Blaine was retired and had lots of things he wanted to do, but it seemed like everyone else felt his time was available for them. That was how he found himself babysitting a new puppy.
Blaine liked dogs okay, but now that his children were raised, he wasn’t keen on having one. However, his wife felt it was a good idea since the grandchildren often came to visit.
“Their yard is too small for a dog,” Blaine’s wife said, “and children need pets. So, we can take care of one at our house.”
By “we,” Blaine knew that meant him. The problem with the dog was twofold. If he was left alone, he howled. He also wet in the house. So, if he was left in the yard, his howling bothered the neighbors, and if he was left in the house, he left little puddles everywhere. That was why the dog had to have a babysitter, and since everyone else had to be gone, Blaine was stuck with the job.
Blaine was inside when a package arrived. The truck had already pulled away by the time Blaine opened the door to retrieve it. That was when he realized it wasn’t theirs. They were at 702 Walnut, and it was supposed to go to 702 Willow.
Blaine decided to call the delivery service and enjoy the nice fall weather at the same time. He settled into a chair on the porch and pulled the puppy onto his lap. He then started dialing the numbers for the delivery service.
The first one said they were a copy store and only a drop-off point. The second also said they were just a drop-off point, but they gave him the number for the national center. He dialed it, and a lady answered. Blaine explained the problem.
“Okay, give me your name?” the lady said.
“You don’t need my name,” Blaine said in frustration. “You just need to send someone to pick up this package.”
“I have to fill out this form,” the lady said. “So, what is your name?”
“I’m not giving you my name,” Blaine said. “I can just give you my address, and you can send someone here.”
“We’ve got to track everything, so I need to fill out this form,” the lady replied. “So, what is your name?”
“Maybe it would be easier for me to just throw the package away,” Blaine said.
“It’s not my package,” the lady replied. “It won’t bother me.”
Blaine argued with her for quite a while, growing increasingly frustrated. “Don’t you have a sorting facility here?”
The lady sighed. “What is your zip code?”
Blaine told her, and she verified there was one. “Can I have the number there?” Blaine asked.
“Looking up the number is not part of my job,” the lady replied.
“Can you put me through to someone who does have that job?” Blaine asked.
The lady complained about it but finally forwarded the call to someone who was willing to look up the number. Blaine called the number he was given, and the person there said they would contact the truck driver who had delivered the package and have him return. The truck showed up in less than five minutes. Blaine thought that was good because his blood pressure was still high from the ordeal of all the phone calls.
The driver came and took the package. As he did, the puppy started to growl. Apparently, he felt the driver was a threat to Blaine, and the puppy wanted to protect him.
As the driver turned to return to his truck, the puppy jerked free from Blaine’s grasp and chased the driver all the way to the gate. When the puppy was sure that he had sufficiently protected Blaine, he returned to Blaine’s lap.
Blaine thought to himself, “I might just like this puppy after all.”
