Anja's Best Friend - Anja
Anja Ingrid, 20 years, sat slumped against the wall opposite the beds. She wiped the tears from her eyes slowly and sniffed, realizing the time. 11:08. She had been in this position for over an hour.
It was time to see to Leiv, Dr. Lundqvist's dog. Anja uncurled her meter-long legs and lifted her body against the wall. She brushed her light-blond hair from in front of her eyes and rubbed her nose and cheeks to erase the signs of her sorrow.
Anja noticed her bed was not made properly, and glumly stepped across the room to fix it. She would not want to disappoint her mother, absent or otherwise.
After completing the chore, Anja ducked through the doorway into the bathroom--she really needed not duck when passing through the doorway, but it would indeed be a close call if she did not. There, she combed her hair as she always did, though her hair did not actually require a combing, as it naturally and loosely fell into its near-perennial fashion. She knew this was the case, of course, but she always felt that she should occupy herself with this routine each morning.
After combing her hair--which, in her case, involved only a simple sweeping of the comb's teeth between her flaxen strands--Anja looked at the various jars and palettes of makeup crowded upon the right side--her side--of the bathroom countertop. Astrid's side was devoid of makeup, aside from a few eyeliners. Anja could only wish that she did not require the makeup to look as pretty as her twin sister, but it was the only way she felt that she could.
Anja applied the powders to her face, amplifying the light tone of her pale skin. She then delicately introduced a slight red blush to her cheeks, but it was no good. She did not look like Astrid, and so she tried her best to remove the traces of the blush. After this, she decided to hurry on to Leiv and neglect the eyeliner.
Since she had already attired herself earlier in the morning--her outfit constituted of gray tennis shoes, gray-and-purple knee-high socks, black gym shorts, and her Norwegian flag blouse--Anja directly tramped out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, and out into the living area. She checked at the dining table to see if her laptop computer had drunk the glass of orange juice. Finding the cup empty, she satisfactorily retrieved it and placed it in the connected kitchen's sink. She then advanced to the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice carton and proceeded to pour a decent amount into her light green sport bottle. The bottle was for the walk, and so was left on the counter; she grabbed a glass mug and served herself some coffee from her new ‘special' coffee brewer to drink now.
After gulping down her coffee, Anja opened the oven and took out the fresh daily treat she baked for Leiv. (She did not know if he preferred the flavor of it, but she did notice that he never declined to eat it.) She wrapped the doggy treat, and then retraced her steps over to the counter. She picked up her bottle of orange juice and trotted back to the dining table, where her day pack of black and neon green sat behind the computer. She carefully inserted the treat into the pack, zipped the pack, and shouldered the pack. She was ready now.
The weather was to be sunny and 21 degrees, Celsius, but Anja fetched her umbrella on the way out, just in case. She also picked her Vancouver Canucks cap off the coat rack and donned it as she shut the apartment door behind herself.
The tall girl bounded down the two flights of stairs and stalled in front of Dr. Lundqvist's door, where she unleashed her key copy and allowed herself in. "[Come, big Leiv!]" Anja called as she entered. She obtained a leash from Dr. Lundqvist's coat rack and brandished it like a weapon, though she was not afraid and meant no harm to the big animal. The full-grown Newfoundland strode familiarly up to Anja, and sniffed up her thigh and over her hands as the girl latched the leash onto his collar--in record time. Anja crouched and rubbed her palm up and down Leiv's hairy neck.
"[Hey, Leiv. Have you missed me?]" Anja gently asked. The dog licked his friend's nose in response, which comforted Anja in spite of his terrible breath. "[I have missed you, also.]"
Anja stood back up and patted Leiv's head before pointing him out the door. She closed the apartment door behind them, and then the outside door after they had exited the apartment building. As usual, Anja and her dog friend embarked towards the park.
* * *
They had not yet traveled the final block when Leiv broke into a dash after whatever pleasant odor he happened to smell. Anja tottered at the initial tug on the leash and barely recovered her balance before she was yanked after the friendly beast. "Nei, Leiv! Nei!"This is why Astrid was afraid of the dog.
