I take a drink of my soda. “I know you said you don’t fly. But, what if I flew to Oregon with you after Vinnie’s trial is over?”
Phoenix appears stunned by my suggestion. “I don’t think you understand. I don’t know if I can fly. I’ve never done it before.”
“Really? I kinda got the impression from Mitch and Jessica that Tristan flies his friends everywhere on his private jet.”
“Yeah. Maybe he does that for his friends, but I haven’t ever gone.”
“But what if you could? I mean, you’re doing lots of things now that you weren't doing before you met me. What if flying on a plane is one of those things?”
“I don’t know. Flying from Florida to Oregon is a really long flight for my very first one. What if I have a meltdown in the middle of the flight? I don’t know for sure that I won’t.”
“You don’t know that you will either. I’d be right beside you. I would fly with you.”
“Zoe, that’s incredibly sweet — but I still don’t know if it would make a difference. You saw how I was when that chick got into my personal space this morning.”
“I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. Anyone in their right mind would’ve been upset about that. She was crossing boundaries left and right. If someone would’ve done that to me, I couldn’t tell you what I would do — but it wouldn’t be pretty.”
“I can't give you an answer right now. I have to think about it. Still, I would love to be able to help you with your brother’s trial. Besides, now that Jessica and Mitch are back. I probably shouldn’t be staying at Hope’s Haven. I probably need to go back home.”
“I’m sure Jess wouldn’t mind if you wanted to stick around and work with Bruiser.”
Phoenix’s phone rings. When he sees the number, he holds up his finger to his lips to indicate he needs to take the phone call.
I look down at my plate and start eating in order to give him some privacy.
“Hi, Mom,” he greets. “Mom! Why are you crying? What happened?”
He listens for a few moments and then responds, “What? They threw something over the fence? Did you take Gizmo to the vet?”
I hold my breath as he holds his phone up to his ear with a shocked expression on his face. “What do you mean they couldn’t save her? Don’t they have antidotes or something?”
At this point, Phoenix’s mom starts to cry loud enough I can hear her sobs through the phone, even though it’s held up to Phoenix’s ear.
“I’m sorry mom I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’m just trying to figure out what happened. Why would anyone want to poison Gizmo? I mean, she’s not the brightest dog, but she’s never hurt anybody!” Phoenix insists.
His mom explains something else. Phoenix reaches in his pocket for his golf ball as he listens. “I know, Mom. I’m sure you did your best. Have you talked to the police?”
His mom replies.
“Mom, I know she’s just a dog. But there’s been some weird stuff happening in my life recently and I think you ought to get the authorities involved. Whoever did this might be doing the same thing to other dogs. They need to be stopped.”
Phoenix wipes away tears.
“Okay, Mom. I’ll talk to you later. I’m so sorry, I know you guys loved Gizmo too. I apologize if I made it sound like I’m blaming you. I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out what happened.”
Phoenix hangs up the phone and buries his face in his hands. I see his shoulders shake as he silently weeps. “I don’t know why all this crap is happening!” he exclaims as he wipes his face with a napkin. “First, someone just dumped Bruiser out on the freeway. Then, you got all those strange threats and now someone killed my dog. Out and out murdered my dog! Why would they do that?”
I get up from my seat and place my arm around Phoenix’s shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve never figured out why people hurt animals.”
Phoenix shrugs away from me and closes in on himself. “I don’t even know what to do or say. This is just surreal. I mean, I’ve seen this kind of stuff happen on television, but I never dreamed it would happen to my family.”
“Maybe the police will come up with an answer. Do you need to go home to be with your family?”
“No! That’s the insane thing. If the jerks had waited one more day, Gizmo would have been at doggy daycare for a week. My parents are going to go to some sort of retreat with my dad’s job. They were looking forward to the trip because they haven’t traveled in a while. My dad has been looking at golf clubs for six months. My mom finally got him the one he’s always dreamed of for his birthday.”
