The Dog Park

Jack sits on a bench in his local dog park. It's a sunny day, and the temperature has reached 40 degrees for the first time this year. For Jack, the winter has been especially brutal. Alice leaving him was like a punch in the gut, and he still hasn't recovered.

"Hey, you Jack?"
"Yes, hi." He gets up to shake Sid's hand. "Sid, right?"
"Yeah, good to meet ya."
"Sorry about the whole outside meeting thing. It's just such a nice day, I wanted to get all the sun I could."
"Well, nice is relative, but I get it. Some vitamin D will do us good."
They sit down on the bench. Jack has no idea why he's here, really. Nothing against the guy, but this wasn't exactly his idea.
"So what is it that you do exactly? Are you like a therapist?"
"Uhhh, more of a coach."
"Like a life coach?"
"Kind of. The official title is Dating Coach."
"Ah, well, ain't that something."
When his sister told him she was going to find him help, he had no clue this was what she meant. Little fucker.
"So which one's yours?" asks Sid.
"Huh?"
"Which dog? I peg you more as a Yorkie guy. Is it that little guy over there?"
"Oh, I don't have a dog."
"What?"
"Yeah, I've been thinking about it, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. It's a lot of responsibility."
"I see. So what exactly are we doing here?"
"It's my happy place."
"Your what?"
"My happy place. This place makes me happy."
It was true. Every so often, Jack would wander into the dog park and just sit. Sooner or later, some dogs would come up to him, and he'd pet them and enjoy it. He liked the affection, even if it was for just an instant.
"Listen, man, I'm not really looking to date right now, so this might all be for nothing."
"Ah, I see. So, broken heart, eh?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"What else could it be?"
"True dat."
"How long has it been?"
"About six months, I'd say."
"And how long were you together?"
"Three years? Four, maybe. Who knows."
"Awww, sad boy."
It was true. Jack was a sad boy.
"Well, your six months are up! Time to get back in the saddle."
"What?"
"What are you going to do, grieve for the rest of your life? Time to move on."
"Oh, wow, what great advice! Hadn't heard that one before! Thing is, I can't control how I feel. If I could move on, don't you think I would?"
Sid pauses.
"No, I don't."
"What?"
"I don't. I think you like this pity story you've written yourself. 'Wahhh, I'm so sad. I'm sad boy, everyone feel sorry for me because I'm sad boy.'"

Jack feels it happening in real-time, the small twitch in his left eye he gets whenever he's angry.

"Fuck you, dude!"
"Fuck me? Fuck you! You're the one wasting your life hoping...what? That she comes back to you? And in the meantime, we all have to feel sorry for you because she broke your sensitive little heart. You know what I call that? Pathetic."

Jack's inner temperature starts to rise. This is not what he had in mind, and he is not about to be told off by someone who met him three minutes ago.

"Dude, I don't know who you think you fucking are, but I don't fucking need this. I don't! What are you, some fucking dating coach? Ha! Like that's even a real fucking job. Go back to your shitty little life in your shitty little apartment and live the rest of your pathetic life, you fucking loser."
"At least I have someone to go home to."

Jack snaps. Without thinking, he rises and throws a flush right hand at Sid's jaw. It's a clean whack, but probably hurts his hand as much as it hurts Sid's face. The dogs in the park start barking. Some people there take notice, but no one decides to intervene.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Jack pants as he realizes what he's done.
"Why are you sorry?" Sid asks as he stands. He throws a stiff left jab at Jack's nose. A punch of lightning speed rather than brute force, which makes it all the more disorienting. "I'm not sorry."
"Listen, man, I don't want to fight you." All the sensation in Jack's body seems to be rushing towards his nose.
"Well, then you shouldn't have thrown the first punch." He throws another blistering jab at Jack's forehead.
Jack staggers but maintains his balance. "I'm warning you, dude, don't do this."
"Do what?" Another jab at the forehead.

Jack can't resist it anymore. He lunges at Sid in front of the barking dogs and patrons. What starts as a fistfight turns into a children's wrestling match. And once it does, it becomes clear no one's going to do any lasting damage. It's probably why nobody bothers to call the police. Some parkgoers grab their interested dogs and leave. Others return to their phones as if nothing is happening.

After a while, the boys get exhausted from their scuffle, realizing neither of them will be able to best the other because neither of them actually knows how to fight. After lying on the ground for a few seconds to catch their breath, they return to the bench where their encounter began. Both their clothes are muddy from the dog park grounds. Sid has a cut on his lip, and Jack has one on his cheek.

A calmness sets over Jack. He sits quietly next to Sid but the adrenaline coursing through his veins makes him feel...alive.

"That might be the most fun I've had in a long, long time," Jack says after they sit back down.
Sid laughs. "That was fun, wasn't it? How do you feel now?"
"How do I feel?"
"Yeah."
"Good, I guess. Fine. I feel fine."
"Not sad?"
"Don't start that shit again."
"I'm serious. Are you still sad boy or not?"
He has to think about it for a minute.
"Relieved. I feel relieved."
"Relieved?"
"Yeah, life is good. There is still some fight left in this body, I guess."
"A lot of fight, I'd say."
"Maybe."
"Good. My work here is done for now. I'll see you next week then," Sid says as he stands up.
"Next week?"
"Yeah, it's time to get back out there, slugger. After your shiner heals, of course."
"It's your lip that needs the healing."
"Take care, man. Oh, and from next week, you're paying for my services."
"Uh, oh, okay, yeah. Uh, how much is it?"
"$300 an hour."
"$300! What are you, living at the Plaza?"
"Something like that."

With that, Sid proceeds to limp out of the dog park. Jack can't help but smile. He stays a little while longer to soak in the sun. After a while, a dog jumps on him and starts licking the cut on his face.