June 13, 2013
Vaguely aware of a familiar sound of retching. Once a victim, the
memories flood back uninvited; vomiting, spitting, moaning, stomach heaves and
spewing results, body eventually spent. It was the only sound in the world. I
could ascertain his helplessness, the dread in his heart, weighed heavy as a
cold mind. Based on the deep-throated sound, I decide it must be the man, the
only male, save an eight year old, that lives upstairs. I see the back of his
dusty head occasionally, as he descends the front stairs, glimpse of a t-shirt
and jeans as they pass over the window ledge and drop below the eaves. No
confirmation of the ill party followed in the late morning. A fragment of discernment
left me in suspense. How to relay concern about a guy whom I’ve never met, the
retcher in the early morning hours?
Dry-mouthed with excitement. Today we leave the house together, Taelor
and I. We are taking Moose, the new cat, to the vet. Though my head feels
wobbly on its post from lack of sleep, I stare without ceremony at the morbid
rain. I wrestle the deluxe walker out the door and down the front stairs, which
I cannot do without assistance. The taste of freedom from the inner walls
motivates me to press the physical limits.
I paid him no heed, his moist voice
and as he draws near, breath of candy. He moves beneath the florescent bulb,
which illuminates little more than grime and moisture, doped by the slender sun
and drone of flies. He glances at the receptionist behind the counter. She
lifts her watch to her ear, dial huge, its tick murderous. At the other end of
the leash sits a gigantic German Shepherd mix, which is sedately looming over
all of the other canine heads. Many other large breed dogs mingle in the
waiting room with their slouching owners. Most people look a bit dazed from the
weight of canine surgical procedures and drop their shoulders to sooth the
shaky beasts. Large shaved areas cut squares into the fur, casts grace a few
paws, and one pup toted along in a carriage.
Bea is charismatic as she flops, unceremoniously
on the floor with the cat, cuddles and kiss her on the furry head while making
cooing noises. We are charmed. An initial exam by the vet tech proves to be
informative and follows a more thorough physical by the veterinarian who is so
youthful, could be graduating from the eighth grade. All goes well and Moose
passes grade. She flops on the stainless table in relief. As we march her out
through the double doors, the big dogs keep coming. Some of the owners are
obviously in need of weight lifting sessions since the dogs slowly pull them
across the floor. One Rottweiler in particular has an inclination to dominate
and the lobby becomes too perilous to remain. You can guess how that turns out.
Moose now sleeps as if years of
fatigue have overtaken her.
No comments:
Post a Comment