Anja followed after Leiv, hardly in control. She half-ran, half-stumbled in his wake and could only steer him enough to prevent a collision with some of the other pedestrians. Anja tried to grab a lamppost with the handle of her umbrella, but Leiv already seemed to know that tactic and endeavored to avoid them. "[I know not how you are so fast, you gigantic dog, you! Stop!]" Anja pleaded.
Leiv did stop. He stopped swiftly and effortlessly in front of Hanssen's. Anja skidded and skipped over the leash to bring herself beside Leiv. She padded him on the nose admonishingly, then took note of where they had stopped. "[Oh. Pastor Hanssen's. You smelled the fish, yes?]"
Leiv looked up--way up--at Anja's face, then back through the restaurant window as he panted. A friendly, middle-aged man in a black suit waved at them from behind a bar counter. He stepped around the counter and hurried outside to meet them. "Hallo, Miss Larsdotter...og Leiv Eirikshund," he greeted. He offered his hand to the dog, who lifted a paw to shake. "[And which Larsdo-]" he began, but immediately realized who it was as he received an eager hug. "Anja!"
Anja laughed uneasily. Certainly, Astrid must be prettier than her if Pastor Hanssen could identify which of the twins she was--and so quickly at that. "[And how knew you it was me, Pastor Hanssen?]" she timidly asked, in order to determine if her fears were well-founded.
Pastor Hanssen chuckled. "[I know because everyone has a different hug--a different style. Yours is...very tight.]"
Anja smiled and looked down at her feet shyly. "[You are very smart, I trust. Also is Astrid frightened to walk with Leiv, which is a good fact to know.]" The dog glanced back-and-forth at each of the conversants.
Pastor Hanssen smiled modestly. "[However, I am not too smart to know why you are here. Can I help you with something?]"
"[Ah, well, Leiv dragged me to here. I trust he smelled your fish begin to cook for the lunch.]"
"[Ah, fishers for men,]" Pastor Hanssen joked, "[...and dogs.]"
Anja acknowledged his humor with a bit of a snicker. "[I mean not to bother you, Pastor Hanssen. I would not want the fish to be ruined.]"
"[I understand, Anja. But you are not a bother. I ended preaching some years ago so that folks would talk to me normal. I meet more folks next to the street than in the church house.]" Pastor Hanssen patted Anja on the back as he began to recall memories. "[I am glad to see you and Astrid more often, now that you live in Oslo. It was a joy to meet you on the docks, as I did every three months. I tell you, every time I came back to Florø to get more fish from your father, you and Astrid had grown ten centimeters longer!]"
All the friends laughed, including Leiv.
"[But now you are in Oslo,]" Pastor Hanssen continued, "[I see you and your sister grow more. You have ended growing tall since...oh, two or three years. But I see you grow smart and astute now. You are gracious young women.]"
Anja nodded bashfully. "[Oh, you are so best, Pastor Hanssen,]" she said, and gave him one more hug. "[I wish to talk with you longer, but I must walk with Leiv to the park, and you must cook the fish!]" She laughed.
Pastor Hanssen laughed along and exchanged farewells with Anja, then went back into his restaurant to attend to the readying meals.
"Leiv Eirikshund," Anja said to the dog as they walked away, "[you are so a bad dog. But Pastor Hanssen is a good man. It is not to be angry about.]" She rubbed his muzzle and swung her umbrella merrily.
* * *
At Frognerparken, Anja sat on her favorite bench with Leiv standing patiently at her feet. The dog knew what was to come next, and it opened its mouth wide, expectantly."[Oh, you are so a friend, Leiv. You are a good dog,]" Anja complimented her furry companion. She unzipped her day pack and revealed his specially-made treat. She rapidly unwrapped it and tossed it in the air. Leiv lumbered into position to catch it, and snapped half of it into his mouth. The rest crumbled to the ground, where he was content to gobble it down. Anja clapped before performing her own trick of shooting the orange juice from her bottle into her mouth.
