Hide and Seek

Morning arrived before I was ready. Still itchy and irritable, the storms made the dogs anxious and had me up and down throughout the night. Add to that a husband with a toothache and the entire night was a nightmare.

I took some Benadryl to assuage the itching, but every time I drifted into a semblance of sleep, something would awaken me. A sound, a movement, a twitch. Like all me senses were on hyper alert.

During one of my adventures outside with the dogs, well, two of them, I lost one. My old guy is hard to lose. He is demanding and clingy and overweight. (Did I just describe myself?) Toni Louise does not venture out if there is lightning or thunder and Wall-E was annoyed at all the activity and chose to sleep in the living room. But, little Cujo, my shadow and constant companion follows me where ever I may go.

I took Oscar in my arms and gently settled him on the ground under the shelter of the back door over hang. He looked out with his blurry cataract covered eyes and decided to go back inside. I was pretty sure that Cujo came in with him. Oscar slurped up what seemed like a gallon of water. I took that opportunity to use the bathroom. When I returned, Oscar stood, waiting patiently to be picked up and carried back to the bed. I took him and settled him in bed, then reached down for Cujo. Cujo always waits right next to my side of the bed.

I flailed around in the dark trying locate my tiny warm friend, but he was not there. I head back out to the kitchen and look for him, thinking he may have decided to have some water, too. He is not there. Back to my bed, thinking he may have crossed me on my way to the kitchen. Still no little dog.

That is when I turned on lights. I don't like to turn on lights. The dusk to dawn light on the pole in our back yard provides more than enough light to navigate the house at night ...... and the bright lights tend to wake me completely up. I venture out into the drizzle and search the yard. No little Cujo. I call his name and am starting to fell a little panic. I come back inside, still calling his name, no longer caring if I wake up anyone. I cannot find him anywhere.

Then I check the bathroom. There he stands, silently waiting for me to find him. We keep a gate up at the door to discourage Toni Louise and her trash can fetish. He is just standing there looking at me. Did he think we were playing hide and seek? I was relieved to find him, but annoyed that he kept so quiet while I searched.