| |
––––––––
“Daddy, can we keep her?”
Kara’s sitting on the ground, sitting cross-legged with a small, skinny, scared young dog in her lap. I volunteer my time at the ASPCA and treated the animal when it was first rescued, chained to a fence in a lot and abandoned. Bet stands behind Kara with a cat-ate-the-canary smile. The woman loves to find homes for animals, and she knows she’s probably got me.
I managed to keep the random strays in the office or at shelters for years, always afraid to bring them home because I could barely manage taking care of myself and my daughter. Upkeep for any animal, even a hamster, would fall on me, and then sometimes my mom.
Now, Kara’s animal collection has expanded to include a bunny, a parakeet, and two teddy bear hamsters. I’m going to have to ban Delilah and Kara from visiting the vet clinic or assisting at the ASPCA events, because I don’t have the willpower to say no to the two of them, and Kara’s playroom is turning into a small animal shelter.
We found a rental near the clinic that Delilah and I could afford together. At her insistence, I kept my apartment and rented it out. She explained to me that while she liked my furniture, we didn’t need any of it or have a place for it, and there were others in need who could greatly benefit from it. Yes, my beat-up sofa and La-Z-Boy both went to Goodwill. Without any furniture, the move was quick and easy.
Delilah and Kara had fun decorating her new big girl room, since her bedroom in my place had been her nursery, still painted in baby green, and they explained to me she needed something older now. I still don’t completely agree with that assessment. We did pack up her artwork, and Delilah framed a ton of it for her hallways and strung metal lines on Kara’s new playroom wall to hang her evolving art.
Under Delilah’s direction, she’s become a talented artist. She’s moved beyond princesses, and now she loves to sketch and paint landscapes. Delilah’s urging her to embrace abstracts. The two of them are always doing craft projects.
Delilah’s arm wraps around my waist as she steps into my side with a sneaky grin. “Ready for a dog?”
“A cat would be so much easier. We could leave a cat with food when we go out of town on the weekends. A dog means we’ll need to either kennel it or have a pet sitter. And it’ll have to be walked multiple times a day.” I gaze down at her as I consider all the reasons a dog doesn’t make sense. Of course, Delilah never worries about money, because she’s just not used to doing so, but I know firsthand how expensive dogs can be.
I can’t help but weigh all the ramifications of the commitment we are considering. Plus, owning a dog in an apartment bears with it greater time requirements. There’s no back door to open and let them run free. And right now, our apartment is close to the clinic, which makes it easier to own a dog, but we’ve agreed one day we’ll buy a place, and it’s quite possible we won’t be able to afford Manhattan.
She squirms near my side. “I’m more of a dog than a cat person. And look at how happy Kara is. How big do you think the doggy is going to get? Couldn’t it fly with us?” We go to New Orleans almost every other month. We would probably go more frequently, but her dad has been keeping his promise to not throw away today worrying about tomorrow and working away on their travel wish list. Right now, they’re on a Seaboard cruise somewhere near New Zealand.
I tug on my chin as I consider the odd heap curled up in Kara’s lap. It has the ears of a terrier, but the fur isn’t curly. It’s more of a matted mess. The undernourished dog probably weighs about twenty pounds, and at around a year old, most likely won’t get much bigger, only fatter. I’m a fan of mutts, but this one is a less attractive specimen.
As if reading my thoughts, Delilah says, “She’s as homely as a mud fence, but that kind of makes her cute, doesn’t it? And I bet once we fatten her up and get her groomed, she’ll be a total cutie. And she’s bonded with Kara.” She presses her curvy body against mine.
Kara aims her big, pleading eyes at me. “Please, Daddy. Please.”
Delilah’s baby blues silently beg, and I’m sunk. The dog will be coming home with us.
I smile, and before a word is out of my mouth, Delilah and Kara are both squealing, and Bet has her hands clasped beneath her chin while she twirls to and fro.
I finish up with some of the vaccinations and answer questions from one couple passing by. Their cat has stopped using the litter box, and we talk about possible reasons that could be as Delilah finishes up all the paperwork required to complete the adoption. Our last responsibility of the day is to help the volunteers load cages to return to the shelter. They set up for the day outside in front of a local PetCo. We all pitch in.
During all the wrap-up activity, Kara remains on the ground with the little mutt snuggled on her lap. I stop and pull out my phone to snap a photo and a short video. Kara’s sitting on the ground, chatting up her new love.
“You’re gonna love your new home. Daddy’s the best vet in the world, so you’ll always be healthy. And Delilah, she’s gonna be a good mommy. She’s not our for real Mommy yet, but she will be. She makes the best mac and cheese.”
My breath catches, and I stop the video and step away as she chatters nonstop.
When we get home, Delilah and Kara hurry upstairs to get our new family member situated in Kara’s bedroom. I head to our bathroom for a shower. Showering after handling animals all day has become habit.
I’m lifting a shirt hanger from the closet when Delilah presses her body behind mine, the softness of her breasts pushing against my back as her hands roam my bare chest.
“Did you come to shower with me? I would have waited for you.” I twist to face her and kiss her soft lips. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and she’s wearing a gray crop top sweatshirt with well-worn, faded jeans.
I slip on my t-shirt, and she beams up at me. Her nose ring glints in the light, and I bend down and place a soft kiss above it.
Blue irises peer into mine as she drops to one knee. My chest tightens, and I coach myself to keep it cool. A tentative smile graces her lips, and she inhales deeply enough her chest visibly rises and falls.
“I don’t have a ring. I had planned to tie a note to Mary, but I can’t get her out of Kara’s hands, and she’s too skittish to walk up to you, anyway. You asked me once before, and I wanted to say yes, but I didn’t think I could handle it all, be true to you and to the others in my life. You’ve helped me see I have enough love to find ways to be there for everyone, as long as I’m true to myself first. And I didn’t believe I could fall in love so quickly, but I did. Completely. Heart and soul. Will you marry me? Spend the rest of your life with me?”
I drop to my knees and kiss her. My fingers glide along her swept-up hair, and I pull on the hair band until her bun falls out and the golden mass falls down her back.
“Does that mean yes?”
I laugh. “Yes, yes, that means yes. I’ve been committed to you for life since the day we moved in together. Someone told me marriage was just a piece of paper. I took that to mean that if I want you for forever, I need to commit to forever, but love you as if you could walk away any day.”
A small hand taps against my back. Kara sidles up to us, much closer to our height since we’re both on our knees, her small mutt clutched in her arms. She’s smiling as the dog squirms, clearly not as comfortable in her arms when she’s standing as when she’s sitting.
She sets Mary down on the ground and throws her arms around us. “We’re getting married.”
I kiss the top of her head. “Yes, baby girl, we’re getting married.”
“That’s why I named her Mary.”
I hold Delilah close to my side while I ask Kara, “You knew she was going to propose?”
Delilah smiles down at Kara. “I had to ask her permission.”
“And I said yes!” Kara squeals with her arms out wide to her side. She’s become a regular little Delilah, using her arms and hands to emphasize her words.
I pull Delilah to me and kiss her, a proper kid-in-the-room kiss. Tonight, Kara will be going to bed on time. Maybe even earlier than bedtime.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mary sniffing around. “Kara, it looks like we need to walk Mary. You see when she’s sniffing around like that?”
“Yes.”
“It means she might have to go to the bathroom. We’ll have to train her to give us a signal, but for now, we’re going to have to watch her, okay? Let’s go get our shoes on and take her outside.”
It takes a few minutes for Kara to find her missing shoe because, inexplicably, only one sits in the entry hall. Once we all have shoes on our feet, the three of us leave the apartment, heading out to walk our dog.