Mimi's Daddy

Adam…

The slap of Adam’s windshield wipers fought the pelting rain. He tightened his grip on the work truck’s steering wheel as dense black clouds held the morning light hostage. With fifteen minutes left before his meeting, he barely had enough time to get to Thornton Industries. The deal they were working on would ensure his team met their goals for this quarter. He preferred being early, but going fast on back roads in this weather was not a good idea.

Way too close, lightning cracked, sharp and bright, hitting the ground on the far side of the road ahead of him. In the blinding white, a dog bolted into the street. On instinct, Adam cranked down on his brakes, resisting the urge to set the pedal to the floor. He had no desire to spin off into a ditch. The Chevy in the oncoming lane swerved to avoid the animal but still managed to strike the dog. Without a hint of a pause, the Chevy sped past him. In his rear-view mirror, their taillights disappeared as they fishtailed around the corner.

Grumbling, Adam turned his truck around to go check on the mutt. If you hit somebody’s damn dog, you stopped. Those were the rules for decent people.

His side tires sank into the spongy ground beside the road, tilting the vehicle, and he grimaced. If he got stuck over some damn dog, there was going to be hell to pay. Adam flipped on his emergency lights and pulled out his phone. The office picked up on the first ring. Marge remained one of the best business choices he had ever made. Hands down, she was the greatest office manager in history.

“You gotta call Harmon for me.”

“Mr. Sanders?”

Adam said, “Who else would call you from this phone?” The dog’s body lay on the slope of the ditch, barely moving. “Some idiot hit an animal and I’m stopping. Reschedule Harmon and offer him my apologies. I’ll call you when I’m done with this mess.” He hung up before she could respond.

With his emergency lights flashing, Adam dug around under his passenger seat for a tarp and a flashlight. Worse for wear, the heavy-duty cloth was still usable and would save his seats from blood stains and urine. He spread it across the back seat. God damn dog.

As freezing rain slid past his collar and down his neck, Adam waded into the high grass in his work boots. When the flashlight washed across the mutt’s belly, it was clear she’d recently had puppies. Scraggly, medium-sized, the dog gave him an uncertain wag as he approached her. There was some lab in her. You couldn’t beat the hope out of some breeds.

Hidden next to a collapsed cardboard box, he saw the puppies. Some idiot had dumped them in the middle of the night. A bold buff-colored pup inched toward his mother. Puppies or mom first? The puppies were small, but their tiny eyes were open. He crouched next to the wounded dog. “It’s okay, momma. I’m gonna help you.” Gently as he could, he eased his hands under her injured body. When he lifted her from the ground, she yelped and snapped at him in pain, leaving two puncture marks and a scrape on his wrist. His yell left her trembling in his arms.

“Don’t worry. I got you. I know you are hurting.” Taking cautious steps across the mud and slick grass, Adam carried her back to his truck. As carefully as he could, he settled her in the backseat. When she tried to stand, she cried out and slumped back down. The leg was broken. Out in the rain, the puppies cried. Whimpering for them, the mother dog lay with her hips slanted to the side. “Shh. I’m gonna go get them.”

When he neared the sagging box, the puppies retreated toward the rain-soaked cardboard. Grateful for his Harcourt coat, he wished he had some beef jerky to use to draw them forward. As he slid his jacket zipper down, one bold one stretched toward him and barked. The sound came out in a squeak. “Aren’t you the brave one?” He counted five pups.

Withdrawing a work glove out of his pocket, Adam eased the leather toward the mouth of the feisty one with the brown foot. With little razor teeth, the puppy bit into the leather and shook his head. Taking his time, Adam tugged the pup closer until he could pick up his thrashing body. As soon as his paws left the earth, the little dog cried out as if Adam were trying to kill him. He stuffed the sodden puppy, thin and big-bellied, into his jacket to get warm. When he had all the puppies stashed in his coat, Adam headed to his truck, supporting the dogs with his arm.

Every day, on his way to work, he passed an animal rescue. They might have a vet on duty. Only four miles away, it’d be a good place to try. Their parking lot seemed to stay full, so they could probably find suitable homes for the dogs. With one hand, he emptied the box he used to transport paperwork to the office. The mother dog watched him with huge brown eyes as he blocked the rain with his body.

“I know you didn’t mean to bite me. Here are your kids. You can accept them as a peace offering.” He wedged the box behind the driver’s seat on the floorboard, close to her. One by one, he placed the soggy, cold puppies into the box. She nosed each one as if she was counting them and they clamored over each other to bump noses with her. “Let’s get down the road with no more trouble. Do you hear me?” He grabbed his spare work shirt off the passenger seat and tucked it around the babies. Hair soaked, he hopped back into the driver’s seat. Over his shoulder, he said, “And you, stay right where you are, momma dog. You sure as hell are lucky.”

