A Boy's Best Friend ©2022
By David Lee
Garth stood outside the animal rescue building reluctant to do what he knew he must. It had been a long walk and his feet had grown heavier with each step. He had to carry through with his plan although his heart ached. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and continued through the door with Daisy following close behind.
"What may I do for you, young man," the lady at the counter asked.
"I'm here to surrender my dog. I don't have the means to keep her anymore. I can't bear to see her hungry and she's due for shots that I can't pay for."
"We can take her, of course. I know this has to be difficult for you," Mrs. Lonigan said. I'll show you where she'll be housed. She'll be in quarantine from the others until we know about her health and temperament. Once she's been cleared, she'll be in the company of some other dogs like her so she won't be lonely."
Garth just nodded. He couldn't trust his voice.
After being shown around the facility, he was convinced that it would be a good place for Daisy. She would likely be safer here than she was staying with him in his makeshift shelter.
Before he left, he had to ask the question which he dreaded the answer to.
"Um, she won't be euthanized, will she?"
"No, we'll find a good home for her. In fact, if you give me your name and address, I'll record it in our books that you plan to `adopt' her when you get the chance. That should hold her for a month. If you come back within that time, you can renew it again."
"Okay. I'm not sure how I'll be able to take care of her again, but I would like to be on the list. My name is Garth Thyson, but I don't have an address unless you can use the one at the store where I work. I'm, um, sorta on my own."
"I'll put down that address and phone number for the time being," Marj offered. "No one looks closely at these things anyway."
"Thanks," Garth said with a catch in his voice.
"You stay here, girl," he patted his puppy. "I'll come to see you when I can."
Then, he turned and left quickly, not wanting to make a scene. Marj watch his retreating figure. She couldn't see his face, but from the shaking of his shoulders, she knew he was crying. How sad it was to witness.
The other thing which caught her attention was that Daisy was whimpering. Obviously, this was an emotional parting for both.
Garth trudged back toward the city. The four-mile walk wasn't strenuous for a 17-year-old kid, but it seemed like a never-ending trek because of the ache in his heart.
Along the way, he pondered the circumstances which had brought him to this situation. He should have been more careful and not gotten caught. However, once he was found out, he had few options. The people who should have shown him love turned their backs on him. If he refused the cure for his grievous sin, he was no longer welcome in his home. And if he didn't take that "damned mutt" with him she would be sent to the pound.
Garth couldn't abandon his dog. He'd inherited her when his grandfather had died. Grandpa had name her for the dog in the long-running comic strip, "Blondie." Daisy was barely housebroken when Grandpa passed away. She had wet on the kitchen floor and been kicked by Garth's father for her blunder. Garth had held her and comforted her. So, she had bonded with him from that day on.
He knew he couldn't change his inner being no matter what kind of "treatment" he received, and he had to look out for Daisy, so he had left home taking a few possessions and had tried to make the best of a bad situation. For a while, he had couch-surfed with friends who would let Daisy come with him. That had seen him through the last month of his junior year. When word got around in his small circle of acquaintances about the reason his parent had kicked him out, he became a persona non grata. It was then that he found refuge under an overpass where other homeless people had created a kind of tent-city to help them survive.
A nice man in the little conclave had helped him gather materials for his shelter. A cardboard refrigerator shipping box had become a home for Daisy and him. He'd purchased a used sleeping bag from the Goodwill store along with some rugs to soften the ground. On late spring nights when it was still chilly, Daisy and he had kept each other warm.
There was an odd assortment of people in his new community. Some were winos and others had various problems which alienated them from society as a whole, but most were kind to Garth and Daisy, looking out for them. His neighbors provided information about where free meals were available. In return, he would scrounge produce from the store's dumpster that was still edible and share it with others around the camp.
However, not everyone was trustworthy. While he was working one day, someone stole money that he'd buried in a plastic bag because he been afraid to have too much on him in case he got mugged walking to or from the store. He had cried over its loss but had been thankful that Daisy hadn't been taken.
On a Sunday couple of weeks later when he was off from work, he made the hike to the animal shelter to visit Daisy. She was overjoyed to see him. Marj looked on through misty eyes as the two played together. Daisy had been moping around recently, and Marj had been concerned about her health. It was obvious that the dog had been longing to see her master. Marj felt she needed to do something to help.
The following day, Garth found that a new kid was bagging groceries at the counter next to where he was working. The guy was pleasant and began carrying on a conversation with Garth. From the way he was packing the bags, it was evident that he wasn't a novice.
When their break came, they sat next to each other at the picnic table outside the back door for a snack. Garth found out that Paul was sent to this store only when there was a dire need for a substitute. He didn't elaborate on why that was the case, but he said that given the current job situation, there weren't enough workers to go around and he was employed for the maximum number of hours a person his age was allowed to work. Garth could empathize because he was also working as many hours as he could.
If this intense scheduling kept up, Garth hoped to be able to earn enough to get Daisy back. Of course, he would need to find a more permanent home before winter. He didn't know how he would be able to do that and finish high school too. He figured most cheap rooms wouldn't allow pets. Perhaps he'd have to drop out of school and work full-time.
Marj decided to shop at the store where Garth worked instead of the one closest to her. She wanted to see if he was as decent and industrious as she thought. If so, she might have a word with her brother.
