Chapter 10
Nick left the GFD feeling a sense of purpose. He planned to drive directly to The Fairview County Animal Shelter and put in an official request for Bernie. His next action would be an unofficial request to spend more time with Shauna and get to know her better. Much better.
As Nick approached the shelter, he scanned the parking lot and noticed the same vehicles as before. The Honda and the Harley sat at the far end of the blacktop, each tucked in their respective white lines. Did Shauna drive the motorcycle with the sidecar? He certainly did not see Melvin behind the handlebars of that beast. Turtle man on a Road King, indeed!
He slid out of the Ford and took the front steps two at a time and bounded through the front door. Nick approached the front counter and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Melvin arrived at the front counter, much to Nick’s disappointment. He would have much preferred to see his future girlfriend.
“Can I help you?” Melvin asked.
“Yeah, I was in here the other day. Shauna showed me a St. Bernard that I think I’m ready to adopt.” Nick bounced on the balls of his feet as he spoke, smiling from ear to ear. Melvin met Nick’s enthusiasm like a wet blanket. He simply plopped into his seat and hit an intercom button.
“Shauna, return customer for adoption,” Melvin blandly spoke into the telephone. Melvin’s voice reverberated throughout the facility on the loudspeakers with all the persona of a robot. Melvin’s deadpan demeanor belied Nick’s excitement and anticipation. Just hearing Melvin say her name and verify her presence caused Nick’s heart to skip a beat. The door that led to the kennels buzzed, and Melvin motioned for Nick to walk through.
Nick scanned the back room and saw Shauna standing by Bernie’s kennel. Nick waved at Shauna, who responded with a smile.
“Back so soon?” Shauna asked. “I wasn’t sure you were really serious.”
“Yeah, well there something about this dog,” Nick replied. It was a half-truth. It was a combination of Bernie and Shauna that brought him to this point. He figured a little white lie at this point couldn’t hurt.
“I see a lot of animals come through here, but I’d have to agree about him,” Shauna said, looking down at Bernie who was curled up in the far corner of his kennel. “He’s definitely special.” Shauna motioned for Nick to follow her as she headed toward a rear door. “We’ll go to the adoption office and fill out the necessary paperwork.”
“Sounds great,” Nick said as he followed behind.
“It’s not all that complicated,” Shauna explained. “We’ll just need a copy of your driver’s license, proof of citizenship, your last five year’s tax filings, a DNA sample, at least three major credit cards, and a signed statement agreeing to relinquish second born birthrights to the Pine Valley City Council.” Shauna gave the sarcasm a few seconds to set in. “Is that all cool with you?”
“Thank God. I was concerned I’d have to give up first born birthrights,” Nick replied, enjoying her sense of humor. “Do the credit cards have to be mine? You didn’t specify.”
“Gee, I usually get questioned on the DNA part. You get a good idea on people’s thoughts by how they want to provide their DNA sample. Sometimes the sleeves go up and sometimes the pants go down.” Nick laughed with Shauna.
“That could lead to some awkward moments, I’d imagine.”
“You have no idea,” Shauna said. Nick was pretty sure he could imagine how some less than couth individuals could take that joke. Shauna sat down behind a desk and motioned for Nick to sit at the opposite end. She produced a small stack of papers and began explaining the process. Nick felt like it was a smaller version of signing for a mortgage, just cheaper.
About halfway through the process a commotion arose from the kennels. At first it was low to moderate whining, but it rose to multiple dogs howling and barking. Nick raised his gaze from the paperwork and looked at Shauna, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Once one gets going, they can really set each other off,” she explained.
They continued on as the din steadily rose from the kennels. By the time Nick finished the last form, Melvin popped his head inside the office.
“Sorry Shauna, but there’s a guy out here insisting that the St. Bernard belongs to him.”
Shauna’s face expressed a perplexed and worried look. “He said that Bernie is his dog?” Shauna asked. “If he’s serious, he better have some documentation to prove it or one hell of a story on how the dog ended up here.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, but I don’t think he has any proof of ownership. He didn’t even say anything about owning Bernie until he was in the back and saw him in his kennel.”
“Do you think he’s serious,” Shauna asked Melvin. Shauna turned her attention back to Nick and said, “We get some real oddballs in here from time to time.”
“I think he’s serious, but I got to tell you something’s definitely weird. And that goes beyond his height and hair,” Melvin said.
“Height and hair?” Shauna asked.
“Yeah. He looks like he belongs in the NBA and his hair and skin are as white as white can get. Never saw his eyes, what with the sunglasses.”
“Now I’m getting weirded out,” Nick said. “Where’s this guy at. I don’t want to steal his dog or something goofy like that.”
“Alright, alright,” Shauna said. “Let’s go out and talk with him. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. Well, at least the dogs stopped barking and howling,” Shauna said as she stood up. “Let’s go clear the air.”
Melvin backed out of the doorway and allowed Shauna and Nick to walk out first. When they got to the kennels, the dogs were quietly going about their business. The stranger was not present. Shauna and Nick both looked at Melvin who was busy searching the room.
“He was just here, I swear.”
Melvin took long strides and headed for the door that led back to the main hallway, convinced there was no albino in the kennel area now. Shauna and Nick walked by Bernie’s kennel. Bernie sat on his hind legs with his nose pressed against the Plexiglas, which fogged up under his panting.
Nick stopped in front of the kennel and knelt down. He placed his hand up against the Plexiglas where Bernie’s nose rested, just on the other side.
“It’s all cool, buddy boy,” Nick said to the dog. “I’m busting you out of this joint today,” Nick said grinning.
He rose to his feet and started to join Melvin and Shauna in the main lobby when he heard the voice
“You better make it fast, ole boy, ‘cause this place is getting a little hot for my taste.”
Nick’s forward progression quickly ceased as the sound of that same familiar voice reverberated inside his head. He turned and looked at Bernie, whose nose still remained glued to the Plexiglas. Nick stared into the dog’s eyes and began to feel light headed. His vision became myopic as everything tunneled into Bernie’s face. A certain sense of ease enveloped him as Bernie’s eyes started to swirl into a brown and yellowish psychedelic mixture.
“Hey!” Shauna shouted from the lobby door. “Are you coming?”
As soon as the surreal experience began, it abruptly ended in an instant. His senses reverted to normal, and the whole room returned back into focus. Nick turned his head Shauna’s direction with a dazed look.
“Yeah,” he grunted, feeling like he just woke from a midday nap. As he turned to join Shauna, he glanced back at the kennel and watched Bernie pacing back and forth by the rear wall. He made no concerted efforts to process the last several seconds other than to matriculate back into what he assumed was reality. He concluded in a flash that joining the others was probably his best bet at maintaining functional sanity.
When he reached the lobby, the only person there besides Shauna and Melvin was a cleaning lady, Alva Gomez. Melvin darted around pillars, trashcans, and even snuck inside the women’s restroom, frantically looking for the man in black. After
a few fruitless minutes of searching, Melvin stood in the middle of the lobby with a defeated look on his face. However, Alva stood perfectly still, holding her mop upright with both hands wrapped tightly around the wooden handle and looking toward the front door. Her knuckles whitened, and her unblinking eyes appeared double their normal size.
“Alva, did you see a man just come through here a few moments ago?” Shauna asked. Shauna placed her hand gently on Alva’s shoulder, unsure whether Alva even heard her speak.
Alva raised her right hand and pointed her wavering index finger toward the front door. “Blanco Diablo,” escaped her lips. She did not say another word.
The Bernie Factor Page 10