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In My Own Words ~~~ ~~~ Poetry ~~~ endometriosis & me ~~~ Favorites |
The Rescue - Page 2 As the car glided across the desert highway, Archie marveled at how well the impromptu mission was unfolding. Despite the winter weather, Death Valley was still scorching. Had they waited any longer to depart they would be crossing at midday when the desert heat was at its peak. Many animals, especially dogs had been known to die in this Valley. Instead, fate, or perhaps luck, had them crossing the Valley in the morning hours, when the heat had not begun its deadly rise. They would be pulling into Las Vegas at noon. They would find a cool parking garage in some off-strip Casino to hide out during the day. He would not risk driving across the desert with the Gang. Fortunately they were arriving on a Monday morning when most the population would be locked securely in their air-conditioned offices. Not too many prying eyes. Many of the off-strip hotels had lax security, which would come in handy when searching for a hide out. As they approached Nevada Landing, he sensed stirring in the back seat. Miguel had opened the passenger window and was hanging his head in the stream of air. “Archie?” Katie yawned, “We need a potty break.” More stirring and shaking, yawning and whining was heard from the back. “We’ll be in town in about 45 minutes,” Archie replied. “Until then, use the pads under the seat.” Archie felt someone under the driver’s seat as the pads were arranged in the back. “But I’m hungry!” cried Lily. “Why can’t we stop now?” Archie ignored her and kept driving. He cruised thru Las Vegas, avoiding the major streets and tourist locations. Within minutes, he found a seedy motel that boasted ample parking. Exactly what he was looking for. A five story concrete garage, perfect for a hide out. He pulled in and circle around until he found a space far off from the rest of the parked cars and in a secluded, and vacant corner of the lot. He put the Roadster in park and shut off the engine. “Emily and Lily, you stay here until Miguel returns with supplies,” Archie said looking over the front seat at the girls. “Miguel, find what you can, but try to stay close. With any luck, trash day isn’t until Wednesday, so there should be plenty of treats for everyone. “Miguel will be on watch until I get back.” He turned to Katie. “You are coming with me. We need to find out the status of the rest of the gang and how far everyone has come.” Katie, Miguel and Archie set off from the parking garage. At 1pm on a Monday, Archie began wracking his brain for strategy. Kinko’s was out of the question at this time of day. Normally, at 1am, it was child’s play getting on the computer there, but not at mid-day. As they skirted along thru back alleys and side roads, Archie strategized. And then it hit him – the most logical place to go, n Las Vegas, to find a computer with Internet access….. The Public Library!! It was insultingly simple gaining access. They simply walked into the building completely unnoticed. The computer banks were completely desolate – not a sole in sight. Archie and Katie found a computer that was positioned conveniently between 2 bookshelves and away from the main lobby. Archie logged on and immediately surfed over to Yahoo. He had 3 messages. The first was from Fresno. He related in his message that he was waiting until late Monday evening to hook up with the rest of the Southern Gang on their way North to Missouri. If they weren’t there by nightfall, he would set out on his own and meet the Gang at the Motel 6 on South Range Line Road. The second email was from Jose. The Florida group had arrived late Sunday evening and they were leaving as the email was sent. As Archie was reading the email, Jose, Rosy, Pedro, Chet, Chi Chi and Snooty Noel were headed for Tennessee. The third and final email was probably the most interesting. It was from someone Archie had never heard of before, but all the appropriate code words were there, so he new it was legitimate. “Dear Mr. Goodwin, I am honored to be a part of the Chi Gang. I look forward to meeting you in Joplin, Missouri to help organize the Auntie Jewels Memorial. If there is anything you need while on the road, please send word thru the Internet as I receive email on my cell phone. I have received communication from a Yodah Naboo, who is joining us for the trip. He says he will hook up with us on Sunday evening from Boston, MA. Also, my younger sister insists on joining the Gang – and unfortunately, I must acquiesce or she will tell Mommy and