~ by Hannah Skipper

     Tramp flipped the gate’s latch with his nose and pushed it open with his paw as Lady stared mournfully back at four puppies who paid no heed to their mother’s distress; they were too excited to hear another story from uncles Trusty and Jock.

      “Come on, Pige,” Tramp said gently, “We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.”

      “I didn’t realize that you made reservations,” she joked, instinctively following him for a few steps before pausing again.

      “They’ll be fine, Lady,” he chuckled. “They’ve got the best babysitters in the world.”

      “I know,” she sighed, finally turning away, “but it’s our first time to leave them.”

      He nuzzled her. “Come on, it’s our anniversary.”

      “So, where are we going?” she asked when they were out of earshot, her tone slightly flirtatious.

      “Tony’s, of course,” he didn’t hesitate. “I haven’t been there since that night with you.”

      “Oh, Tramp!” she gasped, “they must be worried about you! You used to go every—”

      “Nah,” he cut in, shaking his head. “They have enough work without worrying about what became of an ole stray dog. Besides, it’s kind of hard to get away nowadays. I’m not high-rolling anymore, remember?” Licking her cheek, he added, “It’s hard to get away when you have a family.”

      Sighing, she knew that he was right. Having a family, whether it be human or puppies, had a way of changing a dog’s perspective.

      They walked on in silence, savoring each other’s company and grateful for the lives they led. Arriving at the restaurant’s back door, Tramp pawed anxiously and let out a few happy barks until he heard the restaurant’s rotund owner coming; the big man’s familiar rolling stride instinctively set his tail to wagging. Lady, as she’d done before, sat in the shadows, watching politely.

     “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Tony muttered, sounding tired. He pushed the door aside and his jaw dropped. “Pooch!” he cried excitedly, “Pooch!” With watering eyes, he knelt down and wrapped his enormous hands around Tramp. “I’ve missed you, my friend!”

     Tramp promptly pushed him over and stood on his chest, licking his face with joy. Tony was laughing so hard that he could barely call for help.

     “Hey, Joe, Joe, help! It’s Pooch; he’s back!”

     The cook was so shocked to see his boss lying in the middle of the filthy alley that it took him a few moments to recognize the culprit; when he did a huge smile dawned on his face.

     “Where did he come from?” he cried, running up excitedly, his mouth agape.

     “I don’t know.” Tony shrugged, still laughing as he pushed Tramp off and clamored to his feet. “I don’t know. You scoundrel, where have you been? We thought you were lost to the–”

      The words died on his lips and his eyes grew as big as saucers when he noticed Tramp’s collar and license. Kneeling again, he held the dog jewelry as if they were precious stones. When he finally found words, they came in a hushed tone, “Look at what Pooch has, Joe!”

     “Ahhh.” Joe’s eyes lit up. “Pooch has a real family now! No wonder he hasn’t been here.” Beaming proudly, his eyes took on a faraway look, then refocused when he saw Lady, “Ahh, look Tony! It’s the Spanish cocker!”

     “Ahh,” Tony’s eyes lit up as he greeted her. Glancing at Tramp, he whispered, “I’m glad that you took my advice; she is beautiful.”

      Seeing that he had the restaurant owner’s attention, Tramp spun a few circles and barked.

     “I think Pooch is hungry,” Joe said, appraising him.

     “Of course, he is!” Tony exclaimed. “And he shall have the best in the house again: Spaghetti Especialle!”

     The weariness of the busy day vanished as the two men went to work; Joe hummed happily as he prepared the large plate and Tony disappeared down the hall. When he returned, he was holding his accordion and Joe’s ukulele.

     The dogs barely noticed as Tony’s rich voice filled the alley; they were too busy staring into each other’s eyes, lost in their shared memories. For Lady, their first meeting had left her bewildered and intrigued. For him, she was an amusing kid who needed a real world education. Upon their second meeting, after he saved her from a pack of vicious strays, she’d been unspeakably grateful and he’d felt sorry that she’d learned such a cruel lesson about humans.

