To the Shade

We were about to fill our bottle at the dog-park tap when a woman asked us to bring her dog's bowl over to the shade. She had a folded chair in one hand and a bag in the other.

We stood our open bottle on the ledge behind the tap and filled the bowl to the rim. The woman went ahead. We lifted the bowl with both hands and started after her.

The water moved farther than we did. After three short steps it was running over our fingers. We stopped. The dog put his nose against the rim, so we lowered the bowl onto the paving and let him drink.

We picked it up when he lifted his head. It was easier to hold now. We got as far as the path before he pressed his nose under our wrist. We lowered the bowl again. He drank while we wiped our palms on our trousers.

The woman had opened her chair and put her bag beneath it. A few feet short of the shade, the dog came round in front of us. We set the bowl down for him once more. Afterwards we could carry it by the rim in one hand.

We set it down in the shade. There was no water left. The dog lay beside it and rested his chin on the rim.

We went back to the tap. Our bottle was still on the ledge. We held it under the water.