Every Dog Has Its Day :
Helena was facing the worst writer's block of her life. She has promised her editor a new book and, good thing, she actually had a great idea for her new novella. The problem is that she stopped after chapter 2 last week and never got past that point ever since. The idea was still here, still great, but the words were surprisingly and inexplicably missing. A part of her brain must be off, she thought and she only knew one thing that could reboot it : coffee. But not any coffee. The one brewed by that little coffee-shop two blocks away. They had a homemade coffee called "Raising Dead" which include a level of caffeine so high, it could wake a dead man up. Or so they say. Helena never tried it. She just heard people talk about it. Stories like how some man couldn't sleep for three days straight after drinking it. Usually, Helena made her own coffee. It was actually very good and she was proud of it but this was an emergency.
On her walk to the coffee-shop, Helena noticed something. The commercial space next door that was unoccupied for months after the florist closed his shop, was open again. Only this time it says "Veterinary clinic" on the front. She would have preferred a bookstore or a tea room since she didn't have any pet and no interest in having one, but what could she do about it anyway ? Just when she was going to enter the coffee-shop, she heard a doorbell and looked in the direction of the sound instinctively. A woman in a white blouse, tall, with dark curly hair stepped out of the clinic. Helena could have just turned around and resumed her ultra caffeinated purchase if the woman wasn't so... Stunning. The woman, that she supposed was the veterinarian of the clinic, turned the "closed" sign on the door and checked that the window showed the de-wormer treatments' commercials correctly and re-entered the clinic as quickly as she exited it. Helena stood on the sidewalk, her wallet still ini her right hand, stunned. Who was she ? she thought, unable to look away from the clinic's door. She got back home as fast as she could, coffee totally forgotten. There was no time for an ultra caffeinated experience anymore. Another emergency came up.
Hell. That was where she was. Absolute Hell. She has never been in a place so smelly and loud in her whole life. Before her, a lot of cages were piled up in several alleys, filled with dogs, cats and others animals she couldn't really identify. Why the bloody Hell had she came here in the first place ? Right. She actually perfectly knew why. She spent the past two days thinking about the new veterinarian. How her voice must sound like, how she would smell, what was her first name... And the worst part is that she still didn't write af single word during those two days. Well, that's not entirely true if you count the dozen of passionate poems she wrote about a "mysterious brunette". She was a mess. A pathetic romantic mess. That's why she was now standing in this jungle, planning on adopting a pet, just to have the perfect excuse to visit the beautiful doctor. It has sounded like the perfect plan then but now, Helena wasn't sure if it was ever going to work. She just couldn't decide which puppy would melt the veterinarian heart faster. Yes, it has to be a puppy because nobody could resist puppies, right ? This one was too big, the other over there couldn't stop barking and the one she was currently staring at had a brown stink on his face that looked like a black eye. As if all of this wasn't enough, the over-enthusiastic shelter owner (Doug according to his nametag) was seriously getting on Helena's nerves. She was about to give up when she felt something wet touching her hand. She yelped in surprise. At Doug's laugh, she realized it was just a little puppy licking her hand.
"This one seems to really like you" the shelter owner said, smiling. Helena watched the puppy for a moment. It was actually good looking : not too big, not too small, shiny beige fur...
"I will take this one please" she finally said.
"A Labrador? I would have bet you were more the Doberman or Pitbull type.
Helena just smiled in response. That man could have talked Mandarin it would have been all the same to her. She looked at the puppy carefully again and decided that it would do. At worst, if she can't handle a puppy, she could always give it to her niece Claudia for her birthday. She already has a dog named Trailer. Helena didn't really like pets but she wasn't cruel either. She wouldn't abandon it.
Helena cursed her impulsive nature for the tenth time this morning. In her hurry to set her plan in motion, she totally forgot to consider that veterinarian clinics, like all shops, close on Sundays. She survived last night with the puppy but today was going to be a whole different story. The dog was driving her insane. It kept following her, licking her, throwing thing at her in hope that she would play with it. Chewing everything it encountered : her expansive shoes, her leather couch... She had called the puppy "The Dog" all of yesterday because searching for a name was getting in the way. She had a book to write for God sake ! Except that she didn't wrote anything. She couldn't concentrate with that evil dog following her like she was Satan himself. The only things she managed to write were one or two essays entitled : "Irrelevance of having pets" and "Why the human being will always be the superior species". Monday couldn't come fast enough.
