“Hi, how can I help you?” The receptionist greets upon my entry.
“Is Fluttershy available right now?”
“I think so. Can I have your name?”
“Max.”
“I’ll be right back!”
“Thank you!”
Not 15 seconds later, the receptionist comes back out and tells me,
“She’s taking a phone call right now. She’ll be right out.”
“Perfect! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome!”
As I wait for Fluttershy to show up, I take a look at the lobby, making note of all the pictures that are very obviously meant to promote adoption. I’m surprised the shelter doesn’t have any “adopt, don’t shop” paraphernalia, but I guess it’s not as much of an issue here?
“What is wrong with you?! The answer is NO!” Fluttershy shouts into her phone walking through the door before hanging up. “Hi Max.”
A few seconds later, she double takes, her face drops, and she lets out a surprised, “oh!”
“Hi Fluttershy.”
“Change of plan. I now have to run home.”
“I’ll go where you need. I don’t have anything else to do.” I respond as I follow her out the front door.
“Did you drive here?”
“Yeah.”
“Come with me to my house. We’ll talk about it.”
“Okay.”
When I pull in to her driveway behind her, she parks her BMW i3 in the garage and plugs it in. I park right in front of her main entrance and wait for her.
“Sorry Max!” She says as she gives me a light hug. “My lunch break is gonna have to be a quick one. I have a report of an abandonment.”
“Uh oh. Well, do what you need to do.”
“Here then, you drive so I can search.”
“Didn’t you just plug in?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then.”
After she hands me the keys, I unplug the car. When I start it, the range indicates 62, so I wait for Fluttershy to climb in before I back out. She hits her home link button to close the garage before she pulls out her phone and makes a call.
“Hi Fluttershy.” The receptionist answers.
“Hi Paisley, do you have the location of the abandoned animals?”
“Yeah. It’s in Bandera, near the airfield.”
“Okay, thanks. Hopefully we can get them quickly.”
“I hope so. Good luck.”
“Thanks. Bye.” “Oh, I hope that whatever animal it is is okay.” She then adds nervously.
“Have you by chance had any um, losses?”
“Yes.” She responds hesitantly. “I have lost a few when they reach the shelter.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s always sad when it happens, but working to prevent them is exactly why I joined this shelter in the first place.”
“Mad respect to you. Do you work with local vets?”
“Yes, since we recommend them especially when one does get adopted.”
“How many animals do you euthanize a month?”
“Actually, I’m proud to say that in our entire history, we’ve only euthanized 2.”
“Wow. That’s pretty incredible.”
“I’m very glad we have a good adoption record.”
After a few minutes of exploring the town, I make out a disused gravel strip that looks like it could’ve been an airfield. A few minutes later, after examining the area, I decide to get out and explore on foot.
After securing the car, I trek onto the gravel strip and check around some bushes and grass. Not too long after, I spot a truck sporting a familiar green and white along with a uniformed animal control officer.
“You looking for an abandoned animal? I just found them. A puppy and a kitten.”
“I got the same call down at the local shelter. A friend and I have been looking too.”
“Alrighty. Let’s get them back.” The officer responds just as Fluttershy catches up.
“Found them. A dog and a cat.” I tell her. “Let’s get to the shelter.”
When the two of us return to the car, the officer meets us and heads back to the shelter, us following close behind.
Fluttershy, nervous as she should be, slightly trembles as we reach the shelter. She then takes the kitten in her arms, while the puppy is at least breathing stably but still very tired.
“How are they?”
“Well, the poor puppy is on the last of its adrenaline. Miss Kitty is still trembling; she’s really cold.”
“Kind of surprising, since it wasn’t that cold out today.”
“No, but who knows how long they’ve been out there. The past few nights have been pretty frigid.”
“True.”
Deciding to pick up the puppy and resting it in my lap, I sit down next to Fluttershy and gently pet the poor thing.
“I hope they make it.” She says nervously.
“I think they will. There were no signs of injury or abuse.”
“That’s good. I just can’t understand who would want to just dump them on the side of the road like that. We weren’t that far away. We could’ve taken them in.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
She sighs in response, “I’m so glad we found them when we did. No animal deserves to go through that kind of thing, at any level.”
“I’m with you on that.”
When the kitten finally stops shivering, I say,
“She stopped shivering. That’s a good sign.”
“Mhm.” She responds excitedly brushing her fur back so she can get a look at her muzzle.
A few moments later, Paisley comes back and checks on us. With her are a couple of volunteers who ask if they can hold the rescues.
I happily hand the dog over to one of the volunteers, telling them “it’s passed out. Been running on adrenaline for quite a while.”
“Aww.” They respond.
After Fluttershy hands the cat over, she heads for the washbasin and has me wash my hands too.
“So, what do you do now?”
“Well, we have to check and see if they have any diseases, so once they readjust, we’ll take them to the vet.”
“Where’s the closest one?”
“There’s one near my house. Hopefully they’ll readjust easily.”
