HAPPY STANDS ALONE

Every night before I sleep. I go upstairs, brush my teeth and then take off my hearing aids and go to bed. It is a routine, designed for no reason other than the simple structure one has in one’s life. We all have some structure.

Last night, I went up to brush my teeth when the phone rang. This is unusual since it was near 11 PM! At that late hour it is unusual to get a phone call. My fear was that something might be wrong! As I heard the phone I was closing the toothpaste, and made a turn toward the stairs and ran down to find out who that was calling. The phone rang once only. It was divine intervention.

Going into the den, I noticed TLW (The Little Woman) was not on the phone. In fact: she was leaning out the back door in the den, and looking confused. Turning on the back outside light, she couldn’t see, but I could. There, in the middle of the pool, standing on the cover, was a white a buff form, not moving.

Shooting out the door, past TLW I go to the edge of the pool. Happy is too far out in the middle of the pool, in danger of going through with the cover and drowning, cover and all!

Looking very frightened, Happy stood frozen standing out of reach for me to get her. I decided to reach down and try, still she was too far out into the middle. Final I lay down, no shoes on, flat on my stomach and tried to reach her. Maybe an inch separated us, if the pool cover gives in, we both could drown, getting caught under the cover, disoriented! The more I stretched, the closer I could get. I needed to move my body just an inch more, then I could grab her collar, but now my fear is I will definitely go in. If I go too far, I will fall in, cover, dog and all. I look at her standing there, looking at me, almost saying: “DADDY, SAVE ME!

I could imagine what people would thing: “The moron drowned trying to save a dog! How dumb was he?” I inched up just a bit more. I could feel my body teetering at the edge, my leverage being just so. I could also feel the chest area where I was cut open for a by-pass surgery starting to remind me of days past. I reached out and tried one more desperate time, whispering: “Hold on baby.”

Those big brown eyes peeking out in the midst of white fuzzy face and floppy ears, staring at me, still, frightened and waiting for me to resolve her crisis, I reached one more time.

Grabbing onto her collar, I feel a little relief, but the fear now is her weight and my balance will carry us both into the drink and that will be that, since I am over the deepest end of the pool. I hold on to Happy and inch back, she won’t move! I realize I need some height, and raise my torso with one hand on Happy and one on the edge of the pool. I lift her by the collar and yank her up into the deck of the pool: she is safe! Getting up, my heart is now racing, my chest heaving, I pause at the entrance to the den, just trying to catch my breath. I had stepped in dog poop in my stocking feet, which were also wet from stepping into one of the plastic containers filled with water that hold the pool cover down.

Whoever rang my phone once had saved Happy’s life! If I didn’t go down to investigate, she would have been dead!