Four days. It had been four days since Ki had been inside his neighbor’s house. It was eating at him like acid. At first, he told himself it was because it was lonely living by himself, and that’s why he had the overwhelming urge to see Charlie.

The logical part of his brain pointed out his premise didn’t make sense. He’d lived alone most of his adult life.

Next he told himself that this desire to return to the neighbor’s house was because Charlie needed a keeper….but did he really? After all, the recluse survived living in the middle of nowhere much longer than he had. Not to mention, Charlie’s driveway was in much better condition.

Not long after recovering from the flu, Ki realized he wanted a relationship with Charlie…..the committed type of relationship that required…….work. He wanted to eat with Charlie, fight with Charlie, do the dishes with Charlie……and sleep with Charlie. Maybe not the dishes. Charlie wasn’t good at that.

Ki was a realistic man. Since about puberty, he knew he differed from others. With his mother’s culture and religion, it became uncomfortable to share his sexuality honestly at home. After heart-to-heart talks with his father, he came clean with his mother and his friends.

With his mother’s not-so-positive reaction, his father sent him to a shi-shi private school in New Hampshire where his sexuality was not as dramatic of an issue as it was with at home. He not only received a top-notch education at a school full of the wealthy elite, but he learned to accept his sexuality and his family as just two parts of a bigger whole.

His logical brain and his artistic brain came to a consensus at the same time. He wanted a boyfriend, Charlie. The pursuit was on.

Day one, Ki took back Charlie’s cleaned food containers. On the spacious front porch, Charlie thanked him and reminded him he could have tossed them out as they were disposable.

CHARLIE DID NOT INVITE HIM IN!

Ki felt deflated but didn’t let that defeat him.

Day two, he tried texting.

Ki:                   What are you doing today?

Just Cute:      Working.

Ki:                   Are you very busy?

Just Cute:      No more than usual.

Ki:                   How are you doing?

Just Cute:      Fine

FINE?

How could he work with this kind of wall? Ki suppressed the urge to give that man a brutal cross-examination which would either bring Charlie to tears or alienate the poor man all together.

Day three, time for stalking. Charlie typically picked up his mail after he finished the workday. Ki drove the massive four-wheel-drive vehicle down to the bottom of the mud pit. Bouncing up and down along the ruts, he was rewarded with the sight of a man with dark hair, dark eyes, and a navy windbreaker making his way towards the group of mailboxes.

“Good afternoon, Charlie.” Ki rolled down the window. “It’s a lovely spring day, isn’t it?”

Charlie looked longingly at the mud-caked vehicle and its dashing driver and sighed.

“Would you like to try the range roads in this baby? I haven’t given the new machine a proper mud-baptism.” Ki flashed him his patented charming lawyer smile that worked on many a corrupt CEO.

With a shake of his head, Charlie whispered a faint, “No.” With a flick of his wrist, he closed his mailbox and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Ki hopped out of the vehicle. “How about dinner? You are always cooking for me. How about I return the kindness and make you dinner?”

A pause, Ki felt a thrilling sense of accomplishment. For one magical moment, Charlie considered coming to dinner. And then, defeat. After another shake of his head and a wave, Ki watched Charlie make his way back to the small log cabin.

What just happened?

Again?

Was he rejected three days in a row?

Flummoxed. That’s the word Ki was looking for. Standing in the mud and muck of his driveway, he felt utterly flummoxed with rejection after rejection.

AND HE JUST RUINED HIS FAVORITE PAIR OF DRESS SHOES!

For the rest of the evening, he pouted. At first, he decided Charlie was NOT worth all this time and trouble. Next, Ki considered calling up a friend or two for a night out….well not in Epsom. There wasn’t such a thing as a night out in the tiny town unless it was around a bonfire. That meant a drive to Boston. Not his favorite thing to do on a weeknight but the idea had merit.

Maybe the Bruins were playing. A good hockey match, complete with a little bloodletting, sounded exhilarating after his three failed attempts with the neighbor. He opened his phone and searched for tickets.

Unfortunately, his heart wasn’t in it. Ki had to be honest with himself. He wanted to spend more time with the hermit next door…..not his friends screaming obscenities in a cold stadium.

What to do?

Scrolling through his phone, he saw an ad for the ASPCA, and a lightbulb went off in his head. This was just daring enough it might work.

Next door, Charlie was castigating himself for the four-hundredth time. What kind of ingrate rejects dinner with a friendly neighbor?

