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She smooths the creases in her dress. “Honey, you never know who you might meet at a place like this. I need to look fabulous.”
“You have eight-inch heels on.”
“And a matching hot pink thong… in case you were wondering.”
I let out a laugh before my attention diverts to Adriana. She’s sitting alone a few seats before us, staring blankly out the window. Suddenly, I feel terrible for the way I abandoned her that day. She hasn’t done anything wrong, apart from sharing the same blood as the man who can only be described as my nemesis.
Thankfully, it’s only a short ride because Fred and Jerry get into a heated debate over politics. Jerry is intelligent, something you wouldn’t pick up on by looking at him.
When Hazel announces we have arrived, I bolt off the bus desperate for some fresh air. Hazel talks about helping others, and I don’t realize she’s referring to animals. When I question her choice, she says many people have great difficulty helping other humans, and we need to remember that we aren’t the only ones walking this earth.
At the shelter, we assemble ourselves near the entrance. It’s a small, run-down building surrounded by acres of land. The sounds of different animals mixed into one are loud enough for us to hear at the entrance. The dominant crow of the rooster startles Penny, causing her to jump behind Jerry lecturing her for her childish behavior.
The manager of the shelter, Amy, welcomes us. Amy tells us why she opened the shelter and the stories of the different animals she rescues. As she takes us on a tour introducing us to each one of her friends, my heart sinks as I listen to what they have endured. Jerry seems annoyed, his usual self. Fred is more compassionate and spends his time with a sick cat and its kittens which were rescued from an abandoned house. Penny is clinging onto Hazel, repeating her story about the rooster. She throws the word ‘cock’ in there way too much.
Jerry, being Jerry, says he’s out of here.
I hear a slight snicker beside me. It’s Adriana trying to hide a smile. Smiling back at her, I’m slightly reluctant to be the first to speak.
“You can talk to me, you know. I don’t bite,” she offers.
“Your shirt read ‘I Like Boys That Sparkle,’ so I thought you were running with a vampire clan,” I respond.
“Ha! I can’t think of anything worse… unable to die and living forever?”
There’s an underlying truth to that statement, and I know I’m not emotionally strong enough to give a response like Hazel would.
“Julian, Adriana, who do you have here?” Hazel asks as she kneels to look at a dog lying in the cage before us.
Amy walks toward us. “This is Blaze. She’s a Labrador. We rescued her from th
e wildfires a few weeks ago.”
I bend down with Hazel to take a look at the poor dog. She is lying on her side, her panting quick, burned on one side leaving a huge scar. Her eyes are dull, no life left in them. The pain appears unbearable, and I ache knowing there isn’t anything I can do to take it away.
“Is she okay?” I ask, my words ragged, unable to hide my sorrow.
“We hope she’ll recover. We performed surgery to repair her burned tissue. The problem is that when we found her, she was with one of her pups. His name is Ash. The others couldn’t be found,” Amy says, struggling to choke back her tears.
I see Blaze’s pup beside her, nestled into her belly. Unlike a typical puppy, he lacks exuberance and continues to sleep. He’s abnormally small for his breed.
Adriana kneels to joins us. “Can we pet them?”
Amy smiles. “Yes, of course, you can, but be gentle. Both of them are still recovering, and their skin is quite sensitive.”
We sit on the cold, dirty floor as Amy opens the kennel. I don’t immediately reach my hand out, but instead, talk to them as does Adriana. After a while, we feel confident and gently stroke Blaze. She closes her eyes and enjoys our touch. Ash’s ears perk up, and almost like Blaze gives us her blessing, I bring my hand to Ash’s belly and gently pet him. With his small puppy paw, he tries to play- fight with me, a move that makes Adriana’s face light up. She has a beautiful smile, but it’s often hiding behind her heartbreak.
We’re interrupted as Jerry starts swearing.
“Fuck off, you pesky little shits!”
Jerry is running circles as a group of chicks follow him. I look at Adriana, and we both burst out laughing at the same time.
“Jerry, you finally got yourself a chick, shame it’s of the feathered variety.” Fred chuckles.
As Jerry continues to swear, even Hazel giggles at the sight of poor Jerry.
“Do you think someone will adopt them, Amy?” Adriana asks.
