“Come on, boy. Let’s roll.” I pat my leg and he jumps down from the bed to walk over to me. Sitting at my feet, he waits for me to attach his leash. “Okay, sweet boy, I’ll feed you outside,” I say while double-checking the bathroom to make sure I didn’t leave anything. Walking to the elevator, with beast in tow, I slow down so he can smell everything that he missed last night.
The elevator opens up and the person stepping out almost stumbles at the sight of Beast. I mean, he is big but he is not that scary looking. His fur is dark gray with black spots, his nose is pink with black spots and his eyes are almost blue. He’s actually really beautiful. I give the guy a look and apologize. “Maybe my face is what scared him,” I say to Beast when the elevator door closes. He tilts his head in agreement. Once on the first floor with the elevator door open, there’s enough light to put on my sunglasses so I slide them down my face.
Walking to the checkout, I notice there is a new desk clerk. I’m praying we don’t have to have another uncomfortable conversation. That’s when I spot a key card drop box and make my way to it without a second look at the front desk.
Once I drop my key inside, the smell of coffee hits me. My feet move without my command to the source of my weakness. I love coffee. I drink so much coffee every day that my coffee consumption alone could support a small country. Coffee in hand and a bagel hanging out of my mouth, we make our way out to my car. Outside, the cold air hits my lungs and it feels amazing. I walk to my other baby, my light blue convertible VW bug. I pop the trunk and drop my bag inside then dig out Beast's food and water bowl and set them down on the ground. Leaning against my car, I watch Beast scarf down his food while I enjoy mine. Once he’s done, I put his bowls back in the car and take him to the grassy area near the parking lot to take care of his business. I lay down in the cold grass, looking up into the sky and all I can think is in a just few hours, my life is going to be so different.
********
Driving is not fun. Okay, let’s be clear, driving in “my” car with a giant beast of a dog, going from New York to Tennessee is not fun. My car is small and with all my stuff packed in the trunk and the back seat, there is no room for Beast. I feel bad for him being stuck up here with no place to lie down. But I have to say, he is pretty inventive. At one point, his butt was on the seat while the upper part of his body was lying on the floor board. It didn’t look comfortable to me, but apparently he didn’t mind because within a few minutes of finding that position, he was snoring. Who knew dogs could snore so loud?
We’ve been stopping every couple hours to use the rest room and stretch our legs. We still haven’t made it out of Virginia. To be honest, I’m just glad the roads are clear. You never know what kind of weather you’re going to run into during this time of year. October is one of those tricky months. Some days are beautiful and sunny with fall in the air and other days are freezing and all you want to do is go hibernate for the winter.
I hate the cold. Maybe after I get settled with my dad, I’ll take a trip to a beach somewhere. The only good thing about winter is being able to wear cute sweaters and boots. But I do miss my dresses during the winter. I wear a dress every day during the summer. I’ve taken sewing classes just so I could make my own summer dresses. There’s nothing like getting up in the morning, taking a shower and slipping on a dress and a cute pair of sandals. There’s no work involved. You can add a cute jacket or extra jewelry but you don’t have to. A dress is simple. During the winter, not only do you have to wear pants and boots but you have to make sure that your shoes go with your top and jacket. Yep, I hate the cold.
My phone blasting Breathe by Anna Nalick startles me out of my daydream about summer and dresses. Looking at the screen, I see it’s Dad calling.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, baby girl. Just checking to see how far you got.”
Looking at my GPS, I say, “We're still in Virginia and have about six hours left. I’ve been stopping a lot for Beast.”
"Oh, yeah. Forgot you’re bringing that thing you call a dog with you.” He chuckles under his breath. “I hope you know the only reason I'm letting you bring him into my house is because he saved your life.”
I sent him a picture of Beast when I told him he was coming with me. Dad was shocked. He told me that girls were supposed to have little cute dogs for pets, not things that looked like they would eat you.
“I know, Dad, but he’s a really good dog.” As if he knows we're talking about him, Beast lifts his head and barks. “I know, sweet boy,” I coo at him.
"Yeah, I guess it's not such a bad thing that he can help me scare off all the guys who start sniffing around."
“Ha ha, Dad!”
"Well, baby girl, I’ll call you in a few hours to check on you."
“Okay, Dad. Talk to you then.”
Hanging up with my dad, I have a smile on my face. I wonder how different my life would be if my mom would have left me with him rather than take me with her. I also wonder why she took me to begin with. My mom met my dad at a graduation party when she was eighteen. They had one night of drunken, unprotected sex and I was born nine months later. Two weeks after that, my mom took off with me to live with her cousin in New York. Growing up, my mom wasn’t involved at all. I had a nanny from as far back as I can remember. Her name was Mrs. B. She lived in the apartment next to us. She was the person I always counted on. If something happened, I would go to her. She would bandage me up or tell me that I shouldn’t cry over boys because they were all stupid. She was the only parental figure I’ve ever really known and when she passed away, I felt like my world crumbled around me. My dad found me not long after Mrs. B’s passing.