Beggars, Choosers, Finders & Keepers

Forty-five seconds passed as Shania finally drove into her driveway. She didn’t bother to let up her garage as she looked both to her left and right. On the left housed her neighbor, Cynthia Winnbush, an older woman in her mid-fifties who lived with her granddaughter and three cats and a dog. Mrs. Winnbush was a widow and had lost her daughter and son-in-law to a plane crash about five years ago. Her granddaughter, Sophia, was ten years old and spent a lot of time outside on her bike and hanging around with the ten year old boys of the neighborhood. She was pretty much a tom-boy, but it seemed that she had no qualms with being a girl. Notably, the only girl in the group.

Shania noticed the fact that all of the lights seemed to be out in the house and then she looked at the clock on her dashboard. Wednesday night at 9:47 PM was not exactly a time for a young child and middle aged woman to be awake. It was a school night after all. So that automatically gave way to the right of Shania’s house. Her eyes averted for a second and quickly zoned in to the light coming from the top left window of the house. If the house was anything like hers then that room would be the guest room, but since Shania had never been inside, she didn’t know how the owner had designed its interior. All she knew was that a man lived there. He was either the same age or a few years younger than her. Even though Shania mainly kept to herself when it came to her neighbors, this man was a complete mystery.

Every morning when she left for work, his car was gone. She knew this because he didn’t have a garage, only a driveway. Then when she got home, his car was either there or it wasn't because her time off of work was always flexible. She’d only seen him out once and even then was only the back of his head. He had only lived next door for about three and a half years and she had never spoken to him. Not a noisy or irritable guy, so there were really no problems. He had tan, brown skin and very dark brown, almost black hair. She literally knew nothing about him. It was one of those nights when his silver Mercedes-Benz was sitting out front looking newer than new, as per usual. It was like he bought a brand new model every week. Her thoughts then went back to the dog sitting on the side of the road outside of the neighborhood’s gates. They said curiosity killed the cat, but she couldn't help the questions and the thoughts that popped into her mind.

Why did it just jump out in the middle of the street? What the hell was a dog doing out in the night when it was supposed to be in a pet shop across town? Who stole it from “Dulley’s?” What was beyond the tall grass? Shania was sort of a hypochondriac for mystery and thriller scenarios.

For some reason, she just knew the dog wanted to show her something or someone. A tingly feeling shivered inside of her and she finally made up her mind. If she was going to see what the dog most likely wanted, she wasn't going to do it on her own. There was no way that tall grass held something cute and cuddly to be seen. Two deep breaths were taken before Shania pushed her door open and lightly shut it behind her. Her four inch heels stalked across her lawn and then across the freshly mowed lawn of her male neighbor.

The yard work was beautiful she noticed as she stepped onto the walkway that led to the front door. Small electrical lanterns lined the walk up to the door and for once, Shania wondered how people put those things together. His electric must be through the roof, she thought while her heels click clacked across the ginger concrete.

The entrance was split between the door and a table and two chairs sat up against a wall waiting for a couple to come out and drink some tea on a sunny, Sunday morning. After looking back at the lit walkway in the night, Shania looked forward and tentatively rang the doorbell and then made three soft, rhythmic knocks on the screen door. She intertwined her fingers behind her back and waited for the man to come downstairs and open the door.

Soon enough, the downstairs lights came on and Shania saw a shutter in the window lift and an eye poke out. She pursed her lips together nervously while facing back to the door. Loudly and quickly, the door opened to reveal a tall man with pale, brown skin and shiny dark hair. His eyebrows were thick and his eyes were covered by black-framed glasses, but that didn’t take away from the deepness of them. Shania swallowed some saliva before opening her mouth to speak.

“Hello. Is there anything I can do for you?” The words were caught in her throat as Shania listened to his voice. She almost took a step back. It was deep and deeply accented. There was nothing she had ever heard quite like it. No British voice she had ever heard on TV or film could replace his. After blinking and swallowing more saliva, Shania spoke.

