Wingless Angel

I start my day like every other day: wake up at 6:30 in the morning, go to the gym for an hour, come home, shower, and eat. Breakfast is different though. It consists of eggs, bacon, and a piece of toast. Usually it's blueberries, strawberries, two raw eggs, spinach, and two apples blended together. No, it's not the best-tasting, but it keeps me healthy and in shape. I have no plans for today for it was the weekend, and I don't work on the weekend. I have no friends and no pets. It's just me, myself, and I. It can get lonely at times, but I also enjoy the peace and quiet. My breakfast is bland. I need to spice it up with something.

I grab windbreaker and leave my house and go for a walk for the local café on Ridge Avenue a few blocks away. Longing for a hot white chocolate macchiato, I begin to jog to get there faster. Halfway there, I hear a soft whimper, weak but audible. I stop and take a couple deep breaths before I begin to look. First I glance around, but no one is within sight. Then my gaze settles on a bush to my right. I squat down and reach through the bushes blindly. That is when I feel it. A tiny thing covered with soft fur filled my hands. Carefully, I pulled it out of the bushes hoping not the scratch whatever it was with twigs. When I see what is in my hands, my heart melts. A small puppy, barely even four weeks old, looks up at me. His eyes sparkle at me like twinkling stars on a clear night sky. I bring it close to my chest to keep it warm.

"It's okay, I've got you."

As I lightly brush its back with my calloused fingers, it shakes in fear.

"I know you're scared. We'll get you some warmth and fed."

I continue my journey to the café but slower and gentler. When I make it inside, I meet eyes with a lady. She smiles at me, and I'm immediately taken aback by her beauty. Nicely groomed, long, dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. A crooked smile, not so crooked that it's distracting in a bad way, but just enough to make her unique. And the thing that I find the most attractive: a singular dimple on her right cheek.

"Aw, what do you have there?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, a tiny guy I found in the bushes on my way here," I reply without blinking or breaking my gaze away from her.

"What do you plan on doing with him, or her?"

"Oh." I look under the dog's stomach to find that it is a girl. "She appears to be a female, and I'm not sure. I need to get her a blanket to warm her up and then some formula to feed her."

"You probably came here to get yourself something, didn't you?" she asks in a light manner.

"I did, but it can wait."

"Why don't you go do that, and I can hold onto her while you get your order."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, and you're welcome to join me if you want."

"Okay, thank you." I hand her her the dog and head to the counter to order my white chocolate macchiato. After I receive my drink, I walk back to the table with the puppy and the beautiful lady and take a seat.

"So, do you know what you are going to do with the dog?" she asks.

"Not a clue," I reply. "Say, I never got your name. I'm Jasper"

"Jasper...I like it. I'm Natalia."

"Nice to meet you, Natalia. Do you know how to take care of a puppy?"

"You're in luck. I actually foster puppies. Dogs are my entire life, and I couldn't imagine living without one."

"Great! Do you think you could take this sweet girl off of my hands for me? I'm not in the best place to have a dog."

"I could, but I think you are really missing out. What if we raise her together?"

"Together. You mean like shared custody?"

"Sure. She can live with me, but you would be welcome to come see her whenever you want to."

"Okay, I like that idea. We should figure out a name for her first. What do you think about Cujo?"

"For a female dog?"

I nod my head. She laughs, a warm laugh that just fills my whole body and soul. I need to make a move.

"No, that's an awful name. How about Stella?"

"I like Stella. It's a lot better than Cujo, that's for sure."

Natalia laughs again, this time a little harder. After we exchanged contact information, we talked a little more about our lives. When she isn't taking care of a lot of dogs, she works as a bookkeeper for the local hospital. She enjoys the people she works with and gets paid well. I told her about my interest in screenwriting and that I was currently working on a short film about a piano teacher and her student, and she was very intrigued. I felt like I had hit the jackpot with her. But I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to tell her about my most embarrassing moment yet.

When we left, I walked her back to her house which was only a couple blocks away from the café. She invited me inside. It was a cute house with a nice kitchen and living room. It smelled of caramel butterscotch which added to the warm, cozy feeling of her. She led me to a room that she dedicated to her foster dogs. It looked well kept with bedding and bowls for food and water. I knew that Stella would be in good hands with her. As I was leaving, I found the courage to ask her out.

As I looked into the big hazel eyes, I took a deep breath.

"Natalia, I really enjoyed meeting you today, and I would like to take you out on a real date. Would you be interested in that?"

"Jasper, I liked getting to know you. I would gladly take you up on that offer."

A exhaled a huge sigh of relief that hopefully didn't smell like my macchiato I had drunk earlier.

"Phew, I'm glad. Are you free Tuesday night? The weather is suppose to be nice. We could have a picnic and take a walk in the park."

"That sounds wonderful, I will see you then. Or unless if you want to see Stella before then."

"I will let you know," I say with a smile from ear to ear. I turn and leave and my whole day had just gone from mediocre to incredible.