Pandora's Box

Two postings ago, I wrote about C's encounter with Miko, a woman I'd dated in DC. I had not seen Miko since C brought my history with her out into the open. But just this evening, I finally ran into Miko again.

I was throwing the ball for C-dog Duboce Park. C-dog loves playing fetch, especially when other dogs join us. One of C-dog's puppy friends, Taylor, was enthusiastically racing C-dog to the ball with each throw.

I'd just thrown a ball out across the grassy field when I saw Willa, Miko's dog, run by. C-dog stopped half-way to the ball and turned to follow after Willa. Willa and C-dog are dog park pals, so Miko knows c-dog just as well. But Miko followed after the two dogs without even glancing in my direction.

I thought: Uh-oh. I suppose this might be awkward.

But C-dog was not going to pay mind to any tension between Miko and me. She was all about Willa. So I headed towards Miko and the two dogs.

ME: Hi. How are you?

Miko (with barely a glance in my direction): Oh, hi. I'm fine thanks. How are you?

Miko picked up Willa's ball and threw it for the two dogs. I began searching around for where C-dog had left her ball.

In order to ease the tension, I decided to simply pick up our conversation where we'd left off last time I'd seen her in the dog park. Miko had just had her wisdom teeth removed at that time. And like the nurse that I am, I inquired after her health.

ME: So, how are your teeth?

Miko: oh, they're fine now. They seem to have healed completely after just two days.

I should mention, the awkwardness was not totally removed by my friendly chit-chat. There were long pauses between comments.

Miko: Oh, I checked out that hospice you were telling me about. "My" something.

ME (smiling): Maitri.

Miko: Oh, yeah, that's right. Maitri. I think I'm going to volunteer there.

I'd finally found C-dog's ball. I had succeeded in coaxing Taylor to bring it back to me and threw it for the dogs again.

ME: Oh, that's great. It's an interesting place. Though, it actually looks a lot like a hospital ward on the inside.

Miko: Hmmm. It looked like a place someone would go to meditate on the outside.

ME (laughing lightly): Yeah, you're right. It's very different inside.

Willa had caught the ball and was refusing to give it up. Miko's right hand wrestled with the vice grip of Willa's clenched jaw as she held the "Chuck It" in her left.

Miko (after successfully rescuing the ball): Alright, Willa, we're going to head out now.

Miko tossed C-dog's ball back to me. C-dog then began to jump up towards Miko's "Chuck It" to try to free the ball tucked in it.

ME (gently scolding): C-dog, cut it out.
ME (to Miko): C-dog seems much more interested in your ball than she is in her own.

Meanwhile, Willa sat in front of me, eyes transfixed on C-dog's ball.

Miko bent over to attach the leash to Willa's collar.

Miko: Come on, Willa, let's go.

Miko tried to walk away, but Willa's rump didn't budge. She wasn't going to leave without the ball. Miko tried again.

Miko: Come on, Willa.

ME: Okay, well, we'll all walk together.

I started to head in the direction Miko was going and Willa followed. I then tried to sneak away, but Willa sat down again.

Miko: It's time to go, Willa.

Miko gave a harder yank on the leash and this time Willa turned to follow her. But then C-dog followed both of them and began leaping up towards the ball in the Chuck It again. I laughed. Dogs just don't understand awkwardness. They were not helping matters.

I whistled once, but c-dog ignored me and took another shot at stealing Miko's ball. Then I crumpled the treat bag to get her attention and whistled again with a little more enthusiasm and C-dog came running excitedly over to me, slobbering all over my hand as she swallowed the chunks of cheese whole.

Back at the apartment, after I relayed this story to C...

C: You two are freaks. I can't believe you're still being weird about it.

ME: Well, what am I suppose to say?

C: Well, what do you know about her?

ME: Nothing really.

C: I thought you dated.

ME: Well, yeah, we did. I remember she liked to eat frozen orange juice concentrate straight out of the tube with a spoon.

C: Ew. That sounds gross.

ME: Actually, in small quantities, it was kind of like candy.

C: Don't you know anything else about her? What did you talk about?

ME: Well, we mostly just made out in the metro stations and fooled around. But let me think. [pause] Well, she played rugby. And went to some girls college in New England. And she was interning in DC.

C: Maybe you could talk about the weird ending. It sounds like it was your fault it got weird. Maybe it's your move.

ME: It wasn't my fault entirely. We had really bad sex after getting drunk. And then she was going to leave town without saying goodbye.

C (laughing): Maybe you could tell her that you don't drink with sex anymore.

ME (laughing): Well, it got worse. Then I insisted that I take her out to lunch to say goodbye. But I'd had this huge drama with Sophia [another woman I was fucking that summer] right beforehand and so I was late. And when I finally showed up, I felt the need to explain my lateness and told her all about it.

C: Yeah, I think I remember you're telling me all that before. Well, how 'bout at least asking her what she's been up to the past ten years.

ME (nodding): Okay. I think I could do that.