Cowboy and Buster

He never leaves the house without his cowboy hat, his cowboy boots and an old pair of blue jeans. He walks stiffly, like old men often do, but there is something strong in his stroll, something that makes John Wayne look like a ballet dancer. In the streets of Munich, the cowboy looks a little out of place.

Buster accompanies him every morning at eight. They cannot walk as far together as they used to. Buster can just make it to the end of the street. There he takes a piss at the flower pot in front of the hotel, and then both head back. Buster usually has to take a five minute break and just stands there, his thin legs shaking, his head bowed and his tail hanging sadly on the ground. Buster is old. So is the cowboy. Sometimes they cannot get out of the house quickly enough and then the dog pisses all over the carpet. But that's ok. Buster and Cowboy have been together for a long time. And Cowboy will keep this old pal company, as long as he will walk the earth.

When Buster stands around for a long time, with his shaky legs and a look that seems to be staring half blindly into nowhere, Cowboy tries to talk some sense into him. He speaks in a strong Bavarian accent. "Come on, can we do this a little faster? I don't have all day. You know I still have to go to the grocery store."

Sometimes kids drive by with their bicycles on the walkway. They don't care about Buster and pass by so closely, that the old dog whimpers. Then the old cowboy starts screaming at those little bastards. Next time he'll push them off their bikes, he swears! "Learn to look where you are going, you little shits!"

I think Buster is dead. I have not seen them walking on the street together for a while. A few days ago, around noon, Cowboy was looking out of his window on the first floor - I almost did not recognize him, because he wasn't wearing his hat. He was talking to a woman and her small white dog. The man was in a good mood and laughed. I nodded at him and he nodded back. I did not even know the dog’s name. But it might have been Buster. And the man's name might be Herr Habermeister. But that does not really fit. I prefer to call him Cowboy, or John.