Vetted

by K'Anne Meinel

  As Thanksgiving approached, Allyssa made up a brochure and flyer to distribute on social media and to any owners that came into the clinic. It warned about foods that shouldn’t be fed to their pets and explained why. Chuck was thrilled, and when he showed the mock-up to Bruce, the three of them worded it in a way that explained things clearly to those that might read it. It might prevent pets from becoming unknowing victims to the holiday gluttony.

  “That girl really has some great ideas,” Chuck stated as he met with Bruce, Fiona, and the other two vets they now had on part-time in the clinic. “If you think of or hear of other ideas, send them her way. I’m sure she’ll come up with a better idea and we can use it in our newsletter on social media.”

  Fiona was thrilled for her friend and sorry she wouldn’t see her over the holiday. She could tell that Allyssa wasn’t looking forward to the meal with her family. Fiona was traveling up to Oregon to spend time with her father, sister, brother, stepmother, two stepbrothers, and grandparents. She couldn’t wait to see them…well, most of them.

  Fiona was right that Allyssa wasn’t looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. Her mother was upset since she couldn’t get adequate help to prepare the large dinner she insisted on. She didn’t realize how much Juanita had done for her. She felt the woman was ungrateful for the years they had employed her and had even called her to try and entice her with more money, but she had adamantly refused. Helen couldn’t understand her behavior. Allyssa volunteered to work, annoying her mother when she told her she wouldn’t be able to eat with them, but would try to stop by after work for leftovers. When her mother offered to call her bosses and ‘talk to them’ about her attending their family function, Allyssa got angry and told her not to expect her at all. That led to a series of guilt trip phone calls from her father and sister. Since they called her at work she didn’t know who was on the other end of the line until she answered. They no longer tried to reach her at the dorms, having no knowledge that she no longer lived there, just knowing she never answered messages that had been left there.

  * * * * *

  Fiona returned from the long drive from Oregon in a great mood. Her family gathering made her miss them more, and while she was earning good money down in Denver, she longed to be closer to them so she could see them more often. She especially missed her grandparents. They had always been so close, and not seeing them for months on end depressed her. Still, she was grateful to talk to them on the phone frequently. She was shocked to see her friend in the back room of the clinic on her cot waiting for the emergency phone calls that inevitably came in on a holiday weekend.

  “Why don’t you go home for a few hours?” she asked, generously.

  Allyssa was studying as she always did when there wasn’t work at the clinic, but it had improved her grades and for that she was grateful. She’d petted the cats that would let her as they were scared in the unfamiliar clinic, and walked the dogs that could be walked, including Rex who no longer needed the sling and was hobbling along on his leg that was still healing. He no longer needed the pillow to keep him from licking at his wound. She found he made a great companion when she needed to sit outside in the back and read; he enjoyed smelling the grasses and didn’t bother her as she studied. Today, he was keeping her company on her cot. The great grades she had achieved spurred her on. She was keeping them up and working hard towards her goal. Maybe if she kept her grades up her parents would let her change her major. She knew that wouldn’t happen, but she could hope. She looked up as Fiona came in. Rex’s tail thumped on the bed and she smiled her welcome. “Hello, Fey. How was your weekend with your family?” She envied her friend’s family. They didn’t sound judgmental and they didn’t sound like they pressured her to do anything. Her mother had started in about the Christmas Cotillion where she could meet the ‘right’ boys, and her mother had already shopped for a dress for her.

  “It was lovely. Why don’t you go home?” she asked again, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed.

  “I really don’t want to,” she admitted.

  “Is something going on?” She was concerned about her friend. It wasn’t healthy how much time she spent alone at the clinic.

  Allyssa squirmed a little. “I’m just so sick of them bossing me around,” she further admitted. “It’s not like I ever feel welcome there. There is always something they find wrong with me to pick on.”

  “Wrong with you?” Fiona frowned, wondering what was wrong with these people. Allyssa was one of the most responsible young people she had met. She had wonderful ideas and used her brains. Why they were pressuring her to go into business, she didn’t understand. Her own wonderful support from her grandparents made it difficult to understand parents who didn’t ‘get it’ and let their children grow.

  She smiled a little wryly, putting aside the book she had been studying. Rex nudged her hand now that she was no longer working and could pet him. Absentmindedly her hand trailed over his head, between his ears, and down his long back. “It’s just that they always seem to have a plan for me, and I really don’t want to deal with it. If I object, they ignore it. If I insist, they start in about my faults. It’s a hassle I just simply wish to avoid.”

  Fiona suddenly felt sorry her friend and decided to change the subject. Seeing her pet the dog she said, “You know, if you let him up on your bed he will always expect to be allowed up there.”

  “Well, we are going to have to put his picture up on the blog soon to find him a home.” Her hand stilled for a moment as she grabbed his face to hide her own sad one. “Don’t we, boy, we have to find you a home!”

