Chapter 2 - Arrangements for the Innocent
I did not hold any grudge against the animals. The poor creatures were prisoners of Chloe’s relentless desire to project an affluent, picture-perfect domestic life for her social media followers. She bought exotic birds for photo shoots, kept a purebred rabbit for Easter aesthetic reels, and neglected the tomcat until the apartment began to smell like ammonia. They were innocent collateral in my son’s superficial marriage, and I had no intention of abandoning them to starve in an empty house.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Dr. Henderson at the North Miami Animal Sanctuary and Boarding Lodge. Doc Henderson had been our family veterinarian for twenty-five years; he had vaccinated Ernest’s golden retrievers and understood better than anyone how my daughter-in-law operated.
"Theresa?" Doc’s gravelly voice came through the receiver, filled with immediate warmth. "I was just thinking about you, sweetheart. How are you holding up after Tuesday?"
"I’m holding up by boarding a cruise ship at dawn, Doc," I said plainly. "And I have three temporary guests here who need professional care, veterinary wellness checks, and an extended stay at your five-star kennel facility."
Doc paused, his low chuckle rumbling over the line. "Let me guess. Austin and Chloe dropped off their zoo before flying off to the islands?"
"Right on my living room rug," I replied, looking down at the rabbit who was now nibbling gingerly on an apple slice I had pulled from the fruit bowl. "I need you to send your transport van to pick them up within the hour. Put them on the VIP full-care boarding plan. The parakeets get an aviary suite, the rabbit gets the quiet garden cottage, and Buster the cat gets the luxury window loft. Give them all medical checks, nail trims, and gourmet feed."
"Theresa, that kind of open-ended VIP care costs eighty dollars a day per animal," Doc warned gently. "If they’re gone for a while, that bill climbs fast."
"Don't worry about the payment, Doc," I smiled, pulling out the secondary debit card linked to Austin’s joint emergency business account—the one he had insistently attached to my name two years ago so I could run errands for his digital marketing agency. "I am putting a ten-thousand-dollar authorization hold on my son’s corporate business debit card right now. He gave me the key to his apartment and full authorization to maintain his household while he relaxed in the Caribbean. I consider top-tier veterinary boarding a necessary expense of maintaining his household."
Doc Henderson let out a hearty belly laugh. "Consider it done, Theresa. My driver, Marcus, will be at your curb in twenty minutes. Where are you heading on this cruise of yours?"
"Everywhere," I whispered, feeling the tight knot in my chest begin to loosen. "The Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, the coast of Africa, Singapore, New Zealand, and back. A full year on open water, Doc. Ernest always wanted to see the fjords in Norway. I’m taking his pocket watch and his ashes to see them for him."
"God bless you, Theresa," Doc said softly. "Ernest would be dancing a jig in heaven if he could see you right now."
Within thirty minutes, the white transport van pulled into my driveway. Marcus, a burly young man with a gentle touch, carefully loaded the parakeet cage, the rabbit hutch, and Buster’s crate into the air-conditioned van. Buster rubbed his whiskered cheek against my knuckles through the wire grate, purring as if he knew he was escaping an environment of neglect.
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"They'll be treated like royalty, Mrs. Theresa," Marcus promised, shutting the rear doors. "You have a safe trip."
As the van turned the corner, my living room was completely empty again. The smell of cedar chips and birdseed lingered, but the chaos was gone. I walked back inside, locked the front door behind me, and turned toward the hallway closet where my two hard-shell burgundy suitcases were already packed, labeled, and waiting by the door.