“Yeah. I’ll be right back. Gotta go to the bathroom.”
When I return, Fluttershy is already combing them over to see if they have any records. The cat though seems to take a particular interest in me. After it comes over to sniff me out, I offer my hand. After a few inhalations, she rubs herself up against me, and I decide to pet her, responding with initial skepticism, but eventually, she comes to accept me and lets me hold her, though she fidgets around until she gets comfortable.
The dog is equally attentive, and somewhat excited to interact with Fluttershy.
“So?” I ask as the cat admires its position sitting in my arms.
“They both look healthy, and from the looks of things, they don’t have any records, which is surprising. Let’s take them to the vet.”
“Alright.” I respond as I head for the main door.
When I push the main door open, “Miss Kitty” jumps out of my arms. However, she stays at my side and waits for me. As Fluttershy follows behind with the dog, one of the volunteers then calls her and asks if he can tag along.
“Paisley, who’s coming in next?”
“The volunteer schedule is open. We’ll be the only ones here for some time.”
“Okay. Well, you know the drill.”
“Yes I do. See you later!”
“Bye, Paisley.” She says as I open the door, Miss Kitty prancing straight for Fluttershy’s car.
When I open the doors, our volunteer climbs into the back seat. Fluttershy then gets seated with the dog. When I get seated, Miss Kitty, previously sitting on the dash, right in my driving view, then climbs down and sits in my lap before I can put my belt on.
“Okay then?” I chuckle as both passengers laugh. “I can’t move until my seatbelt is on, Miss Kitty.”
No movement, so I belt up as best I can, trying not to pinch or pin her in any way. Nevertheless, once the car is started, Fluttershy programs the sat nav for me.
“Thank you.” I tell her as I put the car in gear.
After a few twists and turns navigating around, we pass Fluttershy’s house on the way to the vet. When I park the car and open the door, Miss Kitty jumps out and starts prancing towards the entrance.
“Hi Fluttershy.” The receptionist greets.
“Hi Catherine. I’ve got two here with no records, so I’ll need to make sure they get in the system.”
“Let me see if Dr. Fauna is available.”
After she leaves, Miss Kitty walks over to our other volunteer and taps his leg, meowing. He then crouches down and pets her, eventually picking her up after she paws at him.
The doctor then emerges from the main door, greeting Fluttershy and examining our two rescues. We then follow her back to her exam room and she begins with the dog.
Miss Kitty then grooms herself as I watch. Inspecting it for a microchip, she finds none and does what I assume are her usual inspections of eyes, ears, mouth, and fur.
“Well, no chip, but he’s surprisingly healthy. Any idea how long they were left in the open?”
“No idea on either one.” I respond. “Animal control said they were lying next to a stop sign.”
“Well, they ought to have a bath and groomed. I didn’t spot any fleas or ticks, but a deep comb is still in order.”
“That’s great news.” Fluttershy responds. “Once we get them set up, let’s hope that we can find them a good home.” She then says to me.
“Absolutely.”
Plagued with another stomachache, I head for the bathroom as she begins the chipping process.
When I get back, a new set of immunization records are prepared and presented to me to hold before she repeats the process with Miss Kitty.
“Alright,” I whisper, “you’re one step closer to a new home!”
Fluttershy then interacts with the dog while I watch Miss Kitty get chipped.
“What could we call her?” I ask in regards to the dog.
In response, she barks excitedly. I chuckle at myself and decide on “Princess.”
“Alright, both animals are chipped and have records available. Let me just print the immunization cards off for the records of you and the future owners. Be right back!”
When she leaves, I decide to play with Princess. To my complete non-surprise, I pet her a few times but she immediately leaves me to play with Fluttershy and Miss Kitty.
20 minutes later, both animals are officially recognized and ready to head to the shelter. Quickly and easily, we return to the shelter and put their records on file. Paisley then clocks out and wishes us well before leaving for the evening. Though there are a few people still here, Fluttershy takes care of them, with a different dog (not Princess) even getting adopted at the end of the day.
Normally, the shelter closes at 17:30, but thanks to the extensive adoption process and glee that crosses Fluttershy upon seeing one of her dear animals get adopted, none of us leave until well after 18:00.
“I’m sorry things changed so quickly.” Fluttershy says after I plug her car in back at home.
“All Good. I’m just happy that Princess and Miss Kitty are in good hands.”
“Me too.”
“It’s nice to see you working somewhere that matches your values almost to a T.”
“Yes indeed.”
“Let’s hope we have similar luck and/or success for this upcoming trip of yours.”
“Me too. Thank you so much for taking us.”
“Absolutely!”
“I look forward to this trip, especially my parents.”
“That’s nice. Where will they be vacationing?”
“I’m not sure, actually. They did say they wanted to go to Hawaii, but they didn’t tell me much else.”
“Hmm. Kind of makes me wonder. If they don’t have any reservations, I have houses on every island, but Molokai and Lanai aren’t available, as they’re rented out.”
