Dog day afternoon

Dog day afternoon

The searing heat was burning my skin. The humidity was in the high eighties. I was doing my usual rounds in T Nagar on Venkatnarayana Road near natesan park. I shared a few biscuits with some buddies at the tea stall on the corner and decided to cool my heels in the shade of some trees in the park. I walked around looking for a place to rest. Apparently others had the same idea and all the good spots were taken. I walked around and saw an old man sitting by himself on a bench. He smelt funny. His hair was matted and his clothes were in tatters. He looked at me and smiled instantly revealing a few missing front teeth. The yellow of his teeth presented a stark contrast to his dark grimy skin. I hesitated. I wanted to move on but the heat was getting the better of me and i had to get some rest. I smiled at him and walked towards the bench.

“God!” This man had a very distinctly powerful smell. It was over powering. I just held my breath and tried to sleep. Just as I made myself comfortable, the man made a move to touch me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him stretch his hand out towards me. I jumped up instantly and walked away from the bench. “What was that guy trying to do? This place is full of weirdos.”

Resuming my search for another spot to catch forty winks, i walked around the park again. “Aha!” A good spot had just been vacated. I ran quickly to the place and made myself comfortable. “Whew! Finally I can relax.”

The sea breeze had just set in and the gusty afternoon wind lulled me into sleep. I dozed off.

“Mmmmm! That is a pleasant smell.” I opened my eyes to locate the source of this divine fragrance. As I swivelled my head around I saw her. I could not see her face. She had just walked past me and her fragrance trailed her. I was captivated by this smell. “How she walked!”

She walked tall, confident with a hint of haughtiness. She was well groomed. She was one of those uptown girls. “What was she doing in Natesan park? Was she lost?”

Just then, she turned around and her big brown eyes caught mine. She stopped in her tracks. She held my eyes for what seemed like an eternity. I fell in love instantly. She moved her head as if to suggest that I should walk with her. She said “woof” in a tone that could only mean one thing. I wanted to howl in pleasure but decided to play it cool. I replied “woof” and trotted off after. It was a dog day afternoon after all.