“Great. I’ll be at Ortega’s Auto. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see you then.”
Leaning close, he pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek before going to join his friend that was waiting nearby. I looked at Dominic, to see if he had any reaction to Trainer’s kiss, but he didn’t appear to be bothered by it.
“I can’t wait until tomorrow,” he said, as we resumed walking to the exit. “Do you think that we should get a puppy or a grown-up dog? They might not have puppies, but that’s okay. Do you think the dog will like us? I have so many dog name ideas. Will he have his name already?”
Dominic talked endlessly about the dog as we crossed the parking lot to our car. I let him, my mind a million miles away. Trainer had to know that Dominic and I were a package deal, so the outcome of tomorrow would determine if there was any future for us at all.
* * *
Dominic was losing his mind.We were at the shelter, and his excitement level had skyrocketed as he went from one cage to the other, trying to make an impossible decision. I was pretty sure that he’d take them all if I let him.
There were far more dogs here than I had anticipated, and it broke my heart a little to see it. The shelter was a nice place, and the worker helping us had told me that it had been built just three years ago, with money donated by a local organization that I suspected might be the Outlaw Souls based on Trainer’s subtle fidgeting. But this was still no place for a dog to live. They should be in homes with yards and loving families.
“Mom, look at this one,” Dominic called, pointing into a cage with a huge black and white dog that was wagging its tail.
“Uh… maybe a smaller one? Let’s shoot for medium or small in size, okay?”
“Okay,” Dominic mumbled, dejected. “That wouldn’t have been a problem at our old house.”
As if realizing that he said something he shouldn’t have, Dominic widened his eyes and looked guilty. I saw his gaze flicker over to Trainer. Crouching down beside him, I placed a hand on his back.
“You’re right,” I said in a low voice, so that Trainer couldn’t hear us. “Our new home is smaller. But it’ll be a loving one for the new dog, right?”
Dominic nodded. “Right.”
And he continued on. It wasn’t ideal that Dominic mentioned our old home in front of Trainer, but I knew that I’d eventually have to tell him the truth anyway. I would have to trust him with it when I felt that I was ready. I was too embarrassed to talk about it yet.
Dominic reached the end of the row of cages with Trainer and I trailing along behind. Suddenly, he got serious, as if he recognized the weight of his decision. Turning, he walked back along the row of cages, once again peering inside.
“This kid’s an old soul, huh?” Trainer asked, and I nodded.
“He’s always wanted a dog, but… we weren’t allowed to have one at our old place.” It wasn’t technically a lie. “I’m sorry, it might take a while for him to pick one. It’s a huge deal for him.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be,” Trainer said as he stuck his fingers into a cage for an especially excited puppy to sniff.
I kept my eyes on Dominic. He was barely slowing down as he passed some cages, while he paused at others, looking thoughtful. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for in a dog, but he seemed determined to find it.
In the meantime, I was concerned about the seventy-five dollar adoption fee. It was good that the dogs came vaccinated and spayed or neutered, but that was still a lot of money on my small salary. I still had to buy supplies too.
Finally, Dominic stopped walking, peering into a cage with a soft smile. “This is the one I want,” announced confidently.
Coming up behind him, I looked in the cage and saw a small ball of brown fur curled up in the middle. He’d lifted his head and was looking at us curiously. One of his ears was mangled, and there were long scars on his muzzle.
“Why this one?” I asked, but I thought I might already know the answer.
“He’s been hurt. Someone needs to take care of him,” he looked up at me. “He belongs with us.”
For a long moment, I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat.
“I’ll go get the girl at the front desk,” Trainer said. I barely registered his leaving.
“Dominic, are you sure about this? You don’t have to pick this dog just because he’s been injured. Do you think he’s like you?”
“No. He’s like you, mom. But look,” he nodded to the dog that was now standing, “he’s okay now.”
This kid gutted me without even realizing it.
“Have we picked a new furry friend?” the cheerful voice of the shelter employee let me know that I had to pull myself together. I couldn’t go to pieces right now. I blinked several times to make sure there weren’t tears in my eyes while I was still facing away from her and Trainer.
