| Mark crawled into his claimed parking space. Inching
his immaculately red Jeep Cherokee backward, head lolling out the open door,
he scrutinized the tires inhumanly close to the curb. He stared off into
the distance. With instinctual caution Mark paused, and then bounded down,
his beagle-brown eyes scanning familiar turf. Clad in institutional blue,
he stretched. His potbelly tested the limits of the white buttons of his
wrinkled shirt. Satisfied at last, he sniffed the fresh morning air. Mark
gathered speed and warily circled the Jeep three times, constantly searching
above and below for dents, chipped paint, or perhaps snakes. He barked a
friendly greeting and ambled off to the schoolÕs, lawn-mower shed. At the
door he scratched his whiskers, yawned, exposing yellowed canines, and wriggled
the key into the lock. Having finished his morning ritual, he faithfully
began his custodial duties. |