He runs.
first aid
Rowdy still isn’t moving.
I don’t know what else to do.
So I bite the heck outa his tail.
Perks the little guy right up.
the truth
It hits me then. I’m so tired. So banged up. I can’t go on, even if I want to.
I carry Rowdy to a sheltering tree. Cuddle him close. Give him a couple licks for good measure.
“Now what?” he asks.
“Now,” I say, “we wait.”
“For what?”
“For humans,” I answer. “For help.”
“Are you sure they’ll come?”
I think for a moment.
I remember all the people I’ve seen today, the police and rescue workers, the park employees, the staff at the shelter, the folks at the doughnut shop opening their door to a strange collection of animals. I remember George running to get Julia, and Julia trying to get me, and Sara struggling to find them both.
I breathe in the sweet smell of puppy. It’s important to tell the truth.
“I’m sure,” I say.
forever
The eye of the hurricane passes. The storm rages on.
It feels like a year. Like nine years, even.
It feels like forever.
rescue
When I hear Julia calling my name through the open window of her parents’ car, I pick up Rowdy and dash over like it’s my favorite place on this lonely ball called Earth.
No clickers necessary.
No treats required.
I fly my drool flag all the way home.
Four
aftermath
We’ve lost ten park residents total. Eight deaths, plus two still missing. No humans died, but there were some injuries.
They’ve already started rebuilding. It’s funny the way people go right back at it after a tragedy. Everyone comes together. Lots of talk about community and kumbaya, blahblahblah.
They’re a resilient species, I’ll give them that.
It’s been three weeks, and we still don’t have Kimu back. Suzu either. There’ve been some sightings, nothing for sure.
I worry they can’t last long. Wolves aren’t native to this part of the world.
I like to think they’re together, at least.
Everybody else is back, with makeshift domains. Nobody’s complaining, though.
In spite of all the construction, Julia’s been taking me to see Ivan and Ruby whenever she can.
Today Ivan leans on the temporary fence separating him from the elephants. Maya made him a medal for valor out of a watermelon and cucumbers. He’s eaten most of it.
“It’s pretty great almost everybody we saved from the shelter ended up with a home,” says Ivan. “Even that annoying bunny.”
“Almost everyone,” I remind him.
“I’m so sorry about Boss,” he says in his gentle way.
From what we can tell, Boss never went into the doughnut shop. She slipped away, and no one knows what happened to her.
I try not to feel hurt. But I had this silly fantasy about me and her and Rowdy all hanging out together like a family.
And I so wanted her to know what it’s like to have a warm bed and a full bowl and a good ear scratch whenever you need it.
I wanted her to know she deserves that as much as any dog.
I guess she’d lived life too long on her own terms. Or maybe she was afraid to get her hopes up. To trust.
I understand. Been there, done that.
But sometimes humans don’t let you down. Sometimes they even come to the rescue.
riddle
“Uncle Bob!” Ruby calls, galloping over.
She seems more confident these days. A little more grown up. Stella would be proud. I know I am.
“Want to hear my new riddle?”
“Absolutely I do.”
Ruby flaps her ears. She does that when she gets excited. “What has an eye but cannot see?”
“I am perplexed, Ruby. Pondering and puzzled.”
“A hurricane!” she exclaims.
“Good one, Ruby. First-rate.”
I look at Ivan. We smile at each other. We don’t need to say a thing.
It’s enough to listen to the palm trees rustle and watch the saw grass sway.
working on it
On the way home, we pass the shelter. It’s been patched up pretty well, looks like. And they’re back in business.
I hear the usual yelps and howls and hisses and meows, and like always, I feel lousy. I plop down on the sidewalk, and Julia stops walking.
“What’s going on, Bob?” she asks.
I listen, like I always do, for her bark. That bark.
Nope. Nothing.
I wish Rowdy were here to distract me. But he’s still learning how to walk on a tug-of-war string.
He’s a pretty swell pup, even if he is a little feisty. I’m surprised how much I like having him around the house.
It’s weird. I feel responsible for the little guy. Sorta like he’s become my numero uno.
Julia bends down and strokes my head. I wag my tail a bit, slowly stand. I think of poor old Droolius stuck in that backyard, day and night. I think of Boss, roaming the streets. I think of my siblings, the dark night, the box, the highway.
I’m trying hard to find the forgiveness that seems to come so naturally to other dogs. Maybe that’s what Boss was getting at. Maybe it’s easier to forgive others once you’ve learned how to forgive yourself.
I’m working on it. It’s like a bone. Sometimes you have to chew for a long time before you make any progress.
snickers, again
Once we’re home, I head for the couch. I’m snoozing peacefully with Rowdy when a smell, a doozy of a smell, assaults my schnozz, which is finally back to working order.
It’s her.
Snickers is back.
She’s been gone for a while. After the hurricane, they had to do some repairs to Mack’s house. Not sure where Snickers has been staying, but that’s definitely her I smell, no doubt about it.
I dive under the couch, but not before Nutwit appears at the front window. “Oh, Bobbo!” he calls. “Someone’s looking for you!”
“I’m not home,” I yell.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’ll take no for an answer,” says Nutwit.
“Shouldn’t you be rebuilding your nest?”
“Naw. Watching you cower in fear is way more fun.”
“What’s the deal, Uncle Bob?” Rowdy asks.
“Be afraid, Rowdy,” I say. “Be very afraid.”
The door opens, and there’s Julia with Snickers by her side.
“Well, hello there, Snickers,” says Sara as she passes through the living room. “What are you doing here?”
“Mack and his wife just moved back in,” Julia says. “They called this afternoon and said Snickers was dying for a walk.”
I ease back a little farther under the couch. Can Snickers see me? Maybe not. But she can most definitely smell me.
For once I regret my pungent aroma.