Something was wrong, most likely, and… yeah. He didn’t want to be negative, but by now he knew that Spike would’ve been in his usual spots if he was fine.
They drove around slowly, calling out to the dog here and there, in places where Adrian thought he could be. After almost an hour, Adrian suddenly stopped the vehicle and turned his head to look at Ben who balanced on the back
“I think I know where he’s gone. And I think we need to get Gavin and a shovel.” There was new kind of grief in Adrian’s gaze, but it seemed almost calm and settled at the same time. Ben nodded, held on, and they got the box and the shovel, and headed off again.
It felt weird to know where they were going as soon as he saw it. This was the fence, and there was the tree. All that was missing was the dragon in the sky.
They entered through a gate and left it open, as there weren’t horses inside this time.
They approached the tree at a steady pace, and Ben saw what they were looking for. The gray mound of curled-up dog by the tree didn’t move even when they got right next to it.
Ben hopped off, clutching the box to his chest, and went to Spike.
Adrian followed him in a more sedate pace, grabbing the shovel they’d tied to the rack.
Ben knelt next to Spike and ruffled the fur on top of his head. The dog was dead, and appeared as if he had just gone to sleep and passed away.
“This is the spot you were talking about, right?” he asked and glanced over his shoulder at Adrian who gave him a slightly wobbly smile.
“Yeah. They used to come here to just chill out. Gavin would read and Spike would guard him. I’d sometimes come here to have lunch with them.”
Ben got to his feet and held out the box for Adrian. “You take this, and let me know where to dig.”
He dug a grave the size of an elderly dog. Something good had come out of his landscaping work; he could dig like nobody’s business.
“You want them both in there?” he asked as he deemed the grave good enough.
“Maybe half of the ashes around the tree, half in there with Spike?” Adrian pondered out loud, then nodded to himself. “Yeah, we’ll do that.”
There wasn’t much wind, so after opening the little box, Adrian carefully scattered some of the ashes, while Ben lifted Spike and put him into the grave. He waited for Adrian to place the box next to the dog, then gave him a moment to say goodbye in private.
Ben walked to the other side of the tree and looked around. The colors were stunning, Kentucky showing them all the wonders of fall at its brightest.
He had no doubt that Gavin would love to be buried here with Spike. Ben might not have believed in things like heaven, but he sent a thought to Gavin and his furry friend, hoping they’d both finally rest in peace.
He rounded the tree again, and saw Adrian wiping his eyes. Ben went to him and embraced him, hugging him close for a while.
They filled the grave together, taking turns in an almost ritualistic way. Once it was all done, Ben tied the shovel onto the four-wheeler again.
“In the spring, I could bring some flowers and plant them here. I could do some research and figure out what the horses wouldn’t eat?”
It seemed somehow meaningful, the way he was looking into the future. The implication that there could still be “them” months and months from now.
Adrian smiled. “Yeah, that would be great.”
They drove back to the house, and continued their breakfast. Ben could feel the itch Adrian was starting to feel. Sometimes emotions or just pure inspiration made Adrian vibrate with something that needed to get out through his paints. Ben recognized it now, the way his fingers would start tapping, how he’d stare into the distance without seeing a thing.
“Go on, go paint,” Ben said when they were done eating. “I’ll gather Spike’s things and put them into the garage for now.”
Adrian gave him a grateful, although already a bit distracted, smile and kissed him deeply. “Thank you.”
As Ben walked around the house and the yard, peeking into every nook and cranny looking for Spike’s beds and any errant toys, he wondered what Adrian would paint. Ben thought it might be something dark. To purge the grief, or something along those lines.
He knew that Adrian would be in his zone, so he didn’t try to disrupt him with late lunch or even coffee, knowing that if the man wanted some there was a coffee maker in the barn
He cleaned the house, since he had time, and started dinner preparations early. Around six in the evening, he had everything read to be tossed into a wok. Adrian would be hungry once he got the plate in front of him. Ben just needed to go get his man out of the barn.
Ben stepped out of the house and walked across the yard, just to see Adrian closing the barn doors on his way out.