“Actually there is,” she bit her lip before continuing, “Umm… a dog jumped out in front of my car when I was on my way home from work,” she paused to gauge his reaction so far. He just remained calm and attentive. “When I got out of the car to see if he was okay, he barked and tried to pull me over to the large yard across the street from the gates. Plus he had a tag around his neck that said he was from ‘Dulley’s Pet Stop.’”

“You believe the dog was trying to show you something,” It wasn't a question as the man held the doors open. “Come in while I get a flashlight and some shoes on,” he said while holding his arm out for Shania to cross the threshold. His tone was definite, but gentle so Shania complied. She smiled politely and stepped into the house. Her eyes travelled over the well-furnished living room to the right of the foyer. It wasn't exactly a bachelor’s pad so she wasn't too sure what to make of it. Off- white walls and mahogany furniture. The woodwork on the floor and entertainment system looked really expensive. “I’ll be down shortly,” he said while running up the stairs placed directly above the entry to the kitchen. She smiled lightly over at him before looking at the quote posted on the wall over the kitchen doorway.

“An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.” –Thomas Fuller

Shania hmmed lightly in appreciation of the motivation written across the white wall. But her silent appreciation didn’t last long before the owner of the home came downstairs and ushered her out the door with his flashlight and a leash in hand. Her eyebrows furrowed for a second before the man whistled loudly with his index and middle fingers. Soon after his ear-splitting whistle, a black lab came running from the door-less doorway with the quote sitting atop.

Its eyes were bright despite its dark exterior and its tongue hung out of its mouth with excitement. She watched and listened as the man told his best friend that they were all going for a walk and proceeded to hook the leash onto the dog’s collar while ruffling his well-groomed head and ears. Shania bit her lip and walked down the walkway outside behind the two.

She suddenly felt like she was the only one on the block without a four-legged companion. Maybe I should take a ride to “Dulley’s Pet Stop,” she thought while her neighbor ushered the three of them out into the night.

“My name is Zain by the way,” said the man with the sensual, rich accent. “And this is Rocko.”

“Oh yea, sorry. I’m Shania,” she smiled lightly over at him as they began their trek to the entrance of the community. “I live next door. To the left,” Zain grinned at her with a lifted eyebrow. “Depending which way you’re standing,” she said finally with a loud exhale. For some reason, his eyes and the way he looked at her made her nervous. Calling him attractive would be an understatement. She didn’t know what to make of him or the fact that he came home every night without a woman. Or so Shania was assuming.

“I’ve noticed,” he replied shortly after he noticed a blush leave her tan cheeks. “So is your car damaged?”

“What?”

“Did the dog damage your car when he or she jumped out in front of you?” Zain chuckled lightly while he stopped so Rocko could take a leak.

“Right! Umm, no. My car is fine,” she chuckled lightly as she watched Rocko take a sniff of his own urine and then went to dig into the dirt next to it.

“Well that’s nice to know. Do you know what type of dog it was?”

“Yea,” Shania blurted with excitement for her knowledge. Then realizing how loud and probably ridiculous she sounded, she cleared her throat and then continued, “It was an adult Boxer. Probably three or four years old.” Zain nodded his head as they began walking again. The distance to the entrance was about five blocks so it wouldn’t take long, but it never hurt to converse a little.

“Hm. Cool. Girl or boy?”

“I don’t know really. I didn’t check,” Shania smiled sheepishly at Zain. Zain chuckled and then pulled Rocko away from sniffing and almost clawing on a very expensive looking car.

“No worries, we shall find out soon enough,” he breathed out the reassurance and snuck a glance at Shania. She was very exotic looking. There wasn't a set destination of where she could be from or where her ancestors were from. It was clear when you looked at him and knew that he was of South Asian descent. But her? She could’ve been anything from Latin American to Middle Eastern or just interracial. He just couldn't figure it out, no matter how long he looked at her long black hair or her golden-hazel eyes or her pale, but tan, olive skin tone. Exotic beauty screamed out from every bit of her. Zain didn’t want to seem creepy or weird so he stopped staring and focused on Rocko who was just sniffing the ground with every step they took.

