Hearts, Scars & Horseshoes

Chapter 6 - Faith

I wiggled into a pair of jeans in the backseat of my car, discarding the khakis I had worn to school on the seat. I glanced around through the windows before stripping my white uniform polo over my head. In its place I put on a blue T-shirt and pulled my hair back into a low braid. I grabbed my rubber boots, slipping them on before I less than gracefully clambered out of my car. I opened up the front door, grabbing my purse and the rest of my beefy burrito supreme and headed for the doors of the animal shelter I volunteered at. This was one of my favorite places.

I pushed open the door, stepping into a hallway. I dropped my stuff in the employee room, shoving the last of my food in my mouth before going and finding Kevin. I went to his office, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" He shouted.

I opened the door, poking my head around the corner. "Just wanted to tell you I'm here."

"Okay, great. Thanks." He said smiling up from his desk. "Lily's somewhere around. She'll fill you in on what needs doing."

I closed his door, heading further into the building. I heard muttering in the 'new arrival' section. It was just what it sounded like. A bunch of metal kennels stacked against the walls and a couple exam tables in the middle. It was so if any animals came in sick they wouldn't containment the rest of the animals already living at the shelter. I pushed the door open, Lily wrestling with a German Shepard sized dog.

"Thank god you're here. One of the volunteers just didn't show up and Mallory called in sick. Kevin's been in his office practically all day trying to scrape up some money from donations so we can add some more kennels. We got six new dogs in today and eight cats." Lily rattled off to me as she hoisted a large dog into a kennel. "The vet just left like 30 minutes ago. I've been running around like a chicken with my head chopped off."

She looked like it too. Her mahogany hair that was usually pulled back into a sleek ponytail was falling out, her ponytail crooked on her head. She had stains and dirt all down the front of her, a surface scratch down her left arm and a bruise turning a nice shade of purple on her right.

"Sounds like a fun day." I said, a small smile on my face. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Foxy, Joe, Drogo, Blackie, and Muppet all need to get walked still. Can you start there?" She asked, blowing a piece of hair from her face.

"Yup got it."

I turned on my heel and headed for the dog kennels that weren't in the new arrival area. I didn't mind any of the work but I especially loved getting to take the dogs out for walks. I got to play with them and love on them and pretend that I was just a girl taking a stroll with her beloved dog.

I located Drogo first. He was a big mutt of a dog but probably the sweetest one there. I remembered when he got dropped off about a month ago. His family was moving and didn't want to take him with them. I never understood that logic. They weren't sure what his breeding was but he definitely had some Doberman in him.

"Drogo." I called, peeking into his kennel. He was curled up asleep in the back corner. "Drogo."

His big black head popped up, his ears perked.

"Hey there buddy, ready for a walk?" I grabbed the blue leash hanging from his door as he sprang up, his tail wagging his entire enormous body as he wiggled toward me.

I unlocked his door, clipping the leash to his collar as he body slammed my legs for rubs. I scratched his black fur as he pressed into me even more nearly knocking me off balance.

"Come on let's get Muppet and the three of us will go." I told him.

Drogo and Muppet loved each other. Muppet was a tan three legged boxer. He was so shy when he first came in, he was found hit by a car on a street near downtown. They had to amputate his leg but he didn't really start opening up until he met Drogo. They were best friends in an instant.

"Muppet, look who I have." I said, as I unlocked his kennel, a leash in my hand.

Muppet jumped up at the sight of Drogo next to me, both dogs doing the body wag as I hooked the leash onto Muppet.

"Come on boys. Let's go for a walk." I told them and together we headed for the doors.

The sunshine was warm against my skin as the dogs trotted along beside me into the grass. Both dogs stopped simultaneously to relieve themselves. When they were done, we carried on, walking around the perimeter of the animal shelters property. There was a small fenced in area where I could let them off their leashes to play. I always saved that for last so that they'd be good and tired when they got back to their kennels. My rubber boots flopped as I walked, the dogs occasionally stopped to sniff something. We walked our way to a bench in a little garden area and I sat. Drogo put his head in my lap, Muppet laid at his feet. I ran my hand along Drogo's fur, it was warm in the sunshine.

Before Elijah died, today would have been an amazing day. It was warm, the sun was shining, I was volunteering. I would have looked to the sky and felt God's love wash over me. The sunshine still felt good on my skin, but that was as far as it went. I still felt broken and lost in side and so incredibly alone.

"Elijah's been gone for three months." I said on a sigh. "You would have liked him Drogo."

Drogo licked my jeans, his eyes shut in anticipation of my pets.

"I still can't believe he's gone some days." I continued. "He used to love coming here with me and playing with the dogs. We used to come up with ways to sneak a dog into our house so our dad wouldn't find out. He definitely would have wanted you." I scratched underneath his collar, his back leg twitching in the air. "We obviously would have to take Muppet too, seems how you're best friends. Wouldn't that be nice? All of us together."

I let out a sigh but that wasn't my life. Elijah was gone, my dad was allergic and Drogo and Muppet still didn't have a home.