“I wish I could do something to fix it. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Phoenix looks around the restaurant which is beginning to get crowded. “I need to get out of here.” He picks up the check and signs it. He stuffs his credit card back in his pocket. “Come on, let’s go home.”
“Are you okay to drive? I don’t know how to operate the motorcycle.”
“I’m fine. I just want to go someplace where I’m comfortable.”
“Do you mean Hope’s Haven or your house? I can get a ride from someone if you need to take me to your home.”
Phoenix shakes his head. “As strange as this seems, Hope’s Haven has become like my home. I’ll be okay there.”
“Are you sure? It might be difficult for you to see the dogs —” I warn.
“You’re right. It won't be easy, but Gizmo was a one-of-a-kind type of dog. I'll always miss her. But, I think being around Bruiser will help. He seems to always know what I’m thinking.”
Phoenix stands up and puts my jacket around my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I murmur as I thread my arm around his waist. “I’m here no matter what you need.”
“I know that. I don’t know what I need right now. I’m still in a state of shock.”
“I don’t blame you. But, I can’t help but wonder if this happened because you're associated with me? What if my brother is taking his threats beyond just me?”
“When we get home, I’ll call my mom again and encourage her to go to the police. After I have the name of the investigator, I will call them and let them know about what’s going on up here.”
“I’m so sorry if I caused this. All you did was rescue Bruiser, you didn’t ask for any of this.”
We stop in front of his bike. He turns me toward him as he says, “You didn’t cause any of this. Whoever the wacko or wackos are, they are the ones responsible. Not you.”
“In my head, I know you’re right. But in my heart, I wonder if you’re suffering because you and I crossed paths.”
“Never think that. Your presence in my life has made more difference than you can even imagine,” Phoenix replies. He takes the helmet and gently places it on my head.
“I can imagine many things, but I’m not sure I’ve had such a positive impact. I think maybe I’ve just made your life more complicated.”
Phoenix kisses my forehead. “Maybe a little, but you’ve also complicated my life in wonderful ways I could have never predicted.”
I hug Phoenix a little closer on the way home as I tried to impart some comfort to his soul. Losing an animal is devastating — but losing one to a senseless, random crime is tragic. The ride home definitely had a cloud of sadness over it.
I can’t help but wonder if any of this has to do with my brother and his threats against the animals at Hope’s Haven. I never thought my brother would be capable of something like this, but I never expected him to threaten to burn me alive either. The only part of the scenario which doesn’t make any sense is how my brother figured out that Phoenix is staying at Hope’s Haven. Even if he figured that out, how in the world could he figure out where Phoenix lives?
I look at my cell phone. Crap! I’m running late. I’m never late. I don’t know where my head is at. Actually I do, but it’s nowhere good. I need to find my focus quickly because Mitch has a training class tonight and I’ve agreed to help out. The dogs are really
attuned to my emotions. If I’m stressed out, they don’t comply with my commands as well.
I go to the kennel to retrieve Jolie, a hearing assistance dog in training. The sheltie is wicked smart but also a little on the mischievous side. I attach her lead and escort her toward the training room. I was hoping Phoenix would work with Bruiser tonight. Given what just happened, I understand why he disappeared into his room as soon as he put his motorcycle in the shed. If something like that would’ve happened to my dog, you probably wouldn’t be able to get me out of bed for days and it would be a long time before I could look at another dog.
I place Jolie in a down-stay in the hallway near Phoenix’s room. I lightly knock on his door. After a few moments, he pokes his head out. “I wanted to let you know I'll be in a training class for about an hour. You’re welcome to join me with Bruiser if you’re feeling up to it.”
Phoenix rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I might as well. It’s not doing me any good to sit in this room and think about what happened. I could go crazy thinking about all possibilities.”
“Okay, but if it gets to be too much, please let me know. Bruiser is in his kennel. I’ve got to go help Mitch set up the class. I’ll meet you there.”