Meanwhile, Shania was doing her own mind-boggling investigation herself. It was a mystery to her on why she hadn't spoken to Zain once since he had lived next door for the past three and a half years. A few times she had admitted to herself that she was slightly anti-social considering she was quiet, observant, and serene. It wasn't a secret that she kept to herself simply to keep drama out of her life. But that wasn't to say she didn’t have friends or a close relationship with her family. Quite the opposite actually; just a matter of making an effort with meeting and forming relationships with new people.

But suddenly, Shania was interrupted from her thoughts by the loud barking of two dogs. She looked up as she saw Zain putting in the code to open the gate. Both Rocko and the Boxer barked at each other with great conviction. Dogs were such peculiar creatures. Then Zain tsked at Rocko to shush and the dog obeyed. Shania pursed her lips in amusement. She had never seen such an obedient animal in her life. She almost wanted to applaud its owner.

“Well let’s see what the girl wants, yeah,” Zain sighed with a smile.

“How do you know…its… female?” she asked with curiosity.

“Rocko always gets a little bit antsier around females of his species,” he winked and Shania almost stopped in her tracks with the simple action in which he obviously had no problem. “Isn’t that right, Rock?”

Why is he so… Once again, Shania’s thoughts were halted. This time, the Boxer barked gently in her direction. Her eyes travelled over the dog that was almost the same size as Rocko, but slightly bigger. Two big dogs on one concrete tile. A deep breath inhaled and exhaled throughout Shania before she bent down to her level. Once again, she grabbed onto her tag and tugged lightly, silently telling the Boxer to lead the way. Happily, she licked Shania’s wrist and then turned quickly into the tall grass. Heavy sighs left both Zain and Shania’s lips when both dogs took off inhumanly fast into the prairie.

“After you,” Zain placed his hand in the middle of Shania’s back. She hesitated before sighing again.

“I’m starting to rethink my choice not to change,” but nonetheless, she stepped into the grass with a cringe as her four-inch black suede pumps sunk into the dirt. “Dammit all,” she cursed under her breath before bending over and ripping the high heels off one by one. Afterwards, she rolled her pants legs up to her knees and walked barefoot through the tall grass. She didn’t miss or ignore the quiet chuckle Zain made behind her. She made sure to watch out for any dangerous critters lurking around the ground. Louisiana had many reported incidents with dangerous animals such as poisonous snakes, alligators (of course), and sometimes even coyotes. Alligators scared Shania especially. Her great uncle was attacked by one while he was mowing his backyard once. He almost lost his entire left arm. The alligator was nice enough to keep him with seven fingers. That was a story that never slept whenever there was a family gathering.

Without realizing, both Shania and Zain stood a few feet from where the dogs had stopped. Rocko barked over at the two while looking down at something lying in the ground. Zain hustled over to the two canines around Shania’s short figure. Shania tried not to stumble with his fast moving, so she gathered herself --not like she had anything to hold on to-- and went on to stand next to him. But what she came across in joining him was a sight that she couldn't believe.

There lying on the ground in between Rocko and the female Boxer was a young boy, perhaps a preteen. Her hands flew up to her mouth wordlessly after Shania dropped her smooth, black pumps onto the dirt. At once, she dropped down next to Rocko and held her head down on the boy’s chest. His heart distinctly thumped through his chest, but it was clear that it was weakening. Zain moved his flashlight over the boy’s face. Dirt and dried blood covered his chin and his left cheek. An imprint the size of a softball was practically engraved on the left side of his face while his chin and jaw looked slackened down to his developing Adam’s apple. Shania placed her hand over the boy’s forehead shakily.

“Poor boy. What happened to you?” she cooed to him. “We have to get him up,” Shania exclaimed. Her voice cracked at “up” so she clamped her mouth shut and wished the knot in her throat away. Zain quickly set the flashlight down next to her and put his arms underneath the young boy’s body. The Boxer whimpered once Zain had the boy up in his arms and turned to leave.

Shania was still bent to the ground trying to hold in her tears. Rocko nudged her as Zain and the Boxer made their way out of the tall grass. She sniffled once then grabbed the leash that lay limply next to Rocko. Her legs straightened out along with her back before she quickly picked her up heels. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage the flashlight, but before she bent all the way down to get it, Rocko snatched it up with his teeth and moved forward pulling Shania right along with him.