  Fiona knew how hard that was going to be. Their mascot had turned into a fine young dog and he was handsome as he healed from the surgery, seemingly with no ill effects. He still limped, but that would take time as his body adjusted to the plate and screws in the leg. He didn’t seem to mind. He was happy to be loved and appreciated by all who came across him. Even the cats in the clinic didn’t mind him sticking his nose in their cages as he limped by, rarely swiping at him as he inspected each and every one. Not wanting to make her friend even sadder as she had heard the catch in her voice, she asked, “When are you done with your semester?” Talking about school was always safe with her.

  “At Christmas. I won’t get my grades until after the new year. Maybe I should take an interim course? Find one that my parents would approve of.” She still sounded miserable.

  “Why not take one you would enjoy? Piss on your parents!” She couldn’t help herself. She never said things like that, but she was sick of her friend being put down by these parents. It sounded just awful.

  Surprised and then delighted, Allyssa grinned. “I don’t think they’d be ‘into’ that,” she quickly said and they both started to laugh. Rex didn’t know what they were laughing at, but his tail thumped appreciatively on the cot.

  * * * * *

  Allyssa dutifully went home the weekend after Thanksgiving and received an earful, mostly from her mother about not attending family functions. When her sister started in on her she blew up at her, but only because their parents weren’t present to back Carmen up or defend her. Her father was suspiciously quiet about most of the things going on in his household, and Allyssa looked at him speculatively, wondering if after his failed attempt on Juanita, he had found someone more willing. Her family, or her happy home life was only an illusion that her mother or father believed. Her sister had probably believed it too, but now that she had a home with Derek where she was creating her own illusions. Allyssa couldn’t wait to get back to the clinic and school.

  It was amazing the amount of homework the teachers were cramming in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Term would end the week before Christmas, but maybe it was because most students had almost a month off and would forget anything they learned otherwise. Allyssa had signed up for a midterm class, but it had been full and she couldn’t get in. She was on a wait list if anyone dropped out, but apparently so were half a dozen o
ther students. She knew her parents would carefully look at any classes she took next semester once they realized what she had done this term. Still, she was hopeful all her grades were as high as they had been after the first quarter, and she struggled to keep up those few remaining weeks—working at the clinic and shopping for gifts for her family and friends.

  “Whew, I made it,” she smiled as she came into the clinic on the twenty-fourth of December. It was raining hard outside and could turn to snow any minute if the temperature got any lower. There were snowcaps on all the mountains to the west of Denver and people had been heading up to the various ski resorts since before Thanksgiving.

  “You look like a drowned rat,” the other receptionist, Babette said to her with a laugh. “Go get a towel and dry off.”

  Allyssa laughed with her as she headed into the back, closed the door to the back room, and changed her clothes. She was wet through and didn’t think sitting in wet jeans would be that comfortable the rest of the day. She quickly headed to clock in and then went to check on Rex and another dog that Dr. Bruce had operated on the previous day. She took Rex outside, no longer having to do anything but hold the leash while he contemplated how wet he wanted to become. The long leash enabled Allyssa to stay dry while the dog sniffed and then quickly peed and came back in.

  “Too wet for you, boy?” she asked him and he looked up at her, tail wagging and tongue lolling. “Sit,” she told him, enforcing the commands she had been teaching him with a hand on his rump. He was too quick for her and sat immediately, which pleased her as she used the towel she had used on her hair on him before putting fresh food and water in his cage and returning him to it. She’d let him out to roam with her after everyone left.

  “Anything new?” she asked Babette as she went into the reception office.

  “No, just the final appointments before the day is over. I’m going to head out. I’ll see you after Christmas. Merry Christmas!” she said with a wave as she left.

  Allyssa worked on the computer wishing their followers on social media a safe and happy Christmas. She posted the altered list from Thanksgiving warning of Christmas foods that could make their pets sick and then she started working on the invoicing she had taken over. She knew people wouldn’t appreciate getting a bill for services right after Christmas, but they had to collect what they could before New Year’s. She made up collection notices for a few of the accounts, warning them that this was their last chance. The next month she would send those people who hadn’t paid to their collection bureau. She flagged a few of the clients, so if they called in for anything but emergency services they would not accept their patronage. It was a sad, but necessary move to keep the clinic solvent and she had received a thank you note from the accountant that their clinic used. Before, when Marissa had worked there, she had let the accounts go months without doing anything and the clinic lost a lot of money. Allyssa knew from her classes and her own innate good sense you couldn’t do that.

  “Hey, Merry Christmas,” Fiona came in wearing deer antlers that had little red lights on them. She reached up and pushed a button and they lit up causing chuckles for the few people in the waiting room.

  “Hey there, I have two more people to see you if you would,” Allyssa told her, handing her the first file and nodding towards a woman holding a shaking dog. Whether it was shaking because of being at the vet’s or because of its condition, she didn’t know, but Fiona turned to the lady after speed reading the first page and asked, “Would you follow me?”