     Then there was their trip to the zoo to free Lady from the hated muzzle. She’d admired his streetwise smarts and thought it was hilarious how he’d gained them access when no dogs were allowed. He’d admired her grace in the midst of such human betrayal, her quick wit with the beaver, and her willingness to forgive. It was at the zoo, they both agreed, that they’d begun to fall in love. It was a love that had magnified with their wonderful dinner at Tony’s, their first kiss, their moonlit stroll through a wide spacious park, and spending the night together under a flowering tree.

     When they met up for a third time the following night, their emotions had run the gambit. Lady’s rage over her embarrassing visit to the pound had soon given way to overwhelming relief when Tramp saved the baby from the terrible rat. He remembered his horrible guilt turning to delight at the opportunity to redeem himself in her eyes. Then, when her humans had accused him of trying to harm their child, Lady felt sick horror and Tramp was resigned to the fact that his luck had finally run out. He’d never been more surprised to see Jock, Trusty, and Lady, with her family in tow, coming after the dogcatcher’s wagon in an effort to save him.

     Now, as they slurped up the last of the spaghetti noodles, their thoughts turned to more recent events. Finding out that they would be parents and the birth of their children felt like the pinnacle of their lives, and they only hoped that the wonderful times would continue.

Finally, Tramp nudged her, “We should get going; I want to take you somewhere before we go home.”

     Nodding, she started following him, then paused; it didn’t feel right to just leave their hosts. Walking up to Tony, she extended her paw and he instantly laid aside his accordion to kneel down and take it. Joe hurried over to pat her head, and Tramp pressed in to partake in the loving; they all understood that this was goodbye.

     “Goodbye Pooch,” Tony said hoarsely, “I’m proud of you.”

     “Don’t be a stranger,” Joe said affectionately.

     After a few minutes, Tramp nudged Lady again and they turned to leave. Tony and Joe waved until they were out of sight.

     “So, where are we going to next?” Lady asked.

     “You’ll see.”

    Walking slowly through the streets, they came to a wide spacious park and suddenly Lady remembered.
     “Oh, Tramp…” she began.

     Silencing her with a lick, he said, “Will you take a little walk down memory lane with me?”

     “Our first night together…”

     “Let’s dance.”

     They began with a slow romp through the wildflowers, loping slow figure eights around each other and laughing every time one cut in front of the other. Then, suddenly, Lady flopped down in the middle of a tall clump of lush grass.

     Tramp, seeing only that her silhouette had suddenly disappeared, hurried over to investigate. “Lady?” he called, hearing nothing. “Lady?”

     Suddenly, she charged towards him and, startled, he dodged. Then, laughing, he bounded after her and pounced, and they tussled in the grass, playfully growling and laughing together. In the midst of their fun, Tramp found a small stick, and after waving it teasingly in front of her, he threw it in the air and caught it. Tossing it higher the second time, he jumped in the air to catch it.

    “Yep, still got it,” he said, satisfied.

     “Got what?” she asked, amused.

     “The best eye-mouth coordination in town!”

     “That’s because Junior slips you scraps when Jim Dear and Darling aren’t watching him.”

      “A dog has to practice any way he can, doesn’t he?”

     “Just wait until the puppies pick up your bad habits, hmm? Scamp is already quite attached.”

    “Uh, well, how about we continue our little stroll down memory lane, shall we, dear?”

     “Ha-ha, what was that, dear?” she laughed and followed.

      They strolled leisurely down the sidewalk until they came to the place where they’d impressed their paw prints in the wet cement. Then they walked over the bridge and sat under the tree where they’d slept together for the first time. Sitting side by side, they watched for shooting stars until they heard the clock strike midnight.

     “We should probably get going…” Lady said, looking a little reluctant.

     “But why, Pige?” Tramp asked, his eyes twinkling with the joke. He gave her a tiny lick.

     “Who would look after the children if we don’t go home?” she asked, her eyes glowing.

     He smiled, “Alright, fine, you got me; let’s go home.” As they walked back the way they’d come, he continued, “Happy Anniversary, Pige; did you enjoy it?”

     “I could have danced all night!”