Chapter 1

Standing in front of the mirror, the dark-haired boy straightens his back, pushes out his chest and speaks in a loud and clear voice "Okay Alex, today is the first day of your new life. Go get them!". He smiles a determined smile at himself after this self-encouraging speech. He poses slightly, a bit embarrassed but not as much since he is alone in the room.

He has the slender figure which can be that of a dominant person but only as long as he reminds himself to mind his posture. The long walks with his dog and the occasional jog help to keep him fit. Nevertheless he still has to remind himself: He is no boy anymore. Starting today he will be part of the workforce, living self-reliant of his own income. He has to get accustomed to see himself as a man.

His eyes wander higher and he finds the reflection of his eyes and face in the mirror. The dark, slightly curly hair and the deep blue eyes in a face that is both beautiful with soft lines on the upper face but at the same time handsome with strict features around his chin area. Alex nods at his reflection "I can work with that." He than clenches his fists, a last encouraging nod in the direction of the mirror than he turns around and starts off – after lovingly rubbing his dogs furry face - to his new workplace.

The last three weeks he already suffered through the theoretical training. Today was the first time they let him loose on society. A mixture of nervousness and excitement turns his stomach in knots.

After 20 minutes on foot he reaches his destination: The Hello-Sun-Day-care-Center.

Since he wasn't forced to take the early shift on his first day the entrance hall was already bustling with parents and kids when he arrived at 9 o'clock. Before he could distinguish the day-care-workers from the parents he feels a hand on his wrist tugging him forward. When he got back his bearing he recognizes the ponytail of Emily, who was in the same theory class in the last weeks. She tries to chatter above the noise surrounding them, filling him in on everything she learned in the five minutes she was here before him. "The head-teacher seems nice enough, even if she is a bit stern. There are only us two as the newbies and we will be assigned to different groups. I got the really little one whilst you get the kids from age 3 to 4. I haven't seen your direct supervisor yet, but mine is really handsome…" and so she chatters on. They came to a halt in front of an office door.

Emily bursts in after a short knock and introduces: "Head-teacher, I bring the other newbie Alex". Finally freeing himself from his guide Alex introduces himself with a handshake "Good morning. My name is Alex Johnson and it is a pleasure working for you. I really hope to learn a lot under your care." The head-teacher smiles and urges him "Please do work hard. We are always short on staff and really need your help." And with that his first day began.

Nine hours later he stumbles through his apartment door to be greeted by his dog. "Zero, it is so good to see you." Alex falls on the floor, burying his face in his dog's fur. He deeply inhales the calming scent. "Finally" he sobs and Zero, sensing his owner's need for comfort nuzzles his face.

After ten minutes on the floor he finally stands up to change his clothes and throw the ones he was wearing far away. They stank. His first day of work contained more sweat, vomit, blood and other bodily fluids than the last hardcore porn video he watched. Three to four year olds are such dirty little creatures. And just when he wanted to strangle them the most they grab his hand and guide him smilingly along "Teacher, come play with us" and his heart softens again. Only these smiles made him manage to not give up his first day.

Finally equipped with clean clothes he grabs the leash. Zero, seeing this sign, immediately got up, his tail wagging euphorically. Alex tries to hold him back "Please Zero, show mercy. We can only walk really slowly today. My whole body aches."

On his walk he made sure to have a huge distance between his path and the highly frequented playgrounds in the park. He had enough of children for today. He goes to a big lawn in the park without playground equipment. This is adult- and dog-land. He claims one of the benches and lets Zero run freely. Since he came here often in the last two months Zero already is acquainted with most of the dogs in the area and Alex can be sure that they get along. There is only one little Chihuahua breed that frequently gets on Zero's (and Alex') nerves with its constant japing. But after one quick glance he sees that the coast is clear and lets Zero loose.

The dog speeds away and plays with a huge Labrador that chews on a ball. Alex greets the owner across the lawn, who also seems happy to have his dog occupied without much requirement from himself. Alex watches as the other man sits on his own bench, also watching the dogs. With a deep felt sigh Alex relaxes and feels the wind in his face. It was a very long day. But it was the first step towards his new life of happiness, so he felt a strange wave of contentment washing over him.

He closes his eyes, listens to the birds chirping and the playful sounds of the wrestling dogs.

Suddenly, he feels a grip on his sleeve "Mister, do you have a dog?" Alex whole body tenses. Another freaking child. The heavens won't give him a rest. "I do have one. He is busy playing over there with his buddy.", Alex replies reluctantly. "Oh, how nice to have others to play with." At the slightly yearning tone of the kid Alex' senses perk up.

"Don't you have friends to play with?" "I seldom meet kids my age and if I do they mostly don't like me." Alex scans the kid from head to toe. It was a little boy of approximately four years old, a cute kid not like the little devils he has in his day-care group. "Don't you go to the kindergarten where there are other kids?" "What is that?", aks the boy with an expression of confusion and curiosity. "In the kindergarten you play in big groups of children and the teacher teaches you a lot of stuff like drawing or new games." The boy was now totally focused on Alex' lips, drinking in every bit of information "But can I go there to?". "Why not, it is free for all children, the parents just have to register the kids and pay a fee. I also started working in a kindergarten today and we still have a few places available in your age-group since some kids moved away. In other facilities it might be similar."

Their conversation was cut short when Zero came back huffing contentedly after having run for a long time. The kid's eyes grew wide when he saw the big dog standing so close. Zero as a fully grown German shepherd was on eyelevel with the little boy. Seeing a spark of fear in the kid Alex orders "Zero, down." Zero complies and lies down to the feet of his owner.

Now higher up than the dog the kid forgets its fright and with glinting eyes turns to Alex "May I touch him?". Alex raises an eyebrow at this formal speech but says "Yes, but keep sure to touch him in a manner that doesn't surprise him. Show him your hand first so he can sniff your scent. Then you can touch him." Even if Alex knows that Zero wouldn't do anything unless he asks him to he doesn't want the child to believe he can act the same way with every dog. Better safe than sorry.

The child pats Zero for a long time. Alex has to turn away to hide a smile. Both his dog and the kid look so content he doesn't dare interrupt their moment.

After fifteen minutes a loud voice bellows across the park "Young master, where are you. It is time to go home!" The kid tenses up with a guilty expression on his face. Alex, seeing this, says "You better hurry over there. They seem worried about you." Reluctantly the kid parts from Zero. "Thank you, Mister." And with a shy smile the boy runs across the lawn where a scolding awaits him before he is taken along by some big imposing guy.

Alex also takes Zero back home. The first day of his new life was long and eventful. But he couldn't even guess that the part he found most uneventful would kick his life out of track really hard.