Helena's leg couldn't stop bouncing as she looked anxiously at the clock on the wall of Doctor Bering's waiting room. She had taken an appointment first thing this morning and now, she was five minutes away from the encounter she had dreamed about for the whole weekend. As she was rehearsing the perfect introduction in her head, the door to the veterinarian office opened. A short man with a shaggy bear and eyebrows exited the room, wishing the doctor Bering a good afternoon. Helena leaned forward to pick up her dog but it wasn't here anymore. That's when she heard the scream, which was surprisingly high-pitched for such a hairy man if you ask her. She looked helplessly as her dog was launching itself on the man's dog relentlessly. The man started yelling at Helena, asking her to stop her "stray dog" from hurting his "pure breading", a thing Helena would have gladly done if only she had bothered to give the dog a name.
-"What is going on here ?" the doctor Bering asked, rushing in the waiting room. If Helena was helpless before, she surely was now. All the barking and yelling was completely forgotten as she wondered how that woman could be even more beautiful up close.
-"I know, I'm so sorry Mr Nielsen, it won't happen again. Have a good day" the doctor Bering said as the man exited the building grumbling. When did the dog fight end ? Helena wondered. When did the beautiful doctor pick up Helena's puppy which was now cradled in the veterinarian arms looking all ashamed ? She didn't totally lose herself again watching Doctor Bering's face, did she ? But those eyes, that color, looking at her... Wait what ? The doctor was looking at her ! She surely expected Helena to say something, but what ?
-"Sorry" was all Helena managed to say. So much for the five minute pep talk in the waiting room, she thought to herself.
-"Don't worry, it happens sometimes" the doctor said, smiling. "But if you had your dog leashed, it would have been easier to prevent this" she added, frowning at Helena.
-"Oh. Right. I'm sorry" the writer begun, searching frantically in her mind for a better excuse than she totally forgot.
-"It's just that I didn't have time to buy one, you see, I adopted the dog Saturday" was all she could come up with but it seemed to do the trick.
-"Okay" the doctor said. "So, you're Miss Wells and this is the first time you come here, right?" Helena simply nodded, being at a loss of word again, after hearing the veterinarian beautiful voice.
-"Well, let's make sure your dog is perfectly healthy, shall we ?" the doctor continued, unaware of Helena frozen state. "Oh, I'm Doctor Myka Bering by the way" she added before turning to enter her cabinet with the dog still cradled in her arms.
"Are you coming ?" the doctor said, pulling Helena away from her reflexion, or rather from her meticulous searching of all the words that could rime with "Myka".
-"So", Dr. Bering begun, placing the puppy on the examining table. "What's its name ?" she asked petting the Labrador gently.
The name ! Helena totally forgot to think of that while she was in the waiting room. She was too focused on planning a great first impression. And look how well that turned out, she thought darkly. She couldn't admit she didn't even try to find one. What kind of message it would send to Myka ? Certainly not "pet lover" she figured out quickly. The seconds were stretching and she hadn't answered the doctor yet. She would eventually unmask Helena's shameful and stupid plan if she didn't come up with something. Fast.
-"Giselle !" Helena blurted out suddenly. The name belonged to one of her exes and it was the first that popped into her mind because the puppy was obviously as annoying as Giselle was. The look Myka was giving her right now told Helena all she needed to know : she had messed up. Again.
-"Giselle ?" the doctor repeated hesitantly. "It's very unusual... for a male".
-"A what ?" Helena asked, eyes open wide.
-"Male" Myka repeated, looking quizzically at Helena.
How hadn't she noticed the dog was a male ? Now that she was looking at the puppy again, his masculine attributes were pretty obvious. From where she was standing anyway. It all made sense now. The attack in the waiting room, although the term "sexual assault" would be much more suited now that she thought of it. She couldn't do anything right before this stunning woman it seemed. She was doomed unless she managed to find a way to save the situation or her reputation if there was some of it left.
-"Yes, I know, hum, it's because he... pees sited !" At this, the doctor Bering frowned. She's not buying it, Helena thought quickly. She had to build her case right now and sound convincing. She was a writer, inventing stories was what she did best ! She could do this !
-"That's why I came to see you" she said. "I thought, that maybe, he would like to be a female. Or something like that ?" It sounded more like a question than an affirmation but she had to try something. But, what kind of answer what that ? If Dr. Bering didn't think she was crazy before, she certainly did now.
-"You think he's transgender ?" Myka suddenly said, very serious. "I read studies on that but never came close to a concrete case" she continued, examining the puppy more scrupulously this time.
