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Huffs and whines press at Columbo’s side. It’s all he can do to pet reassurances and mutter apologies to Dog as they sat on a bench.
“I promise you, I promise you the next stop is yours.”
They had just come back from visiting his wife and her sister. A well warm visit and not just because its been a blazing hot week. Perfect for fishing with the two ladies. Getting together on a nice worn boat in the early mornings. Fish desperate to shake off winter’s hide chasing summer’s sun dancing on the water’s surface.
It went so well he still have a few tucked in an icebox in his trunk. What he originally thought was going to be fish tacos might end up being his apology to Dog.
Dog who cannot stop staring at his sub.
They were sitting on a park bench some hours past midnight due to, well, a traffic jam. It’s just how LA works. Plan ahead all you like, you can still get hit with one before morning commute. Columbo sat and inched his car along just enough to have an easy opening to park to the side and go for a walk.
At the time he told Dog that they should have gone on plane. He says this knowing they are suckers for a good calm drive. All windows down, hit with fresh country air. Can’t exactly get that feeling of breaking away from the city at an airport. Road trips was where it was at.
It’s so late Columbo wasn’t sure if it should be called early at this point. The street lights were still twinkling. A handful of food vendors were open. The sun wouldn’t exist for another hour or two.
At one of these lovely sandwich shops Columbo got what he thought was a classic Italian sub, but it was drenched in some sort of pickled pepper sauce. Definitely not safe treat material for his sidekick. There would be pinches of bread as peace offerings, but he really needed the bread to soak up the sauce.
It was a lovely sub. Great thin slices of many kinds of salami. Chopped iceberg. Several cheeses beyond the mozzarella that Columbo couldn’t name. Just wasn’t as sharable a meal as neither were planning.
Dog whines again and Columbo kisses his head, “Let me finish this one thing and we’ll get something better, yeah?”
They both needed a coffee, after all.
