Dog Years

I spent a good deal of time in my youth being teased about having a girl friend. This was probably due to the fact that I did. She was a girl who lived down the street, and she was my friend. By that reckoning, there wasn't much of an argument. That is, until the "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" taunting began. That was hard to take, but somehow, having this relationship made it worth it, even in the face of ruthless teasing.
Heidi and I used to take our dogs for walks after dinner together. We both owned dachshunds. Hers was brown, named Baron. Mine was black, named Rupert. Taking the dogs for a walk: Baron, Rupert. On those evening strolls, the angst and ennui of pre-pubescence fell away. We talked and laughed and enjoyed the night air. We enjoyed the company and the time away from the noise of our peers and families.
It never was about k-i-s-s-i-n-g. We didn't even hold hands. We were too busy holding on to leashes. Sometimes we walked around Long's Garden, along Farmer's Ditch, then back home. Other times we took a more purposeful route around the block, stopping by the house of our school's music teacher, Mrs. Richter. She was always surprised and happy to see us no matter how many times we showed up just as it was getting dark. We rang her doorbell, and she invited us in. She always had some hard candies in a jar by the door. Heidi and I were careful not to presume too much or take too many. We didn't want to overstay our welcome. Baron and Rupert understood the gig as well, and were always well behaved, sitting quietly at the front door. They seemed to understand that if they kept still that they would continue getting their evening constitutionals.
In my mind, these walks went on for years, but I know that by the time we reached junior high, that time had come to an end. That was when the innocence melted away. Not by any conscious effort on our part, but because all those voices that said that boys and girls should be coupling up for more specific reasons: kissing and holding hands. As much as either one of us might have wanted that to work out, we just weren't that kind of friends. We were dog-walking friends, and for all those trips around the gardens and around the block, that was just fine.