friends, and rejoined the work force.”
    I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t.
    “Then I guess we’re ready to move on,” Aurum said. She
picked up a cheap ballpoint pen emblazoned with the Quaker State Bank logo and
signed the form. Then she looked at me. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I
hope our paths never cross again.”
    It felt like I let go of a breath I’d been holding for
months. I was going to be free.  I could finally put my past behind me. I
smiled and looked at Barbara Aurum. “At least not professionally,” I said. “I’m
a bit of a Francophile myself. You never know, we might meet up at the Eiffel
Tower one day.”
    “That would be very nice.” She stood and we shook hands, and
Santos led me back toward the front.
    As we reached the door, he stopped. “You may be a smart guy,
Steve, but remember, there’s always somebody smarter than you are. If you let
your ego get ahead of you in the future, you’ll end up in the same trouble you
were in back in California, and I know you don’t want that.”
    I was too happy to argue or complain, so even though I
didn’t want another lecture, I just said, “I’ll do my best.”
    We shook hands, and I walked out of the office without the
leash that had been holding me back.
    9 – The Real World
    “Lili? It’s me. I’m free!”
    I’d waited until I was out of the courthouse building,
standing in the shade of a maple tree that was beginning to turn golden, to
call Lili.
    “Congratulations!” she said. “But I had no doubt you’d do
fine.”
    “I had a couple of nervous moments. I’m glad it’s all over.”
I looked at my watch. “I wish I had time to swing by the college and celebrate
in person with you, but I’ve got an appointment at Friar Lake with Mark
Figueroa, and I’ve already pushed it back once.”
    “No problem. I have a class soon anyway. I’ll talk to you
tonight.”
    We hung up, amid mutual endearments. Traffic moved past me
on Court Street and attorneys and clients eddied in and out of the courthouse,
but I felt removed from it all.
    I looked at my watch, and realized that with the meeting
with Mark postponed, I had time to head home and pick up Rochester, who usually
went to work with me.
    I didn’t often leave him home alone. At two years old, he
was still a big puppy, and puppies are destructive when they’re bored. I had
given up on dragging Rochester into the metal crate I had used when he was
younger; he hated it, and he used to bark and rattle the bars like a prisoner
in a black-and-white movie. Only when I’d been behind bars I’d never protested,
just kept my head down and took each day as it came.
    When I opened the front door, I braced myself for disaster.
But he had been a good boy, only shredding one of his tug ropes, resulting in
red and white strands all over the tile floor. Within seconds, seventy pounds
of Golden Retriever hurled at me, huge front paws aimed at my midsection. “Easy
boy.” I ruffled his head. “I missed you too.”
    He backed away and romped around the downstairs. “Yes, I
know, you need a walk.”  I grabbed his leash and tried