  The clinic was closing on time that night and Allyssa was forwarding the calls to a service, so they could all go home. Someone else would be in early in the morning to check on the animals. Although Allyssa wasn’t looking forward to it, she knew she would be happy to return on the twenty-sixth. She’d scheduled herself every day she could between Christmas and New Year’s. She closed and locked the front door, took a mop with disinfectant to the floor in the waiting room, straightened the magazines, pulled the blinds down, dusted, and then wiped down the furniture with a citrus disinfectant. Her desk was always meticulously neat, so she didn’t bother going back into the reception area, but headed into the back to let Rex out as she cleaned the floors, let a few other animals out into runs while noting the rain had lessened, and fed and watered the few animals they had left over the holidays.

  She nearly had a heart attack as Fiona came out of the doctor’s office and asked, “Any big plans for the holiday?”

  “Argh,” Allyssa threw up the mop she was using industriously. Whirling to face the doctor she asked, “Do you always sneak up on a person like that?” Her hand went dramatically to her chest as she tried to get her wits about her. Rex was growling, not understanding his human’s distress. “I thought you left?” she asked.

  Fiona was vastly amused. “No, I was waiting for the traffic to end before heading out. I have my car packed and ready to go. I hope the freeway is clear and this doesn’t turn to snow,” she glanced out the window in the back. “I’m heading up to Oregon and my grandparent’s place. My father and his family should meet us there.”

  “Sounds wonderful,” Allyssa said and meant it. Her own Christmas would be horribly overdone. The decorations on the front of the house were professionally done by a service and the ones in the house had been in their family for generations. Her mother had found a housekeeper who was old and sour. Sadly, she also smelled. She did, however cater to her mother, which was what Helen wanted, and she came cheap. Somehow Helen had gotten it into her head that she had ‘fired’ Juanita over money.

  “Wanna come?” Fiona teased. Then she had a thought of what it would be like to have a partner and go home for Christmas. Her grandparents would have loved it. Her father probably wouldn’t care; however, her stepmother would have had a fit. She looked at Allyssa a little differently at that moment. She hadn’t realized that the friendship they shared was becoming more for her. She’d have to do something about that after the holidays. She couldn’t afford to ruin this friendship, and she genuinely liked the younger woman.

  “I wish,” Allyssa laughed, sure that Fiona was making a joke. They’d compared notes one night about their holiday traditions and Fiona’s had definitely sounded more traditional and real than Allyssa’s. The Webster household was all about show. Allyssa bent and picked up the mop she had thrown and returned to cleaning. She looked up to see Fiona looking at her speculatively. “Something wrong?” she asked, concerned.

  Fiona, startled out of her daydreaming, smiled and shook her head. “No, just thinking about that long drive. I better get going. You take it easy over the holidays and I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Merry Christmas, Fey,” Allyssa said as the other woman turned away only to pause and look back with a smile.

  Fiona carefully walked across the wet floor and gave the taller woman a hug. “Merry Christmas, Allyssa. I really hope you have a nice one.”

  That wasn’t likely, but it was nice of her to say, and Allyssa hugged her back with no reservations. “No speeding,” she warned as she released the shorter woman.

  “Yeah, I’ll try,” she laughed and followed her footprints on the floor back to her office to finish up before leaving. She saw that Allyssa had mopped up the telltale footprints from a few minutes ago. “Goodbye,” she said, swinging on her jacket and heading for the back door.

  “Bye!” Allyssa waved as she went, feeling very alone for the first time in a long time. She’d miss her friend. She looked to where the doctor had left out the back door, locking it behind her so that Allyssa hadn’t had to. She knew she admired this woman so much. She was exactly what Allyssa wanted to be. She now had a goal …. She had no idea how she was going to convince her parents to let her become a doctor of veterinary medicine though.

  Chapter Nine

  Christmas wasn’t so bad. Allyssa had a nice time when two of her friends from high school stopped by and they went out to go sledding, laughing uproariously like children as they flew down the hill and t
hen walked back up. She hadn’t seen them in a while and had missed their antics, but it was soon apparent that they were growing apart. They were both looking to get married, either in their junior years of college or right after their senior year. They had no intention of using their college education. They were just looking for husbands and it was then that Allyssa realized these were friends her mother had approved of—they belonged to the country club, and they, like their mothers before them, were just looking for appropriate husbands.

  Allyssa had a nice time at the dance even if she was wearing a dress her mother had picked out for her that was suitably appropriate. It was boring, too short with her long legs, and frumpy looking. It made her feel dowdy and in all the pictures her parents insisted on, she looked unhappy and her smile forced.

  Because she had put in so much time leading up to the holidays, Dr. Robinson had insisted she take a couple of days and nights off. The techs they had on staff had drawn straws, so the work that Allyssa normally did was shared and no one would be too taxed, but it stressed how much she actually did do.

  As she went back to work she was surprised not to see Fiona back at work. She had said she was coming back on the twenty-sixth, and Allyssa was disappointed not to see her. As the days went by she finally asked Dr. Bruce where she was.