then I’ll be grounded. Most Sincerely Yours, There were two attachments, and Archie downloaded them. There was a topless car, just like Mommy’s, but somehow different. The important thing was it had no top. And a picture of a Fawn Chihuahua, presumably Cha Cha. His ears perked up, and Katie made a clucking noise over his shoulder. “Where is ‘P’ ‘A’?” He asked Katie. Katie gave him a sidelong glance. “How the hell should I know?” she snapped. Katie bumped Archie off the mouse and surfed over to Yahoo. She copied the words “Philadelphia, PA” into the search box and clicked “search”. A Map of the US popped up and links on Philadelphia were listed. “There,” she said, “across the country from us. But, they have the Internet and cell phones, so it must be pretty good.” “Ok, let’s get back,” she said, and closed the browser. “Wait,” said Archie. He opened the file manager and erased his data trail from the computers hard drive. Katie watched him as he maneuvered thru the various windows, typing in miscellaneous commands. “Ok, we’re clear.” Katie had no idea what was happening, didn’t know what a data trail was, and quite frankly, didn’t want to know. They slinked out of the Library and headed back to the parking garage. As they dashed behind a dumpster to avoid a pedestrian walking along the same sidewalk as they were, Katie confronted Archie. “There weren’t any messages from Mikey,” she said to Archie in a low voice. “If we are going to a Memorial for his Mommy, don’t you think he should be part of the planning?” Archie didn’t respond. He stretched out his front legs and rested in the ‘play’ position. He put his chin on his paws and stayed there for a few moments, deep in thought. “And what about Fancy?” she continued. “There was nothing from her either.” Archie stood up, shook himself and then turned to face Katie squarely. “When was the last time you heard from Mikey & Fancy?” he asked Katie bluntly. She took a step back and cocked her head to one side. Her ears went flat and she shrugged her shoulders. “Exactly.” He said to her. “So…. There’s no Memorial, is there?” “No,” he said flatly, “there isn’t. We are meeting in Joplin because it’s central in the US, and a good starting point to search for them.” “But Auntie Jewels… there are other Aunts who probably took them, I mean, they really aren’t homeless or lost.” She said unsurely. “Are they?” Archie paused for a moment and then said in a very adult sounding tone, “When was the last time you witnessed any of our humans acting rationally? Think about that for a moment. Humans are great, they love us, but let’s face it, they are pretty damn flighty. “They have all these rules and laws about how they live, they complicate everything to the -nth degree. And yet, here we are in the middle of Las Vegas, unchaperoned, on a Monday morning in the middle of Lunch hour traffic. “Look at Abba as a great example. She roamed the streets for months before being caught up in the human trap of laws and rules – and they damn near killed her. What if Mikey & Fancy have become victims of the Human world?” Katie gasped. The idea of Fancy Pants roaming the world as dangerous as it was, was far too much to fathom. “But you lied to everyone!” she cried. “What are we going to say now?” “Please, Katie,” he said with a sigh. “Just stay quiet until we get to Joplin. If Mikey & Fancy are ok, we will hear by the time we get there. If not, then we will organize a search party and find them.” The coast was clear and they trotted back to the motel-parking garage. Katie was clearly burdened by the revelation, but it was obvious she understood the gravity of the situation. Archie could count on her to help when the going got rough. Before they even reached the car, both Archie and Katie could smell the unmistakable scent of beef. Miguel had really scored. He found a McDonald’s dumpster with cooked burgers still in their wrappers. It was as if he had walked right up to the counter and ordered them himself. The three Chihuahuas were just finishing their meal when Archie and Katie jumped into the front seat. Two burgers awaited them. The five dogs curled up on the back seat of the Roadster to nap until dusk, when they would hit the road and head off across the desert. They had to be well across New Mexico by Tuesday afternoon. It would be a rough ride across the Arizona and New Mexico desert by Tuesday evening if they were going to make it to Houston by Wednesday. Until then, Archie, Katie and Miguel took turns standing watch while the rest of the pack napped. |
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