Limbo

by Samantha Flounders

Rudolph and Seymour casually strolled through the park on 5^th Street as the wind nipped at their heals. Rudolph had donned his usual plaid scarf along with his many layers of jackets and sweaters. Seymour wore only a collar that jingled merrily with each step. Rudolph had found his beloved Seymour late one night wondering the streets. With an offer of some food scraps Seymour began to follow Rudolph and has been ever since.

“That’s a good boy.” Rudolph cheerfully cooed as he patted Seymour on the head. The latter’s fur was flea-bitten and a little ratty but for the most part the beautiful shades of brown and black shone and washed out any look of uncleanliness. Seymour plodded along next to his master, nowhere near tempted to chase the squirrels and birds in the park.

The two had set out to find the San Francisco Chronicle for a morning newspaper read. “I swear it’s becoming more and more difficult to find a newspaper in this whole god damn city, now that they’ve got the Internet and such garbage.” After a few more blocks down 5^th Street the brightly colored newspaper dispensers across the street caught Rudolph’s eye. They made a sharp turn and headed for the newspaper vendors, which were in front of a café. After paying the dollar for the newspaper Rudolph and Seymour made to go into the café. “What a perfect place for breakfast.” Rudolph said to Seymour.

“No, no, no back on the street with you. I can’t have you in here disturbing all my paying customers."

“B but I-”

“Yeah, yeah you just want to get warm for a minute, I’ve heard it all before. You and your mutt gotta go.

“Sir, this is absur-” The door slammed in Rudolph’s face. He stood for a second or two and blinked with a puzzled look on his face. Then he and Seymour turned and walked away down the street. They stopped further down the bock and Rudolph sat down on the curb to think things over.

“Here buddy.” A kind faced chubby man said as he tossed a dollar bill to Rudolph’s lap. Rudolph looked up and saw the man saunter away as if he had done something great.

“Oh god damn it, I don’t need anyone’s charity!” Rudolph called after him.

A few years earlier Rudolph had lost his job. He was 58 and getting ready to retire when AC Transit laid him off like it was nothing. He had worked there for more than 25 years, then one morning they told him he had 6 months left and then it was over. He lived alone in a little apartment never bothering to marry. His parents were long past dead and he had no one he was willing to collapse on. He had far too much dignity to track down some aunt or great-uncle that he had never met and force his needs upon them. When the paychecks stopped coming in and Rudolph had bit into his saved money as much as he could bear, he lost his apartment. He had been technically homeless ever since.

He lived life as normally as possible with out a house. He had fought in Vietnam and was very resourceful. He used the showers at the YMCA shopped at the local thrift stores. Rudolph had always been a very positive man, trying to look at things optimistically. One of his first nights on the streets just as he was getting ready to give up, he met Seymour. He named Seymour after his best buddy in Nam who couldn’t handle the horrors of the jungle and war. He ran into the jungle one day yelling with a grenade in his hand, Rudolph never saw the him again. Seymour was the best thing to happen to him. Every time he was feeling down on himself Seymour would cuddle up next to him and offer a wet sticky lick on the face. Rudolph usually pushed away the tongue but the offer warmed his heart.

In the beginning of his nights on the streets, Rudolph had had is car. He car camped all over the city of San Francisco. He was cramped but at least safe and warm. Times got worse and he had to sell the car, he was now fully homeless. He slept in makeshift beds in Golden Gate Park. Rudolph felt that the only thing keeping him sane was Seymour. Rudolph truly felt that Dog was man’s best friend. Seymour loyally guarded Rudolph and growled off strangers.

The cold cement of the curb made Rudolph haul himself to a standing position. He didn’t think that he looked too homeless today. He had not put in too much effort that morning but didn’t think that he was going to get kicked out of a cozy café. Looking closer at Seymour he saw bits of leaves and twigs in his matted fur. He looked down at himself and his multiple layers of jackets and sweatshirts; he hadn’t changed for a few days. And he hadn’t been able to get his hands on a decent razor to shave his face. I guess I am looking a little under the weather. Rudolph thought to himself. “Lets head back to the park Seymour.” Rudolph said holding back tears.

“Heey Rudo! Long time no see! Ha! Heh! Haa!” A man with molding yellow teeth greeted Rudolph with an eager and deranged smile.

“Hello Charles.”

“Grrr.” Seymour added.

“Tell your stupid dog to get away from me!”