By the time Jolie and I reached the classroom, Mitch is already setting up with one of his favorite students, Maya. Maya and her dog Atlas don’t need this beginning class. Even though Maya is only nine, they are already competing in agility meets statewide. Even so, Maya likes to come help Mitch run his classes. Mostly, I think she likes to show off what the tiny Chihuahua can do.
When Maya sees us, she runs up to Jolie and me. “Can I pet her or is she working?”
“Jolie doesn’t have her service vest on, so you can pet her.”
“She’s pretty small, but she’s still bigger than Atlas. What are you teaching her to do?”
“Jolie is learning to be a hearing dog. That means if someone’s doorbell rings, alarm clock goes off or smoke alarm beeps, she will let her owner know.”
“That’s cool. Who else is coming to class? My mom can’t come. She just had a baby.”
“How is Chahani doing?”
“She makes more noise than I thought she would. But, she’s a pretty good baby. My mom is really tired because she doesn’t sleep much.”
“She’ll be more interesting when she gets older.”
“Yeah, I know. I can’t wait until I can teach her how to play baseball.”
I look up when I hear the door to the classroom open. Phoenix appears a little shell shocked, but Bruiser just wants to come in and make friends.
Maya looks up at me with wide eyes. “Who is that? Why does he look like he wants to run away?”
“That’s my friend, Phoenix. He is having a rough day. He’s new to dog training. He probably does feel a little overwhelmed.”
“Like he’s the new kid at school?” Maya asks.
“Exactly like that,” I respond with a smile.
“That’s okay — I’ll sit next to him and teach him how to do things. He looks like he has a nice dog.”
“Bruiser is really nice. Phoenix rescued him, so we’re not sure if Bruiser has any training.”
Maya carefully watches Bruiser for a couple of minutes. “I think that dog is really smart. This is going to be fun.”
“Be gentle, Maya. Phoenix is shy. It’s hard for him to make new friends.”
Maya places her hands on her hips and scowls at me. “I help Mitch all the time. I know better than to be mean to people.”
“I know you do. Just try to be patient with Phoenix.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PHOENIX
AS I STAND IN THE DOORWAY, Bruiser leans against my leg. It’s almost as if he can feel the anxiety rolling off me. At this point, I’m wondering why I’m here. Not just at this class, but why am I still in Florida? I should be gone — long gone and halfway across the United States by now. Yet, I can’t seem to bring myself to leave.
I’m trying not to obsess over the idea Zoe presented this afternoon. But, I keep turning it in over my head. She’s right, if I could just muster up the courage to fly, I could spend three more weeks with her. I just don’t know if I can. Never have three weeks seems so important.
Lost in my thoughts, I jump when a little girl with long dark hair and deep brown eyes pulls on my hand. “Hey Mister, are you gonna come in? Class is starting soon. I saved us seats.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask.
“‘Cause you look scared. This is a fun class. Really! I was scared at first too. I used to be afraid of dogs, but I’m not no more. Your dog looks really nice. What’s his name?”
The little girl takes my hand and pulls me into a circle of chairs. “Wait! Slow down. I wasn’t going to sit with everyone else. I was just going to watch and see what happens.”
“That’s just silly. You need to see Mitch and Zoe. They make animals do really great stuff. My name is Maya. Atlas and me help teach the class.”
“Why?”
“Because. When I first started learning, I didn’t know anything about dogs. Now Atlas wins agility competitions. I’m here to help other people learn what I know. I’m even better at dog training than I am at baseball — and I’m pretty good at baseball.”
I can’t help but smile at Maya’s enthusiasm. Still, it’s a bit much for me to process. “That’s great. But, I don’t know if Bruiser has ever been in a class like this. We might not do so well.”
Maya pulls on my arm as she tries to lead me to the circle of chairs. “Come on, you can do this. You might even be great at it. You gotta try.”
