Fido's Californian Vacation

SATURDAY

When my cage door was remotely opened by my Mistress that morning I was more than glad to scramble out onto the cold, concrete floor of the garage. Stretching to relieve my cramped muscles, I went out into the yard behind the kitchen and managed to get a drink from the dribble of water left in the shower hose. (The shower itself I couldn't use with my mitts on, of course). Hanging from its hook in the porch I found the Mailbag which it was my duty to exchange. As on the previous day I had some difficulty getting the bag down and its strap over my shoulder with the mitts covering my hands.

At last, the Mailbag bumping against my thigh, I was running steadily along the grass paralleling the drive, on my way to the Lodge. It was early - so early that the sky was an unbroken light grey; and it was cold. I ran as fast as I could, my heart pounding in my chest and my lungs heaving with exertion, until I arrived at the hatch in which Ms Howard's Mail and newspapers were deposited by those delivering them.

Opening the hatch, using the same trick of holding a stick in my mouth as I'd discovered yesterday, I removed the contents and left the bag I'd brought in their place. Carrying back the exchanged Mailbag would be no great problem, heavy and bulky though it was, but, to my horror, the newsapers were thick with weekend supplements, and so large that they'd been delivered in two separate bulging plastic bags. After a few minutes frustration I found it impossible to carry more than one package. With the Mailbag over my shoulder, I picked up one of the plastic bags in my mouth and set off. Several times on the way I had to put it down as it slipped from my grip; I would then have to stop for a short period to let the muscles of my neck and jaws recover from the strain. Back in the porch I placed the papers on the doormat, and hung up the Mailbag. Then I ran back for the other package.

Thanks to the earliness of my release, my Mistress found me sitting attentively waiting for Her when She opened the kitchen door. She took down Her mail and turned back. I picked up one package and followed Her, leaving it on the floor beside Her chair before returning for the other. When She turned away from the Servery where She had poured Her coffee, it was to find me sitting upright waiting for Her, a plastic covered bag of Her newspapers in my mouth.

She donned plastic gloves and took it from me gently, then the other bag.

"Good dog!" She said absently, wiping my saliva from the plastic with tissues which She tossed on the floor. Unbidden, I trotted over on all-fours to fetch the waste-paper bin, into which I dropped the soiled tissues.

Outside the sky lightened into a perfect duck-egg blue as the sun rose. Ms Howard sipped Her coffee and perused Her newspapers as I lay on the hard tile floor at Her feet. (I'd thought of licking Her footwear, but, on regarding the delicate silk slippers She wore, reluctantly decided against it. I suspected that if She considered me a nuisance I'd be sent back to my cage in a trice).

After Her breakfast My Lady did not check Her mail this morning, but merely placed it unopened in Her sleek Louis Vuitton briefcase before sending me off to the garage for my leash. Returning, I offered it to Her in my mouth, taking care not to let my saliva contaminate the loop-handle. She had changed into sturdy outdoor shoes and put on a quilted housecoat during my brief absence. Taking the leash from me, She clipped it to my collar, then led me through the house and on to the patio. Down the steps and across the dewy lawn we went, with me following close by Her side, my head occasionally being brushed by the soft, wide skirt of Her coat. We wandered slowly, seemingly at random, along the paths; warmth had come with the rising sun, and the air was still and scented with the smell of growing things. I was blissfully happy, responding automatically to the gentle tugs on my collar as my Mistress changed our direction, my leash rapping my shoulder and flank as I obediently followed Her steps. When at last She brought us back to the patio, She stopped and sat on the broad lower step in the sunshine. I sat back on my haunches in front of Her, the leash between us following a graceful curve from Her hand to my collar. I felt Her regarding me with kindness and approval, and a great flood of devotion rose in me; so much that I fell to my belly and crawled to Her feet where I nuzzled Her dew-wet shoes in adoration.

The spell was broken; She sighed and rose. She led me up the steps and along the verandah to where She and Her sister had sat last night. The long chain was still there; She clipped it to my collar, removed my leash, and went into the house. I sat for a long time looking after Her before lying down gratefully on the hard wooden floor and falling into a light doze.

The arrival of my Lady's sister brought me to the end of my chain to to nuzzle her hands and feet in welcome. She stooped and took my head in both her hands; her busy fingers scrabbled in the hair behind my ears and at the back of my neck, ocasionally catching in my collar as they went about their work. I closed my eyes in bliss.

"Good dog!.....Good Fido!........ Did She leave you here after your walk?"

My Mistress's clear voice broke in on us, causing me to jerk my head sharply toward its unseen source.

"Are you ready, dear? We don't have much time."

"Ok, Sis! Give me five minutes!"

"Very well - but not an instant longer!" my unseen Mistress laughed in reply. "Send Fido to his box, would you?"

The young lady loosed my chain.

"Fido! Box!" she commanded, pointing with her finger the direction I was to go.

I scampered off on all-fours, down the steps and over the sun-dappled lawn, into the yard and through the garage, over the gravelled drive and on to the Front Porch where I wriggled into the cramped darkness of the box. There I rested and awaited with patience the demands of my Mistress.

It was not long before I heard Her quick footsteps and Her first shoe was thrust below my lips. They were beautifully made shoes, of highly polished leather, and I licked then thoroughly and with loving care. Water was given me in the saucer, and the young lady's battered sneakers replaced my Lady's elegant footwear. I dealt with those too, and was given more water as a reward.

The wooden door of the box rose and I scrambled out to find my Lady and Her sister sitting in the SUV, its tailgate raised.

"Fido! Here!" called my Mistress from the driving seat, holding out my muzzle.

