There was a disagreement about naming a dog. They did not own a dog, but the opportunity to disagree was an enticing one.

“Bob,” he offered. She shuddered and made a flicking gesture. Another professional photo of another white-haired small animal appeared. “The only name for that one is ‘Barney.'”

That suggestion irritated her so much she addressed the earlier floor motion of naming an animal Bob. “No human names, remember?”

“We don’t own one yet.”

“No human names.”

“Behind your back, I will probably call it Bluejay Way, Blue for short, and it—”

“She.”

“Okay. She will run to me whenever I come home and call for ‘Blue,’ and she’ll bring me her chew toys to play fetch whenever she wants, even if you’re holding a toy out for her.” He could get specific in argument. “It will be like our own secret code. ‘Roll over, Blue.'” He spun a finger in the air.

“I hate that idea and I’m not a big fan of yours now, either.”

“Barney right there looks more and more like a Bluejay Way to me.”

Neither had visited the mailbox all week. Expected news might be inside, and often the more simple-seeming decision for a person to make about news is to not make a decision, to make a point of not learning the news at all. There are hundreds of different ways to forget or mislay the key to the mailbox, and the two of them only needed two each per day. This was going to continue. And even if one of them forgot how to forget and accidentally retrieved the mail and discovered the news inside, every single pen in the house was going to be in one of the other rooms for days after. It was going to take a month to commit a reply, ink to paper.

“I’m making pancakes. Want some?” He asked.

“Not from you, but yes.”

* * * *
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The WordPress Daily Prompt for June 10 asks, “You have 20 minutes to write a post that includes the words mailbox, bluejay, plate, syrup, and ink. And one more detail … the story must include a dog named Bob.” The above is a piece of fiction, and yes, okay, I cheated. “Pancakes” is my stand-in for “plate” and “syrup.”

One of the Alterna-Prompts this week from “The Blog Propellant,” asks, “There’s absolutely nothing about love that hasn’t been said before … but write a story or share your thoughts about the invincibility of love. Make the case for Amor Vincit Omnia.”