Helena silently thanked all the divinities she could think of at this instant, so grateful for this miracle. However, she wasn't a fool and knew very well not to waste her luck. So, as the doctor finished her examination, she tried to talk as little as possible, waiting for the moment she could finally go home and mourn the loss of her chance at love with the beautiful veterinarian. Just before leaving, Myka made Helena promise to keep the doctor updated if she noticed other signs about Giselle "condition" which made Helena wonder how many showers it would take to wash the shame she was feeling right now.
After the fiasco at Myka's clinic, Helena went home totally dismayed. She couldn't see how to fix the situation, especially now that the clinic was closed for the holidays. With each passing day, Helena was growing more and more frustrated. She still couldn't find inspiration for her new book and she doubted that she could write something more in the near future than her draft article entitled "10 ways to know you really screwed up". Realizing she couldn't mope around in her home indefinitely, Helena decided to go at her favorite bookstore, "The Bering & Sons". It was far away from her apartment (she had to take her car) but it always was worth it because the science-fiction shelf was the most well stocked of the city, a genre that she was very fond of and helped her find her inspiration when she was suffering from writer's block
When Helena entered the bookstore, which was empty at this time of the year, she was greeted by the familiar scent of books and she felt better already.
-"Miss Wells ! Great to see you here" Mrs Bering greeted her. "How are you ?"
-"Well, thank you" Helena answered. "Just looking for some inspiration".
- "Who is it ?" Mr Bering yelled from the back. Jeannie Bering chuckled lightly and told her husband that their favorite customer was here.
-"Glad to see you again" Warren Bering said, joining them. "Sorry I didn't hear you coming, I was talking with the girls" he added.
-"The girls ?" Helena repeated, confuse.
-"Our daughters" Jeannie answered. They came to visit us for the holidays. Let me introduce them to you ! You're our most loyal customer after all" she added with a smile.
"Girls !" Warren yelled.
A tall girl with short hair, "Tracy" as Jeannie introduced her, emerged from the back. She hugged Helena and thanked her for helping her parents by buying her books in their "old dusty bookstore". She said that quietly while hugging Helena, making sure the Berings didn't hear her and disappeared as fast as she came. Helena didn't have time to recover from the savage hugging when she heard her.
-"Miss Wells ? I didn't know you were a regular customer of my parent's bookstore. What are the odds ?" A still very beautiful Myka Bering said smiling at Helena.
Helena was totally staggered. She went to great lengths fostering a very annoying puppy just to have a great excuse to meet Myka, when she was actually meeting with the doctor's parents all along ! Helena never felt so stupid in her life, especially for not noticing the shared family name before but in her defence, the name of the bookstore didn't really helped either. She must have been lost in her thoughts for too long because Myka suddenly said :
-"You don't recognize me ? You came to see me last week with your Labrador."
-"Of course, yes, glad to see you again" the writer said in one breath.
-"How is Giselle ?" the doctor asked her, still smiling.
-"Who?"
-"Your dog" Myka replied, frowning at Helena.
-"Ah yes, Giselle !" Helena suddenly exclaimed, remembering what she had tried so hard to forget the past week. "She's... He's great. Thank you". She wanted to disappear. To remember that day at the clinic was making her feel all ashamed all over again. The audience didn't help either. She could hear Mr Bering telling his wife how "Giselle" was a weird name for a dog and looking quizzically at her. Fortunately, the veterinarian didn't seem to pay any attention to her parents at this moment.
-"And how did you hear about this bookstore ?" Myka went on, eyes still on Helena.
-"Oh, the first time it was totally by chance but now I come regularly for the science-fiction area. So much choice" Helena answered truthfully. Then it happened. The most beautiful smile she has ever seen.
-"Really ? Myka said, beaming at her. "I actually helped my father fill it. Science-fiction always has been my favorite literary genre".
-"Sorry to interrupt" Jeannie suddenly said, startling Helena slightly. She had totally forgotten about the Berings' presence, lost in her silent contemplation of Myka beautiful face. "But diner won't cook itself" Mrs Bering added. Before Helena could excuse herself for the disturbance in the Berings' family home, Warren invited her to stay for dinner. Before she could respond, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked at the screen and saw that it was her editor calling. But for the first time since her writing block started, that didn't stress her. There will always be books. Second chance ? Not so much.
-"Thanks Mr Bering, it will be my pleasure".
FIN