Ashley

I was staring at my first paycheck, and I couldn’t believe it. Four thousand and five hundred dollars. And that was still a partial payment. What was I going to do with all that money? Even if I paid all my bills and prepaid the next month of my mother’s stay at the nursing home, I still had thirty-two hundred dollars at my disposal. It was insane for me to take in. I’d never had that kind of money in one summer to spend on myself, let alone one pay period. I felt tears rising to my eyes as I lay back in bed, relishing the moment.

I didn’t have to live with such tight constraints any longer. I didn’t have to live off noodles and cheap sauces and water mixes for drinks to splurge on. I could buy brand-name juices and sip them on the porch. For fun. I no longer had to ration out the snacks I could afford. If I ran out, I could walk to the store and get more.

Oh my gosh. I could buy myself a better car. A reliable car. A car that didn’t cost me more money than I’d paid for it in order to keep it running. I could buy an energy-efficient car. I could walk onto a car lot and pick the first one I saw and get it.

I could do anything with this kind of money.

I reached for my beat-up laptop as I smiled to myself. I could purchase a new laptop. That was going to be my first purchase, a new laptop for me to take to work. Not that it was necessary. The company had provided me with a new desktop and tower, fit to my specifications and preloaded with everything I needed for my job on it. I typed in my password and pulled up the nearest electronics store and then started looking through their selections.

The more I looked, the more I figured a laptop was a frivolous purchase. I had one that worked. Just because it wasn’t pretty to look at didn’t mean it didn’t function the way it was supposed to. And if I wanted a new computer for something, Ross had walked me through how to make my own profile on the computer. Yes, the company would have access to it, but I didn’t do anything with my life I didn’t want the company knowing about.

No. If I needed a new computer, I could use the one at work.

I opened up the tabs Cass and I had bookmarked last night. Instead of visiting apartments, we pulled some up in the area to see what we liked about them. Cass kept going on and on about how I could afford to buy my own place, but that didn’t seem necessary. I liked living in Miami, and I didn’t mind renting. The only reason I didn’t enjoy it now was that I felt I was overpaying for the place I was staying at. The landlord refused to fix some of the things that were wrong with the place, which meant I had grown very accustomed to things like dripping faucets and flickering lights.

But if I could find a place that didn’t have all those issues, I wouldn’t mind paying the money I was paying now.

I scrolled through all the apartments and narrowed it down to three. Three places that had perfect apartments open for me to come and look at. I jotted down their information and closed my laptop. I was ready to set out on a journey, one to better my life.

I put on my best outfit and headed out to my car. It was a rust bucket of a vehicle, but it worked for the purpose it was supposed to serve. Maybe I could get that as a birthday present to myself. A new car. Maybe a compact car that was efficient on gas or a cute little convertible from a used car lot. I smiled as I dipped behind the steering wheel and set my sights on the apartment complexes I would be visiting.

One by one, I visited them all. The people at the front office were very helpful, and they were more than happy to talk with me about pricing and the average cost of bills. I felt safe in these environments. I could see myself living in them. I could get a two-bedroom place instead of a studio apartment and have a spot for Cass to crash sometimes. Or a place for Mom to sleep in case she wanted to take a trip to come see me.

Maybe I could move her in and afford in-home care for her.

A couple of the places had things like an on-site gym and an outdoor pool. One of them had a tanning bed and things like computers for everyone to use. One had a clubhouse that was decked out with flat screen televisions and comfortable couches and a fridge stocked with goods the residents could use at no charge to them.

But the one I enjoyed the most was only seven minutes away from work.

The apartment was beautiful, but the view was what I enjoyed the most. The upper floors had balconies that overlooked all of Miami. They were expensive, much too rich for my tastes. But they weren’t outside of the budget I had set for myself. The hardwood floors were beautiful, and the balcony could easily fit seven or eight people. It was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, unfurnished apartment with a jet tub and a walk-in shower in the master bedroom. The kitchen was furnished with stainless steel appliances, and the view of the city from the balcony was breathtaking.

One thousand and fourteen square feet of space that could be mine.

It felt like home.

Nothing had felt like home in a very long time.

I looked down at the application for rent and began to read it to myself. It was pretty basic. There were a specific internet provider and electric service they used. The lease would be for a year. To get out of it before then took two months’ rent plus the prorated rent for the month being left in. No security deposit necessary if my credit score was high enough.

But there was something else that caught my eye.

“Pets allowed for a flat fee of two hundred dollars.”

