The first day of our vacation was drawing to a close. The drive had been long and tiring, but only 10 miles remained before we reached the Sleep Inn where I’d made reservations. Once there we could feed the dogs, order pizza and relax. I couldn’t wait. Mr. Magoo, the pug, had been pacing in our limited front seat space like a caged lion. Dear sweet Abby, our lab/setter mix, stretched out on the back seat, seemingly relaxed but every now and then she launched into a heavy panting session.
So, the end of the day and an evening of relaxation looked mighty good. It was at this point that my husband turned to me with a stricken look. “I don’t remember packing the dog’s food dishes. Do you?”
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “No.” I gave the question more thought and finally admitted, “I don’t.”
We’d left the dog food bowls at home. A grim silence filled the car. I glanced at our unsuspecting canines. They looked hungry, ready to chomp on anything if they weren’t fed soon. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was a full hour past their usual dinnertime.
“We’ve got to find something to put their food in,” Dick said. “Maybe your boots?”
I didn’t even give him the obligatory ha.
By the time we neared our hotel, located on the outskirts of a small town, Charles City, I still hadn’t seen any retail businesses. A Super 8, a Quick Trip and an auto parts store loomed ahead. Not much of a chance for dog dishes there. But a person can always hope.
“You’ll have to go into the Quick Trip and see if they have some kind of bowls or dishes…anything.” I was desperate. Visions of pizza slices were fading fast. Would we have to drive another 50 miles to Waterloo?
Dick disappeared into the convenience store, and I huddled down in the vehicle with two restless and hungry dogs. By now even Abby was pacing in the back seat. The wait seemed endless. Finally, Dick walked out the door, smiling. I brightened, and then saw he was empty-handed. He hopped in the pick-up laughing – really laughing.
I lost the little patience I had. “What’s so funny and where are bowls?”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “There’s a Kmart around the corner that the checkout ladies told me about. We’ll find dog bowls there.”
“Then what’s so funny?” I wasn’t laughing.
“I didn’t find any kitchen or dog stuff, but there was a display using some bowls, so I asked the check-out ladies if I could buy the bowls. They gave me some very funny looks until I explained our situation. Then I thought they’d roll on the floor laughing. They said they couldn’t sell me the display bowls but recommended a Kmart around the corner.”
Feeling greatly relieved, we sped off to Kmart where we found dog food dishes and all ended well.
Leave a Reply