“Okay. Like I said, I don’t know what their plans are. We’ll need to talk.”
“No problem. Just so I know where to go after your group gets dropped off in Kona.”
“Mhmm. Are you hungry?”
“Not really, but now’s as good a time as ever to get or make food.”
“Oh, well, um, I have food here, so if you want to cook, we can.”
“Eh, well. Better than my idea. Go jump start a heart attack with some barbecue or something.”
“Max! Don’t say that!”
“Sorry it’s abrasive, but I can’t apologize for being abrasive.”
“I know you don’t mean it, but sometimes things like that really scare me.”
“I’m aware, which is why I said it. It truly is a miracle you decided to be my friend.”
“Max, I wouldn’t not want to be your friend just because you’re abrasive. I’m friends with you because of who you are.”
“An abrasive, self-loathing, entitled, first world millennial?”
“No! You’re a very kind and generous person who doesn’t hesitate to help his friends whenever possible. You also demonstrate an unparalleled level of compassion and knowledge of situations that most would normally freak out over.”
“Shucks, I’m flattered. But you give me too much credit.”
“Really? That’s not what Applejack told me when you showed up to help out on the farm. That’s not what Rainbow Dash told me after you hosted the Blue Angels. That’s not what Twilight told me when you took her from Indianapolis to Anchorage. That’s not what Pinkie Pie told me when you came to one of her parties.”
“My schedule happened to be open. If I had said no to any of them, I would’ve just been spending those trips waiting for the next one.”
“Don’t deny it Max. You have friends who care about you and support you.”
“Which speaks volumes about the people I’ve come to know.”
“Welcome to the herd! I mean, your new friend group.”
“Thanks.” I chuckle. “Now, about dinner.”
“I have food. Let’s just cook tonight.”
“I have some things at my house too. You want me to get them?”
“Where do you live?”
“Victorville, California.”
“I mean here in Washington, silly!” She laughs.
“Mercer.” I respond with playful innocence at her laugh.
“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t want you to have to travel all the way over there just to come back again.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Okay then, if you want to.”
“Be back soon!” I say as I check to make sure my keys are on my person.
When I return to her house, I’m met with a decidedly veggie-meat smell permeating my nostrils. I get to the kitchen and sure enough, Fluttershy is preparing Beyond burgers.
“I thought I recognized that smell.” I quip as I return with a bottle of sparkling water.
After about 20 minutes, she pulls out two buns from her toaster and asks if lettuce and tomato are okay. No problem on my part, I head outside for a quick e-cigarette as Fluttershy finishes prep on our dinner.
After I run the stick dry, I return to the kitchen and toss the dead e-cig into her trash bin. Immediately she calls,
“Max? It’s ready!”
I stick my head across to her dining table and find my plate right across from hers. After I pour a glass of sparkling water, I ask if she wants something to drink. She declines on account of having a glass of OJ for herself.
I sit down and dig in as she does, sighing contentedly as Fluttershy also enjoys her burger. We don’t talk at all while eating, so after we finish our meals, I say,
“Well, that was very good. Thank you for dinner, Fluttershy!”
“Oh, you’re welcome!” She blushes. “Thank you for joining me today.”
“I’m glad I could aid in a rescue. I hate to be so abrupt, but before we ate, we were talking about your trip.”
“Oh! Yes, yes. Where were we?”
“Um, I think it was on what you were doing.”
“Okay. Um, I plan on being on each island for at least a few days each. That will depend on how our local docent wants to show us.”
“No worries. I trust your company will be kind to my cars. Do you have lodging arrangements?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. We’re leaving tomorrow, so what time is good for everyone?”
“Um, I told them our flight is at 10:00.”
“That’s fine. Did you send them the address for Signature Flight Support at SeaTac?”
“I’m not sure if anyone has seen it, but I did send it to them.”
“Okay. Signature’s parking lot is pretty small, so take that into consideration. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem though. Even so, I imagine I’ll get to meet everyone tomorrow morning.”
“Um, yes.” She responds more sort of following along than with certainty.
“You, 7 others, plus your parents?”
“Yes.” She responds with certainty this time.
“Alright then.”
“Are you going to get ready for bed?”
“Well, yes. But I’m in no hurry. I just left my bag at my house, so I’ll be spending the night in Mercer.”
“Oh. Um, that’s okay. I can head to bed early then.”
“If you want to turn in early, by all means.”
“Okay.”
With that, we both rise from the table, I place my plate in the sink, and after giving both a quick rinse, she loads the dishwasher and starts a cycle on a time delay so that she can put them away when she wakes up tomorrow.
“Alright.” I say after checking to make sure I have everything, “Thank you again for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at Signature then?”
“Sure.“
“Alright, alright, alright. Good night, Fluttershy.”
Sending a beaming smile my way, I head out, tittering as I fire up my car, hoping I don’t scare Fluttershy or anyone else. Gently then, I head out of North Bend and punch it onto I-90, reaching Mercer Island just before the stroke of 21:00.