Destiny Stays

Mortal men have no control over destiny.

So of course the dog stayed.

You remember Destiny - the dog that Media Girl adopted on the sly - the dog that I had agreed could spend weekends with us.

Well... what with the cold snap and the holidays... a weekend turned into a week.

When school resumed, I told Media Girl the dog had to go back to the outdoor run at the kennel. I knew that after being in a warm house for an extended period Destiny's tolerance to the cold had been compromised. Still, an agreement was an agreement, the dog was only a visitor.

The day Media Girl took Destiny back to her primary home, I went outdoors to gather up some wood for the fireplace. It took only five minutes to move the wood into the house. In those five minutes, my ears and fingertips were numb from the wind and cold.

I pictured the dog standing in an outdoor run, sad eyes staring through the chain links, wondering what she had done to deserve being sent back out into the cold. My guilt-o-meter went off the chart. As soon as my fingertips thawed, I dialed up Media Girl on the cell phone and told her to bring the dog back.

Before nightfall our house was equipped with a dog bed, a gate for the laundry room doorway, and a basket full of dog toys. Destiny was a permanent resident.