Thank Cliff

The dog notices Cliff sitting on a folding chair by the buffet table. It crawls over to him and timidly sniffs at his feet. It already picks up a strong odor just by being down at eye level with Cliff’s shoes. The dog moves closer and starts huffing his stinky feet. Cliff notices and slips off his dress shoes. His black socks are damp with sweat and have holes in the toes. A jagged, yellow toenail on his big toe pokes out the tip of his worn sock. The dog lunges at the exposed toe and begins to suck on it through the sweaty sock.

Cliff chuckles and lets the dog suckle for a bit then pushes it away with his foot. He reaches down to remove his socks and playfully toss them at the dog. It chases around and collects them with its mouth then puts them in a pile on the floor.

“Does da birfday boy want to come worship my tired feet? I’ve been standing all day. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down and catch my breath.”

Cliff wiggles his filthy toes playfully and leers at the submissive pup. The snout of its hood is already filled with Cliff’s stink. The dog attacks Cliff’s feet tongue first. It licks and sucks each calloused toe from largest to smallest. The acrid smell continues to fill the dog’s hood. It feels it burning the back of its throat as it breathes and it huffs deeper. It cherishes every bitter deposit of toe jam it discovers with its tongue. The dog feels a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment after finishing the tongue bath. Cliff’s feet are visibly cleaner now even if it’s done nothing to suppress the smell.

“Hey, guys, check it out! It looks like da birfday boy is in hog heaven down there.”