Without A Pail

by Michelle Marra

  “Wait a minute…you were walking five at once?”

  Jackie rolled her eyes, “Yes…can I please go on?”

  Joni nodded her head and extended her hand as if to say, ‘you have the floor.'

  “Bruno was pulling on me for all he was worth, so much so that it was hard to get them all moving in unison with the standard poodle and the three Cockapoos.” She paused briefly as Joni shook her head in disapproval. “I tripped over my own feet, twisted my ankle and fell on my face. The dogs started to swarm around me like they always do when I fall.”

  “You’ve fallen more than once?”

  “Joni…”

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Please continue.”

  “This woman runs over yelling ‘are you okay?’ and I ask her if she would take the big dog’s leashes and help me to my feet,” Jackie could feel her cheeks warm recalling how their gaze locked briefly. She shook her head trying to beat off the flustered feeling and ignored the smile on her sister’s face. “Um…anyway. She hands me back the leashes and I get them wrapped around my wrists ready for our last jaunt before taking them back. I could smell this strong odor of dog shit and I thought I either landed in it or stepped in it, but nothing…I looked at the woman and she is covered in brown smudges which I suspected were dog shit smears. She was dressed in designer clothes down to her sneakers, I think they were Gucci or something and to top it off she had mustard all over her chin. She looked like some type of homeless person in Prada.”

  “So is that what has you so riled up?”

  “No…she started lecturing me about walking too many dogs at once. Said I was irresponsible not thinking of their safety.”

  Joni laughed at the scowl on her sister’s face. “So what? If you don’t know this woman why are you letting it get to you so much? Is it because you like her, you thought she was attractive?”

  “Ew…God no. She’s probably some hoity-toity, eccentric heiress that wanted to do a little slumming in the park today.”

  “Then I guess you know she’s right.” Joni watched as her sister went back to her plate of pasta diverting her eyes.

  “I guess,” Jackie said swallowing more linguini then taking a large gulp from her glass of milk. “But I didn’t have time to walk them all individually because I had an interview this morning, so I was behind schedule.”

  Jackie ignored the raised eyebrow of disapproval by finishing her pasta and clearing the table. She wasn’t in the mood for another lecture today. She knew it was wrong not to get someone to cover her morning dogs, she was late picking them up and had to clean up a few accidents.

  Joni didn’t say anything she just moved from the table to the couch. She wanted to watch a little TV before heading down to the shop for the evening hours to begin. She also knew that her silence was freaking Jackie out and eventually she would spill it, she always did.

  Jackie’s mind was going a mile a minute while she washed up the couple pots and loaded the dishwasher. “Dammit,” she whispered, completely frustrated with the situation. She had only been home for a month and she felt like a teen screw-up all over again and resented the fact her sister was always right. She wiped the counters, dried her hands, and folded the kitchen towel neatly then took a deep breath and stood in the center of the kitchen. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she walked into the living room.

  “Okay, here’s the issue. It’s nice being outside, the weather has been perfect, and you know I love dogs…but I want to make more than twenty-five dollars an hour. I want to be able to contribute here and I want to be able to, I don’t know…maybe someday, get a place of my own again and live like a grown up.”

  Joni opened her mouth to say something, but Jackie quickly held up her hand. “I know I can stay here as long as I need to and I know you don’t mind the extra mouth to feed. But I don’t want to feel like a free-loader. Yes, I have too many clients right now; I definitely overextended myself and it isn’t fair to the dogs, so I’ll call Tony and see if he can take a few off my list.”

  “What about the woman?”

  “What about her?” Jackie asked as she plopped down in the oversized chair tossing her feet up on the ottoman.

  “I saw you get all flustered, something happened.”

  “Nothing happened, I thought I saw something in her eyes…that’s all. But after seeing her and having her reprimand me like I’m some moron…I’m not interested in going there again. Besides, I think I should be single for a while. I need to get my life back on track.”

  “Well, my dear that is one of the smartest things I heard you say in a long time,” Joni said as she pulled the couch throw across her legs. She liked to keep the central air on low, even if it meant having to get a blanket from time to time. “Oh, what was the interview for?”

