Fedder

Fedder tried to imagine telling the owner of the dog that it was dead.

The Dog 2010

He watched the man's naked back shake and heard him whispering “Lady-pup,” and the thought came to Fedder like an arrow that he had never cried when his mother died.

The Dog 2010

The house smelled sweet, like sauteed onions, and fragrant with brown rice and sesame, the smell of the health-food restaurant Fedder often passed on his way to his office.

The Dog 2010

When Fedder came closer and looked at it carefully, he saw that it lay with its head cocked at an impossible angle, its neck presumably broken.

The Dog 2010

That would be the emotional peak, and Fedder would then understand that it was OK to go.

The Dog 2010

Fedder did not want to touch the dog, but he did; he knelt and felt its throat for a collar and sure enough, there was a tag.

The Dog 2010

He had not tried to set Fedder at ease about what he'd done but neither had he turned on him in fury.

The Dog 2010

    As Fedder drove down a quiet street at night through pools of streetlight and darkness, a dog darted into his headlights, and with a terrible thump, it fell under his wheel.

The Dog 2010

Somehow Fedder felt he could not leave till he knew if he was a ghoul in this man's eyes or not.

The Dog 2010

It was about ten o'clock and Fedder was glad the inhabitants were still up — he had not wanted to bother anyone in their pajamas.

The Dog 2010