If I Hadn't...

If I hadn't been sick this morning, my day would have gone much differently.  

If I hadn't awoken with the intense abdominal pain that left me in the fetal position for the better half of the morning my husband would have went about his morning and gone to the gym.

But he didn't.

If I hadn't been so sick I wouldn't have been in bed all day. And if I hadn't been in bed all day I wouldn't have decided to stay local instead of going to my mom's house for an Easter dinner.

If I hadn't been so "over" being sick, I wouldn't have asked my husband to take me on a date to the movies.

And if I hadn't convinced my dear, sweet man to take me to see the latest Jennifer Aniston film, we wouldn't have gotten into our truck.

If we hadn't gotten into our truck and stopped off to pick up coffee and a treat, our night would have gone much differently.

If only....

If we hadn't taken Iris to Perris Blvd. enroute to said film that was set to start at 9:55 p.m. we wouldn't have driven past the dead puppy in the street.  Lloyd and I wouldn't have looked at each other with sadness and I wouldn't have asked him to turn around and help me move the dead puppy from the road.  And even though we knew the puppy was gone, I couldn't bear the thought of that beautiful tan animal being hit over and over.  It would only take us a moment to move the dog from the road, because the thought of him or her being hit again made me nauseous.   And my husband didn't discuss the matter with me, but at the next intersection he made a U-turn.

If I hadn't been in desperate need of a snack after a day of not eating we would not have been on Iris at that moment.  We would not have stopped traffic to run into the busy road with our gym towel to move the listless dog.  And had we not ventured out onto that dark road, we would have never known that the puppy was, in fact, still alive.

The tan animal was still.  She did not whimper nor blink.  She acknowledged us as we approached by lifting her head for a brief moment before it laid back to rest.   And she did not put up a fight as we moved her from the cold, black asphalt onto the floorboard of our Tacoma.  And if we had never encountered this beautiful animal we would not have had to drive 30 minutes to the nearest emergency animal hospital with the stench of dog poo meandering through the cab (the little one, in all her fear, defecated upon entering our truck).

And on that long drive we could hear her breath waning.  We didn't know if she would survive, but we knew we would not let her die alone in the road.  (The animal hospital said they would put her down humanely if she wasn't able to be saved.)

The little gal made it to the hospital.  We lifted her gently at the exact moment our movie was supposed to start.  We filled out a short "Good Samaritan" paper on behalf of the pup as we cradled her near-lifeless body.   We were told we could leave, but if we hadn't stuck around a while longer we wouldn't have known that she was holding on for life and had been given something to reduce the swelling in her tiny little head.

And thanks to samaritan laws that enable ordinary folks like us to help save animals (and people) without having to worry about the cost of doing so, we put in a bid to adopt her if she was abe to be saved. 

We made a donation and went home.  We arrived home right around the time Jen and Gerard shoud have been wrapping up the film.  How did it end?  We don't yet know.

In the morning I can call to see how she is doing.  I hope she pulls through. 

If I hadn't been so ill this morning I wouldn't have been able to witness, once again, how compassionate my husband is.  I wouldn't have known how a 30 minute drive could be all it takes to envision a long life for this puppy and wonder whether she would be ours or if she would be a great addition to one of my friends' families. If I hadn't been curious as to whether Jen and Gerry have hot chemistry in "The Bounty Hunter", this tiny, tan puppy would have died alone.

How many thanks are in order?? 

So many. 

Thanks to the veterinarians for being open 24-hours.  Thanks to my husband for turning around even though we both thought it was a lost cause..  Thanks to Jennifer for being so dang adorable and single and leaving people like me to love her films and speculate on  her love life.

Thanks to whoever is keeping a watchful eye on the tiny, tan puppy tonight.

Hold on, little one.