1000 Paper Cranes

Chapter 36 - 10

The next morning, Joanna got to my house early. The morning sky was still hazy and the bugs still flew lazily before the May heat rendered them useless. The birds still sang their early morning reveries. I hadn't heard the morning songs of the birds in far too long. I'd forgotten how beautiful their lilting chirps were.

When Joanna knocked on my door at 8:00, she was obviously surprised to see me answer the door, already showered and dressed for the day. She crossed her arms and quirked a brow at me.

"Who are you?" Joanna laughed. "Because I know my best friend isn't already awake and ready to go; that'd be too much like normal."

"Would you like some tea?" I gestured to the kitchen. "Or casserole? We've got hundreds."

"Tea would be nice," Joanna took a seat as I boiled water. "Tell me about these ten things we have to do."

So I told her about Robin's sparrows. I told her about wanting to dance in the rain and serve at the soup kitchen. I told her about wanting to bake cookies and give them to other people. When I looked up from where I had been pouring our tea, Joanna was smiling broadly.

"What?" I asked, guarded.

"That's just like Robin," she laughed, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "Even after she is gone, she is still working to make other people's lives better."

I smiled, too, Because she was right. That's exactly what Robin was doing. Even after she was gone, she was making people's lives better.

We finished our tea before climbing into my car and making our way to the animal shelter. Unlike the shelter where I had adopted Marguerite, the shelter closest to my house cared for dogs. I had called Katrina at the shelter Marguerite had come from and asked her to vouch for us to volunteer at the dog shelter. She had happily agreed to vouch for us.

"We're walking dogs today?" Joanna asked as we pulled up to the dog rescue. "How many are there?"

"Thirty-six," I felt a smile creep across my face at the mental image of Joanna and I walking droves of dogs.

"That's just like Robin," she huffed playfully, obviously picturing the same thing.

We entered the cinder block building. The smell of dogs and kibble and antiseptic hung in the air. A man with brown curls and green eyes met us as we entered. He smiled a welcoming smile and extended his hand to us.

"Good morning," his warm smile filled the room. Were all people who worked with animals that happy?

"You must be the couple that Katrina called me about?"

I felt myself wince; it was like a knife to the gut.

"Well, sort of," Joanna explained. "He is. But I'm just his best friend."

She hoped that was explanation enough. I hoped that was explanation enough.

"I'm Jordan," I nervously extended my hand to him. "And this is Joanna."

"Kieran," he smiled, shaking our hands. "We're happy for all the help we can get." He added, nodding toward the kennels.

Kieran led us on a tour of the kennels. For some reason, I expected small metal cages with frightened-looking dogs cowing in the corner. Instead, though, the dogs had plenty of space move and seemed genuinely happy. It made me smile to see them so well cared for, but it would have made me happier to see them all have homes.

"They look happy," Joanna commented what I'd been thinking. "There's less than I expected there to be."

"I wish there were none here at all," Kieran responded, a hint of sadness in his voice.