This was the tenth time in a row, every day at the same time in the evening that i seen him sitting there he was all alone. The shillouet of a once proud dog. His apperance was frightfull at first. He was a completley black Pitt Bull no speck of any other color about his body except for his big lime green eyes. I watched as he sat staring in the same direction. Towards the main road heading out of town. I grabbed my bag of fast food and walked making sure he could hear me. He was a young dog, maybe four years old.
He looked hungrily at my bag, sniffed the air then looked back at the road. What ever he was waiting on was more important than that hamburger. i had baught especially for him. Burger Kings tripple whopper with cheese and bacon. As i sat beside him he looked at me as if to ask what time it was. Then back at the road.
I unwrapped the sandwich and tore off a small peice and held it infront of his muzzle. He ever so gently took it from my fingers, chewed it slowly and swallowed. His eyes didnt leave the road once as i fed him the sandwich. The dogs head was the size of two basket balls and could have easily crushed my hand for the burger. I had taken my phone and started video recording him sitting there from the first night. I was recording him as he ate his sandwich peice by peice and even drank happily from the large cup of water i brought him. I heard a thump, thump, thump behind me and turned to see his tail wagging. While i was turned he touched his nose to the camera and licked it.
I laughed as he leaned against me and kept watching the road. I was determined to see what made this dog sit here untill dark thirty. It was almost Nine thirty when he started fidgeting in his seat impatiently and whimpering yet wagging his tail happily. Then i heard the far off rummble of a deisel engines jake break as it came down straight fall hill out side of town. As soon as he heard the jake brake he stood up and kept looking up at me as if to say " Here he comes, Here comes my dad !"
I turned my cammera back on when lights shone thru the trees and the jake break was purposefully being induced. The closer the lights got the more wiggley the big scary pitt bull got. Then all of a sudden we heard the loud long blast of an air horn as a large black kenworth Tractor and trailer pulled into the parking beside the road. The excited and oh so ferociouse pitt bull stayed put, waiting, and watching. His lime green eyes were peeled on the man getting out of the truck. Still the dog sat there waiting, The dog crouched down low to the ground with his hind legs still in the air ready to lunge.
"Come Here Kenny !!!!" The man yelled for him.
The dog took off running as if i had fed him racing fuel and not a triple whopper. He was quick to run and leap into the mans arms planting long slipps of his tounge all over his face.
"So he waits for you, here every night?" I asked.
"Oh NO ! That there is a deceased drivers dog, They found ol' benny bent over from a heart attack. His truck parked rite there. Kenny hear was watching as they took his daddy and truck away. No one could get the pup to come to them so the yleft him. The first time i see him sittin there i stop and let him think i his daddy. We play a bit, we cuddles a bit, then he runs off to ware ever it is he go. I come thru here every night just to let kenny see his daddys old truck. I baught it for my farm at the state repo auction, thats what i say, My wife she say i baught it so kenny dont feel abandoned." old man Baker said. "This here Kenny Daddy Hat. makes it more beliveable for kenny"
"Wow I dont know what to say to that." I said wanting to cry.
later when i got home i put all the videos together and posted them on youtube, to explain the mystery of the balck pitt. I sat with kenny every night for Two years waiting on the black semi and sharing a tripple whopper, onion rings, and a large water, (we eache had our own water) Then came the day i had hoped would never come. Kenny and i sat in the same spot untill the sun started rising. once the sun was 3/4 of the way up a rainbow appeared as a red ford pick up pulled in near us. An older woman walked over to us and began balling.
"Mr. Baker Passed away last night. Im so sorry Kenny !" Mrs. Baker said handing kenny his dads hat.
kenny whined and hung his head low. i knew what had to be done and i began prepairing to do it. The next day after work when i walked out of the burger king Kenny sat at a picnic table, staring at the door with his dads hat in his mouth, walked up to me and laid it in my lap after i sat down. As we walked to my apartment we shared our whopper, onion rings and a cup of water for both of us. I opened the door for kenny and he walked right in, inspected everything. I watched as he budged my bedroom door open, jumped onto my bed and went to sleep. While he slept i finished making the phone calls i had to and made arrangements for my brother to watch Kenny while i was gone.
After i had left to do what i had to I Kept calling my brohter stressing that he had to bring Kenny to the spot at the park i first seen him sitting.
As i pulled the old black Kenworth into the parking spot Kenny and my brother were walking towards us. Kenny stopped when i blew the air horn, looked at me, watched me shake my long auburn hair out of his dads hat, and Lunged in a dead run and leapt into my arms. I had a load of dog food in the trailer that needed delivered in two days, i wasnt there just to say HI.
When i opened the door and set Kenny in his seat, complete with booster seat so he could see over the dash and hood he couldnt wag his tail fast enough. Kenny was ware he had begun years ago !
Kenny spent eight more years on the road with me. His ending was ware his begining began. i was more than happy i was able to do that all for him. i can honestly say had i never fell in love with that dog, Id have never gotten my cdl, id have never baught this truck going completley broke, and id have never been this happy. Kenny Truly made my life alot richer than it ever would have been with out him.
Now as i drive past the Stone statue of kenny waiting beside the dog park I look to his old booster seat. The little white pittbull puppy asleep in it snoozes sweetly, prepairing for a very big set of paw prints to fill. Peter should have no problem being a good dog like Kenny, but he will never replace him. Nor will this new peter built replace the old Kenworth.