A pet. I’d never thought of having a pet before. I didn’t grow up with one. My mother was allergic to cats, and my father didn’t like dogs. It never occurred to me to get a pet now that I was on my own, but the idea was an interesting one. I would have to find someone to look after it during the day. Or possibly find a kennel for it to stay in while I was at work. But a pet might be nice.

Having someone to come home to. Or with.

I put in my application for rent and specified the floors I wanted, and they said they would get back to me. I wrote them a check for the nonrefundable deposit and then gave them my cell phone number. I walked out of the complex with my head held high, ready for my new adventure. If they rejected me, then that was fine. I had a backup apartment I enjoyed and could see myself living in. I would have to keep taking my car to and from work, which would put more wear and tear on it, but I could live with that.

After all, I had the money to get another car if I needed one.

I thought about the grocery shopping I needed to do, the things I needed to get and the things I could get now. I could afford the good toilet paper, the two-and-three ply toilet paper that felt like I was touching my skin with a cloud. No more single-ply. No more off-brand foods. No more cleaning my apartment with vinegar and smelling like a science project afterward.

I drove past town and kept seeing signs. Animals on billboards and kittens with big round eyes. I saw signs for the local pet shelter with arrows that kept pointing me in different directions.

Then, my mind drifted back to the rental agreement.

I merged into the left-hand lane and followed the signs to the shelter. I could go in and look around. See all the animals and possibly play with them. If I was going to get a pet, I couldn’t get a cat. I wouldn’t be able to visit my mother if I did.

But a dog was possible.

A cute little dog with fluffy hair.

I pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop. I could hear the animals baying and barking and meowing all the way to my car. I grabbed my purse and started for the front door, simply looking for information. All these animals having no homes for them to go to made me sad, and I suddenly had an interest in helping them.

“Welcome to Miami Pet Shelter! Are you here to volunteer or adopt?”

I looked over at the cheery woman behind the desk as she peeked around from her magazine.

“I’m, uh, not really sure,” I said.

“Oh! A looker. Would you like a tour?” she asked.

“That would be wonderful. I just can’t tour the cats.”

“Allergic?” she asked.

“My mother, yes.”

“Well, if you’ll follow me, we’ve got a bunch of kennels that have the cutest dogs in them.”

I knew she was trying to be cheerful, but there was something about that statement that saddened me. I followed her back into the building, and the sheer number of animals with no homes broke my heart. I felt tears brewing behind the backs of my eyes as we walked through, my gaze scanning the playful pups as they spun around and lounged and ate.

“Some of these dogs are rescues, and some of them were abandoned by their owners. We try to give them the best environment possible, and we work with organizations around Miami to get them adopted.”

“What kinds of organizations?” I asked.

“Wounded Warriors, domestic abuse shelters, adoption agencies. Everywhere that has people who could use a furry friend,” the woman said.

“How many of these dogs get adopted?” I asked.

“On average, we adopt out eleven or twelve of them a month, but we fill the empty kennels quickly. It’s a cycle of both elation and frustration, especially when an owner abandons one.”

“What do you mean by ‘abandon’?”

“Well, some circumstances are understandable. A stray dog in the neighborhood gets pregnant and no one can take care of the puppies or someone brings in a stray to begin with. But some people buy pets or adopt them from other shelters only to find out they’re too much work and bring them back.”

“That’s terrible,” I said.

“It is. It’s why we try to be a one-stop shop for both animal education and adoption. We have a clinic on the other side of the building that spays and neuters as well as administers immunizations not on record. We also have a lot of educational material for owners to take with them. You know, things to look out for when raising their pets.”

“Such as?”

“Food allergies, for one. Signs of sickness. Heartworms.”

“This place sounds pretty put together,” I said.

“Oh, I pride myself on it.”

“Wait, are you the owner?” I asked.

“I am,” the woman said with a smile. “Maddie Kline, at your service.”

“Wow. It takes a big heart to run something like this. How did you get started?”

“When it comes down to it, most animals are helpless. They were domesticated centuries ago and bred to be human companions. No one can release animals like this into the wild and expect them to live for long. They literally had their animalistic instincts of long-term survival bred out of them. They are helpless in that regard, and they need someone to take care of them.”

“You make them sound like people,” I said.

“Because in some ways, they are. They have appetites and get sick. Puppies go through teething spells and have baby teeth that fall out. If female animals aren’t spayed, they have periods just like us. They can get depressed or have episodes of mania. Just because animals might look different than us doesn’t mean they function differently from us.”

