Alejandro

When the chief of police replaced Abbacchio’s partner with a dog, a German Shepherd, he nor his former partner knew what to say.

“Gee, I thought they’d replace me with a human,” his former partner said, looking at Alejandro, the dog. “Well, look on the bright side, Leone. Women love dogs. They’ll be all over you! Don’t give me that look. I know you’re single.”

“I’m not interested in anybody,” Abbacchio said.

“You say that now, but you never know. Anyways, I should go on patrol. I’ll miss being with you. Stay safe!”

Abbacchio and Alejandro left the police station, and Abbacchio drove off somewhere to patrol. The dog sat in the front seat.

“So, you’re a dog.”

Alejandro barked.

“Just stick with me. Don’t get lost. Don’t wander around. You got that?”

The dog looked at him and tilted his head.

“Well, you were trained by the best. Maybe I should let you handle everything. Wait, why am I talking to a dog?”

Alejandro made a noise that almost sounded like he said I don’t know.

On their patrol, they spotted a guy with a sex worker. Abbacchio parked nearby, and the two got out of the car to confront them. Alejandro growled at the man, making him nervous.

“Hey, officer, the girl here needs money. We’re not hurting anyone. Couldn’t you let this slide?” The man brought out a few lire.

Abbacchio thought about taking the bribe, but Alejandro bit the man’s hands before he could do anything.

“Hey, no! Bad dog!” Abbacchio yelled.

“Ah, shit! Are you kidding me!” the briber yelled. He reached for the gun in his pocket.

Before the man could shoot the dog, Abbacchio was quicker than him and aimed for his hand, making him drop the gun. His hand was bloody. Alejandro let go so Abbacchio could arrest him. As for the sex worker, she ran away.

-

The next day, Abbacchio’s boss thought he and Alejandro had too much excitement last night and gave them a few days off. Since the dog had no owner, he lived with Abbacchio in an apartment, causing the cop to go shopping early in the morning to buy supplies.

“Well, poochie, are you happy?” he asked.

They were in the kitchen, and Alejandro looked tired; both of them were. It was hard for Abbacchio to sleep after what happened.

“You look like shit. Maybe we could go out for a walk.”

And like that, Alejandro found his energy.

“Wow, someone wants to go outside. How does the beach sound? It’s nice and sunny. You probably want to go for a swim, huh?”

“Arf!”

“We’ll go after I finish this a cup of coffee.”

Abbacchio and Alejandro walked to the beach despite it being a little bit far. By the time they got there, they were hot and sweaty, but a nice breeze kicked in and cooled them off. After walking for a few minutes, Abbaccho decided to rest for a while and sat on a bench.

While the two rested, a few people passed by and complimented Alejandro. His partner did say he’ll get lots of women, and some said they loved his dog, but so did a few men. None of the men or women attracted him, but a guy with chin-length black hair approached him. Two teenage boys were with him, but the man seemed too young to be their father.

“Bucciarati, I don’t think Narancia should be taking a break from studying,” said the golden blond one. That kid looked familiar.

“Come on, Fugo! I’ve been studying for weeks. Give me a break!” said the purple-eyed boy. Hmm, that name sounds familiar too. Abbacchio couldn’t remember where, though.

“Fugo, let Narancia enjoy his break,” said Bucciarati, causing the blond to sigh. He turned to face Abbacchio. “You don’t mind if I sit next to you, do you?”

“I don’t mind,” Abbacchio replied.

He sat next to him. “Thanks, I’ve been walking around all day. Fugo, Narancia, you guys can do whatever.”

The teenage boys ran off, leaving the two men alone.

“Are they family?” Abbacchio asked.

“No, they’re friends of mine. By the way, cute dog. Are you a police officer?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I see lots of cops with German Shepards, so I just assumed. Sorry. I didn’t introduce myself, but I think you heard Fugo say my name. In case you didn’t, I’m Bruno Bucciarati.”

“I’m Leone Abbacchio. How much do you know about German Shepards? I just got this dog recently; Alejandro is his name.”

“Probably as much as you do, but it can’t be that hard to take care of a dog.” Bruno petted Alejandro on the head, causing the dog to roll over to have his belly rubbed. He smiled. “Aw, look. He’s opening up to me.”

“You can rub his belly if you like. He seems to like you a lot.”

Alejandro barked, communicating that he did.

“Hmm, I’m not sure why he likes you,” Abbacchio continued. “Alejandro never acted like this to the other pedestrians who walked passed us. You must be a good person.”

Bruno had a doubtful look, which confused Abbacchio. “You sure about that? Can a dog truly tell who is a good person?” He brought a hand to the dog’s mouth.

“You seem like a decent guy to me. Alejandro would’ve bit your hand off if you were a bad guy. Last night, some pimp almost shot my dog, but I shot him before that could happen.”

“Wow, that must’ve been intense. Are you alright?”

“I focused on protecting Alejandro. I didn’t start shaking until after I turned that bastard in. At least we get a few days to bond before we return to work. I wish I could tell how he’s doing, though. I never did ask him if he’s okay, and it’s not like he can say yes.”

“Alejandro, are you okay?” Bruno asked.

The dog barked.

“Is that a yes or a no?” asked Abbacchio.

Bruno giggled. “I’m going to assume that’s a yes. Your dog looks happy. Just wondering, does stuff like that always happen?”

“No, it rarely happens. That was the first time, and I would like it to be the last time, but it’s probably going to happen again.”

“Well,” Bruno said, “I wish I could protect you and your dog, but you’ll probably get in trouble for bringing a civilian to a gunfight. Narancia and Fugo are coming this way. Abbacchio, right? It was nice knowing you. I would love to get to know you more. Maybe we could go out for coffee tomorrow?”

“Sure!” Abbacchio said without thinking. Maybe it was his charming smile that he couldn’t say no.

“Keep care of that dog of yours. And as for Alejandro,” he said, bending down to pet him, “keep an eye on your handsome owner. Don’t want anything happening to him.”

Bruno got up and left with the two teenage boys.

Abbacchio blushed. Oh my gosh! He was right! I thought it was some stupid shit he made up.

It was getting late, and Abbacchio and Alejandro left.