“That’s okay, they can ride in my boat. Thank you, Daddy Timothy and Jamie. I love everything.”
“Alright Henry, time to go,” Daddy Jensen helped him up. “I’m sure they’re both tired and ready to get settled in.”
“Thank you again for checking on the house.” The daddies said goodbye while Henry and I hugged. “We’ll get together soon,” Daddy said as they loaded into their car. We walked back inside and daddy fell back on the couch and sighed. “I think it’s pizza night. I’ll put in a grocery order for tomorrow.”
“’Kay, Daddy.” I put the rest of my toys away while daddy ordered dinner, then he started the laundry.
“I’m glad I’m off until Monday. It will give us time to unwind from our whirlwind vacation.” Daddy’s words hit me hard when I realized I didn’t have a job to go back to. “What’s wrong with my shiny star?”
“I don’t have a job, and I’ve only ever had the one job. I don’t even have a resume. Where do I even start looking?” So many questions tumbled forth in rapid fire as they hit my brain.
“Well,” Daddy wrapped his wonderful arms around me. Daddy was my happy place, my happy thought when I was down, but failing and disappointing my daddy was the worst feeling ever. “I have a couple of ideas. You can say yes, or not, but I think you’d really like it.”
“Yesss,” I drug the word out, not quite sure what daddy was about to ask. I wouldn’t put it past him to offer to start a chore chart and pay me for keeping the house clean. Silly man, I’d do that for free because I live here too.
“One, you could work with daddy, and before you say you don’t have a degree, you wouldn’t need one for this job. You’d be cleaning kennels and disinfecting the exam rooms after each use, but you’d get to be around animals all day.”
“I’d be very good at that because daddy’s shiny star is daddy’s clean boy.”
“Yes you are,” he kissed the top of my head and I preened. Yup, I had a praise kink and a being daddy’s good boy kink.
“Second one is the shelter I volunteer at is looking for front desk help. I’m not gonna lie and say both jobs are happy-happy, joy-joy, because they’re not. Both will involve injured animals coming in, some of which sadly cross over the rainbow bridge.”
“That’s so sad, daddy.”
“Yes, my love, it is. But both are equally as rewarding when you see happy pets and happy pet parents. At the shelter though, you’d also be contending with people giving up animals they can no longer care for. I hate seeing that, but I despise the ones who just let them go. That’s cruel and those animals deserve better. Both jobs are just a couple days a week, a few hours a day, but that would give you more time to take care of the dog we’re getting.”
“What?” I jumped up and nearly booped his nose with my head. “Sorry daddy but we’re getting a dog? Can it be from the shelter? Those always look so sad and lonely.”
“It will only be a rescue dog from the shelter. Those lost souls deserve a happy home just like we do. We can go looktomorrow, and then you can assess the place and decide if you want to apply there or not.”
“I’ve never had a pet of my own before. I’m so excited. I get to make a doggy happy just like your shiny star is, Daddy.”
“My love, you make my heart happier than it has ever been and every day with you is a blessing I thank the fates for.”
Daddy always knew the right words to trigger the happy tears.
“Daddy, look, kitties.” A wall of glass separated one side of the lobby at the shelter from the kitty cats. “There are so many.” I felt sad for the cats lounging around in the beds and towers, but the kittens were busy playing with the toys, rolling around and having a good time.
“Yes, and the kittens get adopted before the older cats. With cats come cat boxes and scratching posts. Would you like a cat instead?”
“Maybe both, someday.” All that would be missing from my life is the white picket fence. That’s how perfect it is.
“Okay then, let’s look at the dogs first and if you find one, we’ll get it, and if it goes well, then maybe someday soon we can come back and get a cat. I love both, so I have no issues with it as long as you help take care of them.”
“Deal, Daddy.”
“Dr. Tim,” a lady with a big smile said when she saw us looking at the cats. “This must be your partner, Jamie.”
“Good morning, Jan. Yes, this is Jamie. It’s busy in here today.”
“Saturdays are good days for families looking for furry ones to love. I though you were off today.”
“I am. Jamie and I have decided it’s time to add a pet to our home.”
“Jamie, it’s wonderful to finally meet. We’ve heard so much about you,” Jan shook my hand and daddy actually blushed. Was daddy talking about me to his friends? That gave me the warm fuzzies to know that even when we’re apart he’s still thinking about me.
“You too. I’m so excited.” But I had to remember to call him Tim and not daddy. That was sooo hard to do. “Where are all the doggies at?”