After stuffing the bottle and wrapper into her day pack--she never could stand to litter--the Larsdotter scanned her surroundings. It seemed rather calm. "[It is a quiet time in the park, yes? Maybe all can not wait to hear Astrid on radio?]" she joked. She sighed and pulled her long striped socks up--they had unacceptably fallen below the knees. "[I have been lonely all the morning after Astrid left. I wish it would not be so lonely now. Alone: I am always that when Astrid is away. It is why I enjoy to be your friend.]"
Anja continued to pitifully ramble on--and the dog politely maintained eye contact with her and lifted his ears to attention for the entire duration. "[I have said it before, yes? Certainly are you tired with me talking to you so. But you listen and not laugh at me.
"[Astrid is at Radio Sonisk today. Is it not cool? I am so happy about it. But I am lonely, also. When Astrid is away and Mr. Lundqvist is not home and Pastor Hanssen is all too busy, I am alone with myself. It is not good. I am so sad then, Leiv. Know you about such?]" The poor girl leaned forward and lovingly wrapped her long arms around the huge dog's neck. The dog acknowledged in a seemingly sympathetic, wheezing tone.
"Oh, Leiv!" Anja cried, "[I wish that you could talk to me in Norwegian! Or Danish would be fine; or Swedish; or English. They are fine languages which I can understand sufficient. But you speak none of them. You can only hear me, it seems.]"
Both compatriots became momentarily distracted from their ‘conversation' as a troupe of cyclists whirred by. They watched each biker pass by, their attentions childishly captivated by the event. When the last cyclist had ridden around the bend in the path and out of view, Anja and Leiv turned back to face each other as the Techno Twin resumed her ramblings. "[It is sufficient like so, maybe. I am glad that you listen. In Florø, none listened to me so much. None liked me ever. They said to me that I was not so bright--that I was stupid; that I was weird. They told to me that I was too tall for fun. They never said which I did was cool...]"
Anja wiped a tear from her cheek, and instantly regretted it. "[Oh, which have I done, Leiv?! I have ruined the makeup! Oh, now see I as ugly out!]" Anja erupted into deep sobs. "[I am stupid so! All are right about me! I am not so bright. I am a dumbhead! All which I do good is music. What is so good after my music?]"
Anja's hand had relaxed as she wept, and a slight tug by Leiv on the leash uncurled her hand and released it from her grasp. He immediately noticed this and suddenly bolted away from the bench and down the path. Anja shrieked and tried to chase him, but she stumbled off the bench. As she fell to the ground, she flung her Vancouver Canucks hat after his tail in anguish. "[Why, you dog, you? Now Mr. Lundqvist comes to be angry with me forever!]"
She needed not recover and charge after him, however. Leiv had run only a score of meters down the walk to his owner, who had apparently been approaching them as Anja had been crying. "Nei, nei, Miss Larsdotter," Dr. Lundqvist assured her, "[I shall not become angry.]" He grabbed his pet's leash and lightly reprimanded him for running away from his ‘governess'.
Anja quickly wiped her eyes and attempted to sniff up the run of her nose. "God aften, Herr Lundqvist," she timidly greeted before pushing herself up off the ground.
"Anja..." Dr. Lundqvist corrected, "[it is evening.]" Anja gasped and checked the sky. The sun was indeed too low for the afternoon time. "[How long have you been here?]"
"[I have been on walk with Leiv since the noontime,]" she answered slowly.
"[Goodness, Miss Larsdotter. Is all well with you today?]" her neighbor inquired. He stooped to pick up Anja's special hat.
"[I am the same as usual.]" Anja fetched her day pack and umbrella from their places on the bench and drifted over to the doctor to retrieve her hat. "Takk..." she thanked, embarrassed.
"[You are hungry, yes? How if we go to my apartment and eat a few pancakes, Miss Larsdotter?]"
Anja nodded, lacking her normal enthusiasm. "Okay."
"[I hear that they are famous around the whole world,]" Dr. Lundqvist added humorously, quoting a line from one of the Larsdotter sisters' popular songs.
Anja somewhat smiled. She replaced her hockey team hat on her blond head and followed her friends out of the park.