  “Legal secretary for a personal injury firm on nineteenth.”

  “Well, I guess you have to start somewhere.” There was something else she needed to know and if she had an answer it would mean that this chance meeting was under Jackie’s skin more than she realized. “Um….what color was the woman’s eyes?”

  Jackie smiled, “A crazy exotic color, like caramel, with flecks of brown in them.”

  Joni could see it in her sister’s face, hear it in her voice and definitely detect it in her aura, oh there was most certainly something in that woman’s eyes she thought as she turned her attention back to the television before her evening started at the shop.

  Chapter 6

  It took Jill a shower as well as a bath to get the stench of ‘dog’ off and her skin was pruned and water logged from nearly sixty minutes of scrubbing. She donned her gray bikers with a gray and black tank top, wrapped her hair in a towel and headed for her bar. She needed something to help her unwind, so she grabbed a bottle of pinot and a glass then headed for the patio. According to the weather forecast, it was promising to be a beautiful evening with temperatures in the high seventies as well as a light breeze, clear skies and a full moon…something she could not pass up.

  As Jill was into her third glass of wine and finally able to feel herself relax her cell phone rang and instantly she regretted not checking the caller id before accepting the call when she heard her ex-husband’s voice.

  “Jill…Jill are you there?” Bill’s tone was leaning towards annoyance.

  “Yes, I’m here. What do you want? Are you even supposed to be calling me, shouldn’t you be contacting me through my attorney?”

  “I don’t have time for that, where is the Chihuly? Did you take it?”

  “No, I didn’t take anything that we purchased together. I don’t want a fucking thing that reminds me of you.” They had purchased the Chihuly at a benefit they attended in Los Angeles nearly ten years ago. There were several pieces available, all beautiful sculpted blown glass, all unique, all signed by the sculptor Dale Chihuly himself and all at a ridiculous price.

  “Then where is it?” His voice raised to a decibel that made her pull the cell phone from her ear briefly.

  “If you are going to scream at me I’ll just hang up.”

  “Wait, okay. Look Diane wants to put it on the dining room table and I can’t find it anywhere.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. How did she even know we had it?” Then it dawned on her that Diane was at one of their many dinner parties and had probably been there when she wasn’t home. “You make me sick.”

  “Whatever Jill…if you don’t have it, where is it?”

  Jill let out a frustrated sigh, “Bill, I didn’t touch your precious sculpture. As far as I know it’s where it always is…in your office.”

  “Oh.”

  Jill pinched her eyes closed and shook her head in disbelief, “Really…oh, is all you have to say?”

  “What do you want me to say?” Bill’s tone was brittle and harsh.

  “Maybe ‘thank you,’ or better yet…how about ‘I’m sorry.’”

  “Sorry for what?”

  “Well, kicking me out of my home and leaving me w
ith no place to go…for starters.”

  Bill let out a cocky grunt, “Seems you made out just fine.”

  Jill smiled as she swirled the bright yellow liquid in her glass, feeling quite pleased with herself, “Yes I did. This apartment is lovely and has spectacular view…especially at night.”

  “Bitch!”

  “Now…now Bill, that could be construed as harassment and I am recording our conversation.” Jill stifled a laugh when she heard Bill expel a huff through his nostrils.

  “Well then, I think that concludes our business for this evening. Oh and Bill darling…please contact my lawyer if you need anything else from me.” Then she ended the call and immediately opened the setting to block his number. “Dick head…thanks for trying to ruin my night.”

  She poured another glass of wine and eased her lounge chair back further so she could gaze at the sky. The moon was indeed full and bright. Small clouds darkened by the night continued to float by trying their best to cover the moon, but its brilliance shone through. She couldn’t see any stars tonight, too many city lights blocking their beauty from her eyes. But just the same, the sky was magnificent and so was the buzz she had from the bottle of pinot grigio she finished herself.