“Good day Charles, I hope it is a wonderful one.” Rudolph said with a genuine smile. In the park there were some very interesting characters. Rudolph had entered a whole new branch of life when he first made the park his primary sleeping area. He thought of it as a kind of limbo on earth, where all were confused and trapped awaiting the next stage. Rudolph too was confused and trapped. He wasn’t sure if his life was through, whether he had done all he wanted and he was ready to let go. Or if he wanted to fight back into the mainstream life and see what else there was. He spent many long nights stroking Seymour and wondering questions aloud.

Night drew closer and Rudolph found himself curled up in his sleeping bag with an empty stomach and a sad heart. Seymour was right beside wrapped in the thickest blanket Rudolph could find.

“Bad day today, huh Seymour? Got me feeling pretty low. Tomorrow is a new day, we’ll just sleep it off huh?”

*CRASH!*

“Hahaha! Nice hit Bradley!”

“Yeah sick swing.”

“You guys give it a go!”

*CRASH!*

*CRASH!*

“Hahaha sick!”

Rudolph sat up to a 90-degree angle as if struck by lightning. Seymour was up before him and pacing around their sleeping area. Rudolph often heard people walk though the park late at night and it no longer bothered him, but he could tell that this was very different. These boys were up to no good.

“I’m bored, lets see what’s over there.”

Rudolph sat petrified in his sleeping bag. Before he could think three boys pushed aside the makeshift door that Rudolph had put in place around his sleeping area.

“What the hell is that? I can’t see shit.”

“Looks like a person.”

The boys walked closer and as they did Rudolph could see that they had baseball bats. The loud crashing must have been them breaking beer bottles.

Seymour growled menacingly at them.

“Oh what the fuck!” One boy yelled as he jumped back.

Oh thank goodness for Seymour Rudolph thought to himself. The other two boys had not been startled by the growl, probably because they were too intoxicated to comprehend what was going on. One blindly swung with the bat and started kicking just trying to ward off whatever he imagined to be in front of him. The other boy took aim to where the sound had come from. He swung down hard and there was a thump and a terrible yelp from Seymour.

“Noo!” Rudolph whimpered as if he were the one hit.

“Who’s there!? Answer me!” The boy who had hit Seymour said. “Answer me!”

“I-I am..” Rudolph stammered, fear coursing though him. The boy strode towards him and raised the bat…

“Raagahbuggaohgaraaa! RAAAAAAA!” Screamed Charlie, his molding yellow teeth bared. The boy with bat spun around just in time to see a dirty, hairy figure tackle him to ground.

“Ahhh GET OFF you dirty bum!”

“HAhahahaaaahhhh raaaaa!” Charlie laughed as he held the boy down. The bat was far out of reach and the other boys had cowardly and correctly fled the scene. The ringleader flailed underneath Charlie’s strong grip. It was a muddle of arms and legs with Charlie laughing the whole time.

“Now get hahahaaa!” Charlie said as he spanked the boy’s butt. The boy was so dumbfounded and disoriented. He scurried off like a scared puppy; Rudolph could have sworn he saw his tail between his legs. Charlie dusted his pants off, not that they weren’t already fifthly as Rudolph pulled himself out of his sleeping bag as quick as he could. He hobbled over to Seymour’s body and collapsed to his knees. He was warm but motionless. Rudolph felt his heart break inside his chest. What he loved most was gone. He lost his best friend. He broke, he cried, he wept, he sobbed. It was a heart wrenching sight, a grown man with a full crown of white hair, crumpled over the body of a bloody dog.

“You win some, you loose some, but the most important thing is that you don’t give up. I could have killed my self thirty times buy now, but I don’t. I know that life is worth fighting for.”

“T-t-thanks Charlie, you really pulled through back there. Too bad Seymour d-ddidn’t.”

“RRaahahaha hehhh hahaaaaaa!” Charlie yelled as he retreated into the dark. What on earth just happened? Did that really happen? Charlie was wise and coherent but he suddenly slipped back into his schizophrenic mind. Charlie’s words echoed in his head as he lay on the cold body of Seymour. He lay there all night and nearly froze to death.

As the sun began to melt the ice on the grass underneath Rudolph, he stirred from a troubled sleep. His hands and face were sticky and coated in blood. You win some you loose some Rudolph thought as hauled up himself up and away from the remains of his best friend. You win some you loose some.