I ran to Her, and sat by the open door for Her to muzzle me. Then: "Cage!" She ordered me, and I felt Her eyes regard me as I scrambled over the door sill and into the cage. She closed both the cage door and lowered the tailgate by remote control, started the powerful engine, and drove off.

I settled down on the thick, soft paper covering the steel floor of my cage. It was dim in the rear of the vehicle and I dropped into a light doze as soon as Ms Howard drove out from the Lodge of Her Estate and on to the smooth blacktop. After some time, we came to a halt; the sounds of the doors shutting as the two occupants departed brought me to full wakefulness. I listened to the sound of their footsteps receding into the distance, then rose to all-fours. Pressing my back hard against the top bars to gain as much height as possible, I tried to see out of the tinted windows. But, as usual, I found my vision severely restricted by the height of the windows from the floor, and the high backs of the two rows of seats in front of me. There were noises of cars stopping and starting, and now and then I heard footsteps as people passed to and fro; once someone stumbled into the side of the car, causing it to tremble on its springs. I was becoming very hungry, but I was getting accustomed to that. My Mistress seemed to feed me at irregular intervals; probably whenever She remembered to.

Vaguely I wondered where I was: some Shopping Mall or other probably, or the sisters had stopped for coffee, or for a multitude of reasons. I examined my reactions and could find no trace of resentment or even surprise at my unceremonious abandonment; of course they had left 'the dog' in the car while they went about their business! But they returned shortly, and we drove off.

So smooth and quiet was our progress that I fell into a deep sleep, to come only half awake when we came to a halt.

The cage door opened, and the tailgate rose.

"Here, Fido!" commanded my Mistress.

When I'd scrambled down from the car, I found Her standing by the open driver's door. I came to Her wondering, and sat before Her.

She gestured for me to extend my front paws, then, to my surprise, removed my mitts. To my concern and amazement, She went on to remove my muzzle and then my collar. I knelt on the ground staring at Her in consternation as She took Her seat and closed Her door. She threw a black trash bag from the window, and then She drove off, my head swiveling to follow Her progress.

With a growing sense of disbelief I watched the SUV diminish into the hazy distance, and finally go out of my sight altogether. In a daze I looked around me. I had been left on an endless stretch of dusty concrete, hot under the sun. Endless rows of cars were parked in lines as far as the eye could see. I crawled over to the trash bag and emptied its contents on the ground. .

Spread out before me I found the clothes I had arrived in, and finally I realized what had occurred. My vacation was over, and Ms Howard had brought me back to where She had found me; on the county-sized long-stay carpark of the local International Airport! I knelt there unmoving for several minutes, heedless of the hot sun beating on my head and shoulders, while I struggled to come to grips with the sudden change in my life. Finally, I stood and began mechanically to drag on my clothes, not bothering with any underwear, and thrusting my sockless feet into my shoes. Dressed, I picked up my flightbag and began the long hot trek to the Terminal. As my dazed astonishment began to recede, I became more and more aware of a sense of irrepairable loss; of desolation and abandonment which caused me to stop and weep.

After the worst of this emotion had passed, I went on drearily. I felt uncomfortably naked without my collar; my unwanted and unaccustomed clothing rasped and grated against my skin; my feet were sweaty and cramped in their leather prisons. I realized with as a start that this was the first time for days when I could pick my own direction and pace, and decide for myself when and where to go. I could talk at will now too; since I'd met Ms Howard my only words had been at Her order, and had been limited to 'Yes, Mistress!' But I would not enjoy my freedom, I thought with a sob of despair. 'Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.' What would I not give to have again my Lady's gentle guiding hand holding my leash?

The long trudge went on and on; the view of the ubiquitious parked cars unchanging as I dutifully followed the broad white arrows painted on the concrete denoting the exit. Dust devils rose and fell as I walked on in the hot silence; vagrant breezes swirling around me.

I was crossing a broad expanse of tyre-scarred concrete when I heard the faint noise of a vehicle far away. It seemed to be getting closer, and I squinted into the glare towards it, aware of my vulnerability in the middle of the road. The car came to a halt about fifty yards from me, its shape shimmering and changing randomly in the heat-distorted air. For an instant it became clear; it was Ms Howard's SUV! I saw the window wind down, and my collar and leash thrown out.

I could not help myself. Wish a soundless cry of joy I ran towards Her, tugging off my clothes and discarding my shoes as I went. Naked, I stood before Her for an instant, then went down on all fours. Picking up my collar and its attached leash in my mouth, I sat on my haunches by Her door, my hands held out and down in the best imitation of a dog 'begging' that I could manage.

I saw the door open, and the hem of her gown, Her sheer stockings, and Her chic, glossy high-heeled shoes came into my vision. Gently She took my burden from me in; deftly and gently She buckled my collar in its familiar position around my lowered neck, the thin, soft leather of Her gloved hands brushing deliciously against my hair and skin. Her passenger, the young lady handed Her my muzzle wordlessly, and in a few seconds I felt again its soft pressure around my jaws.

My Goddess dropped my leash. I could sense Her looking down on me; I dared to hope with approval. At last She spoke.

"Good dog!.......Good Fido!" She said softly. Then: "Fido! Cage!"

With a heart too full for words I sprang to the back of the car and leapt through the open tailgate and into the cage. The doors closed, and Ms Howard drove off.

For a moment I stood on all-fours and stared in devotion at the dim outline of my Mistress's head and shoulders. Then I lay down contentedly on the soft padding. The deep happiness that I felt stayed with me; my Goddess had not abandoned me! I didn't know where we were going, or what was to become of me, and I didn't care. What business was it of mine, anyway? Ms Howard owned me; I was Her property; She would take me where She would, and do with me what She liked, for the rest of my life, for as long as I lived.