Hero's Heart

“Hero’s Heart”

Shadow sat there, trepidatious and anxiety filled, sipping at his pumpkin latte. He knew something bad was going to happen. why else would Marcie have called him on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Usually, they spent their Sunday afternoons apart, and were the better for it. For that matter, why was he even anxious? He knew what was coming, and he didn’t much care, he supposed.
	“Hey, Shadow,” Marcie said, calling him by his old nickname. Most people didn’t even know his real name was Robert Johnson, an exceedingly boring and average name. And so, he shed it like a skin, back when he first got into the goth stuff, when he was thirteen. He smiled inwardly at the fond memory. He was so edgy. Black lipstick, teased hair, and bad poetry. It was a phase he had never grown out of, and supposed he never would. Not at twenty-six, at least.
	“Marcie,” Shadow cut her off.. “Look.” I know we’re breaking up. It’s okay. I’m not one of those guys who’s gonna on Facebook and call you a slut behind your back. We can still be friends.
	She looked relieved. It was how he felt, too. He liked Marcie; even after this breakup, he would try to maintain a friendship with her. There had been fun jokes, good food, and great sex. When they were done with their drinks, they embraced, and went their separate ways.
	It wasn’t Marcie’s fault, Shadow reflected. What happened with Marcie was the same thing that had happened with everybody. He just couldn’t seem to find that deeper meaning, that connection, that bond. It was frustrating, because loving your family and friends was not the same thing as loving a partner. The only other thing he had ever loved was his Bichon Frise, Snowflake. God, he missed Snowflake. She had lived to 17, a great age, and she was his childhood pet, his only friend, since they moved around constantly. An idea formed inside his brain, and Shadow grinned, taking the next exit as soon as he was able. “A dog!,” he shouted excitedly. That’s just what his life was missing. Grinning from ear to ear like a kid hearing the world’s loudest fart, Shadow drove to his destination as fast as was legally able.
	He soon came to the right place. He stopped his car and parked, not even bothering to lock his door. Even though he lived in LA, Shadow was of the firm belief that if you couldn’t even be safe at what was literally the most innocent and pure place in the world, then this was a very fucked world, indeed. Ah, the animal shelter. he thought to himself. I’m such an asshole for not coming back sooner. After Snowflake had died (he hated the term “passed away”, found it be a weak and inaccurate way to describe death), he was devastated. His veterinarian, in tears himself, suggested that he volunteer at the shelter. Even though it had been years, almost a decade, even, Shadow just could not bring himself to get a dog. He felt it would be dishonoring Snowflake’s memory. Now, he realized, looking back, that was stupid. And so, with a vague notion of filling the void in his heart. Shadow strolled over to the adoption center of the shelter.
“Hey there, Rose,” Shadow said, grinning. It’s been too long. Been well?” A young, attractive, heavyset woman with short, jet black hair and multiple earrings looked up, shocked and smiled all at the same time, and rose to greet him.
“Shadow! Man, it’s so great to see you.” She came right up to him, giving him a warm hug, then, after pulling away, looked at him curiously.
“You here to volunteer?,” she inquired. “We’ve really missed you, here.”
He shot her a guilty look, then shrugged. “Actually,” he said “I’m looking to adopt.”
Rose grinned. There seemed to be a lot of grinning today, Shadow thought to himself, grinning in the process (the irony was not lost on him). There was hope in the air, and it was infectious. Shadow could feel it, and it was clearly spreading to Rose.
“I always knew this was gonna happen, sooner or later. Romance is unreliable, but a dog’s life is forever. Let me show you the babies.” Rose led Shadow across the street to the area where they kept the dogs. It was a big place, huge even, at least by LA standards, and they tried to let the animals have as much room as possible. In truth, this mattered less often than one might think, as this particular shelter had a very high success rate with adopting out dogs, cats, and, occasionally, the rare bird or ferret. As he got closer, Shadow saw there were a lot of new faces. All of them looked adorable, the perfect companion, but only one would do. His landlady was very nice, but there was a strict one pet policy, non-mammals notwithstanding. She very well might have made an exception with a bonded pair, as she had a heart of gold, but old Mattie preferred it to be one dog or cat per apartment.
Rose was showing him around when one little dog caught his eye. He went up to the dog, and starting talking to it. “Well hello, beautiful,” he said. “Who are you?”
Rose smiled. “I thought you’d like her. That’s Anti. Short for Antithesis. She’s the antithesis of everything we usually get, brining new dogs here, She’s calm, friendly, good with others dogs, children, hell, even cats!” “Want me to bring her out?” Shadow nodded his head vigorously, and began feeling extremely excited. His hands were shaking.
	“She’s the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world,” he exclaimed, and it was true. She was a stunning ginger color, and had deep green eyes that gazed right through you, seeing your best (and worst) intentions. She was eight, maybe nine pounds. She looked to be a Chihuahua, maybe some Mini-Pin thrown in. All in all, she was the most beautiful dog he had ever seen, perhaps even the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, period.
	He called her to him. “Here, Antithesis,” he said. “Here, girl.” Rose led her right to him, and she walked right over to him, confident, happy, not worried or unsure in the least. He bent down to pet her, and she immediately attempted to jump into his lap and give him a kiss. He laughed amicably, the conclusion forgone. “I’ll take her,” he said.
	It was the easiest decision of his life.
	He had to wait a day, of course, while the paperwork was put in order. He used that time wisely, buying a dog bed, crate, toys, treats, and all the trimmings that go along with it like leashes and a collar.