Jokingly pushing one another, they get to poolside and both jump in. After some horsing around Jules floats over to the underwater steps to do up her do while the Rassi starts some laps. One fact about the Rassi, he never misses an opportunity to exercise. He’ll say when asked, “I love to keep the blood pumping.” Fin knows that if he is always training off and on throughout each day he will always be able to go play his sports. Fin football’s on the team in the city, but this isn’t the only sport or season he trains for. Fin is renowned for his uncanny athletic sense. People have compared Finto to a hunting tiger when he sports. This has been said since he started playing.
Fin ignores this comparison. He knows why he moves the way he does, but has always kept it his own. Finto had a unique and unusual encounter at a small age. This experience was kept hidden by the Rassi because he knows others wouldn’t believe him.
Jules watches Finto go back and forth so many times she decides to interfere. The last turn away from her, she decides to lunge forward and tug on the Rassi’s shorts. Repelling the attack by spreading his legs and pulling his shorts back up, Fin is after Jules as soon as he identifies his assailant. She makes it to the steps before he can land a hand. He follows her to the towels before wrapping her up in his arms. They dry off, but both don’t go inside. Jules makes her way inside while Fin decides to go back to the front of the house to comb through the field. He does this with a particular sense of good grass and bad grass. The bad grass being weeds are to be removed so they do not interrupt the growth of the Bermuda.
Finto makes sure the grass, and all the trees on his land are in good shape. He uses these natural resources to keep himself healthy. The Rassi runs on the grass to keep his legs strong and lungs open. This allows him to play sports year after year. He practices his footballing in bare feet, so it is essential the grass doesn’t have any weeds he could step on. Finto usually runs barefoot as well. When the summer is hot the Rassi will take breaks under the shade of a tree to cool off and recoup so he can keep training. He enjoys training as much as he enjoys playing a sport, going on adventures, and of course being with Jules.
Finto walks around toward the wide-open field in the front of his house. He says it’s his figuring time. He figures out all his thinking. Going to the front he checks the places that need more attention. When Finto pulls weeds he makes sure to get to the bottom of the root. He does this by pinching the bottom of the weed closest to the ground, and pulling straight up. Working his fingers through the grass he favors, Fin makes sure he always pulls the weed he is after. He will do this for countless hours, and has the calluses on his fingers to prove it. The Rassi pulls for several minutes leaving small piles of weeds as he goes. Starting to sweat heavily due to the hot sun Finto stops a moment to wipe his brow, and to take a look around. He looks over to his left then back to the right catching the silhouette of a four-legged animal. Finto squints his eyes to zero in on the species. Was it a deer? Was it…? Yes it is, it’s a dog. Fin whistles to the animal, but the canine keeps a steady stance and looks directly at Fin; never blinking, never panting.
The Rassi loses interest, and gets back to pulling. After another pile of weeds is complete, Fin looks back up from the ground in the dog’s direction. Finto notices the dog walked closer, and was laying down in the field half the distance from its original stance on the tree line. Being closer, the Rassi was able to make out the dog’s color. Black on top, tan on bottom, with tall ears and a distinct calm focus in its eyes, the Rassi realizes saying, “That’s the German shepherd.”
CHAPTER 4
Finto has heard of a dog that roamed near the farm. Supposedly it has been seen chasing deer considered by some a nuisance. Finto could understand the deeming of the dog as a nuisance because the majority of agri-men in that area hunted the deer for their venison. Then again Finto understood the canine was instinctively taking care of itself. Having no prejudice for the animal Fin decides to walk closer. Fin noticed this calmly placed man’s best friend hadn’t taken his eyes off of him. Fin decided to move even closer. As he walked toward the German shepherd, it didn’t change its posture once, revealing no fear. At ten paces the dog stood up still staring into the Rassi’s eyes. Fin has a name for the animal pop into his head. Stone, he thinks to himself, this would be a good name for the dog’s unwavering presence.
“You are as sturdy as a rock, so I’m going to call you Stone.” Fin turns toward the house leaving his weed piles, and the new acquaintance behind. A few minutes later the Rassi returns back to where he was before with a sandwich in one hand, taking a bite, and walking as he chewed. Finto seemed as curious as a child holding in the other hand a small snack for the dog. Fin walks close to the dog that again was lying down in the grass. Stopping at the same distance from before, Finto throws a slice of cheese wrapped in slices of turkey to the German shepherd. The dog doesn’t blink, or show any interest in the snack barely moving its head to follow the friendly offering. Finto shrugs his shoulders, and turns away to finish his own sandwich going back to work. Fin moves each small pile into a larger one with his feet as he finishes his sandwich. He picks up as much of the large pile as he can to carry it towards the roadpath drive. When he stands with the pile pressed between both arms and hands, he turns to look at the dog. The dog the Rassi had named, Stone, was standing over the meaty snack smelling it, still keeping its eyes on Finto. Fin makes his way over to the drive dumping the pile on the bare dirt. Then he turns to see the German shepherd eating the snack still keeping eyes on Mr. Negrassi. Finto shakes his head turning to start back up the red dirt drive under the overhanging trees towards the house. On the way, Fin looks back to see where the animal was standing. To his surprise, Stone was following next to the drive keeping his distance. Fin takes off running hoping to get a similar reaction out of Stone. Still with the sharpness in the dog’s eyes, it picks up its pace without a change of expression. Fin goes around the house so he could show Jules. Arriving on the back porch, Stone keeps an obvious distance staying in the grass. Finto goes to the backdoor looking through the glass for Jules. He can’t see her so he spins around squatting to take a seat. Jules opens the backdoor to see why Finto was just sitting in front of the door. “What are you doing?”
Fin turns and looks up as cold air rushes past him to say, “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
“What?” Jules says seeming a little unsure.
“I was out front pulling weeds, and noticed I was being watched.” Before he could finish talking, Jules had already seen the German shepherd and was making her way over. Fin stands to follow, but not all the way. Jules makes it into the grass with a hand extended out away from her body.
“I named him Stone because his expression never changes.” Jules listens still moving closer to that day’s acquaintance. “You’re right.” Jules says much closer than the Rassi by then. Stone sits allowing Jules to touch him. Finto is shocked that the wild dog let someone touch him let alone that Jules felt so comfortable petting him.
Jules runs a hand down the backside of Stone’s neck while she was in a crouching position. After seeing no danger, Jules stands back up and makes her way over to Fin. Stone follows close behind looking up at Jules. When she gets to Finto, she stops to show her comfort with him. Finto reaches down running his hand on Stone’s fur-covered coat.
Fin explains the mystery of a deer-chasing dog running wild in the area that he had heard farmers were spotting. Ending the story for Jules saying,“I think Stone is the culprit.” With this Fin leaves the other two on the back pad to go finish picking up his pullings from earlier that afternoon.
The Rassi had a trash bin on wheels he walked down to collect the pile on the road. He collects what weeds he pulled, and goes to a compost heap he started earlier that growing season. The entire trip he goes over what he witnessed Jules do. He couldn’t believe the connection Jules immediately had with this known deer-chasing wild dog.
When Finto returns to the back of the house, Stone was laying underneath the chair Jules was sitting in. Jules was reading the same magazine from before, and drinking a clear glass of pink lemonade that matched the glass pitcher sitting in the middle of the patio table. The only difference was a slice of lemon floating