My Knight In Shinning Fur

"Just set it over there." My boss, a seventy-five year old man who loved to talk about the old days often, said pointing in the direction of the back.

I set the antique vase in one of the corners.

His name was Phillip Charles but anyone who came often called him Philly. Some how he was always able to start up a conversation with anyone and talk for hours. He was always dressed up in one of his old zuit suits that seemed to fit him perfectly. He ran the antique shop with his wife who had died three moths before I came to work for him. "So, were exactly did you get this dog?" I heard Philly ask from the front of the store. I walked in and found him enjoying his cup of coffee while he split half of the cake he bought with Gabriel who was eating it happily.

"I've already told you, Philly. He found me. He saved me." I said feeling like I had said this for the millionth time.

Philly paused before laughing in his old man laugh, "Well I guess that's a good answer. It seems like we've ran out of coffee beans. I'll go and get some. Be right back!" He said with out even waiting for my reply.

I stared at the door blankly, "For a old man he moves fast."

Behind me I could hear Gabriel gobble up the rest of the cake. Shouldn't dogs get sick when they eat stuff like that?

I leaned down and patted his head, "Maybe I should have called you Glutton, Hmmm." I mumbled underneath my breath. He opened his mouth as if to argue but the jingle to the store sounded.

I quickly got up and put on the sales pitching smile, "Welcome. Need any help?"

I quickly looked up and down at the two men. Both were wearing casual looking suits. One man, who I guessed was Korean or Japanese, had his hair combed slightly back and clung to the back of his neck. He held a black berry in one hand and was tapping at it constantly.

The other man instead of having his hair combed back had his dark hair spiked up. He looked older than the other guy but not by much. Maybe thirty or twenty five.

They looked like they had both just jumped out of a old Mafia movie. I shivered at the thought.

The thing that surprised me about them was there height and how both of them had these weird silverish-blue eyes.

The second guy smiled and walked up to me and started to speak in a German accent, "Hello, young miss. Do you run this shop?" I could almost feel myself swwon by the smile that graced his lips.

I shook my head fiercely and from the corner of my eye I could see Gabriel hide behind the counter.

The Man's eyes followed mine as he saw just in time Gabriel's tail slink behind the counter. The man side stepped beside me and looked down at Gabriel with wide eyes.

I stood there curiously. By this time the other man who was on the black berry had stopped tapping and also looked fairly shocked even though he couldn't see anything from behind the other man's back.

The German fellow sputtered, "Ma'am, is this you dog?"

"I guess you can say that. I sort of found him. Why?" I said not sure where this was going.

The first man spoke after a long period of silence, "Ma'am, that's...Our dog." He said slowly almost as if he was trying to find the right words.

I stood there, completely stupefied. I didn't know what to say. Even if it's only been a week since Gabriel came to stay and live at my home I had gotten so used to him being there standing at my legs while I cooked supper, Sitting on the bathroom floor while I took a shower, letting me use him as a pillow, and making sure I wasn't lonely. For some reason I couldn't even look at Gabriel, "Oh, I see." Was the only little measly thing I could manage.

The German fellow looked at me almost sadly before saying, "Can we take him back?"

I was shocked that he even asked, "Sir, if it's your dog of course you can take him back. He's not mind to begin with." I only saw both of the men nod. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the German man kneel down to Gabriel and mutter something into his ear. At the time I didn’t really think anything of it.

The Asian man left first followed by the German man with Gabriel at his side. Before he walked out of the shop he turned to me and said, "Thank you so much, Ma'am. You really don't know what this means to us." And they left. With Gabriel.

"Huh. Where's Gabriel?" Rat said after I had cooked dinner and as he walked in the door. He had also gotten along with Gabriel after a while.

I frowned, "his owners happened to drop by work and pick him up."

"He paused in mid-step, "Oh." He said matching my frown.

"Yeah, oh."

We ate dinner in silence. Rat left and I got ready for bed.

There's nothing to be sad about. I can forget Gabriel, after all he's just a dog....