She intentionally chose the checkout counter where Garth was stationed even though the line was a bit longer. He was so busy that he didn't recognize her until she asked him to help her put her groceries in the car. When he did, he smiled at her warm welcome.
"Daisy has been much happier since you visited! I wish we could get you together more often."
"I'll try to do better, but I don't have the time to make the roundtrip between shifts. It's a fair hike."
"You don't have any transportation? Not even a bike?"
"Nope. I wish I did. But that would probably be stolen too.
"I could maybe go tomorrow morning since I'm not scheduled until 12:00."
"Why don't you plan on that, and I'll drive you here during my lunch break?"
"I hate to put you out."
"It's no problem. I hope you'll let me buy your lunch on the way. I'm in the mood for a Big Mac and fries. Is it a date?"
"Yes, Ma'am! I'll buy your lunch."
Marj didn't want Garth to spend his hard-earned money on her. However, she would let him because she felt he needed to for his self-esteem. She had a coupon to give him, so it wouldn't really cost him all that much.
Paul wasn't at the store the following week because one of the regulars came back from vacation so there were enough sackers to get by. However, the week after that, he was scheduled for several days.
During their break-time conversations, the boys exchanged more information. They discovered that they'd been in several classes together in the past three years. Both had been kind of shy at school and hadn't gotten acquainted until now. They felt like they'd missed out because of it.
On Thursday, Paul cut his break a bit short because he said he needed to talk with the manager. Garth felt sad because he was beginning to treasure their time together. He knew it was silly to bond with someone he wasn't likely to see again when summer ended.
Paul went up the stairs to the open office which overlooked the registers. He entered without knocking.
"Dad, I think the nepotism rule is stupid! I'd like to work here with Garth. I'm pretty sure he's homeless and I want to help him."
"That's admirable of you. As far as the rule is concerned, you know that some managers are likely to treat their children better than other employees. It's a good rule for keeping things fair.
"What do you propose to do to help Garth?"
"He could move into my room with me. We have a lot in common."
"I've noticed how you look at him when he's not looking in your direction. What makes you think he's like you."
"I can sense it. On top of that, I've asked some of the kids who go to his church and I know why he was thrown out. He's a good kid and he's doing his best to survive and care for his dog too."
"Since you mentioned the dog, is this a serious crush, or a case of puppy love?"
"Is that an attempt at a lame dad-joke?" Paul grinned.
"Hey, the main characteristic of a dad-joke is that it's lame!"
"Okay, we're getting off the subject. May I invite him to live with me?"
"I'll have to talk to your mother before I make a decision."
"Um, she's fine with it."
"Hmmm... Your mother is okay with it and your Aunt Marj is urging me to do something. I feel like I'm being double-teamed."
"You forgot to add me. I think you're being triple-teamed, if there is such a thing."
"Jeez! You're too young to be making lame jokes. You have to be at least 45 or 50."
"So, what's your answer?"
"I'll think it over. If we did take him in, we would have to keep him even if you two didn't get along. Tossing him out would likely kill him. I'm serious! Are you ready to share with him if things don't work out between you as you'd like them to?"
"Yup! I'll love him like a brother even if I can't have him as a boyfriend. "Oops, my break is over, and I'd better get back to work before Mr. Maxwell, my manager gets on my case!"
The following day, Tom Maxwell asked Garth to come up to his office. Garth wondered what it was about, and if he'd receive good news or bad. He hoped he hadn't screwed up. He really needed this job.
"It's come to my attention that you're homeless."
"Has someone complained? I try to stay clean, and I'll get my hair cut soon," Garth said.
"Oh, you don't appear dirty, and your hair isn't any longer than lots of boys your age. Jemal has dreadlocks and that's no one's business, so the company can't make you change your style either. I'm interested in having you in a safe environment when school starts again. I want you to finish high school and start taking classes at Kirkwood after you do. You're smart, honest, and responsible. With those qualities, you can have a bright future if you get a good education."
"I can't afford a decent place to live. I'll probably have to drop out or maybe go to Metro."
"I've been asked to invite you to live at my house. Paul assures me that he'd be happy to share his room. It has twin beds. If being that close together would make you uncomfortable, we have a guest room that's rarely used."
"Paul is your son?"
"Yes, and he's become rather fond of you. This is a serious invitation. I'll work on getting guardianship immediately. I don't want your parents to charge me with harboring a runaway."
"I didn't run away but I'm blown away! I don't know what to say."
"A simple three-letter word will do," Tom smiled.
"Yes!"
After their shift ended, Paul drove Garth to his shelter to retrieve whatever he wanted to keep. Other than his sparce wardrobe, there were few things -- mainly Daisy's bowls. Garth said goodbye to the few residents who were around. They wished him well. He told them to give his box and sleeping bag to someone else who needed it. Then, he took one more look around and got into the passenger seat.
Their next stop was the animal rescue. Marj could barely contain her emotions when the two boys came in. Daisy couldn't. She jumped for joy. It was as if she knew Garth had come to take her home for good.
Garth carefully counted out the $25 for the adoption fee.
"It's already been paid by an anonymous donor."
"You?" Garth asked.
"You're a bright boy, so you know the meaning of `anonymous.' Obviously, I'm not allowed to say."
"Please thank the person for me," Garth managed to say through his tears.
"I will."
Marj watched with tears of her own as the two walked hand in hand to Paul's car. Daisy bounded into it the moment the door was open. She sat on Garth's lap as they drove away.
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