Ryan
I had been so excited about Wednesday morning that I hardly slept the nights I had to wait. When the day had finally arrived, I found myself so nervous that I thought I would be sick.
I let my dogs out, fed them, then made myself a light breakfast. It helped, but only to take the edge off.
I gathered up my gear: some toys, a clicker, training treats, a portable dog bowl, and my notebook. After that, I packed some light snacks and bottles of water, threw it all into my backpack, and tossed it into the back of the wagon. I hoped, if the feelings were mutual, that this training session could be a little intimate.
It had been years since I had dated anyone. So much of my time was devoted to rescuing and training dogs. Not to mention nobody came close to being as attractive to me as Tucker was.
It was unfair to compare anyone to the natural talent and beauty that Tucker had, but I couldn’t help it.
When I arrived at Tucker’s house, I saw him outside in his front lawn tossing the tennis ball for Morgan. He called her to his side as I drove up the long driveway. I wondered if he felt as eager as I did.
I parked, left the motor running, and went around to his side to open up the backseat door so they could both get in. I figured he would want to sit with Morgan.
“Actually,” Tucker said, placing his cane on the floor by Morgan. “I was thinking of joining you in the front. But if you could help hook her up to the seat, that would be great.” He sat in the passenger seat and shut the door.
I used the safety harness system I had for my dogs to make sure Morgan was secure in the back. I then closed her door and went around to my front seat. Once I was sure everyone was buckled up, I backed us out of the driveway.
“You’re blushing,” Tucker said.
“I am? Nah.”
“You are,” he teased. He grabbed my free hand and continued, “Have I thanked you for what you’re doing for me? You have already changed my life, helping me to find Morgan.”
I quickly glanced over at him, noticing he was wearing his baseball hat low again. I returned my gaze back to the road before saying, “It’s changed my life too. Seeing you again, being friends again. It means the world to me.”
Tucker removed his hand from mine then reached back to pet Morgan. I heard her make a cute sound in her throat. “Me too,” he said.
“If you want, you can find something to listen to on the radio.”
“Sure.”
He turned on the media center of my car’s computer. “Hmm. What have we here?” He touched the screen a few times, then a song played that was ‘our song’ back in high school when we dated.
“That’s embarrassing,” I said.
“Why? I have it in my car too.”
“Oh?”
“It’s my favorite song. It has always reminded me of you.”
I blushed some more.
“Hopefully soon you won’t have to give me rides. The therapist said even though I missed a month of appointments, I was actually doing okay, and should be able to drive soon.”
“That’s great! Speaking of which, how did the therapy session go?”
He let out an exhausted breath. “It was brutal. But I was told my new attitude will make things easier for me. My therapist said that attitude is half the battle.”
“That makes sense.” I looked in my rear-view and spied Morgan looking out the window. “How’s she been doing? She looks to me like she isn’t depressed anymore.”
“I think she’s slowly coming around. Every now and then I catch her looking wistfully out a window, like she’s thinking of her previous owner, waiting for him to come back. But she holds her head high now and she wags her tail. I know I’ve only had her a few days, but I think she’s putting on weight.”
“I think you’re right. That’s a healthy sign.”
We rode on in silence after that, until we arrived at the park.
Morgan woofed from the back when she saw the park as we drove up. Her tail was going a mile a minute.
A thought hit me. “Oh, wow. Do you think she’s been to this park before with her previous owner?”
Tucker considered it. “It’s possible. Whoever her owner was had to be local.”
“And this is the nicest park in town too. It wouldn’t surprise me.” I knew if that were the case, it would make this day all the more special for Morgan.
As we got out of the car, Morgan started fighting the restraints of the harness system I had her in. I opened her door, said, “No, Morgan,” and she immediately stopped. I knew she was excited but she had to be consistently well-behaved if she were to act as an emotional support dog. I attached her leash to her collar before removing the harness then said, “Down. Heel.”
Morgan jumped down out of the car and immediately sat by my side. I nodded at her, impressed. I knew she knew sit, stay, that sort of thing. But she seemed well-trained for going out in public too. Still, I would want to test her later, to make sure she had confidence in those skills.
Tucker joined me by my side. “Morgan, who’s a good dog?” He ruffled up the fur on her black wolfish head.
I went around to the back and grabbed my backpack, put it on, then said, “Okay, let’s go.”
I then walked Morgan on her leash with Tucker slightly behind us.
When we reached the gate to the dog park, I opened the first outer gate, we walked inside, closed it, then opened the next gate. It was a great system that kept dogs from getting out when new people and pets arrived.
Once we were inside, I took off her leash to allow her some freedom. She turned her head back at us, her orange eyes asking for permission.
“Go,” I replied.
Off she went, bouncing and hopping away, as if she was playing with the air.
Tucker and I laughed as we walked forward.
“What a difference a few days makes. Look at her, Tucker!”
“She just missed her person, and she was in a scary place.”
“You really found the perfect dog.”
Tucker smiled as he looked at me sideways, his hat still shielding his right side from my view.
I noticed he tended to walk to my right, so as to hide his right side. I wondered if he was aware of that? I had seen his scars a few times by now, so I figured it must’ve been unconscious on his part.
He looked so handsome today. Well, I guess he did every day, but more so today. He wore loose jeans that were snug in all the right places. His t-shirt was a bright blue, matching his eyes. It was also snug, and not because he bought an ill-fitting shirt. His muscles simply refused to be contained beneath.
Even with a limp and cane, he walked with power. I had no doubt he could still take a football player down if he wanted to.
I knew he was in pain, but he hid the signs of it well. His slight limp and reliance on his cane were the only indicators of it.
I pointed to a large park bench beneath some tall pine trees. It was a great spot with shade and a clear view of the entire park. “How about we set up there?”
“Sounds good to me.”
I looked for Morgan and saw that she had found a Golden Retriever to play with. Tails were wagging so I wasn’t worried.
Tucker followed my gaze. “Ah, she found a friend. Do you ever worry about dog fights when you take a dog to the park?”
“Yes. I pay attention to their body language. The ears, tail, and even hair can give an indication that things aren’t going well. Those two are being quite friendly, so I wouldn’t worry.”
We sat and watched from afar. Morgan was well matched. The Golden Retriever’s owner waved from the other side of the park. I returned the wave and placed my backpack on the ground in front of me.
Tucker shifted nervously, his eyes flitting back and forth from the dog’s owner to the ground. “I hope that guy doesn’t come over here. I’m not quite up to socializing just yet.”
I grabbed Tucker’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “You’re fine. He’s not coming over.” I felt his tension subside.
I continued, “Well, I think Morgan has expended enough energy. It’s time to call her over, give her a drink, and start a small session.”
Tucker let out a loud whistle and Morgan immediately stopped playing to turn her head to us. She then ran over, her gait like one of a puppy’s, with her two front legs hitting the ground in a flop each time.
I reached inside the backpack to take out a collapsible dog bowl and a water bottle. I put the bowl on the ground and filled it with water, which Morgan sloppily drank up.
Tucker chuckled and pet her head. “It was fun watching her play like that.”
“Yes. But now it’s time for some work.” I looked down at Morgan. “Ready to show off what you already know, girl?”
Morgan woofed.
On a hunch, I asked her, “Do you speak?”
Morgan answered not so much with a bark, but with a response that sounded like ‘ah-roo-roo!’
Tucker and I both looked at each other in surprise.
When neither of us knew what to say, Morgan let out another string of ‘ah-roo-roo!’s until we broke out in laughter.
This dog really was something!