Exceptional A story about love in all its aspects. Kalinka's Last Bloom by Lordinajamjar Artwork by MoonWillow at FanArtReview.com

"Kalinka! Patches. Kalinka!" The old man shook with laughter as the little black and tan dog he called Patches raised itself onto its rear legs. Spinning and kicking its rear legs, with front paws raised, the little dog hopped and rocked back and forth like a Russian folk dancer. The little dog barked excitedly, with three short barks, followed by a fourth louder bark that sounded oddly like the word hoy. "Rowf! Rowf! Rowf! Rhoy! Rowf! Rowf! Rowf! Rhoy!" The little dog barked, as his tongue hung outside his slobbering mouth. "Kalinka! Kalinka!" The old man shouted raising his arms and moving back and forth like Zorba the Greek. The little dog danced and barked in response to the old man's chant. People in the park stopped and watched the spectacle, laughing and clapping in delight. After a couple of minutes, the old man began coughing violently.  He stepped awkwardly to support himself on the old park bench.  A favourite spot  which he frequented every day. As Jack sat down Patches jumped up beside him  nuzzling his head into the old man's lap. Soft whimpering indicated the dog's concern. Still breathing heavily, the old man bent over and stroked the young dog's head. "Don't be fretting there boy. I'm just catching my breath. I'll be fine. Don't you be fretting now." The little dog gently licked the old man's hand, tending to him like a canine nurse. Patches calmly stayed by the old man's side until his breathing had returned to normal. After a few minutes a smile lit up the old man's face.  His blue eyes twinkled as he whispered "Kalinka!" into the young dog's ear. Patches barked in delight. Leaping off his wooden perch, on cue, to continue his Russian dance. "Kalinka! Kalinka!" The old man shouted from the bench. "Are you OK Jack?" Without waiting for an answer to his question the young man sat down next to the old man. "Ha! Of course I am Peter," the old man replied. "I may be 86 years old, lad, but I am still 16 at heart." Peter laughed. Barely 16 years old himself he couldn't help but be drawn to the kind old man. Patches ran over and jumped into Peter's lap. The excited dog was searching for the treat that the young man brought to the talented four-legged star every day. Peter worked part time as a Barista at the Starbucks located in the park. Each day after his shift he would always make sure he would find a stale biscuit to give to Patches. An excited tail wag indicated that Patches had located his treat. He leaped past Peter with his prize and gnawed happily on the jaw breaking biscuit. As they sat watching the dog, Paula a young shy girl around Peter's age, waved at Jack and nodded to Peter. Peter blushed and nodded back shyly. Paula bent down and stroked Patches on the head.  She giggled as she whispered, "Kalinka! Kalinka!" Patches ignored her.  The dog remained focused on his jaw breaker. Anyway, he only ever responded to "Kalinka!" when Jack uttered the magic word. His master was the only person for whom he would perform the Russian dance. Jack smiled at Paula. He was very fond of these two young people. They had befriended him through his dog Patches.   The two young people had been enchanted by the daily performance of the old man and his dog.  Jack had studied the shy duo each day when they  came over to greet him. He noticed that every time they met, they both avoided eye contact with the other. Yet each watched the other secretly, when the one being watched had their head turned away. "Has your Lilac Bush flowered yet?" Paula asked as she leaned down to examine the plant. She knew that Jack had visited the same spot in the park every day, since Alice had passed away three years earlier. Only the coldest days of Winter had kept him away. Alice was an old friend from his school days he had told her. They became reacquainted after their long-time partners had passed away. They were just old friends he said. Paula, however, suspected that Alice meant much more than that to the old man. The Lilac Bush had not flowered since that day three years ago and Jack always tended it with extra water from his flask and food pellets he bought from the nursery. "No not yet Paula but any day now," he smiled. Peter looked at Jack pensively and asked, "Do you really believe that Jack?" "Of course I do, Peter. Both of you will see it bedecked in Lilac. It will be a royal sight worth seeing. I promise you," he replied. As Peter got up to head home, Jack noticed he was gazing at Paula, again. She was bent over examining the barren Lilac bush. Each of them still too shy to say a word to the other. Two shrinking violets.  Their love destined to be unfulfilled and locked in the mists of time like his own had been. Jack shook his head, sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out two tickets. "Hey Peter and Paula, can you two please step over here for a minute?" Thr two shy youngsters approached Jack. The kind old man placed one ticket into Peter's hand and the other into Paula's open palm. He held their two hands, clasping them together  between his own two hands. "These are tickets I bought to a show called 'Once', but I can't go. So, I want you two to go see it. It is playing tonight. I would like you to meet me back here tomorrow and tell me all about it. Is that OK with you two?" The young couple were blushing as Jack took his hands away. The two shrinking violets were now left holding the others hand, just as Jack had intended. Neither one wanting to be the first to take their hand away. They smiled and promised Jack they would attend the show. Still holding on to each others' hand they walked away. Jack could hear them chatting excitedly. After a few steps they remembered their manners. Stopping in their tracks, they turned around, waved and shouted out their thanks to Jack for the tickets. Jack laughed as they disappeared out of sight. "Am I just a romantic old fool Alice?" he asked looking to the sky. Pity we didn't meet an old man on a park bench when we were young." He laughed wryly. As he raised himself to stand up Jack suddenly clutched his chest. He let out a short gasp before stumbling to the ground. Patches let out a bark in shock. The frightened little dog started howling.   He nudged and jumped upon his master's lifeless body. Frantically trying to revive the old man. The following day Peter headed to the park with his usual treat for Patches. Paula ran up to greet him and they hugged each other like two new found lovers. "He's late today isn't he?" she said. They held each other looking around, beginning to feel a sense of worry. The old gardener from the park saw them standing together. He walked very slowly towards them. When he reached them he said "I am very sorry." Then he told them the terrible news, that Jack had passed away. Paula immediately broke down and began to cry. Hot tears ran down Peter's face. "Where's Patches? Where is his dog?" Peter asked. The gardener replied that he had tied him in the shed. "No! Let him out. Please give him to us. We will take care of him now." Peter pleaded. When Patches saw them at the open shed door he licked them.   His tail was down. He whimpered pitifully then ran away from them towards the empty park bench. They caught up with him as he scurried and sniffed the spot in the ground where his master had passed away. They were just three young lost souls, united in grief. Suddenly Patches' ears pricked up and he ran to the Lilac bush.  The sparkling bush was now in full bloom. The little dog stood on his hind legs and began to dance the Russian dance and bark. "Rowf! Rowf! Rowf! Rhoy! Rowf! Rowf! Rowf! Rhoy!" Peter and Paula immediately joined in shouting, "Kalinka! Kalinka!" They held on to each other's hands and admired through weeping eyes the majesty of the beautiful Lilac bush. They both looked on in awe at a thousand beautiful blooms bursting out in all their glory. Recognized

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