Away // Snowbarry

XXVI

After being gone from Central City for a few months, I started to feel homesick. I missed the bustling city life so much so that I ran to Central City. Nothing had changed in the past few months. Everyone was walking at the quick pace I longed for and cars honking rang throughout the streets.

As I walked around, the sense of need to be here died down. The connection I had with my neighbors in the suburbs was more important than I realized. I liked walking down the street and saying "hello" to whoever was out on their lawn. The constant noise around me made me grateful that our house was on a quiet street. I knew I didn't want to be in Central City anymore.

Caitlin and I's trip to Central City was short-lived. Everyone was extremely happy to see us and play around with our little Nova but all good things must come to an end. As our normal life started up again, I decided that I wanted to do something nice for Cait and for Nova to show my appreciation for them and this life. That is how I found myself cuddling a cute two-year-old german shepherd at our local rescue.

"We found this little guy as a stray in Star City with his name tag around him. The owners never answered our calls and we actually found out they had moved away from town. Naturally, little Oliver ended up here," I smiled when the volunteer mentioned his name, "He's super gentle once you get to know him but he can be a little closed off at first."

I could see the nervousness in the dog's eyes but he was letting me gently pet him. Funnily enough, he was a lot like the human Oliver from Star City. The volunteer continued to talk about the importance of being patient with him and letting him warm up to us before trying to engage in any rough activities like tug-of-war. I really loved Oliver and I knew Caitlin and Nova would too. Him being house-trained and leash-trained was a big plus. It would be hard to simultaneously try to figure out how to train a dog and how to raise a kid all in one go.

When all of the adoption paperwork was complete and we stopped at the pet store for a few necessities, I headed home. Caitlin would be in the process of picking Nova up from preschool so I had time to set up Oliver's food bowl and bed. After his eventful day, I fully expected him to fall asleep on the bed I got for him and he did just that.

Nova, upon arrival, gave me a big hug. "Sweetie, why is there a dog in our living room?" Caitlin asked, prompting Nova to leave our embrace to pet the dog.

"Surprise!" I smiled.

With Oliver awake now, Nova pet him and was talking to him like she did her best friends. I explained to Caitlin all of what the volunteer talked to me about. The excitement was plastered all over her face. When I told her the dog's name was Oliver her only response was, "That's perfect."

Throughout the night, we gave Oliver an adequate balance of space and love while he became acclimated to his new home. Him and Nova became immediate best friends. She was talking with him and playing with him all night long and he was loving it. At the end of the night, Caitlin even moved his bed to her room so he could sleep beside Nova's bed. 

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