Nice Town

© by Joshua Scribner

“Good morning, Mr. Brown,” said the lady from the block.  “I've brought you over a plate of my chocolate-pecan cookies.”

Kelly Brown stood in his bathrobe, having not even finished his first cup of coffee, and stared at the five people on his porch.  He had moved into this neighborhood a week ago, and up to now, they had basically ignored him.  Ignoring him had been wrong, but had made sense.  He was the only black man he'd seen in this white town.  What he saw now didn't make sense.  Could white guilt have really kicked on so abruptly?

He took the plate from the lady and said, “Uh, Thank you.”

The lady said, “My name is Sally Davis.  Let me introduce you to a few others on our little avenue.  This is Mr. Long.”

Mr. Long stepped up and extended his hand.  Kelly took it and felt a gentle grip from a big man. 

Mr. Long said, “I'll be mowing your lawn in the summer and plowing your drive in the winter.”

Kelly replied, “I don't think that will be necessary.  I planned on hiring . . .”

“But his price is the best in town,” interjected Sally.  “He's free.  You don't even have to buy the gas.”

Mr. Long nodded in a strange, begging sort of way.  Kelly didn't have the energy to argue further.  He was extra tired this morning, having to get up early for a vet appointment.  On top of that, the puppy he'd brought home yesterday had kept him up most of the night, wanting to play.  He nodded, and Sally continued.

“If you need any household repairs, including plumbing, carpentry, or just need a nice, solid shelf built, Mr. Tucker is your man.”

Mr. Tucker stepped forward and offered another hand to shake.  He said, “I usually have all the equipment and materials on hand.  Don't hesitate to knock on my door.  It makes me feel good to be of use to my neighbors.”

Kelly studied Mr. Tucker, who had a begging nod of his own.

Kelly was relieved when his phone rang.  He said, “I better take that.  It's probably the vet calling to confirm my appointment.”

“Absolutely,” said Sally.  “Wouldn't want to miss that.  I saw the puppy when you let it outside yesterday.  I love those little black streaks under its eyes.”

“We all love animals very much,” said a woman he'd yet to be introduced to.

“Knock on any door, at any time, if you need anything at all,” said yet another woman.

“Thank you,” Kelly said and then shut the door.

###

Kelly walked, the puppy curled in one of his arms, down the sidewalk, toward the vet's office.  He spoke out loud, trying to sort through his thoughts.

“I was thinking I'd made a mistake moving to this town.  When I took the new job, I thought it would be nice to live away from the city.  I didn't realize how vanilla this place was.  Everywhere I look, people are scared, shocked or just plain mad to see me.  But this morning was freaky.”

They had to walk by a gas station.  A car at the entrance was blocking the sidewalk.  It actually backed up to clear the path, even though it probably would have been gone before they got there.  A woman changing the gas prices on a marquee seemed stunned to see them and then said, “What a cute puppy!  You bring it into the store any time, and we'll have biscuits ready.”

Kelly politely nodded.

There were other weird acts of kindness as he walked.  Then, inside the vet's office, things grew all the weirder.  A few different people sat in the waiting room.  They all smiled politely, but nervously, at him.  He took the puppy up to the counter.  The receptionist said, “Gotta go,” into a phone and hung up. 

“Hello, Peaches,” she said to the dog.  She then looked at Kelly and said, “Dr. Lewis will see you right away.”

“But this isn't Peaches.”

The receptionist picked up the phone, hit a button, and said, “Dr. Lewis, Peaches is here.”  She hung up the phone, got up and said, “Right this way,” as she moved out into a side hall.

Kelly moved to the hall and said, “But this isn't Peaches.”

One of the doors in the hall opened and out stepped a middle-aged woman with brown-rimmed spectacles.  She looked at the dog with a smug expression.

“Good morning, Peaches,” she said.  She looked at Kelly.  “I'm Dr. Lewis.  Come on into the exam room.”

Kelly walked into the exam room, and Dr. Lewis followed.

“All right,” he said.  “You're about the closest to a sane person I've seen all morning.  What's going on?”

She smirked.  “I seem sane because I'm the only one that doesn't have to be afraid.”

Kelly was furious.  “No one has to be afraid of me!  I'm a well-respected chemist for crying out loud!”

She laughed and then said, “No, sir.  You've got it wrong.  It's not you they need be afraid of.  It's the shape shifter in your hand.”

Kelly looked down at the puppy, which had the most harmless looking face he'd ever seen. 

“That's crazy,” he said.

Dr. Lewis smirked and said, “Yeah, but is the idea of a shape shifter as crazy as what else you've seen since you got that puppy?”

Kelly couldn't argue with that.  “But I picked him out of a box of puppies.  A little girl was giving them away.”

Dr. Lewis nodded and said, “Yeah, and I bet she was extra eager to get rid of this one.”

Kelly thought back again.  “Yeah, and a little afraid of it.”

“Of course,” Dr. Lewis said.  “It's a little-town secret, and we all play by the rules.  She knew what to do when this one appeared in the box.  See the little black streaks under her eyes.  That's how we all know whatever animal she is is Peaches.”

Kelly was stunned.  He didn't know how to deal with this information.

“Listen,” Dr. Lewis said.  “Peaches is a dog because she wants to be.  Take good care of her, and she'll take good care of you.  Also, remember that she's been about every animal around at one time or another, so don't be afraid if something strange shows up in your yard.  If it's hurt, call me, and I'll come over.”

“Really?”

“Of course.  That' why I'm not so afraid.  She needs me, because I'm the only one around that can fix the friends she makes.”