Starting Position

Chapter 14

Sunday morning came quickly. As soon as I had fallen asleep, it seemed the bright light and cascading sounds of chirping birds stirred me from my slumber. It had been another dreamless night, void of anything. Just how I preferred.

The pet store opened at ten AM, and I had to arrive thirty minutes earlier to prepare for opening. After shoving a portable breakfast down my throat and bidding a hollow goodbye to my father, I departed down the road in my car, pulling into the small, haphazard parking lot ten minutes later. Roots from ancient trees had started to bubble underneath the cement, causing my car to bounce and lash me about inside the cabin.

I was greeted with the pet store's usual essence, a musky, earthy smell that I could pinpoint immediately if I had smelled it anywhere else. Some of the animals took note when I walked in; the birds began chirping, some of the cats mewled, and I heard the dogs and puppies getting restless near the back of the store where they slept. I had the next thirty minutes to clean up messes, organize the animals in their daytime containers, and feed some hungry mouths. When I had first started working, these tasks took me nearly all morning to complete. Though over the years, I had developed an efficient routine, and the morning duties scarcely took me longer than a half an hour.

The reptiles and amphibians were always last on my rounds, as they usually didn't require immediate feedings and their cages weren't as in-need as those of the warm-blooded distinction. I said hello to Mr. Shelton who was waddling from his sleep shelter. My chest swelled. I would never tell Erikson, but I was thankful he hadn't been up for adoption yesterday. There would be a gaping hole in my morning if he wasn't there.

Mr. Shelton let me pet the top of his head and then scooted to the end of the cage where I had placed his food, some kale and a couple meal worms. I moved on to Ricky Ricardo, the tortoise, who was already by his dish awaiting the same treatment.

It was then I heard the soft tingle of the bell attached to the front door. Someone had come inside. My insides flipped as I was overtaken with the notion that Ben had just emerged, ready to collect his new dog. Wiping my hands from the crumbs left by the pellet food, but not the pungent smell, I headed towards the front of the store and braced myself.

"Hi, how are you?" I shifted in place as the high pitched, sweet voice of a woman with a bleach blond bob rung through my eardrums. She was clutching the shoulder of a small boy whose eyes were swiveling in circles trying to absorb all the surrounding animals. They looked familiar.

Releasing the strained breath on reserve for Ben, I slapped on a dutiful smile. "Hi, welcome. Have you been here before?"

"No," the woman said pleasantly, "but we were at the adoption center at the Lake yesterday – we spoke to an older gentleman – oh what was his name..."

"That would've been Erikson. He's the owner."

"Yes, that's it. Nice man. Anyway, my son was beside himself with all the animals yesterday, and I promised him we'd stop into the shop first thing. So, here we are!"

I could tell from this brief encounter that the woman had stockpiles of energy. She was radiant, as though the sun itself had waltzed in through the door. Her son was still mentally cataloging all the creatures around him, most likely deciding which one to visit first once released from his mother. After closer inspection, I did remember them from yesterday, however I had been in conversation with Morgan during their visit.

"Is there anything particular you'd like to see?" I asked.

"Well," the woman began, "I told my son he could pick out one small animal to take home – as long as it was smaller, and remained smaller, than a guinea pig."