Charlie Diaz, that’s who.

His grandmother would be so disappointed. Abuelita always told him to follow his heart and not to listen to all the noise. Charlie’s heart told him to let go of his fears and spend time with the new neighbor, get to know him, understand him……okay…..date him. Charlie was honest enough with himself to admit there was an attraction.

Not his head. His head said to run as far away from the charismatic lawyer as fast as possible. After all, Charlie’s experiences taught him that personal relationships seemed to bring way too much conflict.

Charlie was afraid.

The approaching spring evening was awash in pastel colors. Charlie felt the fresh and chill of the dying day as he hauled out the buckets of chicken feed. The smell of the earth and the trickle of the lazy stream calmed his chaotic thoughts.

The purpose of moving from the south to New England was to be alone, and his head told him that was how things would stay. He smothered the impulse to text Ki to see if he’d recovered sufficiently or even ask how he was doing.

A few days later dawned full of sun, but the chill lingered. Spring was trying desperately to flourish in the frigid northeast. Charlie was pleased to see the lazy brook was more of a flowing stream, a sign the snow further up the hill was melting. The grays still overpowered the greens outside, but the grass in the front yard had switched from dull brown to vibrant green almost overnight.

Opening the chicken enclosure, he heard a car in the drive. It was too early for deliveries, nor was he expecting one today.

The familiar jewel-toned SUV rested in the driveway. Ki…again.

Charlie squelched the happy thoughts…..tiny pockets in his heart overflowed with joy with the persistent neighbor.

The man in question jumped out of the front seat dressed in silver tailored slacks and a collared lively red shirt. He looked like a walking stop sign.

“Oh good. You’re already outside.”

“Ummmmm.” Charlie was at a loss for words.

“I had this great idea….okay, no, it was more an impulse. Living out here on my own and I decided I needed a companion.”

Charlie’s eyes bulged.

A companion?

Ki opened up the back door of the vehicle and spoke with a coaxing voice.

“Come on, boy. You can do it.”

In mere seconds, a mid-sized dog covered with a creamy colored coat of fir, coal black nose and golden eyes landed on the driveway with a clang of a dog leash.

“Here, hold this.” Ki grabbed the leash and handed it to Charlie while the dog sniffed his feet. “I thought of you and your chickens when I went to the shelter. Apparently this mutt is part Anatolian Shepherd. How the shelter knew that was beyond me. They said he’s quite good with chickens and will even help protect in fox attacks.”

“I…,” Charlie opened his mouth to refuse.

“Now I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want a dog and that’s fine. I do. But I want one that will be a good neighbor……like me.” Ki’s wide smile showed a plethora of teeth.

“But….,” A confused Charlie watched Ki pull out dog food and a tote with bowls and bags filled with treats and chew toys.

“The problem is that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. He’s perfect for us….well, me with you as a neighbor.” Ki walked towards the front porch and emptied his arms of all the dog paraphernalia. “I completely spaced that I have to stay with my mom this weekend. Ramadan starts, and she’s a stickler for family gatherings at all the major holidays.”

Ki leaned down to pet the velvety fur. The silly dog promptly dropped to the ground and thrust out his belly.

“That’s a good boy.” He ruffled that softness. “His full name is Deng Pao which roughly translated is lightbulb. Just call him Lightbulb if you can’t remember Deng Pao.” He stood up and smiled again at the muddled man holding the leash. “Deng Pao won’t be happy at my mother’s condo. No space and too much judgement. She’s pretty intense, if you know what I mean.”

“De….” Charlie started.

“Deng Pao.” Ki completed. “If you don’t mind, I’d love it if you’d watch him for a couple of days. According to the shelter, he’s already fixed and has his shots, and, cross your fingers, house trained. At least I hope he is.”

Charlie looked down at the dog, who just rolled across his shoes.

“He should get along great with the chickens, and I promise to treat you to a yummy thank you dinner when I get back on Monday.” Ki patted the dumfounded man on the shoulder. “Thanks so much for your help with this. Don’t forget to text me pictures of the adventures you two have over the next few days.”

“Uhhh.” Charlie’s scratchy voice raised then choked.

Jumping into the large SUV, Ki waved, driving away before Charlie could complete a sentence.

“Why do I think I just got conned?” Charlie spoke to the dog, who took great pleasure jumping up on him with two legs, his ridiculous tongue hanging out his large grinning mouth.

A chipper bark came from the lightbulb.