  “Guess I better go inside before I wake up in the morning here with bird shit all over me.” Jill stood from her chaise and instantly felt light-headed. She steadied herself for a moment waiting for the fogginess to clear, “Oh shit.” Jill giggled while she crept to the patio doors. “Maybe I shouldn’t drink an entire bottle of wine.”

  She locked the patio doors, set down her bottle and glass on the console table and staggered into the living room. She was due back at the shelter the next morning and she was looking forward to the work and the animals. She enjoyed the work, albeit hard and smelly, but it was rewarding. As she turned off the lights she saw the pair of sunglasses from the encounter she had with a very cute blonde trying to walk five dogs. Then she laughed out loud when she remembered how the woman fell as the dogs began to attack her with kisses. Suddenly Jill’s face felt flush when the image of pulling the woman to her feet and their eyes locking in a brief gaze. Instantly there was a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was something she had never felt before and the strange sensation was almost nauseating but also exciting and now sleep was the last thing on her mind as she placed the aviators back on the counter.

  “I’m in the mood for Captain Jack tonight,” Jill said when she pulled the box of toys out of her closet. She padded towards her bed, stripped herself of what little clothing she had on, pulled the towel from her head, and jumped into her bed with her faithful friend that had seen her through many a lonely night. There would be no need for a personal lubricant…her arousal had already been brimming the moment she touched those sunglasses and she didn’t know why. The adorable woman she met was not only a stranger, but at least ten years younger and probably someone that she would never lay eyes on again. There were thousands of people who walked through the park every day and chances of her bumping into the blonde with the bluest eyes she had ever seen were slim to none. And while in her drunken state she really didn’t understand why she was thinking or feeling this way when she wasn’t gay. Jill enjoyed men, well not in a very long time since Bill had left their bed about eighteen months ago. But she knew she wasn’t gay, just curious and slightly turned on; after all, weren’t most straight women intrigued by lesbians?

  Two weeks later Jillian was completely immersed into the life of Animal Rescue and all that entails. This job was not for the faint of heart; between the grueling shift changes, the constant dog bites and the heart-wrenching cases which came through daily, Jill wasn’t sure if she could keep doing it. She loved animals but wasn’t sure about how to take the constant heartache which came along with the job. Sure, she could deal with the lack of sleep, the stench of vomit, urine and shit, even put up with bites from nervous dogs; but it was difficult for her to see the abused animals come in. She applauded the officers of the ASPCA and all they did to rescue animals from abusive situations and because Manhattan Animal Rescue had a hospital within its walls, she’d seen things that would keep her up at night in tears. No matter what the outcome was, it was still something she wished could be unseen and unknown. It wasn’t easy to realize how much cruelty exists in the world and the monsters that took pleasure in supplying it in significant measures. I’ll never get used to this. She would mutter to herself daily during her shift when she was assigned to the hospital section of the shelter.

  The night shift was a little easier for Jill, not so much tragedy to endure…just caring for the remnants of it from what the day had provided. She promised herself to never forget. Being from a suburb in a more ‘uptown’ type neighborhood, Jill was never exposed to the evils of the world and didn’t think this kind of abuse was so commonplace. Sure she had seen the commercials that could pull a heart out, but Jill believed these cases were few and far between until now and she vowed to keep a watchful eye for anyone with an animal and look for signs of abuse. Jill knew if she ever saw anyone hurt an animal, she would not be held responsible for her actions, which most assuredly would be violent.

  The animals were all tucked in and sleeping from the sedatives the veterinarian had administered not more than three hours ago and since they were all sleeping peacefully, Jill decided to take a stroll into the large breed section of the kennel to check on a particular dog which she had come to adore. It was just about 2:00 a.m., and with another four hours on her shift, Jill needed to be mobile to avoid falling asleep, caffeine wasn’t cutting it these days.

  So Jill took her flashlight and headed to the main shelter to grab a cup of coffee and possibly nab a sleeping worker. Jill found that not every shelter worker had the same work ethic as she did and many times would find the other night shift person asleep on the beat-up old sofa in the break room. And on many occasions, she lectured the individual about shirking their responsibilities. Usually, the one caught sleeping was just a college student who was trying to earn extra money and thought the night shift would be a perfect time for homework, sleep and make money while doing it. Needless to say, those kids didn’t last long once she reported them for sleeping on the job.