Watching for traffic, he pulled out onto the black asphalt. The rescue might be open, even if it was early. He saw lights inside every morning.

The Rescue

Mimi…

Rainy days were always harder. There weren’t enough thunder shirts to go around when the weather turned bad. With hot coffee in her cup and the morning emails complete, Mimi could ignore the torrential rain outside. In the back of the shelter, Carl was cleaning out cages. He whistled while he worked, and the sound made her smile as she strolled down the hall toward the animals.

Jen would arrive soon, bringing her own brand of sunshine into the space. Mimi walked through the kennels every morning, making sure the furry citizens had made it through the night. Tomkin, their oldest cat, slept a lot and had become hard to wake up. Checking to make sure his body was still warm was part of Mimi’s morning ritual. She wedged her fingers through the bars of his kennel and scratched his scrawny shoulder. The old man stretched and began to snore. “Hey there, buddy.”

The small breed dog hall was too full this season. They needed good weather to bring more people to their door. A gate rattled loudly, drawing her attention amidst the normal noise the pups made.

“Hello there, Mr. Paul.” A plump terrier, with a plastic cone around his neck, pranced in his cage as she approached his section. A new arrival. He was food-motivated and considered anything in a human hand to be something he could eat. Exactly like the sock he had to have surgically removed from his stomach. Paul’s owners had never come to gather him from the veterinarian’s office. The vet had assumed his family couldn’t pay for the surgery when they didn’t pick him up, so after a few days and dozens of phone calls, they’d brought the goofy guy here. Mimi still hoped his people would show up.

Paul’s eyes never left her cup. “It’s coffee, I don’t think you would like it.” Disagreeing, he danced on his hind feet. “I’ll see if I can sneak you a biscuit later if you are a good boy and poop outside today.” With his happy tail wagging, he followed her as she passed. Paul wouldn’t be here long. For two weeks, she would hold him, just in case his original owners appeared.

One video of what he would do for treats would set their social media on fire. He’d find a family fast. She’d been working on the perfect copy to entice the right owner in for him. Because Paul loved anyone holding a snack, his new people wouldn’t have a hard time winning him over. With his friendly nature, the odds were high that his adoption would be successful. Unlike Tomkin, who hated kids with a passion. And dogs. And adults. And grass. For all practical purposes, the cat was a lifer.

Offering greetings or lazy looks, each animal responded to Mimi as she made her good mornings while she drank her coffee. When she passed Tiny’s kennel, she paused. The chihuahua had pressed her small body into a corner again. Lost in grief, the little dog turned her face toward the wall. Knowing that chihuahuas were often one-owner pups, it didn’t surprise Mimi that the poor girl was overwhelmed. When her owner had passed, his kids had brought their dad’s best buddy in the world to the kennel and abandoned her there. Mimi didn’t understand people. Scared and grieving, Tiny had very little will to live. Mimi grabbed a clean dog towel from the rack and went back to Tiny’s cage. The little dog wedged her body tighter into the corner when Mimi unlatched the gate.

“Listen, young lady, I think it’s time we had a little coffee time together and a talk.”

As she swung the kennel door open, Tiny trembled and tucked her tail tightly under herself. Mimi placed the towel on the floor and seated herself on the hard cement, mug in hand. With the gate shut, she took a sip of her coffee and leaned back against the wall.

“I know you’ve had a hard time.” One white ear flicked. “How about I sit with you a bit?”

Yesterday, she’d picked up some bacon toasties, a brand of treat the son had mentioned they’d found at his Dad’s house. With ammunition in her pocket, Mimi sipped her coffee and waited. The grumpy girl had lost her best friend in the world. She deserved a little patience.

The familiar crinkle of the chihuahua’s favorite treat bag made Tiny flash a quick, uncertain glance her way. “You got this Tiny.” They hadn’t gotten her to eat anything. “Try one.” Mimi tossed a bit of a toasty treat toward the small dog. Since Tiny hadn’t eaten a meal for a day and a half, she had to be hungry. After Mimi placed a few treats between the two of them, she picked her coffee up and took another sip. “My coffee’s almost gone, sweet girl. Are you sure you don’t want a cuddle?” Tiny nosed the piece of treat that sat next to her, snapped it into her mouth, and turned back toward the corner. Even though she chewed begrudgingly, Mimi knew it was a start. With the back of her fingers, she brushed the small dog’s hip. Tiny growled and tucked her feet tighter under her. This was going to take time.