Glimpses

Chapter 38

December 4th, 2021

Logan had pretty much already counted on the fact that Rory just needed a weekend with Em, after the work week she'd just had. They'd planned to 'casually' meet at the playground Em loved on Sunday, maybe go grab a piece of pie and coffee together, the three of them, but that too was tentative, depending on whether Em seemed to be up for the idea. So Logan was not getting his hopes up. This was what slow meant. He couldn't really complain, having had Rory all to himself for the past two, two and a half, weekends in a row.

And since he didn't really have much else planned for his Saturday, he decided to go check out the dog shelter in Bloomfield just North of Hartford. He'd read that it was a good place to just go, even just to socialize the dogs if one wasn't sure, so he figured it would be a good way to just let himself adjust to this possible step.

There was also some parallel in his thinking, that if he was able to do this - he could also do more, be a role model for Em, maybe even be a father to his own kid someday. Like a trial run, almost, except it wouldn't be that temporary. It was a decision, a commitment, that he didn't want to do lightly.

The neighborhood certainly wasn't posh like the parts of West-Hartford that he was used to, but for once he felt like he fitted in alright - his car was average, his outfit of jeans, half-zip mock neck and his leather jacket, which was probably a little thin for this weather, also didn't stand out out and in that sense he had achieved just what he wanted. He wasn't Logan Huntzberger, he was just some guy taking a look around.

"Hi," Logan said as he stepped into the reception area that seemed to function as the waiting room for a vet's office. There were a few people waiting, one with a dog under their chair, another one with a hamster cage.

"Hi," the clerk replied. "How may I help you?" he added.

"I'm considering adopting a dog," Logan began and explained that he was hoping to take a look at the dogs they had, see if he clicked with anyone.

As the clerk himself had things to do, he just let Logan wander along the rows of kennels. There were barks, howls and a few cries even, some of the dogs jumping against their cages, some hidden to the furthest corners of their kennels.

There was a long row of pit-bulls in various colors and ages, the clerk having told him that there had been a puppy factory heist a few weeks back, which explained that. There were chihuahuas, several mix breeds and some Logan had only seen and knew to be pure-breds but didn't quite know what they were called.

None of them really felt even remotely 'right', except for the black mid-sized dog which caught his attention due the red collar on his neck. Generally the dogs here didn't have collars. But this one had a name, Zara, not just a number too. The dog was an 8-month old female, a Malinois, not that he knew what that really was. Either way - she was shorthaired and had pointy ears, looking skinny, but still wolf-like. She was quiet compared to the rest, but not shy, definitely showing some interest in him too.

Logan crouched down next to the dog's kennel and gently raised his hand, allowing her to sniff him. She whined a little, clearly wanting more of his attention.

"You want to come out and play, do you?" Logan said, speaking to the dog, and observed her body language.

The wagging tail was a good sign he figured, from the little experience that he had. He crouched there for several minutes observing her.

The clerk returned with another couple soon, who'd also wanted to look at the dogs, and let them wander. Then the clerk approached him to ask whether he wanted to take the talk out to the enclosure to throw a toy around with him or something. He'd seen one of the enclosures coming in.