  Being the stickler for rules type of person, her first stop was the break room to check on the other night worker. To her surprise, the twenty-something girl was just coming from the ladies room and bumped into her at the door.

  “Hey Kelly, how’s everything on your end?” Jill said as she stepped aside to allow the girl to enter the break room in front of her.

  “Everything’s quiet tonight, I just finished my rounds and most of them are asleep. A few gnawing on a bone and of course the felines are cleaning themselves. How are the post-op patients?”

  “They’re doing well. Sleeping.”

  “Oh, by the way…you know who is awake. I think she is waiting for you.”

  Jill smiled, “She certainly is a sweetie. Do you think she’ll get adopted?”

  “I don’t know…it is difficult for dogs at that age to get adopted, people tend not to want to get invested and attached to an older animal whose life expectancy could only be a couple of years.” Kelly said as she poured coffee into her cup.

  “I guess, but it seems a shame for her to spend the rest of her days in this place. She doesn’t deserve that.” Jill’s tone was somber.

  “Why don’t you adopt her?” Kelly smiled as she blew on the hot coffee before taking a sip.

  “Me? I’m not sure I would know how to take care of her.”

  “Humph…really? Haven’t you ever had a pet?”

  Jill shook her head as she took a large sip from her hot, caffeinated beverage.

  “Didn’t you know anybody that had a dog?”

  “Nuh-uh, I grew up in a very controlled and sterile environment and neighborhood. I think it was a little ‘Stepford’ like, it was very much keeping up with the Joneses which did not include a hairy, messy and pooping creature to tarnish the
image.”

  “Really, wow. I would have never pegged you to be one of those snobby, silver-spoon types.”

  “Thanks…I guess.” Jill quirked an eyebrow as she regarded the girl standing in front of her.

  “No…no, I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that you seem so…you know…normal.”

  Jill laughed out loud, “Oh Sweetie, I’m everything but normal. But I appreciate your candor.” She wasn’t in the mood to discuss her life and the complete and utter mess it was in. It was time to make her rounds again.

  “Hey, why don’t we switch? It will give me an opportunity to put my schooling to good use.”

  “I don’t know why they wouldn’t have assigned you to the post-op in the first place,” Jill said as she walked towards the exit. “Would make better sense in case something happened, because I wouldn’t know the first thing about what to do.”

  “They are so sedated, nothing really should happen. And besides, it is part of my training to care for animals in every situation, not just the sick ones. But since there are only a few hours left to our shift, why don’t you take my rounds and go visit your friend. I know she will be excited to see you.”

  Jill was reluctant, it would mean defying the schedule that was put in place assumingly for a reason. She was never one to disobey rules or authority, but in this case, she didn’t see sense in her presence in the post-op room when Kelly was much more qualified. With just a little mental deliberation she agreed and headed toward the main shelter to begin the final rounds of the evening.

  The Shelter was not biased toward any animal. The Manhattan Animal Shelter had snakes, lizard, rodents, rabbits as well as the staple of dogs and cats. Jill began her final check in the rabbit and rodent section ensuring all cages were secure and animals had fresh water. She was amazed how all eyes were wide open, even at 3:00 a.m. these nocturnal creatures were bright eyed and ready to play. The feline section wasn’t much different. Cats are usually night prowlers and these caged creatures were up and about. The cat section in the shelter was the largest. They had kittens, pregnant cats, cats nursing a litter, old cats and of course feral cats; and often times more cats came in then were adopted out. The first time the ASPCA came in with twenty cats they’d rescued from a crazy ‘cat person,’ Jill was astounded. While the person whose intention may have started off benevolent enough, these crazy ‘cat people’ seem to lose sight of their true intentions and let a caring act become an obsession, and too many pets at once become more harmful than good and is considered abuse. So now in their hopefully ‘temporary’ homes, these cats have regular food, care and affection.