The Traveler

“This looks like the street I used to live on.” She falls quiet then only to come back around in saying to him, “He’s a good dog.”

“Wolf will be by your side until the end of his days.”

“You could have left out the dying part but yeah, sorry to break the news, but I got a feeling a day will come when he runs off and never comes back.”

“You gave him back his life, cared for him as you are doing now. All of what you have done has been imprinted to where Wolf will be fiercely loyal to you.”

“Appreciate you saying this. So, question, do dogs and mules get along?”

“For the most part, it depends on the acceptance of one another.”

“Right, so now all I have to do is figure out how I am going to feed the two of them. Before, the mule would graze out in the field which also had a brook running through it but that was way back there. Crap, I’m a long way from home. Not that is was my home, anyways, looks like today is going to be a nice day.” Her want has him briefly thinking of Izzo that goes away as they cross yet another intersection.

Once across the once busy street, on Lilly’s left is a convenience store plastered with advertisement giving that appealing reminder of one’s addiction.

Looking towards the steps that lead up to the entrance, Lilly slows to a stop that has her saying, “Might be worth a look around.”

“You might not like what you find inside.”

“Guess I won’t know unless I have a look around. Give me a minute.”

He could plead for her not to go, but there is no stopping her and once to the door, she steps inside only to come rushing out all the while gagging so hard that she doubles over in vomiting a stream of brackish liquid right in front of the entrance. Throughout all of all this, Wolf has a front row view of the chunky bile spewing like a waterfall and like Wolf, all he can do is wait it out.

With the sound of her retching echoing along the empty sidewalk, Lilly’s dry heaves are finally subsiding to where she is able to take a few deep breaths. “Sorry about that.” Dragging a sleeve across her mouth in wiping away any leftover drool, he breaks out the water jug and hands it to her. “Here, give yourself a good spit.”

Stepping away in giving Lilly time, looks in the direction the two are going when Lilly reels him back in as she tells him, “I shouldn’t have gone in there.”

“But you did, so now you know better. Are you alright to walk?”

“Yeah, I can walk.” Handing him back the water jug, he sees the fire in her eyes telling him she knows she messed up big time. Nothing more to be said about that, the two leave behind the warm puddle of goo and the crows who have already assembled in a nearby tree.