“What about mental acuity?”

“What do you mean?” Maddie asked.

“Can dogs get, I don’t know, doggie dementia or something?”

“Oh, yes. In fact, we had a small dog some in a few weeks ago whose mother abandoned him due to dementia-like symptoms.”

“Wait, his mother abandoned him?” I asked.

“Yep. A man found the mother and the puppy on the side of the road and brought them in. The head vet is my husband, and when he took a look at the mother, he was almost certain she was suffering from debilitating dementia. I had to feed the little guy from a bottle for a while because it would freak Momma out when he would try to feed from her.”

“Like she forgot she could,” I said.

“Yeah. It’s incredibly sad, but it happens. It’s another way animals are like humans.”

“What happened to the mother?”

“She’s here, but she’s fading fast. We’re simply making her comfortable now. It’s only a matter of time.”

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces right there on the floor.

“Is that dog still here? The one with the mother suffering from dementia?”

“He is. Would you like to see him?”

“I would if that’s okay.”

Maddie led me down a long corridor of dogs that were barking and scratching at the fencing of the places they called home. We stopped at a container way at the end, and she turned to look down at the puppy inside. The beautiful brown and black and white beagle puppy was staring up at me with big brown eyes, and I fell in love the moment he rose up and barked.

Which honestly sounded more like a squeak.

“This is Chipper. He’s a full-blooded beagle, from what we can tell. Neutered, up to date on his shots, and no illnesses to speak of,” Maddie said.

“Well, hello there,” I said as I crouched down. “You are just so beautiful.”

I stuck my fingers through the fencing, and the puppy began to lick me. Its tongue tickled my skin, pulling giggles from my lips. He was a playful little thing with his floppy ears and his bumbling body. He started twirling around in circles, encouraged by my laughter as his eyes lit up.

“How much would it be to adopt him?” I asked. “Chipper, right?”

“Yep. Chipper. The cost is two hundred dollars, and that comes with a custom collar we’ll do here. It’ll have his name as well as your phone number stamped on it. We’ll also give you some tips on how to care for a beagle puppy, what his diet should be, how to clean his floppy ears, and we’ll even hand over a leash for you to use to take him on walks.”

“Sounds perfect,” I said with a smile.

I felt a kindred spirit with this little puppy. I knew what it was like to feel the heartbreak of watching a parent slip away. Maddie opened the cage and scooped up the puppy, but he practically lunged from her and fell right into my arms. I cradled him close and nuzzled my nose into him, taking in the scent of his fur and the softness of his body.

I smiled against his fur as he turned in my arms, his tongue lapping out to lick my cheek.

“Come with me. I’ll get you all set up,” Maddie said.

I felt a sense of peace come over me. Like somehow everything was going to work itself out. If this puppy could be as happy as this after everything he had been through with his mother, then it gave me hope that I would be okay too.

“All right. Here’s your gift bag of information. Lots of stuff for you to read, so take a night or two and digest it all. Here’s your puppy’s new collar as well as his leash, and here’s a copy of his vet records from here. You can find him a new one, or you can call the number on the inside of the vet packet and bring him back here. We’d love to see him again. Chipper is up to date on his immunizations, like we said, and he’s also potty-trained. There’s a pet store right up the road we love and trust, so you can get a few of his immediate things there.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely bring him back here. Thank you so much. For everything,” I said.

“No. Thank you. Adopting a pet brings us so much joy here. I hope the two of you are very happy together.”

I put Chipper in the car with me and started digging through all the information. There were so many things I needed to get him to make sure he was comfortable. Food and a bed and some toys to play with. I drove across the street to the pet store and took him inside, cradling him close to my body. The peace I felt having him coming home with me was unlike anything I’d experienced in a long time.

I didn’t feel so alone anymore with him.

Three hundred dollars later, I was walking out with armfuls of stuff. I took Chipper back to my apartment and was suddenly ashamed to bring him back here. I hope I heard from the apartment complex soon. I wanted Chipper to have a proper home to enjoy. I got online with him on my lap and started looking up doggie kennels, a place I could take him for the day when I worked so he could run around and enjoy himself and have fun.

I stroked his fur as he sat on my lap, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. The smile that spread across my face ached my cheeks, and I couldn't wait for him to meet Cass. She would love his adorable little face and try to steal him from me. I simply knew it.

Finally, things were slowly coming together.