Reluctantly, I follow her. This is the last thing I want to do today. Across the circle from me is a dog that looks remarkably like Gizmo. Sadness hits me like a ton of bricks and my knees buckle slightly before I sit in the chair. Bruiser knows something is up. He rests his head in my lap and leans against my leg. Even though my heart hurts, his calm, steady presence is the anchor I need.
Maya grins at me. “Look at that! See? He’s already a good dog. I bet this'll be easy for you guys.”
Zoe walks Jolie up the stairs of the training structure they built to simulate real-world situations. Mitch introduces her and Jolie to the class and then takes a seat as Zoe puts Jolie through her paces. He is providing real-time commentary and training insights as Zoe and Jolie complete several tasks.
Maya puts Atlas in a down-stay and runs up to ring the doorbell. Jolie finds Zoe and paws at her pants leg while she runs back and forth between the door and Zoe. Jolie’s focus is impressive considering several of the dogs in the class are barking like crazy.
Next, Zoe lays down on a little loveseat and pretends to sleep. An alarm goes off on her phone. Jolie jumps up, lies beside her and starts to poke Zoe with her nose. When Zoe doesn’t respond, Jolie licks her in the ear. Zoe gives a startled yelp of surprise. She turns to the audience and says, “Obviously, we have a little work to do. I don’t know about everyone else, but that would not be my favorite way of being woken up.”
Mitch chuckles. “You are such a stickler for details. But, I’m sure Jolie’s future owner will appreciate your efforts.” He turns back to us. “Aren’t Zoe and Jolie impressive? You may think you may never get there with your dog. But, just a few months ago Jolie was found eating garbage out of the dumpster behind a restaurant. In the beginning, she didn’t even know how to sit or lay down. When she completes her service training here, she will be able to alert to a knock on the door, and alarm clock, a smoke alarm or other people talking.”
Someone from the class comments, “That’s great. It really is. But I just wanna stop my dog from jumping on everyone that comes to my door.”
“We can do that too. It just takes a bit of time, patience, and consistency. We’ll teach Maverick to have great manners. Thank you, Zoe and Jolie for such a great demonstration.”
Zoe chews on her bottom lip. I can tell from her body language she isn’t comfortable being the center of atte
ntion. She gives a little curtsy and leads Jolie off to the corner of the room. As she passes me, she smiles and gives me a thumbs up. Her small gesture of support helps more than she can imagine.
Maya and Atlas are standing in front of the class next to Mitch. “If you need some help, just ask Maya. She is my junior dog trainer. She might be small, but she’s mighty. She’s proof you can do anything you set your mind to.”
I rest my head against the edge of the couch as I wait for Zoe to finish setting up our picnic. This has become a ritual of sorts for us. Whenever we have to deal with something challenging, we retreat to this room.
“You look wiped out. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited you to class,” Zoe offers with a sympathetic look.
“It was exhausting, but I’m glad I went. Maya is a riot. You can’t be sad around her. It’s impossible.”
“Maya and Atlas have been one of Mitch’s success stories, for sure.”
“I thought I knew a little about dog training because I watch a bunch of shows about it. Still, Maya gave me some pointers I’ve never heard.”
“She’s a natural born teacher, because you and Bruiser did a great job today. I would never guess that this is the first time you’ve ever been to class.”
I sigh. “I’m still not sure it was a good idea for me to work with him. Won’t that just make him more attached to me? What happens when I have to leave? I hate that I have to give him up.”
Zoe bites the corner of her lip before she says, “Who says you have to? I mean, I haven’t run this by Mitch yet. I haven’t had a chance. But, what if I could expand on Bruiser’s natural tendencies to protect you and teach him to help you with your autism?”
I rub the back of my neck as I think. “I’m not sure my parents are ready for another dog. They loved Gizmo.”
“Phoenix, I’m not talking about placing a stray from the pound with you. I’m talking about preparing Bruiser to be a service dog. He’d be with you twenty-four hours a day.”
“How long will that take?”
Freedom Page 10
