All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this. Mistakes are mine.
Even the Pup is an Unmentionable by Debra8652
Chapter 40
Remy's POV
Because I want my mom to know what happens in my life and how I process stuff, I asked her to read my Dear D.I.A.R.Y. - take that, Autocorrect. She was surprised that it didn't contain my astute observations of my first day at Rangeman. My faux pas. Or is it faux paw since I have four of them? I crack me up!
This is the story of the two months of my early life in Canada that I can remember. My new owner, Gus, got me from a breeder. Gus had his own "special abilities" and recognized that I did, also. I know, people should "adopt, not shop" for pets but the livestock and farming industries are big in Canada and we herding dogs are important! The breeder let Gus adopt me for much less than his normal fee because he thought I was "different." True dat. We lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. There weren't any other animals around so there was nothing for me to herd except the cat next door - not enough activity for a pup of my breed! Note: Do not try to herd a cat.
I still don't know what my owner's special abilities were but he must have gone really rogue after I lived with him for two months. He always took care of me, though. He made sure I had my early puppy vaccinations but I wasn't due for a rabies shot until after I moved to Trenton and my new mom took me to the vet. Everyone calls the Trenton vet Dr. Tammy - she also takes care of Tank's cats. Dr. Tammy gave me my rabies shot - boy, that knocked me on my fluffy little tuchus for the rest of the day. Mom held me on her lap all day while she worked on the computer. Mom said she now knows how Mary Lou and Valerie feel when they are pregnant with the extra weight on their bladders. But I digress - back to my early days in Canada.
One day, a big blonde surfer-type dude showed up at our house in Nova Scotia, took my owner into custody then handed him off to a Marshall in the Unmentionable organization. The Marshall and Gus disappeared but the big blonde dude told me not to worry - that he wouldn't leave me here by myself but that I wouldn't see Gus anymore because he really wasn't a good guy and needed rehabilitation. The apprehension agent said his name was Diesel, just Diesel. He found my puppy records and tucked them in a mostly empty knapsack that looked as if it had been kicked across the country, along with my bowls, food, chew toys and leash. I dragged my blanket over to him and he made room for it in his knapsack. He said that he was taking me to a very nice woman in Trenton, New Jersey, and that she would understand me and give me a very good forever home. New Jersey? Like in the US of A? Do I need a passport? Diesel just laughed and said that we wouldn't be going through Customs or traveling by any of the usual means. Then he slung his knapsack over his shoulder and picked me up. Pop.
Wow - that was cool. We are now in an office setting - I can see out the window and we are high up - at least five floors. There are lots of big guys, dressed in black, working in cubicles or watching a whole bunch of monitors. A beautiful lady with curly brown hair and blue eyes jumps to her feet, puts her hands to the sides of her face and says "Oh, what a doll-baby!" Diesel said, "Thanks - I was hoping you'd notice!" I get the feeling that they know each other and tease like this all the time. I'm already thinking of them as my human mom and dad. Sweet.
A very handsome Latino man came out of an office that had a nameplate by the door that said "Carlos Manoso, CEO." Boy, can he read a room quickly. It's obvious that he already knows Diesel and, after seeing the look on the pretty lady's face, he also knows that I will be living here permanently from now on - it's called Rangeman. I think I'll call the surfer-dude "Dad Diesel" from now on. Dad Diesel pointed to the "very nice woman in Trenton," put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. He said that her name is Stephanie Plum-Manoso but I already think of her as Mom. I can tell that she is married to the CEO and that she has all the power in the relationship. That's good for me.
We are attracting a lot of attention now, including that of a huge black man - someone called him Tank. That's when I heard Dr. Tammy's name mentioned for the first time - I guess Tank has cats and they are Dr. Tammy's patients. By then, my new mom asked to hold me and I heard the handsome CEO sigh - I think I'll call him "Mom's Man" from now on.
Dad Diesel asked my mom if she would adopt me and if it was ok with Carlos. I guess he also goes by Ranger when he's out on the streets, fighting crime. Mom said that she managed the employee apartments on fourth floor and, if Ranger didn't approve, she and I would move in there. Mom's Man raised one eyebrow - neat - and said something-something, over my dead body. He agreed that she could keep me but not in their apartment because I'd need to be around the guys who work the night shifts so I could get the potty training thing mastered. Piece of cake. And Mom's Man further ordered that my previous owner would never be able to find me and break my Mom's heart. Dad Diesel agreed and said he'd handle it.
Now for the fun part - Dad Diesel told Mom that I am just like them - you know, Unmentionable. I distinctly heard Mom's Man say "Madre de Dios" but Mom was thrilled! She asked if I had a name so Dad Diesel unloaded his knapsack with all my stuff. She got me a bowl of water - bottled water, of course - and set out a bowl of food and my other stuff. He gave her my records and all three of us agreed that the name on my records didn't suit me. That's when she sat me down and tried out some names - I liked "Remington" or just "Remy" until I got bigger. By then, the wonderful woman named Ella was stocking the breakroom and fawning all over me. When she learned my new name she quickly left and came back with a tape measure so she could take my measurements and make me an expandable black vest and embroider "Remy" on it. She also said something about making homemade dog treats. I love Ella!
By then there were a lot more guys in black on the floor than when we popped in. Some were even in civilian clothes so I guess they were off duty - news must travel fast here. Mom told me their names - the Core Team is Ranger, Tank, Lester Santos, and Bobby Brown. I also met Hector, Hal, Cal, Brett, Binkie, Vince, Woody, Ghost, Zip, Zero, Bones, Caesar, Junior, Manny, Gene, Ram, Ramon, Raphael, and Ella's husband, Louis. Mom said that I would meet Rodriguez later. Or never. And I met my mom's hamster, Rex.
So that's my recollection of my first day at Rangeman. Honestly, I don't know how they ever got along without me. And these super-alert Rangemen don't even blink when my Dad Diesel pops in for a visit - unannounced, of course. I must get back to my current duties du jour - helping with this year's School Supply Drive. Onward!
A/N Your reviews are appreciated!