a curious event

I don't have the best eyes in the world.

When I was a kid I thought glasses were very cool but sadly didn't need them. At university I started getting headaches. Hypochondriac student nurse that I was, I decided that either I was about to have a stroke or I had a brain tumour.

It turned out I just needed glasses (too many forbidden books under the bedsheets I imagine). I should have felt happy about this (remember, glasses are cool) but instead I felt betrayed. Betrayed by my eyes as my body started its slow slide into disintegration. Not that it's been too steep a descent - most people struggle to pick my age.

Lately however I've noticed my eyes getting significantly worse. There is a blurry, floaty bit in the centre of my left eye that is very annoying when trying to read in certain lights. I also have trouble confirming the identity of people at distance. Which is why I didn't think there was anything odd about a man I walked past yesterday.

Until I walked past him that is. Then I noticed something rather strange.

From a distance he looked like any normal dad, out walking the dog while he pushed his child in a pusher. From a distance I thought "ah, isn't that nice?!" From a distance I couldn't see the child, but it's always heartwarming to see a dad bonding with his child. My hands were freezing but inside I was filled with a warm glow.

The dog was lovely too. Even from a distance I could tell it was a beautiful dalmatian. The dog kept getting distracted and sniffing plants and fences along the way.

As we moved closer to each other details were filled in. The man had brown hair, blue eyes (oh, OK, I wasn't paying that much attention)... and the pusher was empty.

There he was, walking along with his dog - and an empty pusher! What?!

"Heel, heel" he said a couple of times.

Now here's the question - was he training the dog? Because if he wasn't, it looks ominously like he abandoned his child in the nearby park. Did he just say 'heel, heel' to put my off the scent?

When I got to the park, there was no lose child hanging about... so maybe he was training the dog.

Or... oh yeah... there's a child care centre there! Maybe he just dropped off the kid and was walking home afterwards. Ah, now that is heartwarming after all!