The next morning, you can guess who woke me up with kisses. I slowly tumbled out of bed and managed to grab my phone. It was just 7 am. I still had until 9am to get to school, so I got up and decided to arrange my wardrobe. I picked out a pair of jeans and a red checker shirt. I didn't like dresses and skirts because I was really comfortable in whatever had two legs. I had my bath and then went on to make breakfast for myself and the dog. I put it in my to do list for the day to look for a vet in town. My mum called me on face time from her workplace just to see the place and know how well I had settled in. Knowing how curious my mum was, I stayed on the call with her while I navigated my way around town. I didn't even know how far the school was till I parked my car in the park and looked at the time. An 18 mins drive! If I woke up later than my usual time, I'll be so late. Deep down, I thanked my Uncle Richie for sending down a Kia Rio car for me. When I got down, I was amazed by the fact that the school was larger than it was in the pictures. I had to end the call with my mum, so that I could find my way around school and not end up looking a tourist in school. As I left the parking lot, I witnessed some students getting queried for parking their cars without a permit. Luckily for me, with my scholarship money I was able to pay for the annual permit and every other thing so that I wouldn't have to worry about it midway into the semester. Getting to the admissions office using the UNLV map was tiring but finally I got there. I finished filling out the forms and other documents I was given to fill out, then submitted the documents to the clerk who later gave me my class schedule. I had a lot of chemistry in my schedule but at least I had biology which I really loved. Since my classes didn't start till next week Monday and I didn't have much to do at home till 1pm, I decided to familiarize myself with the school. I got to know where my classes were and even got to sneak into a biology class with people, I later discovered were anatomy students. For a while, I completely forgot that I had an agenda for the day until my alarm beeped. It was 2pm though, so hopefully clinics were still open. I was quick enough to find a vet clinic within Summerlin, my neighborhood, using my Google map and then ran down to where I parked. But right on my car trunk, sat some junkies- A girl and two boys. Two other girls joined them just before I could reach the car. Being a smart loner had always made me think differently in situations, most especially ones that involved confronting people. I had this inner voice also, thanks to the fact that I was a Gemini which I could turn off or on depending on the situation. It always imagined two scenarios of any situation, for example this current one that had me confronting the junkies on my car. The first scene was more subtle.
"Hey, do you guys mind getting off my trunk? I need to be somewhere, like right now."
One of the girls would look at me and maybe ask me to take a chill pill and perhaps join them. Then I would refuse and get in the car, calmly wait for them to get off just so I don't kill anyone.
I was about thinking of another scene when I saw a water hose close by and I grinned at this wonderful scene that rolled out in my head. Without a single thought, I grabbed the hose and sprayed water all over them.
"Crazy ass bitch!! You could have just asked us to get off." The guy who was sitting before, yelled, examining the beautiful combination of coke and water.
"Huh? I was only making sure you guys didn't get any coke on my car. Now beat it before I run you down." I said and got into the car just in case one of the girls wanted to retaliate. I wasn't ready to get my hair yanked by some junkie. I drove out almost immediately and in no time, I was at the vets with the retriever.
"I think you should be new around here. I haven't seen you before." The handsome black doctor noted.
"What if I just got this dog will you still say I'm new?" I argued in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
He laughed and rubbed her belly. "Well, since you came in here with this dog for a checkup, it means you're pretty new. This dog has been around for a while. I'm guessing you stay at 1820 Battle Born. Her previous owner left her and travelled but didn't make it back. Owner had no family member and they couldn't put her down since she was of good behavior. Some people who have lived there have left because she keeps coming in like she owns the place."
"Which she actually does. No wonder she had that sassy attitude when she was so hungry." I remarked and she gave me a pat on my hand and a little woof.
"So you just bought the place or something?" The doctor asked as he removed his gloves.
"No, I didn't buy the place. It's a long story though but the new owner is someone my dad's cousin knows so he's letting me stay there till I'm done with school, rent free. Said it's one of the places he owns that he rarely comes by to. He didn't say anything about her. Guess no one told him about her being around."
"Probably. It's been almost 2 years since she became a stray and she was quite sick when I met her." He added. "So, you stay alone?"
"With her in the house, yes. Although I'm looking to rent the 3 other rooms. It can be a good avenue for extra income for some stuff I need." I helped the dog get down from the table and she lay beside my leg.
"You know she likes you."
"I know. I have this thing with dogs. I'm actually studying Veterinary medicine in UNLV. Although, I start lectures by Monday."
"That's wonderful. I might actually need an extra hand with all the animals coming in here by the weekend."
I smiled widely. "I think that's awesome. I can come in tomorrow since I'm not doing anything at home or I might just start this weekend instead. Something might come up."
"Yeah. Something would definitely come up. Our soon to be mum will be giving birth in two days' time. So, you need to build her and her pups a little space if you're going to be having roommates."
"Shit! I guess I'll bail on the 3rd person. I'll let them have one room. Please do tell me you have all the materials because I don't know anything at all."
(Which was the practical truth. My dad wasn't much of a fan of animals so having one around the house was definitely a no.)
We both laughed and then we spent the next 30 mins shopping for the dog and deciding a suitable name for her.
"How about Rose?" I asked the dog and she shook her head clearly showing that she didn't like it. "May? Karen? Oprah? June?" She barked at the last name.
"So June it is." The doctor said. "I'm Gary by the way. You didn't ask and I don't have a name tag because this is a private facility."
I laughed. "So, June and Gary. I'm Ecstasy." It felt nice to hear my laughter again.