Chapter One (cont.)
As she drove, a familiar feeling came over her, wrapping around her like a blanket. It was a feeling she loved feeling, above all else it seemed. It may have been even better than falling in love. But Grace wouldn't know. She had never fallen in love. And it wasn't for lack of trying. She had been through more disappointment and sadness in more relationships than she cared to repeat. Even still, to her, it never felt like an ending. It felt like a new beginning. This was the part she actually felt quite guilty for loving; for longing for when she began to get restless. A renewal of her faith in the existence of something more; something truly meant for her. Her destiny. The reason she had not settled for any job or any man that had become part of her life thus far. She knew - she felt - the someone else out there in the distance...waiting. Waiting for her to arrive.
It was two and a half hours into her trip and Grace decided to
make a pit stop. She was sure Casey needed a potty break, and she had been
watching the needle on the gas gauge hover just above empty for the last thirty
minutes. Casey whined as her mistress pulled into a dusty, old gas station; the
only business of any kind Grace had seen in over an hour.
"All right, Case. Do you have to pee-pee?" she asked in
a pleasant voice, as she rolled to a stop in front of one of only two gas
pumps.
Casey whined louder in response and jumped from the back seat to
the front, shifting her weight back and forth on her front legs,
waiting eagerly as Grace clipped the leash onto her collar. Her paws hit the
pavement the second the car door opened, and she was pulling hard on the leash
onto which Grace had a firm grasp. She allowed herself to be led to a small
patch of grass near the rear of the building, where she eased up on the leash a
little, giving the dog enough freedom to sniff out the perfect spot to relieve
herself. After a few minutes, the sleek, black dog settled on a spot, squatted,
and did her business.
"Come on, girl. You done? As you?" she queried
playfully, giving the leash a few gentle tugs.
With that, Casey whipped around, excited - due to nothing more complex than being out of the car - and leapt off the grass onto the asphalt. She jumped up and down a few times, the last time jumping up and landing her front paws squarely on Grace's chest. Grace grabbed her paws gently and placed them on either side of her waist, giving her big, beautiful dog a hug. This was a bad habit, she knew, because it taught the dog to jump up on people who came over to visit. And she was fairly certain not that many people would appreciate having a dog of that size in their lap.
"You really are my best friend no matter what huh, Casey?" she said as Casey licked the hand still holding her paw. "How come I never get tired of you? I tire so easily of people, but never of you, pretty girl. Why do you think that is?" she asked as if she were doing more than simply spouting rhetoric.
There was a part of her that did halfway expect an answer sometimes. Most likely these were the times she needed answers or advice the most desperately. Putting the dog back in the car, she walked around the car to the gas pump, noticing when she reached for the nozzle that it was one of the ancient kind; the kind not equipped to swipe a credit card and pay at the pump. So she hit the lock button on her car key and walked into the store. The whole place was obviously older and unkempt. It was badly in need of a thorough cleaning...and a bit of flair, in her humble opinion. And the pungent odor it housed, a combination of old wood and mildew; that smell was so familiar for some reason.
"Where have I smelled that before?" she wondered aloud to herself.
Grace walked over to the cash register to pay for the gas. Behind the counter stood a man, probably in his sixties, though he could easily have passed for much older. He looked as if life had not been so kind to him. His long grey hair, which he had pulled back into a ponytail, appeared unwashed, and his face was leathery and wrinkled. Her guess was he probably worked in the hot sun for too many years.
"Hi. I want to get $40 in gas, please. I'm at pump number one out there. May I give you my credit card?" she asked politely.
"Yeah. Sure thing, lady." he retorted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Thank You." she replied as she handed the man her card.
Without even looking up at Grace, the leathery-faced man took her credit card and swiped it, then handed it back to her, still pretending to be interested in something on the counter. The receipt printed from the register and he tore it off, slapping one copy down on the counter and simply pointed to the line at the bottom where Grace's signature was necessary. She signed and slid the paper toward him as he offered the other copy for her to take. She accepted it, said a quick thank you, then turned and walked out the door.
She reached her car and picked up the nozzle, unscrewing the gas cap at the same time. Placing the nozzle into the gas tank, she squeezed the lever and leaned on the side of her car while gas flowed from the pump into the tank. When the pump reached $40, the lever popped open with a click and she replaced it in its cradle, then screwed the gas cap back on and got in her car to leave. Casey jumped in the back seat as Grace started the engine, put it in drive, and pulled off from the gas pump. Taking a right she knew led straight to the highway, she hit the gas and was off again toward her destination.
With that, Casey whipped around, excited - due to nothing more complex than being out of the car - and leapt off the grass onto the asphalt. She jumped up and down a few times, the last time jumping up and landing her front paws squarely on Grace's chest. Grace grabbed her paws gently and placed them on either side of her waist, giving her big, beautiful dog a hug. This was a bad habit, she knew, because it taught the dog to jump up on people who came over to visit. And she was fairly certain not that many people would appreciate having a dog of that size in their lap.
"You really are my best friend no matter what huh, Casey?" she said as Casey licked the hand still holding her paw. "How come I never get tired of you? I tire so easily of people, but never of you, pretty girl. Why do you think that is?" she asked as if she were doing more than simply spouting rhetoric.
There was a part of her that did halfway expect an answer sometimes. Most likely these were the times she needed answers or advice the most desperately. Putting the dog back in the car, she walked around the car to the gas pump, noticing when she reached for the nozzle that it was one of the ancient kind; the kind not equipped to swipe a credit card and pay at the pump. So she hit the lock button on her car key and walked into the store. The whole place was obviously older and unkempt. It was badly in need of a thorough cleaning...and a bit of flair, in her humble opinion. And the pungent odor it housed, a combination of old wood and mildew; that smell was so familiar for some reason.
"Where have I smelled that before?" she wondered aloud to herself.
Grace walked over to the cash register to pay for the gas. Behind the counter stood a man, probably in his sixties, though he could easily have passed for much older. He looked as if life had not been so kind to him. His long grey hair, which he had pulled back into a ponytail, appeared unwashed, and his face was leathery and wrinkled. Her guess was he probably worked in the hot sun for too many years.
"Hi. I want to get $40 in gas, please. I'm at pump number one out there. May I give you my credit card?" she asked politely.
"Yeah. Sure thing, lady." he retorted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Thank You." she replied as she handed the man her card.
Without even looking up at Grace, the leathery-faced man took her credit card and swiped it, then handed it back to her, still pretending to be interested in something on the counter. The receipt printed from the register and he tore it off, slapping one copy down on the counter and simply pointed to the line at the bottom where Grace's signature was necessary. She signed and slid the paper toward him as he offered the other copy for her to take. She accepted it, said a quick thank you, then turned and walked out the door.
She reached her car and picked up the nozzle, unscrewing the gas cap at the same time. Placing the nozzle into the gas tank, she squeezed the lever and leaned on the side of her car while gas flowed from the pump into the tank. When the pump reached $40, the lever popped open with a click and she replaced it in its cradle, then screwed the gas cap back on and got in her car to leave. Casey jumped in the back seat as Grace started the engine, put it in drive, and pulled off from the gas pump. Taking a right she knew led straight to the highway, she hit the gas and was off again toward her destination.
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